Permanent Board of
New England Yearly Meeting of Friends
Calendar of Meetings
Minutes
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May 11, 2013
In Putney, Vermont, beginning with an intervisitation program in the home of several Putney MM members at 9am, then moving to the nearby meetinghouse for business at 10:15 am.
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Next Meetings
3 August 2013, Bryant University, Smithfield, RI
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About the Permanent Board
From Faith and Practice, 1985 pp 229-230
The Permanent Board represents the Yearly Meeting between the Annual
Sessions. It acts on behalf of the Yearly Meeting in cases where the
interest of Friends may render action advisable.
The Yearly Meeting appoints the Permanent Board consisting of not more
than fifty members with each quarterly meeting represented. One fifth
of the Board is appointed each year to serve for a term of five years.
Annually it appoints a clerk for the care of its business. The Board
meets at such times and places as the YM may designate or upon its own
adjournment. Special meetings may be called by the clerk and shall be
called upon the request of five members. Ten days notice of special
meetings must be given in writing to all members, and the business to
come before the special meeting must be stated in the call. At least
one fourth of the total mumbers is required for the transaction of
business. The Board keeps a record of its proceedings and annually
presents a summary to the Yearly Meeting. During the Sessions of the
Yearly Meeting the Board attends only to such business as that body
shall refer to it.
The Permanent Board shall nominate the Yearly Meeting clerks annually.
The YM in Sessions acts on these nominations. When approved by the
Yearly Meeting, the clerks take office at the close of the YM Sessions
and hold office until their successors are appointed and assume office.
The Permanent Board makes recommendations to the YM for hiring staff
and provides oversight of personnel as needed between Yearly Meeting
Sessions.
The Board inspects and perfects, when necessary, titles to lands and
other estates belonging to any meeting. It attends to the appropriation
of charitable legacies and donations except when these are cared for by
persons appointed for the purpose
It extends such advice and assistance to persons suffering for their
Christian testimonies as their cases may require and may petition the
government or persons in authority on behalf of such sufferers.
It considers appeals forwarded to it by the quarterly meetings. It
examines memorials of deceased members transmitted to it from quarterly
meetings and in exceptional cases may recommend them to the Yearly
Meeting for publication.
A Friend with a concern to be carried beyond the Yearly Meeting limits
shall present the concern to the Permanent Board. If the Permanent
Board unites with the concern, it will provide a travel minute. (See
Appendix 2, C.)
The Board may authorize the Treasurer of the Yearly Meeting to pay the
necessary expenses incurred in carrying out its duties.
From the Nominating Committee Guidelines:
Policies Related To All Committees
- Members of committees who resign during the year are urged to inform their Clerk in writing with a copy to the Clerk of the Nominating Committee. Likewise, Committee Clerks are urged to inform the Clerk of Nominating Committee of any resignations that occur during the year which they find out about on theiir own.
- If a committee feels that its work is suffering from resignations of its members, it can ask the Nominating Committee to recommend replacements for appointment by the Permanent Board in the middle of the year. Committees may also co-opt members on their own initiative if they feel it would be helpful
- Clerks Nominating Committee to name Yearly Meeting Clerks
- Internal Nominating committee to name:
- the at-large members to the Yearly Meeting's Nominating Committee
- the Clerk of the Permanent Board
- the members of the subcommittees of the Permanent
Board:
- Office Facilities Oversight Committee to set Office policies
- Personnel Committee which oversees Yearly Meeting Staff
- Search Committees for new staff when needed.
From the Finance Committee Guidelines
The Finance committee also considers concerns and recommendations received from a wide range of Friends and others regarding New England Yearly Meeting financial matters; recommends various policy changes and budget adjustments to the Permanent Board as needs arise; and reports its major decisions to the Permanent Board, welcoming further discernment and alternative responses.
Staff Salaries
The Personnel Committee (of the Permanent Board) makes recommendations to the Finance Committee on salary matters.
Unrestricted gifts of $5000 or more will be reviewed by the Finance Committee Clerk and after consulting with the donor, recommendations will be made to the Permanent Board for allocation to either the current operating budget or to the Investment Fund (so that large gifts meant for the operating budget are allocated to the operating budget and other special large gifts are allocated to the Investment fund). The Finance Committee reports to Permanent Board annually on the appreciation of the Investment Funds, and recommends distribution of this appreciation as appropriate.
Purpose and Procedures of Permanent Board
Purpose: The Permanent Board serves as the Yearly Meeting's decision making body between Yearly Meeting Sessions. Its functions are specified in Faith and Practice. Briefly, it implements decisions and policy made by Friends at Annual Sessions. It also acts upon matters where, in the opinion of the Board, a decision cannot await Annual Sessions. Otherwise, its role is to season issues which come to its attention, presenting recommendations to Annual Sessions if appropriate. It has oversight of the Yearly Meeting office and all personnel matters. It annually recommends senior staff to Sessions and is responsible for their supervision. It annually nominates the Yearly Meeting clerks and the at-large members of the Nominating committee.
Procedures: The Board has the following subcommittees to accomplish some of its work: Office Facilities Oversight, Clerks Nominating, Internal Nominating, and Personnel. The Board creates additional ad hoc working groups as needed. It meets just before and just after Sessions and several times during the year. Its members are appointed for 5 years.
NEYM Corporate Entities
There are three organizations of varying degrees of autonomy that are owned by NEYM and report to it annually. Each of these organizations appoints its own treasurer, without requiring approval of the Yearly Meeting.
- Moses Brown School Oversight of the Moses Brown School is through the Moses Brown Board of Overseers. Matters requiring corporate action, such as purchase, sale, or mortgaging of real property and borrowing outside the debt ceilings, require affirmative action by the Yearly Meeting or Permanent Board. We are not involved in the day-to-day administration of the School. We do not review their books. The Yearly Meeting's liability insurance is obtained as a rider to the Mosed Brown School's general insurance policy.
- Friends Camp This is the corporate entity most closely connected financially to the Yearly Meeting. Oversight is maintained through the Friends Camp Committee (nominated by nominating committee, approved by Yearly Meeting). The director of Friends Camp in China Maine is an employee of Yearly Meeting. Finance Committee is responsible for reviewing the China Camp books annually.
- New England Friends Home - Thayer House Oversight is through the New England Friends Home Committee (nominated by nominating committee, approved by Yearly Meeting). Finance Committee is responsible for reviewing the books of the New England Friends Home annually
From the Personnel Manual (Permanent Board is mentioned
34 times in the manual)
II.EMPLOYEE OVERSIGHT AND NURTURE
A. GENERAL
Employees of the Yearly Meeting are called to a variety of ministries in which they are supported financially by the Yearly Meeting. They are concerned with the growth of the Christian fellowship and of furthering the work of the Religious Society of Friends in New England and other places. The Personnel Committee provides technical adminisrative oversight of the work of Yearly Meeting employees. Supervision of employees is ultimately the responsibility of the Permanent Board, which delegates operating responsibility to the Staff Advisors, Personnel Committee and other committees with designated concerns for the work of the employees.