2020-91: Opening Worship and Welcome
Friends opened with a period of worship. The clerk invited Friends to share any joys and sorrows with the group.
2020-92: Roll Call
The recording clerk called the roll:
Present: Leslie Manning, clerk; Hannah Zwirner Forsythe, recording clerk; Travis Belcher, Martin Zwirner Forsythe, Chris Gant, Beth Hansen, Ian Harrington, Rebecca Leuchak, Ed Mair, Christopher McCandless, Jean McCandless, Gina Nortonsmith, Carole Rein, John Reuthe, Martha Schwope, Sara Smith, Will Taber, Tom Vargo, Diane Weinholtz, Donn Weinholtz, Morgan Wilson, Mary Zwirner
Ex-Officio: Scot Drysdale (Finance Clerk); Noah Merrill (Secretary); Bob Murray (Treasurer); Bruce Neumann (Presiding Clerk); Elizabeth Reuthe (Secretary’s Supervisor)
Visitors: Polly Attwood, Clarence Burley, Marian Dalton, Jeremiah Dickinson, Diane Dicranian, Sarah Gant, Jan Hoffman, Janet Hough, Becky Jones, Fran Lightsom, Richard Lindo, Hugh MacArthur, Phebe McCosker, LouAnne McDonald, Nancy Middleton, Nia Thomas, LVM Shelton, Sarah Spencer, Jackie Stillwell, Marilyn Vaché, Susan Vargo, Eleanor Warnock, Honor Woodrow, Kathleen Wooten
Regrets: Peter Bishop, Deana Chase, Darcy Drayton, Kim Harvey Garcia, Anna Raddochia, Elizabeth Szatkowski, Bill Walkauskas
2020-93: Minute Approval
The minutes from our September meeting were distributed for review. Friends approved the minutes from September.
2020-94: Revised Sessions Minute
Sessions minute 2020-23 returned to the Clerks’ Table for revision after the discussion at the September Permanent Board meeting. The revised minute was distributed for review.
With one clarifying question, Friends approved the revised minute.
2020-95: Ministry and Spiritual Life Working Group Presentation
Sarah Gant, clerk of the Ministry and Spiritual Life Working Group (MSL), introduced the members of the working group, many of whom joined us for the Permanent Board meeting. This group has been working since Fall 2019, having grown out of the report from the Clerking Structures and Practices Working Group.
The full proposal and working paper from MSL are appended.
Ministry and Counsel (M&C) is the structure in our Yearly Meeting (YM) to nurture ministry and our spiritual life. Together MSL shared the work they have done over the last year, prayerfully discerning and listening to how ministry is alive in our YM, how the spirit is currently served by our structures, and the ways that both could be more fully nurtured. The group found that while the work done by M&C is vital to the YM, M&C is often overburdened with administrative and unnecessary activities which keeps M&C from more fully and tangibly supporting ministry and the spiritual life of individuals and monthly meetings.
The MSL proposes laying aside the current structure of M&C and making space for new life with the creation of new “Meetings for Ministry and Spiritual Life”. These gatherings would be open to all Friends and hosted by the interim clerk of M&C and a hosting team, to be named. The goal would be to hold space for all who are actively engaged in ministry and its nurturing, particularly in local meetings. The first of these gatherings would be in Spring 2021 and would be reviewed at Sessions 2022. More details on the proposed meetings, including how other M&C responsibilities would be carried out, are in the full proposal.
The MSL proposes a Ministry Transition Team to name the hosting team for the new gatherings.
Reflections and questions from the PB and approval of the proposals from the working group continued later in the agenda.
2020-96: Report from Interim M&C Clerk
Jeremiah Dickinson, interim clerk of Ministry and Counsel (M&C), shared a brief report. M&C met several times in the past few weeks to reflect and discern their response to the recommendations from the Ministry and Spiritual Life Working Group. There are many Friends on M&C who were in support of the recommendations and there are also many Friends who hold deep sadness and discomfort with the observations in the working group’s report. M&C is willing to move forward with the recommendations but was in unity to formally endorse it.
2020-97: Reflections on the Report from Ministry and Spiritual Life
Friends returned to the report from the Ministry and Spiritual Life Working Group (MSL) to offer their reflections and ask questions.
Friends expressed their joy that the report from the MSL feels like a continuation of the “We Need a Plan” document from 2015; the desire to assess and improve the supporting structures for our spiritual life is a clear effort to support monthly meetings. There is immense gratitude for the hard work done by this working group. Many Friends are excited to consider who in their meeting should be encouraged to attend the new gatherings.
Friends also expressed their concerns about moving forward with the proposed plan while some members of Ministry and Counsel (M&C) are opposed and feel pain and sadness about the changes. The relationship between M&C and the Permanent Board (PB) is often challenging and PB sometimes subsumes the work of M&C. PB taking over the work of M&C should be done with care. How can we mind the grief and the areas that need healing? There is hurt that needs to be healed and pastoral work to be done with the members of M&C who have misgivings about moving forward with the new plan.
Friends shared questions about the logistics of moving forward with the proposed plan: how would this experiment be measured; what would happen with the current members of M&C; what would happen at the new meetings?
The working group emphasized that all current members of M&C are warmly invited to attend the ministry meetings, as is anyone else who is led to attend. We are asked to trust the group of hosts to plan these meetings with the general focus of supporting the spiritual life of meetings and individuals. We are challenged to embrace a state in which we are open to God’s direction, trusting faithfully that we will be well-guided. Sitting together in less-directed and scheduled meetings offers the opportunity to hear God’s direction. And we are reminded that while this dramatic change is different from the incremental changes that are more common, it does not mean that what was done in the past was wrong. This would be a transition from a formal appointing process to an invitation process in which anyone with spiritual concerns is welcome to join. The goal is to build capacity in local meetings in addition to supporting individuals.
The proposed Ministry Transition Team would be in charge of creating the hosting team, in consultation with the existing working group. The Ministry Transition Team would consist of the Interim Clerk of M&C, the Clerk of the PB, the YM Secretary, the Quaker Practice and Leadership Facilitator, and the Clerk of the MSL working group. If approved, the Ministry Transition Team would come to the December meeting with charge and composition of the hosting team.
Friends approved the proposed plan, setting aside the current form of M&C, and creating a Ministry Transition Team to create the host team which will have care of coordinating the new gatherings.
2020-98: Noticing Patterns of Oppression and Faithfulness Working Group
Polly Attwood, clerk of the Noticing Patterns of Oppression and Faithfulness Working Group (NPWG), introduced that group’s report.Their report is appended and gives an overview of the work they have done over the last two years. Polly brought three requests to the Permanent Board (PB) from the NPWG:
- The NPWG requested that the PB take the practice of noticing patterns, and the NPWG, under its care.
- The NPWG requested that the PB approve Polly Attwood as clerk of NPWG.
- The NPWG requested that the PB affirm the NPWG’s original charge and approve their sense of an expanded purpose and vision for NPWG across NEYM.
Friends had a chance to comment and ask questions about the requests from the NPWG.
Friends expressed a desire to know how the PB could best support the working group. The group expressed that the most tangible support from the PB is continued individual and PB participation in deconstructing patterns of oppression and lifting up and strengthening patterns of faithfulness. We were asked to trust in the faithfulness of the working group’s discernment, and to support outreach to monthly meetings so that the NPWG work might be adopted more fully around the Yearly Meeting. Some Friends suggested the creation of a 2-3 person care committee to nurture the NPWG with special attention paid to ensure that this doesn’t muddle the communication between the NPWG and the PB.
Friends approved taking the NPWG under our care. Friends approved Polly Attwood as clerk of the NPWG.
Friends affirmed the charge and expanded purpose of the NPWG.
Friends approved the creation of a care committee to support the NPWG. One Friend stood aside with a concern about whether we are allocating our limited resources in an efficient way.
2020-99: Unity Agenda
Leslie Manning, Clerk, shared a unity agenda for approval by the Permanent Board. This included the staff, committee, and representative reports typically accepted at Sessions; the names of Friends nominated for positions by YM Nominating Committee, Clerk’s Table Nominating Committee, and Internal Nominating Committee; a request for the Shoemaker Grant; and a minute from Sandwich Quarter concerning native peoples. Documents approved in the unity agenda are appended.
Friends approved the unity agenda.
2020-100: Lincoln School Land Swap
Following up on the decision from the Permanent Board on July 11, 2020 (Minute 20-70) to approve a transfer of land between the City of Providence and the Lincoln School, language from the Lincoln School’s lawyer was brought to the Permanent Board for our approval. Details from this item of business are in the minutes from the July meeting.
That the NEYM exchange with the City of Providence two parcels of real property of equal size as further described in the deeds set forth in Schedule I and Schedule II attached hereto, and that any one of the Permanent Clerk and Secretary acting singly as aforesaid is hereby authorized and empowered on behalf of the NEYM and in its name to make, execute and deliver any and all instruments necessary or desired by the City of Providence to effect the same, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, deeds setting forth the metes and bounds of the real property to be exchanged and to execute any and all instruments necessary or desired by the City of Providence, to effect the same or incidental thereto, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, and generally to execute any instrument or do any other act required, necessary or deemed advisable in connection with such exchange of real property, and that al] past acts of each of said officers of the NEYM in conjunction with the exchange of real property are hereby ratified and confirmed.
That the Secretary is authorized to certify to the City of Providence that the persons now holding said offices and any changes hereafter in the persons holding said offices, together with specimens of the signatures of such present and future officers, and the NEYM shall fully protect, indemnify, and save harmless the City of Providence from any claim, loss, cost, damage, or expense arising out of its acting on such certification.
Friends approved these actions.
2020-101: Closing worship
Friends closed with a period of worship. We are reminded that there is a faith that is overcome by the world and there is a faith that overcomes the world. This faith begins with how we care for one another and it extends outward to those with whom we disagree. We carry this message out into the world in the next week.
Our next meeting will be December 12, 2020.