18-39: Opening Worship
Friends opened with a period of worship.
18-40: Welcome
PB Clerk welcomed us to Castleton and to Sessions. Our committees and meetings have worked hard this year and bring us reports and proposals that we will hear this week. The Clerk expressed thanks to Rosemary Zimmermann for her interim recording this year. We are holding in the light the Friends who are with us, and those who are not with us.
18-41: Roll Call
Present: Sarah Gant, Clerk; Hannah Zwirner Forsythe (Recording Clerk); Kim Allen, Travis Belcher, Susan Davies, Jeremiah Dickinson, Darcy Drayton, Christopher Gant, Ben Guaraldi, Ian Harrington, Rebecca Leuchak, Christopher McCandless, Jean McCandless, Gina Nortonsmith, Anna Radocchia, Carole Rein, Sara Smith, Phil Stone, Donn Weinholtz, Rosemary Zimmermann, Mary Zwirner
Ex Officio: Deana Chase (Co-Clerk, Development). Noah Merrill (Secretary), Bob Murray (Clerk, Finance Committee), Elizabeth Reuthe (Secretary Supervisor), Shearman Taber (Treasurer), Fritz Weiss (Presiding Clerk)
Guests: Gene Boynton, Martin Zwirner Forsythe, Bill Hartman, Derek de Jager, Lyle Miller, Bruce Neumann, Emily Provence, Will Taber, Ben Warner, Kathleen Wooten
Regrets: Elizabeth Kantt, Leanna Kantt, Elizabeth Szatkowski, William Walkauskas
18-42: Minutes
Minutes from May meeting were previously approved. Any dots and commas should go to the Clerk.
18-43: Presiding Clerk
Fritz Weiss, Presiding Clerk, submitted his report to Advanced Documents and gave Friends a chance to ask questions. His report is appended.
This time together is our Holy Week, we are held in God’s good hands this week. Though we are often tempted to seek control if we are to be in God’s good space we must trust in our community and have faith. We are asked, in this busy week, to be available to the body as knowledgeable Friends to help with questions and comments.
18-44: YM Secretary
Noah Merrill, Yearly Meeting Secretary, also welcomed us to Sessions. He reminded us that we are welcoming a new Events Coordinator, Elizabeth Hacala, and that Friends should be gentle and clear with our needs from her.
Pursuant to minute 18-14 from the February PB meeting, the YM is pursuing the paperwork necessary for compliance with the 1986 Immigration Control act. This action is a reversal of action taken in 1986 Minute 86-62.
We are asked to hold the Young Friends in our prayers this week. Young Friends have worked hard this year to strengthen their beloved community and we are grateful for the loving presence they bring to Sessions.
Noah discussed and answered questions on a number of logistical issues related to our week together.
18-45: Earthcare Ministry Committee Purpose Statement
Permanent Board heard a draft purpose statement from Earthcare Ministry Committee and expressed gratitude for the hard work of this committee. The Board asks the committee to redraft their purpose statement with an eye towards making specific and positive statements about the purpose of the committee and how it serves the priorities of the Yearly Meeting, rather than broad statements of belief.
Earthcare Ministry Committee continues to work on their statement of procedures; the clerk of Permanent Board and the Yearly Meeting presiding clerk will support Earthcare Ministry Committee in this work.
18-46: Treasurer
Shearman Taber, YM Treasurer, encouraged Friends to review the Budget and Finance Committee documents in the Advanced Documents and to ask questions throughout the week.
18-47: Development Committee
Chris Gant, co-clerk of Development Committee introduced Bill Hartman and Lyle Miller from Everence. Everence is a Mennonite-affiliated organization which works with many faith organizations to offer financial services in line with faithful practices. Over the course of the year Development Committee has worked on creating a structure for planned giving to support the life and ministry of New England Friends. Everence is tasked to work with NEYM on planned giving and gift development as well as to encourage our discourse on financial stewardship.
Lyle Miller gave a presentation on the “Roadmap for Planned Giving.” The presentation is appended.
18-48: Internal Nominating Committee
The Clerk thanked Donn Weinholtz for his work as clerk of Internal Nominating. Will Taber was welcomed as the rising clerk of Internal Nominating and asked Friends for names of additional Friends to serve on that committee.
18-49: Memorial Minutes
Throughout the morning we heard memorial minutes for: Mary (Molly) Duplisea-Palmer, Georgana Falb Foster, Philip Haines, and Arnold Ricks (Bennington). These memorial minutes will be forwarded to Sessions.
18-50: Closing Worship
Friends closed with worship, encouraged to hold in prayer the Clerks’ table, those Friends not with us. and those who have passed on after long service to our community.