Permanent Board minutes | December 12, 2020

20-102: Opening Worship and Welcome

Friends opened with a period of worship.

20-103: Roll Call

The recording clerk called the roll.

Present: Leslie Manning, Clerk; Hannah Zwirner Forsythe, Recording Clerk; Peter Bishop, Deana Chase, Martin Zwirner Forsythe, Chris Gant, Kim Harvey Garcia, Beth Hansen, Ian Harrington, Rebecca Leuchak, Fran Lightsom, Ed Mair, Christopher McCandless, Jean McCandless, Gina Nortonsmith, Anna Raddochia, Carole Rein, John Reuthe, Martha Schwope, Sara Smith, Elizabeth Szatkowski, Will Taber, Diane Weinholtz, Donn Weinholtz, Morgan Wilson, Kathleen Wooten, Tom Vargo, 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, Lisa Graustein, Anna Hopkins, Janet Hough, Anna Lindo, Frederick Martin, Phebe McCosker, LouAnne McDonald, Heidi Nortonsmith, MaineBob O’Connor, Kathy Olsen, Jackie Stillwell, Nia Thomas, Eleanor Warnock, Honor Woodrow

Regrets: Travis Belcher, Darcy Drayton, Bill Walkauskas

20-104: Minutes from October Meeting

The minutes from the Permanent Board’s October meeting were distributed for review.

One Friend asked about the inclusion, in October’s unity agenda, of a minute from Sandwich Monthly Meeting regarding relationships with native peoples. Friends agreed that there was less time for discussion of this minute at the October meeting we needed. The issues in the Sandwich minute will be up for further discussion at Coordinating & Advisory and will be part of the Yearly Meeting conversation about right relationship with native peoples. As this minute was approved in October’s unity agenda, it will remain there in the minutes from that meeting.

Friends approved the minutes from the October meeting. One Friend stood aside.

20-102: Opening Worship and Welcome

Friends opened with a period of worship.

20-103: Roll Call

The recording clerk called the roll.

Present: Leslie Manning, Clerk; Hannah Zwirner Forsythe, Recording Clerk; Peter Bishop, Deana Chase, Martin Zwirner Forsythe, Chris Gant, Kim Harvey Garcia, Beth Hansen, Ian Harrington, Rebecca Leuchak, Fran Lightsom, Ed Mair, Christopher McCandless, Jean McCandless, Gina Nortonsmith, Anna Raddochia, Carole Rein, John Reuthe, Martha Schwope, Sara Smith, Elizabeth Szatkowski, Will Taber, Diane Weinholtz, Donn Weinholtz, Morgan Wilson, Kathleen Wooten, Tom Vargo, 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, Lisa Graustein, Anna Hopkins, Janet Hough, Anna Lindo, Frederick Martin, Phebe McCosker, LouAnne McDonald, Heidi Nortonsmith, MaineBob O’Connor, Kathy Olsen, Jackie Stillwell, Nia Thomas, Eleanor Warnock, Honor Woodrow

Regrets: Travis Belcher, Darcy Drayton, Bill Walkauskas

20-104: Minutes from October Meeting

The minutes from the Permanent Board’s October meeting were distributed for review.

One Friend asked about the inclusion, in October’s unity agenda, of a minute from Sandwich Monthly Meeting regarding relationships with native peoples. Friends agreed that there was less time for discussion of this minute at the October meeting we needed. The issues in the Sandwich minute will be up for further discussion at Coordinating & Advisory and will be part of the Yearly Meeting conversation about right relationship with native peoples. As this minute was approved in October’s unity agenda, it will remain there in the minutes from that meeting.

 Friends approved the minutes from the October meeting. One Friend stood aside.

20-105: Report from the Presiding Clerk

Bruce Neumann, Presiding Clerk, submitted a written report which is appended. Together with staff and other volunteer leaders, Bruce has been working on preparations for Sessions in August. We don’t yet know what form Sessions will take as that depends on the state of the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccine distribution but the planning team remains hopeful that some degree of in-person gathering will be possible.

Bruce has also met with those Friends who are supporting work on the minutes passed at Sessions in August 2020 on Right Relationship with Native Peoples and the Call to Urgent Loving Action. Bruce anticipates being able to report on work on our relationship with Friends United Meeting at the January meeting.

Friends had the opportunity to ask questions and share comments.

20-106: Report from the Secretary

Noah Merrill, Yearly Meeting Secretary, spoke briefly to his report which is appended. Noah summarized the work he’s been engaged with since our last meeting and gave Friends the opportunity to ask questions. Noah encouraged Friends to be in touch if there are ways that his report could better serve the Permanent Board as it does its work. Friends expressed their gratitude for Noah’s care and diligence and acknowledged the challenges of his job. We hope that he is taking care of himself as he works hard to take care of the Yearly Meeting.

20-107: Budget Priorities Process 

Noah Merrill, Yearly Meeting Secretary, reminded Friends of the budget priorities process to guide the creation of the annual budget. The priorities shared with the Permanent Board today have been discerned by Coordinating and Advisory (C&A) based on ongoing listening and consultation with Friends throughout the last year. 

The priorities discerned by C&A are places to stretch and goals to lean in to. They are:

• Supporting inclusive leadership (in keeping with continuing guidance from Sessions 2019) by ensuring financial support for the recommendations of the Reducing Financial Barriers to Leadership working group, specifically:
  • Stipends for volunteer leadership roles
  • Funding for equipment (laptops, printers) for volunteer leadership roles
• Increasing resources to prioritize meetings and ministry
  • Increase resources to allow the YM Secretary to focus on supporting local meeting leadership and the thriving of local meetings, and encouraging Friends called to public ministry
  • Allocate increased funds to contracted services/staffing to:
    • Enable more robust support, coordination for ongoing fundraising, communications, and administrative tasks
    • Strengthen NEYM’s capacity and resilience going forward
  • Funding could be allocated flexibly between staffing and contracted services, in keeping with NEYM policy

Friends had the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns. We returned to discernment and approval of the budget priorities later in the meeting.

20-108: Treasurer’s Report

Bob Murray, Treasurer, spoke of his hope that he is a transitional treasurer—aiming to reduce the workload of the treasurer so that it might be a more accessible role for a wider body of people. He is focused on a high-level view and on making recommendations instead of transactions.

Bob’s written report and financial statements are appended. The Yearly Meeting finances have reacted positively to the pandemic, the challenges of the economy, and our need to shift functions significantly in 2020. Our operating reserves were maintained at the level called for. Bob anticipates needing to offer further financial support of Friends Camp in 2021.

We finished FY2020 with a small surplus which we celebrate!

20-109: Friends Camp Budget

Anna Hopkins, Director of Friends Camp, shared updates on Friends Camp and their budget for FY2021. Anna and the Camp Committee have initial plans for a reduced but in person camp next summer.

Camp families and NEYM Friends have been very generous with their giving this year which puts the Camp in a much better situation than we anticipated earlier in the year.

The Permanent Board approved the first quarter of the FY2021 Camp budget earlier this year; the remaining three quarters of FY2021 budget are brought for approval today.

Friends approved the FY2021 camp budget with deep gratitude.

20-110: Report from Ministry Transition Team

Noah Merrill, Yearly Meeting Secretary and member of the Ministry Transition Team, and Jeremiah Dickinson, Interim Clerk of Ministry and Counsel, presented the report from the Ministry Transition Team. The report is appended. Friends had the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns.

Among logistical questions Friends voiced concerns about how the shift in form for Ministry and Counsel’s (M&C) work is being discussed and portrayed to the Yearly Meeting body. There are Friends who were hurt by the decision to put aside the current form of M&C and Friends hope that continued conversation will lovingly invite Friends into the new form.

Friends approved the report from the Ministry Transition Team and look forward to accepting the names of the hosting team that they will bring to us.

20-111: Laying Down of the Ministry and Spiritual Life Working Group

Their work being completed, Friends approved laying down the Ministry and Spiritual Life working group. 

20-112: Report from the Reducing Financial Barriers to Leadership Working Group

Hannah Zwirner Forsythe, clerk of the Reducing Financial Barriers to Leadership Working Group (RFBL), introduced the members of the working group. The group has worked this fall to follow up on recommendations from the Clerking Structures and Practices Working Group that asked the Permanent Board (PB) to examine ways that the Yearly Meeting could use financial support to broaden the diversity of its leaders.

The RFBL made three recommendations to the PB:

• We recommend that the reimbursement process for all volunteers be made more transparent and accessible by improving the submission process and the communication of guidelines.
• We recommend that a stipend be given to each of these five volunteer leadership positions: clerks of Ministry and Counsel, Permanent Board and Nominating Committee; Presiding Clerk; and Treasurer.
• We recommend a survey to ascertain more information about the Friends who have and have not accepted leadership positions in the Yearly Meeting, Quarterly Meetings, and Monthly Meetings.

More details on these recommendations are in the report from the working group which is appended.

Friends had the opportunity to share comments and concerns.

The proposal to give stipends to the clerks of Ministry and Counsel, Permanent Board and Nominating Committee, the Presiding Clerk, and the Treasurer, was discussed at length. Our history of discomfort and trepidation with paid ministerial positions was apparent in this conversation. Our discussion demonstrated the classist biases that many of us have; many of us have little to no experience with true poverty, which blinds us to our privilege and makes it challenging to understand just how vast need may be.

Some Friends spoke to a concern that receiving compensation for service might cheapen it in some way, while others felt that a stipend of $3000 a year was too small a vision. Several other Friends spoke about the difference that a stipend could make, not only as additional income, but also as a demonstration of gratitude. Though many have concerns about whether this proposed stipend is the right step for strengthening and diversifying our leadership, we also heard from many that perhaps we should take this step despite those concerns.

Friends postponed a decision on the stipend recommendation. This recommendation will come back to the January 2021 meeting for further discussion and discernment. We were asked to hold the stipend recommendation in our hearts and consider what internal work might need to be done to move forward with the recommendation.

Friends approved the reimbursement recommendation. Friends approved the survey recommendation.

20-113: Approval of Budget Priorities Process

Leslie Manning, Clerk, returned to the proposed budget priorities for Permanent Board approval. Not having approved the stipend recommendation from the Reducing Financial Barriers to Leadership Working Group, the first recommendation in the budget priorities process will come back for approval in January.

Friends were asked to approve the second budget priority, to increase resources to prioritize meetings and ministry.

Friends approved.

20-114: Reports from the Nominating Bodies

Yearly Meeting Nominating Committee brought the following nominations to the Permanent Board:

• Elizabeth Cazden, Friends Committee of National Legislation, Class of 2022
• Rebecca Leuchak, Friends World Committee for Consultation, Class of 2023
• Bob O’Connor, Permanent Board, Class of 2025
• Martha McMananmy, Puente de Amigos, Class of 2023

Friends approved these nominations.

Internal Nominating Committee brought one nomination to the Permanent Board: