19-01: Opening Worship
Friends opened with a period of worship.
19-02: Welcome
Rebecca Leuchak, clerk of Providence Friends Meeting, welcomed us to their meetinghouse and acknowledged that we are meeting on the traditional homelands of the Wampanoag and Narragansett nations. Friends opened with a period of worship.
19-03: Roll Call
The recording clerk called the roll. Present: Sarah Gant, Clerk; Hannah Zwirner Forsythe, Recording Clerk; Travis Belcher, Martin Zwirner Forsythe, Chris Gant, Ian Harrington, Betsy Kantt, Rebecca Leuchak, Ed Mair, Christopher McCandless, Jean McCandless, Gina Nortonsmith, Carole Rein, Sara Smith, Bill Walkauskas, Tom Vargo, Mary Zwirner
Ex-Officio: Bob Murray (Finance Clerk); Bruce Neumann (Rising Presiding Clerk); Elizabeth Reuthe (Secretary’s Supervisor); Shearman Taber (Treasurer); Fritz Weiss (Presiding Clerk)
Guests: Betsy Cazden, LouAnne McDonald, John Reuthe, Steve Schwartz, Kathleen Wooten
Regrets: Deana Chase (Development Co-Clerk); Noah Merrill (Secretary); Kim Allen, Peter Bishop, Darcy Drayton, Ben Guaraldi, Anna Raddochia, Phil Stone, Elizabeth Szatkowski, Will Taber, Rosemary Zimmermann
19-04: Minutes
Minutes from our November meeting were approved at that meeting. Any final corrections should be submitted to the recording clerk.
19-05: Presiding Clerk’s Report
Fritz Weiss, Presiding Clerk, shared some highlights from his written report. As we meet, Noah Merrill and Jackie Stillwell are representing New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM) at Cuba Yearly Meeting’s (CYM) Sessions. NEYM continues to struggle with getting visas for CYM representatives to our Sessions. Since our approval of a joint minute, “Una Propuesta para una Minuta Unida”, with CYM last year Fritz has been in contact with New England congressional delegates (Senator Patrick Leahy, and Representative James McGovern) inquiring into ways to advocate for permission for representatives from CYM to travel to New England.
Sessions Committee has approved a significant change to the Sessions schedule. Business meeting sessions are being moved from the evening to the afternoon to better allow for parents to participate in business discernment. This will also allow for evenings that are more focused on fellowship and spiritual connection.
There are more details on all of these topics in the Presiding Clerk’s report.
19-06: Quarter Name Change
Rhode Island/Smithfield Quarter has changed their name to Southeast Quarterly Meeting and Friends were asked to acknowledge that change and the stronger sense of identity and of becoming whole reflected in this change. Friends approved.
19-07: Living Faith Gatherings
Living Faith Gatherings (LFG) were approved by Permanent Board (PB) as an experiment three years ago. Coordinating and Advisory (C&A) has recognized that these gatherings have become a full program of the YM, organized by a volunteer committee that is gathered and supervised by the Yearly Meeting Secretary. PB is asked to approve LFG as a continued program of the YM and to approve updating the secretary’s job description to reflect his role in this program. Friends approved.
19-08: Sessions Committee Recommendation
Sessions Committee (SC) recommends extending our contract with Castleton University for two more years meaning that we will meet at Castleton through 2022. SC asked for a Site Selection Committee to be formed and for Permanent Board (PB) to name two members to that committee. Friends approved extending our contract with Castleton through 2022. Friends who have suggestions for members to the Site Selection Committee should bring them to the PB Clerk prior to our May meeting.
19-09: Secretary’s Report
Noah Merrill, Yearly Meeting Secretary, provided an extensive written report in advance of our meeting. In his absence, Friends in other leadership roles were asked to speak to the pieces of Noah’s report that they have experience with. Though we miss Noah at our meeting we are grateful for the work he is doing in Cuba. The Secretary’s report is appended.
9-10: Data Privacy Policy
New England Yearly Meeting collects, maintains, and uses data from individuals to support and strengthen the Quaker movement in New England and beyond. Our need for a data privacy policy is both good practice and a legal requirement. The policy before us describes our intentions as an organization and should be considered a living document that can and should be updated frequently. Friends had the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. There are sections to be added on integration with Friends Camp, reviewing the use of our data by third party service providers, and our response to a breach of our data. The policy will also be reviewed by counsel. Friends approved the Data Privacy Policy with gratitude and the understanding that there are pieces to be added and revised. Any substantive changes to the policy will come to PB for approval. The draft Data Privacy Policy is appended.
19-11: Report from the Secretary’s Supervisor
Elizabeth Reuthe, Supervisor to the Yearly Meeting Secretary, conducted a performance review of the Secretary during the summer of 2018. This involved information from more than 40 people throughout the Yearly Meeting (YM) and the wider Quaker world. Noah is much loved by staff and members of the YM. Included in Elizabeth’s review of Noah was feedback about the organization of NEYM. Detailed feedback is appended. Friends accepted the evaluation of Noah Merrill, with gratitude.
19-12: Areas of Focus
Elizabeth Reuthe, Supervisor to the Yearly Meeting Secretary, and Noah Merrill, Yearly Meeting Secretary, worked together to develop Noah’s Areas of Focus which are grounded in a work/life balance and engaging with staff to create a more shared vision of the work and increase space for initiative and growth. Noah’s Areas of Focus are leading the development program, coordinating the funding priorities process, supporting volunteer service empowerment, fostering religious education and expanding and improving communications. The Areas of Focus document for October 2018 to September 2019 is appended.
19-13: Treasurer’s Report
Shearman Taber, YM Treasurer, made himself available for questions.
19-14: Announcements
riends shared announcements about events in New England and beyond before breaking for lunch.
19-15: Faith & Practice Revision Committee
Faith & Practice Revision Committee (F&PRC) asks Permanent Board (PB) to develop an “Organizational Handbook” (final title to be determined by a working group). In their revision of the organizational chapter of Faith & Practice (F&P) it became clear that the structures of the Yearly Meeting (YM) should not reside in this chapter because it will inevitably fall out of date long before each revision of F&P is produced. An “Organizational Handbook” will allow for the structures of the YM to be more accurately documented and more easily updated. This handbook will compile the documents which record the policies, practices, definitions, etc which will be organized and kept current.
PB is asked to take ownership of the “Organizational Handbook” which will reside online, releasing F&PR from writing the bylaws of our organization and from trying to capture the structure of our organization in the organizational chapter. Future substantive changes to the “Organizational Handbook” will be approved by PB. Friends approved.
Fritz Weiss and Rosemary Zimmermann will continue to do this work. Ian Harrington and Christopher McCandless volunteered to join them. They will work in conjunction with F&PRC.
19-16: Working Group to Examine NEYM Clerking Structures and Practices
Martin Zwirner Forsythe, member of the Working Group to Examine NEYM Clerking Structures and Practices, briefly updated Friends on the work they have been doing since our November meeting. They have been interviewing Friends in leadership positions throughout the Yearly Meeting. They will bring a report to the May Permanent Board meeting.
Fran Brokaw has been working with this working group since November and asks to be officially added to roster. Friends approved.
19-17: Challenging White Supremacy Working Group
Carole Rein reported that the Challenging White Supremacy Working Group is traveling in teams throughout the Yearly Meeting to discuss their work with monthly meetings. They are available to monthly meetings that are interested in visitation.
19-18: Reparations Working Group
Leslie Manning shared the work that individuals in the Reparations Working Group are doing. This includes consultations with tribal leaders, meeting with political leadership about relations with local tribes, and sharing the Chiapas Photography project. A written report is appended.
19-19: Travel Minutes
Friends approved minutes for Chris Miller (Framingham), Felice Lopez (Framingham), Carolyn Stone (Wellesley), Marybeth Toomey (Wellesley), and Lucy Arico-Muendel (Wellesley) to travel as Yearly Meeting representatives to Cuba Yearly Meeting.
19-20: Nominations
LouAnne McDonald, recording clerk of Nominating Committee presented one nomination.
Ann Dodd Collins is nominated as an alternate representative to the next FUM board meeting because none of the current representatives can travel to that meeting.
Leslie Manning, presented one nomination from the Clerk’s Table Nominating.
Peter Bishop is nominated as Recording Clerk for three year term, Class of 2021.
Sarah Gant, Clerk, presented two nominations for the Friends Camp Committee.
Steve Ball (Mt Toby), Class of 2022 Chris Philbrook (Portland), Class of 2022
Friends approved.
19-21: Closing Worship
Friends closed with a period of worship.