18-67: Opening Worship
Friends gathered with members of Ministry and Council and visitors for opening worship. As we reflect on Sessions 2018 and begin our preparations for Sessions 2019 we are called to continued faithfulness in our work today and throughout the year.
18-68: Welcome
Sarah Gant, clerk of Permanent Board, welcomed us to our first meeting of the 2018/2019 year. We met jointly in the morning with Ministry and Council. Friends introduced themselves.
18-69: Presiding Clerk’s Report
Fritz Weiss, Presiding Clerk, invited questions from his written report. The Presiding Clerk’s report is appended.
18-70: Funding Priorities Process
In May Permanent Board approved a funding priorities process to inform Finance Committee’s (FC) budgeting process. We will be invited to approve priorities at our November meeting. The Coordinating and Advisory Committee (C&A) has offered advices and tests that Permanent Board might use in its discernment in November. Friends provided feedback.
Friends were reminded that in this process, Permanent Board will forward the results of the discernment on program priorities to the FC and that FC is responsible for the development of the budget for the coming year. The funding priorities process is focused on the current budget and is not a long term financial plan.
18-71: Charges to Permanent Board and Ministry & Council on Clerking
The Presiding Clerk provided context for each committees’ charge from Sessions to address the concerns raised when the nomination for Rising Clerk was heard. Permanent Board takes on the concern of the structure of the role of clerk to make it more doable for non-male, non-white, non-well off Friends. Ministry and Council takes on the development of “a practice to appoint people who will observe, name and reflect back to us long-standing, unseen patterns and practices that result in our complicity in oppression.” See Yearly Meeting Minutes 18-35, 18-53, 18-54 for more details.
18-72: Secretary’s Report and Areas of Focus
Noah Merrill, Yearly Meeting Secretary, opened with the observance of Emma Condori, a Bolivian Friend that often when the Spirit is moving the water’s surface is rocky but the depth will hold us. Are we too focused on structural changes to solve problems that actually require an opening of our hearts?
The Secretary’s report is appended.
The Secretary summarized the report on his areas of focus, created in the context of the Secretary’s annual review, which will shape his work for the coming year as well as the organization of his reports to our body. Noah’s areas of focus are: leading the development program, coordinating the funding priorities process, supporting volunteer service empowerment, fostering religious education, and expanding and improving communications. The areas of focus are not intended to include all aspects of the Secretary’s work but rather to assist decisions about what work to prioritize. Friends asked questions and provided feedback.
18-73: Data Privacy Policy
The Yearly Meeting Secretary shared the work that has begun with Sara Hubner, Office Manager, on the development of a data privacy policy. The Yearly Meeting office collects an enormous amount of information about meetings, members, event participation, financial data. We do not have clear guidelines about how we give out information. We have unclear and inconsistent understandings of how we can use gathered information. This lack of clarity and consistency does not facilitate a trustworthy relationship between our members, meetings, and the administration of our Yearly Meeting. This policy will come to our November meeting. Friends provided feedback for its development.
18-74: Announcements
Friends shared announcements with the joint body.
18-75: Roll Call
The recording clerk called the roll. Present: Sarah Gant, Clerk; Hannah Zwirner Forsythe, Recording Clerk; Travis Belcher, Peter Bishop, Darcy Drayton, Martin Zwirner Forsythe, Chris Gant, Ben Guaraldi, Ian Harrington, Betsy Kantt, Rebecca Leuchak, Ed Mair, Christopher McCandless, Jean McCandless, Gina Nortonsmith, Carole Rein, Sara Smith, Will Taber, Bill Walkauskas, Mary Zwirner
Ex-Officio: Noah Merrill (Secretary), Bob Murray (Finance Clerk), Shearman Taber (Treasurer), Fritz Weiss (Presiding Clerk)
Guests: Mark Barker, Clarence Burley, Carol Coan, Eileen Crosby, Tom Doyle, Carol Forsythe, Steve Gates, Becky Jones, Rebecca MacKenzie, Heidi Nortonsmith, Nancy Slator, Robb Spivey, Jackie Stillwell, Tom Vargo, Ben Warner, Kathleen Wooten
Regrets: Kim Allen, Deana Chase (Development Co-Clerk), Bruce Neumann (Rising Presiding Clerk), Anna Raddochia, Elizabeth Reuthe (Secretary’s Supervisor), Phil Stone, Elizabeth Szatkowski, Rosemary Zimmermann
18-76: Minutes
With corrections, Friends approved the minutes from 9 August 2018.
18-77: Archives Committee
Carol Forsythe, clerk of the Archives and Historical Records Committee (AHRC), spoke with Permanent Board about concerns the committee holds regarding Permanent Board’s May decision to move remaining funds from the sale of the Bloudy Tenent into the general fund. The committee is concerned about missteps in Quaker process and communication involved in the decision, and about the right use of the proceeds from the sale. Our general counsel, consulted during discernment about whether or not to sell the book, determined that we were free to sell the book without restrictions as to the use of the proceeds.
At Sessions 2018 Permanent Board acknowledged our error in making the decision about the use of the funds without clearer communication and input from the AHRC. Friends recognized the dynamic tension between caring for our history and funding future work. Though these are not mutually exclusive we are aware that there is much to do and insufficient resources to do it all. We are committed to the value of the archives and continuing to find ways to fund AHRC’s work.
AHRC has discerned future projects, both short and long term, to be done in support of the archives. They ask for clarity on how to propose and gain approval for their future projects, and how those will be funded.
The committee has identified an immediate need for a paid position to work with the staff of Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) which houses our archives at UMASS Amherst to unpack, identify, and catalogue the remaining boxed items. It was proposed that the AHRC work in consultation with the Treasurer and clerk of the Finance Committee to develop a specific plan in response to this need and bring it to our November meeting. Friends approved.
18-78: Friends Camp Budget
Robb Spivey, Friends Camp Treasurer, brought the Friends Camp FY2019 Proposed Operating Budget and FY2019 Capital Budget to PB for our approval, budgets and report appended. Friends Camp expects an actual surplus in FY2018 and has a budgeted surplus in the operating funds for FY2019. Friends approved the budgets with the caveat that some of the funding for the capital projects may come from the Camp working capital and pooled funds if certain grants are not received.
18-79: Earthcare Ministry Committee
Rebecca MacKenzie, clerk of Earthcare Ministry Committee (EMC), gave an informational presentation about the Yearly Meeting’s approved goal of reducing the carbon footprint of the YM by 10% in the coming year. See Yearly Meeting Minute 2018-36 for details on the approved action. Steve Gates, member of EMC, demonstrated use of a new carbon calculator developed specifically for our Yearly Meeting and asked Friends to use it at home to determine their baseline carbon footprint. Members of the EMC make themselves available to monthly meetings and individuals as they use the carbon calculator and determine next steps.
18-80: Re-examining Yearly Meeting Clerking Structures
We received a preliminary framework, submitted by Ian Harrington and Bruce Neumann, for re-examining the Yearly Meeting clerking structures and practices. The report is appended. Friends suggested additions and clarifications to this framework and underscored the need to populate this working group with people who can listen carefully. Darcy Drayton and Ben Warner volunteered to work with the clerk of Permanent Board and Ian to identify people to serve on this ad-hoc group, bringing a final charge to the November Permanent Board meeting. Other Friends were named and will be consulted in addition to staff as the final working group is populated and the final charge discerned. The ad-hoc working group named in November will report on their work throughout the year and at Sessions 2019.
18-81: Challenging White Supremacy Working Group
Will Taber, member of the Challenging White Supremacy Working Group, updated Friends on the activities of the working group. See appended report for upcoming events that CWSWG is supporting and hosting.
Friends expressed gratitude for the work of the Challenging White Supremacy Working Group.
Challenging White Supremacy Working Group brings forward the name of Diana White to join the working group. Friends approved.
18-82: Yearly Meeting Nominating Committee
Fritz Weiss, acting clerk of Yearly Meeting Nominating Committee, brought forward names for the Yearly Meeting slate.
Eppchez Yes! - FGC Representative, Class of 2021
Heidi Babb - Earthcare Ministry Committee, Class of 2021
Rebecca MacKenzie - Earthcare Ministry Committee, co-clerk, Class of 2019 (extending her service by one year to support her continued clerkship)
Diane Dicranian - Faith in Action, clerk, Class of 2021
Kathleen Wooten - Faith in Action, Class of 2019
Dawn Tripp - FUM Board, Class of 2021
Thomas Vargo - Permanent Board, Class of 2023
Friends approved.
18-83: Internal Nominating Committee
Will Taber, clerk of Internal Nominating, brought forward names for the sub-committees of Permanent Board.
Jackie Stillwell - Yearly Meeting Nominating Committee, clerk, Class of 2021
Joann Austin - Friends Camp Nominating Committee, Class of 2019
Allan Kohrman, Rebecca Leuchak, Justice Erikson, and Ian Harrington are all nominated for the Student Scholarship Granting Committee, Class of 2019. The committee expects to have granted all remaining funds by the end of 2019.
Friends approved.
18-84: Friends Camp Nominating
The PB clerk presented names from Maggie Nelson, clerk of Friends Camp Nominating Committee, for approval to Friends Camp Committee.
Carol Baker - Friends Camp Committee, Class of 2021
Travis Belcher - Friends Camp Committee, Class of 2020, final term
Natalie Bornstein - Friends Camp Committee, recording clerk, Class of 2020.
Carol Baker is also brought forward as the supervisor of the Friends Camp Director.
Friends approved.
18-85: Puente de Amigos
Puente de Amigos committee forwarded a letter introducing Friends to travel to Cuba Yearly Meeting in November for the Permanent Board clerk’s signature. Friends approved.
The Friends are:
Lisa Solbert-Sheldon, Group Leader
Julian Grant, Guide and Translator
Greg Gundlach
Erica Brinton
Jennifer Keller
Felix Kreis
18-86: Closing worship
Friends closed with a period of worship.