18-19: Worship and Prayer
The meeting opened with expectant worship, out of which we heard the memorial minute for Edward Baker of Westerly (RI) Meeting.
18-20: Welcome
Mike Hirtle, clerk of Providence Meeting and member of Moses Brown School Board of Trustees, welcomed us to Moses Brown School. We are grateful for the hospitality of Providence Friends.
18-21: Roll Call
Present: Sarah Gant, Clerk; Rosemary Zimmerman, Interim Recording Clerk; Travis Belcher, Deana Chase, Jeremiah Dickinson, Darcy Drayton, Christopher Gant, Ben Guaraldi, Ian Harrington, Elizabeth Kantt, Rebecca Leuchak, Christopher McCandless, Jean McCandless, Gina Nortonsmith, Carole Rein, Sara Smith, Phil Stone, William Walkauskas, Donn Weinholtz, Mary Zwirner
Ex Officio: Dulany Bennett (Personnel), Noah Merrill (Secretary), Bob Murray (Clerk, Finance Committee), Elizabeth Reuthe (Secretary Supervisor), Shearman Taber (Treasurer), Fritz Weiss (Presiding Clerk)
Guests: Clarence Burley, Anna Hopkins (Director, Friends Camp), Mike Hirtle, Bruce Neumann (Rising YM Presiding Clerk), Honor Woodrow (M&C Clerk), Kathleen Wooten
Regrets: Susan Davies, Hannah Zwirner Forsythe, Galen Hamann, Leanna Kantt, Anna Radocchia
Not Present: Kimberly Allen, Tom Jackson, Elizabeth Szatkowski
Galen Hamann sent regrets and is laying down her service as a member of Permanent Board in order to respond to a call to serve as assistant head of Virginia Beach Friends School in Virginia. Permanent Board released Galen to this new chapter in her life with joy and gratitude for her faithful service.
18-22: Secretary’s Report (attached)
- Providence Friends have embarked on a building expansion project. NEYM owns the land under Providence Meeting. The clerk of PB recently signed an agreement with the building contractors, approving use of the land for this expansion. PB is pleased to support the growth of local meetings, and celebrates the work of Providence Friends.
- The Lilly Endowment, one of the largest funders of religious institutions in the United States, is issuing an open call for proposals to organizations interested in supporting thriving ministry, and reclaiming and reimagining traditions supporting ministry. With the encouragement of Coordinating & Advisory Committee, a small group of New England Friends active in public ministry submitted a letter of interest to the Lilly Endowment and has begun work to submit a full proposal by the 1 June deadline. Permanent Board approves the submission of this grant proposal in an amount of up to $1,000,000.
18-23: Finance Committee Request to Release Funds from Board Designation (report attached)
In 2015, the YM received $128,800 from the sale of the rare book The Bloudy Tenent. Sessions Minute 15-53 reflects Permanent Board’s direction that this money be “tracked separately until the future of our archives and future expenses related to the archives are clear.” [NEYM 15-53] The NEYM Archives have now been successfully moved to the Special Collections and University Archives of the W.E.B. DuBois Library of the University of Massachusetts (SCUA).
Noting that significant financial needs are not foreseen for the Archives in the short-term, Finance Committee therefore recommends that any expenses related to the Archives be spent from the monies remaining in Archives Revolving Fund in FY19, which currently contains around $8,500, and then from the NEYM Operating Budget starting in FY20. This approach better reflects NEYM’s ongoing commitment to the stewardship of the Archives as an ongoing ministry of New England Friends.
Finance Committee further recommends that the $128,800 currently held within the Continuing Projects Revolving Fund called the “Bloudy Tenent of Persecution Project” should be released from board designation.
The Board approved releasing the $128,800 proceeds from the Bloudy Tenent sale from board designation, with the understanding that these funds would then become part of the Yearly Meeting’s undesignated reserves.
18-24: Website Redesign
The Board directs that up to $40,000 from the undesignated reserves of the Yearly Meeting be allocated to fund the capital expense of a website redesign, with this work to begin as soon as practicable.
18-25: FY2019 Budget
Finance Committee presented the draft FY2019 budget proposal (attached), which the Board heard with gratitude for the difficult work and challenging discernment that allowed Finance Committee to bring forward a balanced budget. Additional comments and questions may be directed to Bob Murray, clerk of the Finance Committee, or to the YM Secretary.
18-26: ad hoc Long-Term Financial Planning Committee (LTFPC)
The LTFPC presented proposed additions to the Yearly Meeting’s budgeting process (see attached report).
In the current budgeting process, Finance Committee drafts a budget starting in January/February; brings the budget to the PB for comment in May; edits the budget; then brings the budget to Annual Sessions for approval in August (see attached illustration). There is currently no formalized way to incorporate into the annual budget process the wide-ranging discernment ongoing in the broader YM.
In the newly proposed funding priority process, the YM Secretary is asked to prayerfully integrate a wide range of ongoing consultation and discernment (including but not necessarily limited to informal consultation, listening sessions at Living Faith and/or other events, monthly meeting input, online surveys, committee and staff proposals, and discernment during the preceding Sessions) into a formal set of annual funding priorities. This annual workflow would be shepherded by Coordinating & Advisory Committee, and the resultant proposed funding priorities would be brought to the November meeting of the Permanent Board.
At that November meeting, PB would then further discern those proposed priorities. Based on that discernment, PB would give direction regarding financial priorities for the coming fiscal year’s budget to Finance Committee. This sort of direction could include, for example, a need to save for a planned capital expense over multiple years; budgeting to make possible a new initiative in ministry; or any other clear discernment around financial priorities. The Finance Committee would receive this direction in advance of their January/February meeting, when the YM Secretary would present the first draft of the budget. In this way, Finance Committee could better incorporate the priorities and discernment of the wider YM into its ongoing budgeting process.
The Board approved this new process (see illustrative slide in PDF, below).
18-27: Request and Recommendation to Lay Down LTFPC
With the adoption of the new funding priorities process to guide the annual budget, the ad hoc Long Term Financial Planning Committee feels that the work it has been charged with is complete, and the clerk asks that the committee be laid down at Sessions. PB approves sending this recommendation to Sessions, with gratitude for the labor and discernment of this committee. Friends approved.
18-28: Development Committee
At the 17 February meeting of Permanent Board, Development Committee sought and received approval to engage formally with Everence, a financial services ministry of the Mennonite Church USA, to create a planned giving program in New England Yearly Meeting. At that time, Permanent Board asked Development Committee to draft a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Everence outlining responsibilities of both parties and other matters for the May meeting of Permanent Board.
Development Committee presented the draft MOU for Permanent Board discernment and approval. The Board approved, and authorized the Secretary to sign the MOU on behalf of New England Yearly Meeting of Friends. (The MOU is attached.)
18-29: Legacy Gift Committee
We heard a presentation from Legacy Gift Committee (LGC) (report attached). LGC has raised a concern regarding the growing interest and involvement of New England Friends in sanctuary projects. Recognizing that this work could result in financial repercussions for involved meetings, LGC wishes to ensure that the YM has enough flexibility to support these meetings.
The co-clerks of LGC; the YM Secretary; the Treasurer; and the clerk of PB will consult in order to make sure that these concerns are fully addressed.
We affirm that it is the understanding of the Permanent Board that the Fund named “Sufferings—Unrestricted” may be used to support the needs of local meetings consistent with the terms of the fund, as well as for individuals who suffer for their witness to Truth.
18-30: Treasurer’s Report
We heard the Treasurer’s report (attached). Finance Committee is proposing a balanced budget this year. Our reserves are at a higher level than anticipated. We are meeting our fundraising goals. We accepted this report with celebration.
18-31: Presiding Clerk’s Report (report attached)
The Clerk brought forward the revised purposes and procedures for the Friends Camp Committee and for the Archives and Historical Records Committee. Permanent Board approved, and forwards these to Sessions for approval.
The Publications and Communications Committee currently is dormant. There are no members and many of the tasks assigned to that committee are performed by staff. C&A recommends that Permanent Board forward a recommendation to Sessions that this committee be laid down. The Board approved, with a request that C&A consider any further needs related to publications, and how they might be supported going forward.
The Publications and Communications Committee has long managed distributions from the Mosher Book & Tract Fund of New England Yearly Meeting. C&A is considering how the MBTF may be managed, and expects to bring a specific proposal to the September PB meeting. In the interim, decisions related to Mosher Book and Tract funds will be made by the Permanent Board.
18-32: Friends Camp Director’s Report
We heard a joy-filled report from the Friends Camp Director, Anna Hopkins. Friends Camp is doing well; last summer, Friends Camp achieved its first re-accreditation by the American Camp Association and this summer the camp may well reach, for the first time, 100% capacity.
Permanent Board also heard how Friends Camp acts as an entry point to Quakerism in some families, and about the aging physical plant. The report was received with gratitude. (The written report is attached.)
18-33: ad hoc Challenging White Supremacy Working Group
Permanent Board received the report of the Challenging White Supremacy Working Group including about its workshop at the recent Living Faith Gathering, “Call and Response: How Meetings Can Engage With the Minute on White Supremacy.” Permanent Board also received a warm invitation to attend the working group’s racial dialogue facilitation training at Wellesley Monthly Meeting from 9:45 am - 3:00 pm on 9 June.
18-34: Vassalboro Minute
On 5 May, Vassalboro Quarter approved a minute: “The 2018 Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival” (attached). Permanent Board heard this minute with gratitude. It will be forwarded to Sessions for consideration.
18-35: Travel Minutes
Permanent Board endorsed travel minutes for Melody Brazo, and for Vicki Elson and Tim Wallis.
18-36: Nominations
Permanent Board approved the following nominations:
From Yearly Meeting Nominating Committee:
Deana Chase (Westport): Development Committee and Co-Clerk of Development Committee; Class of 2021
Note: This means that Deana Chase will step down as a member of Permanent Board (though she is still a member ex officio in this new role!) and that Chris Gant is now also a co-clerk of Development Committee.
From the Committee for Nurturing Friends Education at Moses Brown School:
Carl Bogus (Providence): Moses Brown Board of Trustees: Class of 2021
Victoria Ekk (Providence): Moses Brown Board of Trustees: Class of 2021
Tad Jose (Alexandria): Moses Brown Board of Trustees: Class of 2021
Ruffin Powell (Providence): Committee for Nurturing Friends Education at Moses Brown School: Class of 2021
From Permanent Board Internal Nominating Committee:
Hannah Zwirner Forsythe (Beacon Hill): Permanent Board Recording Clerk: Class of 2021
Will Taber (Fresh Pond): Internal Nominating Committee and Clerk of Internal Nominating Committee: Class of 2021
John Reuthe (Vassalboro): Friends Camp Nominating Committee: Class of 2021
From Clerks Nominating Committee:
We approve forwarding the slate for the 2019 Clerks’ Table to Sessions 2018:
Bruce Neumann (Fresh Pond): Rising Clerk: from 2018 through Sessions 2019; Presiding Clerk: from end of Sessions 2019 for up to three years
Gina Nortonsmith (Northampton): Reading Clerk: from end of Sessions 2018 for up to three years
John Humphries (Hartford): Reading Clerk: 2019 and 2020
Fritz Weiss (Hanover): Presiding Clerk: through Sessions 2019
18-37: Memorial Minutes
Throughout the day, we heard five more memorial minutes: for Mary Connie Lyon Comfort, William Wistar Comfort, Ann Cotton Levinger, George Klaus Levinger, and Connie Sattler. According to our good order, all six of the minutes we received today will be forwarded to Sessions.
18-38: Closing Worship
Our meeting closed in loving prayer for our dear Friend Greg Williams of Beacon Hill (MA) Monthly Meeting.