Permanent Board minutes | November 15, 2014

14-100 Opening Worship: Friends from Permanent Board gathered for worship at Monadnock Quaker Meeting.

14-101 Roll Call: The Recording Clerk called the roll:

Present: Virginia Bainbridge, Holly Baldwin, Travis Belcher, Deana Chase, Jacqui Clark, Susan Davies, Jeremiah Dickinson, Justice Erikson, Hannah Zwirner Forsythe, Christopher Gant, Sarah Gant, Ben Guaraldi, Galen Hamann, Ian Harrington, Jan Hoffman, Nancy Isaacs, Sandy Isaacs, Leanna Kantt, Rebecca Leuchak, Jean McCandless, Bruce Neumann, Suzanna Schell, Sara Smith, Becky Steele, Philip Stone, Bill Walkauskas, Donn Weinholtz, Fritz Weiss, Rosemary Zimmermann.

Regrets: Aimee Belanger, Allan Kohrman, Rocky Malin, Elias Sánchez-Eppler, Karen Sánchez-Eppler, Patricia Shotwell, Carolyn Stone, Elizabeth Szatkowski.

Ex-officio: Noah Baker Merrill (Putney, Yearly Meeting Secretary), Robert Murray (Beacon Hill, Clerk of Personnel), Jacqueline Stillwell (Monadnock, Presiding Clerk). Shearman Taber (Beacon Hill, Clerk of Finance).

Visitors: Chris Andres (Putney), Edward Baker (Westerly, YM Sec Supervisor), Katherine Fisher (Beacon Hill), Betsy Kantt (Fresh Pond), Nancy Lloyd (Monadnock),Christopher McCandless (Burlington), Kathleen Wooten (Amesbury).

14-102 Minutes: We considered the minutes from our September meeting. With minor changes, the minutes were approved.

​​​​​​​14-103 Yearly Meeting Secretary Report: Noah spoke with a sense of relief, that after two years of great change, including starting a new job himself, overseeing major website and database changes, and some staff reorganization, he feels like he’s getting out of the business of “putting out fires” and able to consider how to “help the water flow more freely.”

With some sense of disbelief he reports that, with termination of the state unemployment claim (PB min.14-50), we are finished with the closure of the New England Friends Home. The one small piece of work is to close the account with the MA State Department of Unemployment.

We heard that the staff transitions (PB min.14-94) are going well, and that the entire staff had a retreat this fall. Beth Collea (Religious Education and Outreach Coordinator) is working on a pilot project to develop Outreach strategies and materials. She expects to engage 3 meetings in this project.

Growing out of a concern for how young adult friends are supported and integrated with monthly meetings, Noah and Nia Thomas (Young Friends/Young Adult Friends Coordinator) are planning a consultation on “Engaging Young Adults.” This will be a time of listening, not decision making, and is not just for YAFs, but for all who are concerned with the nurture of gifts.

The clerk thanked Noah and requested that our appreciation of all the staff be communicated.

​​​​​​​14-104 The Future of the Student Loan Fund: Ian Harrington spoke for the working group appointed at our September Meeting to continue discernment about the Student Loan fund. He described their preliminary proposal (attached) which would be to give $2000 grants to members of monthly meetings, or children of members, working towards a college degree. Grants would be awarded on an annual basis for all who qualify, as long as the funds are available. While the applicants need not be members of a meeting in NEYM, they should have sufficient relationship in New England to receive a recommendation from the clerk of that meeting.

Reflecting on the proposal, Friends expressed some concern about limiting the grants to degree programs only, cautioning that this may be unintended classism at work.

Others spoke about the membership requirement, some reminding us that membership can be a complicated matter for a young adult, others reiterating that membership is a key element of being a committed Quaker.

We also heard concerns about exhausting this pool of money in a few years: “What does it say to spend down this fund without a vision for the future?” Friends wondered if it would be possible to refresh this pool for future students’ benefit.

The Ad-hoc group will take our input into consideration for a revised proposal, which the clerk hopes will also include suggestions on how a granting committee would be formed, and will be accompanied by suggestions on how to consider current outstanding loans.

​​​​​​​14-105 Presiding Clerk Report: Jackie shared, from Sessions Committee, that next year’s theme will be “Living into Covenant Community,” with exploration of such questions as “How do I contribute to community? How am I a member of my Covenant Community? How are we faithful together?” The plenary, rather than being a single speaker, will be a panel, speaking about covenant community. We heard that Lisa Graustein has agreed to clerk the Structural Review Committee, taking over that responsibility from Janet Hough.

Jackie informed us that the Yearly Meeting Supervisor transition is taking place, from Fritz Weiss to Edward Baker, as Fritz has been named Rising Clerk of the Yearly Meeting.

We also heard that C&A has been considering how we might institute a process for defining non-financial goals. They hope to bring a recommendation to a future PB Meeting (See also 14-112, below).

The clerk’s table has been considering how we might hear memorial minutes. Recent years have shown some tension between accomplishing agenda and making space to hear memorial minutes and celebrate the lives they represent.

Jackie brought us the question: “Are we listening to memorial minutes at Sessions to hear and reflect on a life well lived, or are we having a mini-memorial meeting?” A few Friends reflected on the value for business meeting of sharing the gifts God has bestowed upon our community. Other felt that the short time allowed is not enough for reflection, and suggested that we gain a broader sense of the sweep of history during a meeting appointed solely for hearing memorial minutes. Still others suggested allowing the clerk’s table the freedom to choose a few minutes to be read during business meeting, and others to be shared during a memorial meeting. All minutes forwarded by PB would be printed in a memorial minute book, but not all would be heard. We understand that M&C and Sessions committee have also been considering this question, which ultimately is not PB’s responsibility to decide.

​​​​​​​14-106 Personnel Committee: Bob Murray presented a request from Personnel Committee, that we form an ad-hoc committee to seek funding sources of $6000 for Executive Coaching for the YM Secretary. The coaching was suggested by the Search Committee on recommending Noah for the position, and although Permanent Board appointed Friends to seek funding at that time, this work has not been done.

Friends expressed dismay that this support had not yet been fulfilled, and wondered if there was a way to use existing NEYM funds.

While we have the authority to spend from Board-designated funds and from the Revolving accounts, the Treasurer recommended that we authorize overspending of the staff development (currently $2000) line in our budget.

Friends approved authorizing the Treasurer to overspend line 5060 Staff Development by $6000, and by implication the line 5000 staff budget and the overall budget. We direct the YM Secretary and the YM Secretary Supervisor to use these funds during FY2015 for executive coaching or similar support for the Yearly Meeting Secretary.

​​​​​​​14-107 Memorial Minutes: During worship after lunch, we heard memorial minutes for Beth Cheadle and Jean Kinney. In considering whether to forward these minutes, we returned briefly to the previous discussion regarding how Memorial minutes are presented at Sessions. We approved forwarding both minutes, with no guidance on whether to read them.

​​​​​​​14-108 Request from the Pooled Funds: We considered a request from the Board of Managers of the Pooled Funds (BOM), to offer input on their policies regarding investments in industries related to fossil fuel production (attached). We understand that they have a practice, but not a policy, of not investing in refining, extraction/production, or transportation of fossil fuels. They point out, however that drawing a line on what they can and cannot invest in is challenging , as fossil fuels are widely integrated into our lives. The BOM also provided a link to the Global Investor Statement on Climate Change for our consideration.

Katherine Fisher, a member of Young Adult Friends Climate Working Group (YAFCWG), suggested three possible responses to the BOM request:

• Sign on to the Global Investor Statement, which does not give specifics.
• Write a statement of policy, based on our recent practice. We are already divested from producers of fossil fuel, and have been for some time. After formalizing this, we should have a celebration and a press release! Other organizations have been in the news for less significant divestment than we currently practice.
• Consider a policy which would divest even further, e.g. from businesses whose technologies help the fossil fuel industry.

Recognizing that we have no official oversight of BOM, Friends were generally encouraging, at a minimum, to make the practice into policy. We found ourselves less encouraging about signing the Investor Statement which, while recommending divestment, seems to have a financial rather than a spiritual perspective.

Friends were interested in exploring further refinements to the policy, wondering if we might make the policy more aspirational.

Holly Baldwin and Ian Harrington offered to meet with YAFCWG and the BOM, perhaps drawing in other interested friends, to continue this exploration.

​​​​​​​14-109 Proposal for funding Faith and Practice: Jan Hoffman, clerk of Faith and Practice Revision Committee, brought our attention to a joint request from F&P and Publishing and Communications Committee(Pub/Comm), for permission to apply for a grant from Obadiah Brown Benevolent fund. PB policy stipulates that applications for grants in excess of $1000 should be approved by PB.

F&P and Pub/Comm intend to request a grant for $9148 to help replenish the F&P Board Designated fund (PB minute 14-52) and to fund a large-print version of the interim Faith and Practice

Friends approved this grant proposal.

​​​​​​​14-110 Treasurer’s report: Ben Guaraldi began his report with good news: an expected deficit of $49k ended up only $14K. He noted that the proceeds from the Alice Needham fund, split in recent memory between Cambridge Friends School(CFS) and the Meeting School (TMS), was given entirely to CFS this year, with the closure of TMS. This will continue to be our practice, until the Treasurer receives different direction from Permanent Board. Jacqueline Stillwell and Jean McCandless offered to consider whether this money might be split with the Friends School of Portland.

​​​​​​​14-111 Finance Committee Request: Shearman Taber presented a minute from the Finance Committee, requesting that PB undertake a compilation of Yearly meeting policies and procedures, including methods for tracking changes and making them widely available. On several occasions we have become aware that we rely to heavily on all-too-fallible institutional memory.

Jan Hoffman, Shearman Taber, and Becky Steele offered to work with the YM Secretary and the NEYM Office Manger on this project. We refrained from setting a timetable.

14-112 Development Committee: Sara Smith spoke with enthusiasm about the Development Committee retreat with Jennie Isbell. Among other things they saw that both money and lack of money can be a burden, and that people don’t tend to support an unmet need, they support a plan to meet that need.

The Development Committee is hoping to get 100% of NEYM Committee members to contribute.

They are also considering putting together a program: “Healing your relationship with money.”

​​​​​​​14-113 Long term Financial Planning: Ben Guaraldi spoke on behalf of this group which was established at our last meeting (PB Minute 14-89). The current makeup of the group is: Ginny Bainbridge (PB), Becky Steele (PB), Ralph Gentile (Finance), Shearman Taber (Finance), Deana Chase (M&C), Brad Bussiere-Nichols (M&C), Sara Smith (Development), Chris Gant (Personnel), Holly Baldwin (PB Clerk, ex officio), Ben Guaraldi (Treasurer, ex officio and convenor), Noah Baker Merrill (YM Sec, ex officio). To date they have met only by phone, but they have set a meeting schedule, noting with irony that they have only a short period of time to wrestle with long-term goals. We have requested that an initial report be ready by the Jan 31. Committee Day. They hope to set targets for individual and MM giving, consider acceptable deficit levels, establish goals, and create metrics for how we (NEYM) are doing against those goals.

Of particular concern to this Committee is that the YM has not named spiritual/practical goals , which would provide a context and reference for financial goals. They expect to wrestle with this, and will name their assumptions as part of their report.

​​​​​​​14-114 Strengthening Relationships with MM: Deana Chase reported that a number of Friends are working to arrange dates to visit MM’s to shepherd a conversation about the Yearly meeting, what it does, and how that MM sees its relationship with the YM. Kathleen Wooten, NEYM Events Coordinator, is helping to coordinate this work.

Pointing out that there were a number of meetings, on an initial list, which had not yet been assigned Deana drew out offers from PB Friends to engage in this work. We were reminded that this will be on-going work: we intend to visit many more meetings, and we recognize that building relationships requires much more than showing up once.

14-115 Internal Nominating: Donn Weinholtz shared that Internal Nominating has extended invitations to individuals for both clerk and recording clerk for Permanent Board. These Friends are discerning way forward. Donn presented the following names for our consideration:

• Elizabeth Szatkowski (Portland), Personnel Committee, class of 2017
• Brad Bussier-Nichols (Portland) Friends Camp Nominating
• Mary Knowlton (Orono) Friends Camp Nominating

Friends approved these names, as well as allowing C&A to approve one final name for Friends Camp Nominating.