Permanent Board minutes | September 24, 2016

16-63 Opening Worship: Permanent Board Friends gathered in worship with members of Ministry and Counsel at Hartford Friends Meeting, Hartford, Connecticut. The PB Clerk shared Ezekiel’s words (Ez. 37:7-14) about bones coming to life.

16-64 Presiding Clerk Report (attached): Reflecting on an article about organizational sustainability, the Presiding Clerk noted that NEYM has an abundance of resources, not just money. He recalled the “Lamb’s War” of early Friends, being in the world but not of the world. We are living in a remarkable time. We are called to great witness.

16-65 YM Secretary Report (attached): The Secretary just returned from a gathering of Quaker superintendents and secretaries. Many YMs are facing the challenges of declining membership and resources, and feeling that ministry to the world is more needed than ever. He was reminded that the life of a community of faith is a continuous risk. He prays that we are stewarding and caring for our resources to carry out this essential ministry.

Shortly after the end of Sessions, the Secretary attended the memorial for Connie Kincaid-Brown’s son, Duncan, in New Hampshire. He noted that Hanover Friends opened a memorial and worship space for groups of people from different backgrounds to come together for that experience. Friends can offer the tenderness of our tradition to open space to hold many. He sees Friends turning outward to serve a wider, more diverse community. A risk worth taking. He expressed gratitude that we’re willing to keep taking that risk.

There was a discussion of the oil-pipeline protests at Standing Rock. The voice that should be heard is the voice of the Sioux. Does our minute repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery speak to this issue?

16-66 Traveling Ministry: The M&C Clerk shared fruits from a review of years of YM records about traveling ministry (attached). Friends considered how we recognize and nurture gifts of ministry among us. Traveling ministry, including being called to travel to minister on a particular concern, is different from recording gifts of ministry. Some expressed concerns about naming some people as having particular gifts. What does it mean to have care and support of ministry? Those gathered discussed a variety of experiences of ministerial support from monthly meetings, quarters, and the YM. We discussed how traveling ministry relates to the tradition of eldering.

It is important to ground our work in experience. Might M&C begin by inviting those with Travel Minutes to regularly report on their ministry?  Might those monthly meetings that have a strong tradition of support for those who travel in the ministry (Fresh Pond, Hanover, Mt. Toby, Portland, Putney) be invited to more clearly share their experiences and best practices? What role does the Faith & Practice Revision Committee have in this discussion? There is accountability to consider as we send our ministers outside of our quarters and yearly meeting. Are we endorsing a ministry to the outside world, and does NEYM need to approve it? There needs to be clearer guidelines about reporting and accountability.

Friends approved creating an ad hoc working group comprised of members from PB and M&C to discern what clarity is needed as the YM nurtures, supports, and holds accountable those Friends who travel in ministry.

16-67 Roll Call: Following the morning’s joint meeting with Ministry & Counsel, the Recording Clerk called the roll of Permanent Board members:

Present: Sarah Gant, clerk; Becky Steele, recording clerk; Travis Belcher, Deana Chase (at morning session; attended Ministry & Counsel in the afternoon), Susan Davies, Jeremiah Dickinson, Hannah Zwirner Forsythe, Christopher Gant, Christopher McCandless, Jean McCandless, Elias Sanchez-Eppler, Karen Sanchez-Eppler, Sara Smith, Philip Stone, Bill Walkauskas, Donn Weinholtz.

Ex Officio: Edward Baker (Supervisor, YM Secretary), Noah Baker Merrill (YM Secretary), Bob Murray (Acting Clerk, Personnel), Shearman Taber (Treasurer), Fritz Weiss (Presiding Clerk).

Regrets: Kimberly Allen, Holly Baldwin, Justice Erikson, Ben Guaraldi, Galen Hamann, Ian Harrington, Leana Kantt, Rebecca Leuchak, Anna Radocchia, Carole Rein, Suzanna Schell, Elizabeth Szatkowski, Rosemary Zimmerman.

Absent: Tom Jackson.

Guests: Rachel Walker-Cogbill (Plainfield), Jim Grace (Beacon Hill), Leslie Manning (Durham), Allison Randall (Keene), Jackie Stilwell (Monadnock), Mary Zwirner (Beacon Hill).

16-68 Follow-up to YM Secretary’s report:

• Friends approved April 22, 2017 for a consultation on climate action.
• The YM Secretary asked for input and suggestions about the usefulness of the print version of the NEYM newsletter.

16-69 Minutes:

• Friends approved minutes from the Permanent Board meetings of August 6, 2016 and August 11, 2016.
• Friends approved minutes that Sessions asked PB to review and approve in final form.

16-70 Ad Hoc Minutes Working Group: Friends approved the charge of the working group (attached).

16-71 The Treasurer made his report (attached).

16-72 Personnel Committee: Friends reviewed the report prepared by the Personnel Committee (attached) and discussed the implications of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), scheduled to take effect on December 1. Some raised concerns that if some employees move to an hourly compensation structure, there would be pressure to keep overtime costs down unduly curtailing important ministry and burdening salaried staff (especially the YM Secretary). Finance Committee will continue to discern compensation and budgetary issues for the November meeting of Permanent Board. Following any course, we must prepare to meet higher personnel costs.

Permanent Board approved the Personnel Committee request to change existing personnel policy regarding the work week to read: “The NEYM pay week will begin on Sunday and end on Saturday.”

16-73 Friends Camp Committee: The committee met last week. It continues to discern who their new clerk will be and seeks additional committee members, particularly with skills in the areas of finance and property management. People can serve on subcommittees without being members of the Friends Camp Committee. The Friends Camp nominating committee brought forward the name of Erik Philbrook (Wellesley) for the class of 2019; Friends approved.

16-74 Purposes and Procedures: The Presiding Clerk spoke of the triennial Purposes and Procedures review for all NEYM committees, citing resources available to guide that work. Friends considered the draft Purposes and Procedures of the Coordinating and Advisory Committee as a template for other NEYM committees and working groups. Purposes and Procedures are scheduled to come to Permanent Board for review and, potentially approval and forwarding to Sessions 2017, beginning at the February meeting.

16-75 Committee on Aging: Friends approved the Committee on Aging’s request that it be laid down. This request will now move to Sessions 2017. The committee noted the excellent work done in the past, and that its ministry is now being continued through SAGE (Support Across Generations for Elders).

16-76 White Supremacy Minute: Permanent Board considered how to continue the work started by this Sessions minute.

16-77 Ad Hoc By-Laws and Governance Working Group: Permanent Board considered how to call Friends to start the work of writing by-laws for NEYM.

16-78 Memorial Minute: Katherine R. Frazer. The YM Secretary read the memorial minute for Katherine Frazer of Putney Friends Meeting, honoring her many years of spiritual and social service. Friends approved forwarding her memorial minute to Ministry & Counsel and Sessions.