Permanent Board minutes | August 7, 2014

14-64 Opening Worship: Friends gathered in worship at the close of our 354th sessions, weary but full of spirit.

​​​​​​​14-65 Roll Call: The Recording Clerk called the roll:

Present: Holly Baldwin, Travis Belcher, Deana Chase, Jacqui Clark, Susan Davies, Jeremiah Dickinson, Justice Erikson, Christopher Gant, Sarah Gant, Ben Guaraldi, Ian Harrington, Jan Hoffman, Nancy Isaacs, Sandy Isaacs, Leanna Kantt, Allan Kohrman, Rocky Malin, Christopher McCandless, Jean McCandless, Bruce Neumann, Elias Sánchez-Eppler, Karen Sánchez-Eppler, Suzanna Schell, Sara Smith, Becky Steele, Carolyn Stone, Philip Stone, Elizabeth Szatkowski, Bill Walkauskas, Donn Weinholtz, Fritz Weiss, Rosemary Zimmermann,

Regrets: Virginia Bainbridge, Aimee Belanger, Galen Hamann, Rebecca Leuchak, Patricia Shotwell, Shearman Taber (Clerk of Finance),Hannah Zwirner.

Ex-officio: Edward Baker (Westerly, Clerk of Personnel), Noah Baker Merrill (Putney, Yearly Meeting Secretary), Jacqueline Stillwell (Monadnock, Presiding Clerk).

Visitors: Muriel Farrar (Gonic), Andrew Grannell (Portland), Arthur Zimmerman (So. Starksboro)

​​​​​​​14-66 YM nominating. Christopher McCandless reported that the Yearly Meeting Nominating Committee has struggled and continues to struggle with the nominating process, and the expectations of finding friends to serve. They are looking forward to the results of Structural Review and are hopeful of a beneficial impact on nominating.

We heard that the Quaker Youth Education Committee is re-imagining its work and is restructuring itself. Until that work is complete, the Nominating Committee will refrain from adding members. Christopher presented the full nominating slate (deferred to PB from Sessions). Friends approved the slate. Slate attached.

​​​​​​​14-67 New Members. Holly welcomed the new members of Permanent Board. As is our custom, we appointed mentors, whose responsibility is to help the new member become familiar and comfortable with the work of PB. One Friend suggested that pictures of PB members on the PB page of neym.org would be useful.

We appointed the following mentors: for Chris Gant: Suzanna Schell, for Elizabeth Szatkowski: Beckey Steele with input from Phil Stone (Becky's mentor), for Jacqui Clark: Susan Davies, for Ian Harrington and Bill Walkauskas: Donn Weinholz, for Ginny Bainbridge: Edward Baker, for Shearman Taber (in-coming clerk of finance): Ben Guaraldi.

Rocky Malin and Elias Sánchez-Eppler requested new mentors, as their previous mentors have moved off the Committee. Christopher McCandless offered to work with Rocky, and Sandy Isaacs will be Elias’s new mentor.

​​​​​​​14-68 Minutes from Aug. 2 Meeting: The recording clerk, confessing that he had not finished the minutes from Aug 2, read a portion of Minute 14-50 seeking confirmation that he had captured the sense of the meeting. Minutes from that Meeting will be considered in their entirety at our September Meeting.

​​​​​​​14-69 YM Secretary Report: Noah Baker Merrill reported with joy, enthusiasm, and with fatigue: We had Sessions! He recalled ministry in worship during the Sessions Committee meeting at which the decision was made to come to Castleton, voicing a clear sense that this could be a place for our YM to grow, and thrive, and change. Noah affirmed the work of so many who helped both the move and this year’s Sessions happen.

In response to questions, Noah suggested that, with only a few exceptions, things went quite well this year. While we do not have final figures, income, including equalization, exceeded expectations, while costs were lower than at Bryant.

Finally he praised the NEYM staff, who are working well, and working well together, at the same time acknowledging that some were working beyond sustainability, a concern they hope to address this year.

14-70 Sessions Minutes: Karen Sánchez-Eppler, Recording Clerk at Sessions, presented several minutes that had not been approved on the floor of sessions. We heard minutes for:

• The reading of Epistles at the final gathering,
• Our continued work on our financial relationship with FUM
• Sessions statistics/pay-as-led
• Closing message

These minutes were approved. We also approved the Epistle and the Memorial Minutes. One Friend encouraged forwarding the FUM minute to the M&C working party for use in their continued discernment work

​​​​​​​14-71 Thanks to Castleton: Our Presiding Clerk, intending to write a letter of appreciation to Castleton College, asked for input. Friends reflected on the beautiful surroundings and on the college's rapid response to issues that arose, but spoke most clearly about the friendliness of the staff. In the interest of adjourning in a timely fashion, but not out of a deficit of things to praise, the clerk was forced to cut this discussion off.

​​​​​​​14-72 Presiding Clerk Report: Jackie communicated her gratitude to staff, and to everyone who has served the Yearly Meeting this year, noting that while some will step down and take a rest, others will step up.

​​​​​​​14-73 Development Committee: Sara Smith reported that the Development Committee received $6K in further donations during Sessions, and expect more from the Give-Monthly program. They are looking for feedback on envelopes passed out earlier in the week.