Permanent Board minutes | January 16, 2010

10-01 Opening Worship: We opened in waiting worship.

10-02 Roll Call: The Recording Clerk called the roll.

Present: Edward Baker, Holly Baldwin, Susan Davies, Jeremiah Dickinson, Sarah Gant, Judy Goldberger, Andrew Grannell, Dorothy Grannell, Carolyn Hilles-Pilant, Jan Hoffman, John Humphries, Mary Knowlton, Allan Kohrman, Rebecca Leuchak, Dwight Lopes, Christopher McCandless, Susan Reilly, Karen Sanchez-Eppler, Patricia Shotwell, Sarah Spencer, Philip Stone, Ruah Swennerfelt, William Upholt, Donn Weinholtz

Regrets: Thomas Ash, Debbie Block, Beth Gorton, Sandy Isaacs, Linda Jenkins (Presiding Clerk, YM), Donald Mick, Suzanna Schell, Jane Van Landingham, Carl Williams, Susan Zeichner

Ex-Officio: Travis Belcher (Finance Committee Clerk), Judith Shea (Personnel Committee Clerk), Jonathan Vogel-Borne (YM Secretary)

Staff: Katherine Clark

Guests: Joe Pandolfo, Bruce Kay, Clifford Harrison

The Clerk reported that Sara Sue Pennell has resigned her position on Permanent Board.

10-03 Minutes of 11/21/2009 were approved with corrections.

10-04 Minute of Purpose: The Clerk reported that the letter regarding the Minute of Purpose, provided as an advance document, was sent to Clerks of NEYM Committees and all MMs, as approved in November (Minute 09-92).

10-05 Report from Coordinating and Advisory Committee (C&A): The Clerk reported on behalf of C&A which met last week to discuss the Priorities Budget, quarterly staff reports and Sessions Committee concerns (to be addressed later in this meeting). They also received a report from two members of the Faith & Practice (F&P) Revision Committee, who spoke about the challenge of continuing to carry this work after eight years. They highlighted a need for sufficient time set aside at Sessions to facilitate a process of mutual inspiration—YM gaining inspiration from consideration of the F&P draft documents and the Committee receiving inspiration from the YM’s responses. Jan Hoffman, the F&P Revision Committee Clerk, responded to questions from PB members, who expressed gratitude for the Committee’s continuing discernment and writing.

10-06 Report from the YM Secretary: Jonathan Vogel-Borne reported that this year’s theme of Jubilee has taken root in various ways at both the monthly meeting and quarterly meeting levels. He spoke of a harrowing process (like breaking up the soil after plowing), as we struggle with what to let go of: “God is taking this yearly meeting and shaking us.” Part of the YM Secretary’s job description is to “create a structure for meeting the pastoral needs of the yearly meeting,” and that was part of the focus of last week’s Ministry & Counsel meeting. We’re attending to our spiritual health so we can better attend to the work of witnessing to and transforming the world. There is Life within the YM as we undergo this process of wrestling and harrowing, but Jonathan shared a phrase he had heard—“it could have been better than it will be.” Acknowledging the cynicism reflected in the phrase, he wonders whether we are truly being faithful to our leadings.

10-07 Personnel Committee Report: Personnel Committee Clerk Judith Shea reported that the Committee has received and reviewed the staff reporting process outlined by the YM Secretary, and they have begun the work of updating the Personnel Policy Manual to reflect the new staffing structure approved by Sessions last August. She also reported on the Committee’s process for developing the salary and benefits recommendations incorporated into the Priorities Budget:

  • Gathering information from comparable Yearly Meetings and other organizations, the Committee concluded that NEYM would need to budget a minimum of $65,000 to hire a new YM Secretary. Under their recommended salary of $62,500, the NEYM YM Secretary would still be the lowest-paid executive among the northeastern YMs. 
  • Many organizations in the Friends Mutual Health Group pay 100% of health insurance costs for staff members. The Committee has recommended increasing the YM’s contribution to cover 100% of health insurance premiums for staff (up from 80%) and continuing to cover 80% of premiums for family members.
  • Finally, the Clerk reported that the cost of living adjustment for all salaries will be close to 2% (awaiting numbers to be published by the government in February).

10-08 Finance Committee Report: Finance Committee Clerk Travis Belcher reported that the Committee has not met since PB’s November meeting. He highlighted the upcoming gathering for MM finance committees on Saturday, March 6 at the Amesbury meetinghouse. Called “Funding our Vision: Local Meeting Finances and NEYM Priorities Budget Day”, the gathering will combine a discussion of best practices for MMs in the morning with an opportunity for MMs to give input into the YM budgeting process in the afternoon.

As in recent years, the YM is helping Friends Camp cover its annual winter cash flow challenge by temporarily depositing some of the YM’s funds in the Friends Camp operating account. Once deposits for this summer’s camps start coming in, the YM funds will be transferred back to the YM.

The Committee will start honing next year’s budget at the end of this month, so committees anticipating unusual expenses should alert the Finance Committee Clerk or the YM Secretary as soon as possible.

10-09 Treasurer’s Report: Acting Treasurer Jonathan Vogel-Borne, presented the Treasurer’s Report for the quarter ending 12/31/2009. He first reviewed the “Statement of Activities FY09 and Budget FY10” on page 51 in the 2009 Minute Book, highlighting the good news that individual and monthly meeting contributions slightly exceeded the budgeted amounts. Of the roughly 300 individual contributors, 5 people contributed a total of $70,000, including a $25,000 gift received in early FY09. 

In reviewing the report for the First Quarter of FY10, he noted that an additional $8,000 in individual contributions has been received after January 1. A new contribution from Wellesley Meeting has also just been received. Therefore, we are at roughly the same place we were this time last year (minus the special $25,000 gift mentioned above), so the Treasurer is comfortable with our current position.

Friends accepted the Treasurer’s report and expressed gratitude for Jonathan’s willingness to take on these additional responsibilities for this interim period.

10-10 Priorities Budget—First Draft: The YM Secretary reviewed the new budget process, beginning with the preparation in December of an initial draft, drawing upon discussions with Gerald Sazama (Storrs), who has served as a planning consultant, and input from other staff. Further input from Personnel and Coordinating & Advising committees helped produce the “First Draft” being presented today to PB. With input from YM committee clerks, Finance Committee will review and revise this draft before posting it on the YM website in February.

MMs will provide further input at the March 6th gathering, and in April the Finance Committee will prepare the Second Draft to present to PB in May. The Finance Committee will then prepare the final budget to present to Sessions.

A primary goal of this process is to engage more people at earlier stages of the budget development process so that there is broader “buy-in” when the budget is finally presented to Sessions.

Jonathan reviewed the detailed calculations presented in the Priorities Budget, explaining the changes in expenses incorporated within each of the priority levels and their impact on the projected gap in income.

Jonathan also reviewed the calculation of working capital reserves as a percent of annual budget, highlighting the significant difference resulting from whether or not you include Sessions income and expenses in the calculation. Since Sessions expenses (other than staff time) are covered by collected fees, Jonathan believes they should not be included, yielding a greater percentage of annual budget available as working capital reserves (roughly 29% vs 22%). Jonathan is comfortable with our current position.

One Friend shared his continued discomfort with the increased reliance on individual contributions to meet our budget, noting that such contributions are unstable and unpredictable. Some discussion of Development Committee’s recent and planned fundraising efforts followed. Another Friend reminded us that in the early 1990s, the YM implemented a process of budgeting the use of large gifts over a period of five years to reduce the inherent instability.

After some further discussion of the priorities outlined in this First Draft, the Clerk stated his sense that PB approves of the process thus far and accepts what the YM Secretary has brought to us, knowing that we will have further opportunities for input and discernment.

10-11 Report from Sessions Committee: Christopher McCandless read from the recent Sessions Committee minutes describing their discernment concerning a Mid-Year Gathering and their referral of the question to PB. He asked PB to consider whether a Mid-Year Gathering might be an opportunity to gather not only for worship and fellowship, but also to conduct some business. One Friend expressed the concern that, unlike some other YMs, NEYM has not delegated decision-making authority to any body other than PB. Following a lengthy discussion of the possible timing, structure and purposes for a gathering, Friends approved the following minute:

Friends recognized many very good reasons for gathering together—worship, fellowship, committee work, discernment of vision and/or structure—and we encourage Friends throughout the YM to continue seeking and creating opportunities for doing so. We embrace the concept of a YM gathering in addition to Annual Sessions, and we will continue our discernment about the function and structure of such a gathering. We were unable, however, to reach unity in response to the request from Sessions Committee, and we are not clear to organize a Mid-Year Gathering this spring.

Additionally, Jonathan reported that Sessions Committee has met three times already, with intense energy. Much work has been accomplished, but much remains to be finalized. They have decided not to invite outside speakers, and there will be no keynote address nor Bible Half Hours; they decided not to have our usual committee-sponsored workshops; they have decided not to include a visit to the Great Meetinghouse in Newport; and they are considering holding off celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Yearly Meeting until sessions 2011. A key element of this year’s sessions will be meeting in daily “anchor groups.” Waiting worship/discernment and “essential” business will be the focus of business sessions.

10-12 Report on Moses Brown School incorporation: The Clerk reported that the Working Group on MBS Incorporation has met once since November and has another meeting scheduled in a few weeks. Charles White, who has been retained to represent NEYM during the incorporation process, has prepared a ‘red line’ version of all the legal documents. They are still working toward agreement on the structure of a commitment from MBS Board that the school’s mission includes not only providing a Quaker education but also the education of Quakers.

10-13 Travel Minute: PB received a written report on Marion Baker’s (Weare) recent trip to Kenya, traveling in the ministry. She has an open-ended travel minute, endorsed by PB, to support those in ministry in East Africa, especially women and youth. The Clerk read excerpts of her report, including some of the endorsements from Meetings she visited.

10-14 Closing Worship: We closed in waiting worship, planning to meet again on Saturday, March 20, 2010, at Hanover MM at 9:30 AM.

Edward Baker, Clerk
John Humphries, Recording Clerk