Permanent Board minutes | September 26, 2015

Joint Meeting with Ministry and Counsel

15-78 Opening worship

Permanent Board and Ministry and Counsel together met in worship at Burlington Monthly Meeting, Burlington, VT.

15-79 Welcome

Sarah Gant, Permanent Board clerk, and Debbie Humphries, Ministry and Counsel clerk, welcomed gathered Friends, who introduced themselves, including by their Monthly Meeting affiliation.

Friends were further welcomed and oriented by Jean McCandless of Burlington Meeting who noted that we were the first large gathering since extensive renovations to the Meeting’s Bassett House were completed.

The PB Clerk spoke of the distances traveled by assembled Friends, reminding us that is how far Burlington Friends often travel.

15-80 Memorial Minutes/Memorial Meeting at Sessions

Presiding Clerk Fritz Weiss reported that Sessions Committee “knows” the theme for the 2016 Sessions but has not yet found the words. It will follow up on this year’s theme of covenant community, moving into being that community—“we are the ‘how’ of God.” He spoke of the order of service from Habana Friends Church in which each reading is introduced with the phrase "This is the work of God."

A part of this is how Memorial Minutes will be brought to Sessions.

Clerk of Ministry and Counsel, Debbie Humphries, reviewed current practice. Monthly Meetings write and approve minutes, which are then forwarded to Quarterly Meetings for approval. Permanent Board then receives these minutes. They are read at meetings of PB and some are forwarded to the Clerk’s table, at times with editing, for inclusion in the business sessions. That not all are forwarded through each of these steps has been uncomfortable for some and in 2015 a decision was made to forward all minutes. The lives of our members center us; we want to be inclusive. “Who is a YM Friend?” -- The YM exists to serve our MMs and QMs. All are welcome.

Last year Ministry and Counsel was brought into the Memorial Minutes at Sessions process due to John Kellam’s minute, which contained information that was felt to be potentially disturbing to Friends. The decision was made to hold a Memorial Meeting, separate from business sessions. The names of all known New England Friends who passed during the year were read, whether or not they had a Memorial Minute. Excerpts from some minutes were shared.

Friends were asked to consider the process going forward and whether Permanent Board should continue as it has or if Ministry and Counsel should be asked to take on some part of this work.

Friends spoke to bringing the names of deceased Friends to YM as a “teaching ministry.” The value of “taking time” in lives that are too busy was raised up as was the importance of hearing all names. A Friend said the Memorial Meeting at last Sessions was “centered, compassionate, tender.” Sessions evaluations were reported as positive about the Memorial Minutes Meeting for Worship, particularly the care taken with the process. A feeling was expressed that in business sessions, the sense was of a “mini memorial meeting” but the separate meeting was more focused on the meaning of the person’s life.

Concern was also raised that the business sessions are becoming too “agenda driven.” There is time pressure – for the clerk’s table, sessions coordinator, and for time M&C can give to Memorial Minutes. Challenges were pointed out, both of finding where to put the Memorial Minutes in the flow of business sessions and of finding time to schedule a separate Memorial Meeting.

Our current Faith and Practice says: “It [PB] examines memorials of deceased members transmitted to it from quarterly meetings and in exceptional cases may recommend them to the Yearly Meeting for publication.“ (p. 230)

“Publication” was clarified to mean “put forth.”

Friends were encouraged to see this discernment as one of creating the bones of a process, with the flesh of details to be filled in by discernment in committee. We were asked to understand we are not wedded to form, that we allow for discernment at each part of the process. Whatever we decide, we ought to communicate that clearly.

The following minute was offered.

Understanding that Friends seek to follow Spirit and not form, Ministry and Counsel is asked to each year discern a process for bringing Memorial Minutes to the attention of the body at Sessions. Permanent Board would continue to receive minutes brought forward from Monthly and Quarterly Meetings and would discern which minutes would be brought to the body at a business session.

Friends approved

PB clerk said this is an invitation to M&C to be more involved; it is part of the bones. There is still flesh to be put on the bones. We have heard the concerns about publishing and time constraints.

Ministry and Counsel members adjourned to Bassett House and Permanent Board continued its meeting with Roll Call.

Present: Virginia Bainbridge, Holly Baldwin, Travis Belcher, Susan Davies, Jeremiah Dickinson, Hannah Zwirner Forsythe, Christopher Gant, Sarah Gant, Nancy Isaacs, Sandy Isaacs, Jean McCandless, Bruce Neumann, Anna Radocchia, Carol Rein, Elias Sanchez- Eppler, Karen Sanchez-Eppler, Sara Smith, Bill Walkauskas, Donn Weinholtz, Rosemary Zimmerman.

Regrets: Deana Chase, Justice Erikson, Ben Guaraldi, Galen Hamann, Ian Harrington, Leanna Kantt, Allan Kohrman, Suzanna Schell, Becky Steele, Carolyn Stone, Philip Stone, Elizabeth Szatkowski.

Ex-officio: Noah Baker-Merrill (YM Secretary), Robert Murray (Clerk of Personnel Committee), Shearman Taber (YM Treasurer), Fritz Weiss (Presiding Clerk)

Guest: David Millar, Burlington Friends Meeting

15-82 Minutes

The minutes of August 6, 2015 were considered.

The name of Rosemary Zimmerman will be added to those present. The names of the Clerk and Recording Clerk will be appended.

With those corrections, Friends approved 15-83 Presiding Clerk’s report:

Fritz Weiss continued his report, sharing his experience thus far. He is surprised how busy he has been and how many people have advice for him.

• At the first Coordinating and Advisory Committee meeting, members debriefed the process and the role C&A played in the Structural Review (SR) Committee, feeling it is important to learn from mistakes that this committee faced.
• C&A is also looking at the provision of childcare in accordance with YM guidelines.
• Fritz has been in contact with the Rhode Island Historical Society, letting them know of our plans to move the archives.
• He has been in contact with the NEYM Friends General Conference Committee in preparation for the upcoming Central Committee meeting of FGC.
• There has been contact with two other committees—Youth Ministries which has not met for two years and Earthcare Ministry for which there is an alive concern in the Yearly Meeting.
• It has been only six weeks since Sessions but it is already clear some of what will be on our plate next year: Long-Term Financial Planning
• There have been several requests for public statements under the new policy minuted at Session [2015-57]. One has been turned down (an FCNL request to endorse the Iran nuclear deal), two feel appropriate for comment: one addressing climate change in connection with Pope Francis’ visit and one addressing systemic racism, but the words are not yet formulated. Any statements will be distributed first to Monthly and Quarterly meetings and then to conventional news outlets.

Friends encouraged the Clerk and Secretary to speak out in a timely manner, noting also that the minute authorized seeking others to help carry this work.

15-84 Treasurer’s Report

The YM Treasurer, Shearman Taber, reported we have met and exceeded the amount needed for the matching gift announced earlier this year. We qualify for the $10,000 match.

The Treasurer’s report included in the advance documents was correct as of September 19 and showed a deficit of about $88,000. That is now about $45,000. A lot of contributions arrive in September. He anticipates the final deficit for FY 2015 will be below the approximately $44,000 budgeted. Money from the pooled funds is not yet included.

He recognized Finance Committee members who have been in contact with Monthly Meetings in instances where current contributions were significantly below previous levels.

Health Benefits costs are down this year, due to the staff reorganization and options chosen by staff.

15-85 Authorization for Publications Budget overrun – line 6600

There is an overrun in the publications budget line of 56% or $5,371.81. This is due to the cost of contracted services used to prepare an issue of the New England Friend and the 2014 YM Minutes. These costs were assigned to the publications line, rather than contracted services, to more accurately track the costs of that activity.

The following minute was offered.

Friends approved.

15-86 Santander Bank resolutions

Clerk of the Finance Committee, Elias Sanchez-Eppler, brought a request that PB approve a standard “Universal Resolution” from Santander Bank allowing us to open an account with that bank. This resolution certifies, in essence, that we acknowledge it is NEYM’s responsibility to monitor and adhere to our policies regarding banking and not the bank’s; the bank has limited legal responsibility to corporate depositors in the event of fraud. [Our policies can be found at Session minute 2015-63.5, Finance Committee 2015-73 and Permanent Board 2015-60.]

In discussion, it was clarified that our policies designate who can and cannot sign checks and in what amount; the checks themselves do not. It would not make a difference to print that on the checks since they are not ordinarily processed by a human being.

Staff has done "due diligence" on Santander, one of the highest rated banks that can meet our needs.

The following minute was offered.

Recommended that Permanent Board adopt the resolutions in the advance documents, enabling our authorized signers to open an account at Santander, while affirming that we will uphold our internal control policies and are not changing them by this action.

Friends approved

15-87 Development report

We heard from Sara Smith, Clerk of the Development Committee. She reported that we received more than $10,000 in new and increased donations, meeting the challenge grant. This was a new initiative of the committee and they have “learned a lot” and have more to learn, e.g. where our donations are coming from. More detailed information is anticipated at the November meeting.

A Friend commented that we have met our budget, but that it is a budget with a $44,000 deficit. We have a way to go yet to be financially sustainable as a Yearly Meeting.

15-88 Yearly Meeting Secretary’s report

YM Secretary Noah Baker Merrill emphasized the good news that the challenge grant leveraged $20,000 in contributions, not counting increases in Give Monthly.

He has just returned from the Superintendents and Secretaries meeting. This year it was NEYM’s turn to host and they met at Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham, MA. There were 14 present during a moving time of sharing, mentoring and support—rich, tender and fruitful. Much is happening in the Quaker world.

• They heard from Philadelphia YM that on September 30, every committee will cease to exist and a new structure will arise.
• Played “Unable, Unwilling-A Game of Quaker Nomination”
• Held Friends in Northwest YM, which is experiencing a surge in young adult membership, in part in response to a possible split in their Yearly Meeting.
• Heard about the challenges for FGC as they face a $500,000 budget cut.
• Heard about FUM and their increased presence in the US and commonality they are discovering with AFSC.
• Held each other in prayer.
• Heard from Beth Collea about the Quaker Religious Education Collaborative and their work on racial justice curricula.

As we are looking to reaffirm our commitment to support local meetings, we also remember our connections with the wider Quaker world.

He reported also on being with Hartford Meeting in retreat at Powell House with a focus on what the meeting has to offer to their community, quoting Beth Collea, “If it doesn’t work at the local level, it doesn’t work.” Someone who was at the retreat commented that Noah’s impact was profound, that people left the retreat saying ‘that was one of the best retreats we’ve ever had.’

15-89 Memorial minutes

We heard the memorial minutes for James Ellingboe and Cynthia Fisk.

15-90 Ad-hoc Group Relating to the Structural Review Committee

Clerk of the Ad-hoc group, Holly Baldwin, reported that they are working to live into an acknowledgement that care for the committee was lacking.

Susan Davies, Sarah Gant, Debbie Humphries and Holly are the group. They are calling to connect with committee members, listening for content and process feedback. She reported that it is gratifying work, “we don’t often call to thank people for work done.”

A Friend asked that Long-Term Financial Planning Committee (LTFP) “hold tenderly” the thought of LTFP taking up a portion of SR’s work.

15-91 Long-Term Financial Planning Committee

Clerk of the LTFP Committee, Chris Gant, reported on the committee’s work.

Structural Review has been laid down. LTFP has been talking about the important work done by SR and is in unity that a long-term financial plan cannot yet be made because there is so much “plumbing” that needs to be attended to that the ‘water’ cannot flow.

It feels important to begin a process of making real what SR began. Nominating committee cannot fully people the 26 NEYM committees. It seems important, in light of the priorities approved at Sessions 2015, that we begin to reflect on what the work of our Yearly Meeting is, the staff, committees and volunteers. In today’s advance documents, LTFP has suggested a process for committees to begin this process of assessment so that we can better understand how we ‘re-architect’ ourselves to carry our work forward.

The importance of “tone” was raised, as was the importance of addressing the NEYM “insider-outsider” feeling. Others spoke to the value of engaging with current committees and how they are/can address NEYM’s approved priorities. A former member of SR added something the SR committee came back to many times—committees often write their own purposes and procedures, it is like asking a kid what they want for dinner. This is different from YM saying to committees, “…here is work we want you to do” and asking the committee to do that work. Others pointed out that some committees are functioning well, some less so. Some committees have not met for two years.

There is an organic process in gathering this information that will inform the next step.

We are often very good at speaking in business meeting when we disagree, not as good at saying when we agree. Much has been said about ‘we’ve been here before’ but there is a new generation that is excited about this work. There are new people with new skills and new talents, hoping for a vibrant YM for our children.

The following minute was offered.

Friends approved

The LTFP Committee plans to start this process by the October 10 Committee Day and will ask committees to respond by November 14. They will then bring an initial report to PB in November with a final report in February.

The PB Clerk commented we were given clear guidance at Sessions. There is new energy breaking out around the YM. We are at a time of transition and

that is difficult because we don’t know the timeline. When we make minutes, it is to say this is where we are now. We will keep each other accountable when we need to make changes. We have work to do in laying down committees and shifting responsibilities to others.

15-92 Membership of Long-Term Financial Planning

Because of a resignation, change in status of a representative and the desire to add a representative from Nominating, Friends were asked to approve the following.

Friends approved

In addition, Finance Committee will appoint a new representative to replace Shearman Taber, who continues his service on LTFPC in his new role as YM Treasurer.

15-93 Personnel Committee

Clerk of Personnel Committee Bob Murray brought an issue and a concern to Permanent Board.

The Committee recommends NEYM change to a continuous employment model for the YM Secretary and Camp Director. This is the de facto status for non-managerial staff. Currently the two managers must be re-appointed by Sessions each year. This would not change the current one-year probationary period in effect when first hired.

Friends asked if this would leave us open to difficulty in the event someone needs to be terminated. Personnel believes it would not.

The following minute was offered.

Friends approved

Personnel Committee has minuted its concern about the lack of clarity in the relationship between the YM Secretary and the Friends Camp Director. The Committee feels the hiring process for the Camp Director should not begin until there is more clarity around the supervisory relationship of the YM Secretary as relates to the Camp and its Director.

A member of the Ad-hoc Committee on Good Governance for Friends Camp reported that committee intends to bring its report to the November PB meeting.

The YM Secretary, PB Clerk and Clerk of the Good Governance committee attended the September Friends Camp Committee meeting and noted that this concern about the supervisory relationship is alive there as well.

Permanent Board accepts this concern with gratitude for the care Personnel Committee has taken and with minuting their concern to PB.

15-94 Jean McCandless reported that she and Carolyn Stone were asked at the February 21, 2015 PB meeting [Minute 15-16] to “do something” to assure there could be positive outcomes around the Memorial Minute for John Kellam. They joined efforts of M&C and scheduled an extended workshop at Sessions to further efforts by MMs to establish child safety guidelines. Ten NEYM meetings and one NYYM meeting attended. She and Carolyn are interested in continuing to offer this education. They offered resources to the MMs, particularly a book, “Safe Sanctuaries” which they hope will be available to all local meetings.

Part of their learning was that they accepted the task without real clarity around their charge. She recommended that in such instances when PB asks Friends to take on a task that a specific minute encompassing the charge be written.

15-95 Ad-hoc Working Group on Monthly Meeting relationships

This will be held over until the November meeting due to time constraints.

Friends are charged with reading that working group’s advance document and responding to the questions contained therein. Please respond directly to Bruce Neumann.

We have heard today about committees that did not have clear charges or wished for more clarity in their charges. This working group is asked to come to PB with their understanding of their charge and the work they have accomplished to date.

15-96 Internal Nominating Committee

The committee brought forward six names.

• For Internal Nominating: Carolyn Stone and Patsy Shotwell

​​​​​​ Friends approved.

• For the Student Scholarship Granting Committee (a sub-committee of PB) Justice Erikson, Ian Harrington, Rebecca Leuchak, Allan Kohrman

Friends approved.

A question was raised about the term for the SSGC. Is it one year, until the money runs out, two years with a review? Internal nominating will consider this question and report back to PB on November 21 with a recommendation and a revised chart including this sub- committee.

15-97 Childcare policy

We do not yet have a childcare policy. The following minute was offered.

Friends approved