Permanent Board minutes | March 17, 2012

12-18 Opening Worship: We opened in waiting worship.

12-19 Roll Call: The Recording Clerk called the roll.

Present: Edward Baker, Holly Baldwin, Travis Belcher, Deana Chase, Jeremiah Dickinson, Sarah Gant, Galen Hamann, John Humphries, Mary Knowlton, Allan Kohrman, Dwight Lopes, Christopher McCandless, Robert Murray, Bruce Neumann, Sarah Sue Pennell, Patricia Shotwell, Carolyn Stone, Philip Stone, Donn Weinholtz, Fritz Weiss, Carl Williams

Regrets: Jennifer Baily (Personnel Committee, Clerk), Aimee Belanger, Debbie Block, Susan Davies, Ben Guaraldi, Jan Hoffman, Nancy Isaacs, Sandy Isaacs, Maria Lamberto (Finance Committee, Clerk), Rebecca Leuchak, Donald Mick, Karen Sanchez-Eppler, Elias Sanchez-Eppler, Suzanna Schell, Ruah Swennerfelt, Jane Van Landingham, Rosemary Zimmermann

Ex-Officio: Ed Mair (Treasurer), Jacqueline Stillwell (YM Presiding Clerk), Jonathan Vogel-Borne (YM Secretary)

Guests: Nancy Haines, Martha Shwope

12-20 Minutes of 1/21/2012 were approved with corrections.

12-21 Report from the Yearly Meeting Secretary: Jonathan Vogel-Borne, YM Secretary, shared news from around the YM:

Sixth World Conference of Friends – Eighteen Friends from NEYM will be traveling to Kenya for this gathering, which will include as many as 1000 Friends from around the world. The NEYM participants have met for preparatory discussions, and after returning they will be visiting MMs and QMs, as well as lead the Sunday morning worship at August Sessions.

Staff Updates – Jeff Hipp’s workload has not allowed time to launch the new website, a challenge exacerbated by the withdrawal of support from Friends General Conference (see PB Minute 11-42) due to its own budget and staffing limitations. Beth Collea, the YM Religious Education Coordinator, recently used the software “GoToMeeting” to convene an online meeting of the Quaker Youth Education Committee. The YM is purchasing a copy of this software for use by committees and other constituent groups. The Religious Education Coordinator’s position has been boosted to 32 hours per week in the Priorities Process Budget, as recommended by PB in January (see PB Minute 12-06).

New England Friend – The Winter/Spring edition, with a focus on Friends’ engagement with the Occupy movement, is posted online; a hardcopy summary on one legal-size sheet was also mailed to MMs. The plan is to have the Fall and Summer editions in print but to publish the Winter/Spring edition online.

12-22 Report on New England Friends Home Property: Jonathan Vogel-Borne reported on behalf of the ad hoc Friends Home Property Committee (see PB Minute 11-78).

Bookkeeper Fraud – Jonathan followed up on PB’s request “to pursue a face-to-face meeting with Kim Coughlin to explore opportunities for reconciliation and restitution” (see PB Minute 12-9). In a phone conversation, Ms. Coughlin expressed strong reluctance to meet and wanted to consult her attorney. She indicated that she has no money and has lost most of her business. Since we have decided not to pursue litigation, it is unclear what recourse we would have if Ms. Coughlin decides she does not want to meet. Friends are comfortable letting Jonathan and Chris Doehlert discern how and whether to pursue further interaction with Ms. Coughlin.

Discrimination Complaint – Jonathan reviewed the circumstances of the complaint, noting that it provides further confirmation that in the absence of resources for stronger oversight, getting out of the business of running an assisted living facility was a wise decision for the YM. Since the YM did not have “Employment Practices” insurance, only the first $5,000 in legal fees was covered by our policy with Church Mutual. While the YM’s attorneys agree that the case has no merit, the decision was made to pursue mediation, as the least costly way to reach a resolution. A mediated settlement does not mean that the YM is admitting culpability, but it will likely result in a cash settlement to the complainant.

Friends approved authorizing Jonathan to reach a settlement involving up to $4,000 in compensation to the former employee, beyond which he will need to consult with the members of Coordinating and Advisory Committee.

Friends identified some remaining concerns arising from these two challenging incidents:

• What responsibility does the YM have to inform future clients of Ms. Coughlin?
• What lessons should we learn from these experiences, so we can ensure that all YM entities (e.g. Friends Camp) have adequate insurance, as well as training and guidance, to avoid such difficulties in the future?
• How do we ensure that the next YM Secretary has adequate knowledge and experience in these areas?
• Do we need “board training” for PB members?

12-23 Sale of New England Friends Home Property: The Clerk reviewed the Purchase & Sale agreement accepted by the ad hoc Friends Home Property Committee, pending the approval of Permanent Board. The cash offer of $1,625,000 is from Campus of Caring, a 501(c)3, not-for profit corporation, proposing to use the facility as a hospice care center to be operated by the Norwell Visiting Nurse Association (VNA).

The ad hoc committee recommends accepting this offer for several reasons: 1) it is higher than our asking price of $1.5 million; 2) it is being made by a non-profit organization; 3) the property would be continuing in its use to serve the elderly (and others) as they face the end of their lives; and 4) the facility will be operated by professional health care providers.

The Clerk then reviewed the decision by Campus of Caring to assign its rights, under the Purchase & Sale agreement, to the Norwell VNA. He also reviewed the potential conflict of interest arising from the fact one of the partners at Jeanne McKnight’s law firm serves on the Board of Directors of the Norwell VNA. Friends agreed with Jeanne’s assessment that since the terms of the agreement had been negotiated prior to the decision to transfer the sale to Norwell VNA, no professional ethics will be violated. Friends approved having Edward Baker sign a letter of consent, allowing the transfer of the sale to Norwell VNA.

The closing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 24, 2012. Mortgages, legal fees, brokers’ commissions, and the costs of closing the Friends Home will be subtracted from the sale price. The Treasurer will provide a full financial report on the transaction at the May PB meeting. The agenda for that meeting will include time for initial discernment about the potential use(s) for the funds received from the sale.

Friends expressed deep gratitude to the ad hoc committee for its faithfulness in carrying out its charge.

12-24 Transfer of Whittier Items by Amesbury MM: The Clerk reported that Amesbury MM had sought to loan the historical items related to John Greenleaf Whittier obtained from the Friends Home (see PB Minute 11-94) to a local museum.

However, the museum (the Whittier Home Association) would rather not have them as a loan.

Friends approved having Amesbury MM transfer these items to the Whittier Home Association, with the following stipulations: 1) should the Association ever fold or dissolve, these articles would be returned to Amesbury MM; 2) appropriate curatorial care shall be given to the items; and 3) the gift shall be attributed to NEYM.

​​​​​​​12-25 Report from YM Presiding Clerk: Jacqueline Stillwell, YM Presiding Clerk, reported on her recent travel to Cuba and also reported on behalf of Coordinating and Advisory Committee (C&A) and Sessions Committee.

Jacqueline traveled to Cuba Yearly Meeting (CYM), as a member of a Monadnock MM delegation. During the time in Cuba, she also accompanied Margaret Hawthorn, who visited all the MMs in CYM to share her experience of the Love of God as she dealt with the trauma of her daughter’s murder in 2010. As part of their annual sessions, CYM approved sponsoring a peace center under direction of outgoing YM Clerk, Ramon Gonzalez-Longoria and appointed delegates to Sixth World Conference of Friends. Pastors within CYM reported that the “sister yearly meeting” relationship with NEYM is very important, providing an anchor and balance within the context of the rising vigor and influence of Pentecostal churches in Cuba.

Mid-year gathering – Preparations for the gathering in Wellesley have raised longer- term questions for consideration by C&A: What’s the structure for future mid-year gatherings? Which body should have care of such gatherings?

Sessions Planning – Steve Curwood, the Executive Producer and Host of the public radio program “Living on Earth,” has agreed to present the opening address.

​​​​​​​12-26 Report from YM Secretary Search Committee: Bruce Neumann, Clerk of the YM Secretary Search Committee, reported for the Committee. He presented the completed list of committee members: Deana Chase (Westport), James Grumbach (Portland Friends School), Dwight Lopes (New Haven), Bruce Neumann (Fresh Pond, Clerk), Wendy Schlotterbeck (Youth Minister at Durham MM), Jacqueline Stillwell (Monadnock, YM Presiding Clerk), Donn Weinholz (Hartford), and Hannah Zwirner (Beacon Hill).

The Committee has established a page on the YM website with a summary job description and a link to the full description approved in November (PB Minute 11- 95). Advertisements have been placed with Friends Journal, Quaker Life, as well as a variety of Quaker websites. Notices have been sent to a number of Quaker organizations, and a letter will be sent to MM contacts, encouraging Friends to identify individuals who need a nudge to apply.

The Committee has established several dates for the search process: May 15^th – deadline for applications; May 26^th – Committee meeting to select semi-finalists; June 9^th and 16^th – initial interviews; July 3^rd and 10^th – final interviews, which will include time for the candidates to meet with current YM staff.

The Committee has had conversations with the current staff members to discuss their “positional relationships” vis-à-vis the YM Secretary position and seek their input into the process.

During the ensuing discussion, several Friends raised considerations:

• How will the Committee incorporate the current YM Secretary’s input into the discernment process, given that he will likely know many of the applicants?

We need to understand and hold the tension between seeking to replace the Jonathan we know now and finding someone who may have the potential possessed by the younger, less experienced Jonathan whom we hired many years ago.

Has the Committee sought legal advice about what can and cannot be asked of candidates during the hiring process?

The Committee may discover that the search for someone to meet the demands outlined in the job description leads them to recommend hiring additional staff to support the YM Secretary’s position.

12-27 Report from Development Committee: Nancy Haines, Clerk of the Development Committee reported for the Committee. At its meeting in February, the Committee reaffirmed the vision for its work that was first developed in 2005:

"We seek to raise funds to strengthen our youth programming, to improve the connections that support our monthly meetings, and to offer a more visible Quaker presence in our troubled world.

"While we deeply appreciate our New England Quaker heritage of fiscal prudence and thrift, we also seek to enlarge our Yearly Meeting's vision and sense of possibilities. By actively seeking to raise funds, we hope to enable our Yearly Meeting to explore new directions and expand.

"We believe that New England today could benefit from a greater Quaker presence, and as the New England Yearly Meeting Development Committee, we see our mission of raising funds as a necessary prerequisite to allowing our Yearly Meeting to take on new work, if God so wills.

"Sharing our resources with our community can be a joyous act, and we hope to encourage members of our New England Quaker community in giving to one another and growing together as Quakers."

The Committee is focusing on four major categories of activity:

• appeal to NEYM leaders to be lead donors;
• nurture and encourage major donors, legacy donors, and bequests;
• expand the donor base especially by cultivating young donors and those new to, or newly active in, the Yearly Meeting; and
• encourage the current donors to increase their donations if they are able.

The Committee is preparing for a spring mailing to Friends who are active in the YM, have children who attend retreats, attend Sessions, or have given in the past. The Committee will also be very visible at Sessions in August.

Nancy challenged PB to achieve 100% participation of its members as YM donors. She also requested PB members’ help in reaching out to other leaders within the YM and encouraging them to become donors. Friends are encouraged to identify and visit with potential donors in their geographic area, either alone or accompanied by a member or the Committee. There are about 300 current donors, roughly 15 of whom give $1000 or more. It is important to increase the number of people in each of those categories.

Nancy expressed the Committee’s concern that the Priorities Process Budget is based on scarcity (“What can we do with the limited income we have?”) rather than abundance. A bold vision and a budget that assumes abundance will engage Friends and give them a reason to invest in the future. If PB can lead the YM in finding the vision; the Committee will find the money.

​​​​​​​12-28 Treasurer’s Report: Ed Mair, YM Treasurer, reviewed the report provided with the advance documents. While year-to-date individual contributions are down about $4,000 from last year, this figure is a bit misleading since last year’s figure included the final installment of a multi-year $10,000 annual gift. Contributions from monthly meetings are up. Without the legal and insurance fees associated with the Friends Home property (which will be recovered after the sale of the property), the year-to- date financial position is better than this time last year.

Friends Camp registration is up 10% compared with this time last year

One Friend spoke of the importance of reaching clarity on recommendations for what should be done with the funds from the sale of the Friends Home property since it will be necessary to respond to Friends who question the need for individual or MM contributions after the YM has received such a substantial sum.

Ed reported that Maria Lamberto (New Haven) has agreed to serve as Clerk of the Finance Committee.

​​​​​​​12-32 Recommendations from Puente de Amigos Committee: Edward Baker reported on behalf of the Committee. The Committee recommends the following Friends for travel in the ministry as representatives of New England Yearly Meeting to visit and work among Friends in Cuba Yearly Meeting during April 2012:

Leonard Cadwallader (Hanover) and Mary Ann Cadwallader (Hanover)

These Friends have completed the appropriate clearness process with their MM and will join those from Wellesley MM and Fresh Pond MM previously approved (see PB Minute 12-15).

Friends approved these Friends for travel to Cuba.

12-33 Travel Minutes: Friends heard the following travel minutes.

The Clerk read a travel minute for Ann Dodd-Collins (Winthrop Center Friends Church) forwarded by Vassalboro Quarter. Ann continues to travel with a concern for the work of and relationship with Friends United Meeting (see PB Minute 09-93). She has served as NEYM Representative to the FUM Triennial, and she has traveled extensively, including to Canadian YM. Friends approved endorsing this travel minute.

The Clerk read a travel minute for Kathleen Wooten (Lawrence MM) forwarded by Salem Quarter. Kathleen travels with a concern for intervisitation, and several Friends spoke of their experience having her visit their MM. Friends approved endorsing this travel minute.

The Clerk read a travel minute for Len and Mary Ann Cadwallader (Hanover) forwarded by Northwest Quarter. The Cadwalladers will travel to Cuba YM with other NEYM Friends in April. Friends approved endorsing this travel minute.