by WebPost | Aug 19, 2015 | Peace and Social Concerns
Saturday, October 24 from 10-12 noon. A presentation featuring Lynn and Steve Newsom, co-directors of Quaker House Military Counseling Center, Fayetteville, NC, home of Fort Bragg. MORAL INJURY, a relatively new term employed by the Veterans Administration, recognizes that among the effects of war on military personnel is emotional trauma over serious transgressions of moral, spiritual, or religious beliefs. Acknowledging the reality of “moral injury” provides common language for people of faith and conscience to collaborate with the medical profession in caring for the needs of veterans of all wars, past and present. (For more information about moral injury, see the August Meeting newsletter for in-depth article.) This free workshop is sponsored by the Richmond Peace Education Center, the Alliance for Unitive Justice and Friends Meeting. It is open to the public so please share information with others who may wish to attend also. If you plan to attend, please email Gordon Davies or Betsy Brinson. (The Newsoms will be presenting on moral injury to the local Veterans Hospital on Friday.) This is a timely opportunity to learn more about this important concept.
by WebPost | Aug 19, 2015 | Peace and Social Concerns
Sunday, October 18 at 1 pm. Dr. Alice Rothchild, Boston physician, human rights advocate and Jewish advocate for peace in Israel and Palestine, will present on her recent and ongoing travels to Gaza. This session is a kickoff to Dr. Rothchild’s three day visit to Richmond, where she will speak and meet with numerous groups and organizations. Dr. Rothchild is the author of
Broken Promises, Broken Dreams: Stories of Jewish and Palestinian Trauma and Resilience and
On the Brink. In addition, she produced the documentary film
Voices Across the Divide. Her visit to Richmond is co-sponsored by Richmonders for Peace in Israel and Palestine, the Richmond Peace Education Center and our Adult Spiritual Education Committee. For more info about speaker, please see her website at
www.alicerothchild.com.
Finger foods will be served after meeting and before the 1 pm program.
by WebPost | Aug 3, 2015 | Minutes of Business Meeting
Meeting began with silence at 11:00 am. Fifty-one (51) members and attenders were present. Mary Graham Landau was greeter. Kat Sharp from Ministry and Worship sat on the facing bench to hold Meeting in the Light. Diane Penfield, Tyler Plante, Charles Teixeira, and Kaia Alderson, with son Rafe, were welcomed as first-time attenders to MWB. Janet Thoroman read the Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) proposed Queries and Voices on Aging.
Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Bronwyn Hughes handed out copies of the Second Quarter 2015 report. Bronwyn noted that after 50% of this fiscal year, the Meeting had received 26% of budgeted contributions. Steve Humphrey, clerk of Financial Stewardship, commented that it is normal for the most of the budgeted contributions to come in late in the year, but encouraged Friends to make contributions earlier as a help to the committee when they begin the budgeting process this fall. Bronwyn then noted that Meeting has expended 64% of the budget; she described the line items and amounts that have made up most of the expenses so far. She reminded Friends that she is always available to answer questions.
Care and Counsel: Chris Olson-Vickers reported for the committee: (1) Jim Melton has moved to Church Hill and still needs rides to and from Meeting. His new address and phone number are posted on the bulletin board. Friends are encouraged to sign up to give rides to Jim. (2) Martha Menk is recovering at the Sheltering Arms Rehabilitation Center and would appreciate cards, phone calls and visits to provide respite for her husband. Contact Ellen Thurmond if you are interested in providing support. More details, including phone numbers, will be in the newsletter.
Ministry and Worship: Mary Julia Street made announcements for the committee:
(1) The Fall Retreat is planned for Saturday, November 14, 2015 at the Clearing. Details will be provided in the future. (2) In response to the request from the Clerk to start a process for the Meeting to engage in dialog about what it means to do something on behalf of, or in the name of, the Meeting, the committee will begin meeting with individual Friends for deep listening about concerns. These individual meetings will help the committee shape its listening session(s) for the entire Meeting, sometime in the future. One Friend wondered whether it is generally understood what it means to do something under the care of the Meeting and the processes we follow. Another Friend asked whether a person simply identifying him or herself as a Quaker or member of our Meeting is acting on behalf of the Meeting. The Clerk responded that the process the committee is just beginning is an opportunity for all of us to have a conversation about these topics. Friends who would like to meet with members of the committee may contact clerk Tracey Cain. (3) There are new pamphlets and cards (from Friends General Conference) in the meetinghouse foyer.
Adult Spiritual Education: Howard Garner announced the following: (1) The next Bible Workbench will be held at 9:30 am on Sunday, September 6, 2015. (2) Four ASE workshops on a variety of topics will be held in October. (3) A series on Quaker values, including some “Quaker 101” topics, is being planned for this winter.
Hospitality: Bob Alexander reported on the kitchen improvement project. The renovations to address the features of the kitchen that were creating major problems during cleanup after potluck are complete. The cost was $4500, less than the $5500 budgeted. Friends are encouraged to inspect the improvements.
Peace and Social Concerns: Martha Foster announced that the committee was reviewing the list of 30 local outreach organizations that the Meeting supports with financial contributions. The committee is asking for input from the Meeting. Martha made available a list of the organizations and budgeted amounts of support. Comments and suggestions may be sent to Martha, or clerk Denna Joy.
Sixth Month 2015 MWB Minutes: Approved.
Clerk’s Business: (1) The Clerk noted that 27 Friends from our Meeting attended the recent FGC Gathering. She asked Friends who attended to share special moments or highlights. Friends responded with the following: after a hectic day of travel, arrival and making arrangements, settling into silence with 900 people at the opening Plenary Session; spending leisurely time with Friends from our Meeting; meeting new people, many from Canada and the West Coast; volunteering at the information desk; daily worship for one hour; talking with a variety of people who are serious about their spiritual lives; considering the concern raised by speaker Parker Palmer about the declining number of Quakers (now about half of what it was in the 1970’s) and the implications if the trend continues. The Clerk noted that several Friends were planning to transfer some of the energy of their experience at the Gathering into our local Spiritual Formation Program.
(2) Our building use guidelines have been submitted to the Richmond Zoning Department, which has not responded. The Clerk also announced that the Financial Stewardship Committee has approved the recommendation of the Ad Hoc Building Use Committee that the Meeting stop charging rent and instead request suggested donations for use of the facilities.
(3) The next potluck lunch will be July 26, 2015, at rise of Meeting. Please bring food to share.
(4) As is our custom when there is no pressing business, we will not hold Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business in August. The next MWB will be the third First Day in September, with Denna Joy substituting as Clerk.
Other Business: Farid Alan Schintzius asked how we might act more quickly in response to events such as the shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, the national debate about displaying the Confederate Battle Flag, and monuments to the Confederacy in public places. He put forth the idea of Meeting supporting a change.org petition to call on the city, mayor and city council to create a commission to supervise memorials and monuments in Richmond. Several Friends commented on Alan’s suggestions and various aspects of Quaker process. The Clerk asked a member of Peace and Social Concerns to take the questions and suggestions to the committee; it was agreed that she would do so. In the meantime, Alan has a Facebook page discussing the theme “Truthful History Heals,” which can be found by searching for that phrase.
All business being concluded we settled into silence until the rise of meeting was signaled from the facing bench.
Barbara Hulburt, Clerk
James Thoroman, Recording Clerk
by WebPost | Jul 1, 2015 | Minutes of Business Meeting
Meeting began with silence at 11:00 am. Forty-six (46) members and attenders were present. Clarisse Harton was greeter. Rita Willett from Ministry and Worship sat on the facing bench to hold Meeting in the Light. Govind Narayan was welcomed as a first-time attender to MWB. Linda Whittington read the Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) proposed Queries and Voices on Caring for One Another.
Website Committee: Bob Alexander reported that WiFi (wireless internet) was installed in the building and is now operating. The site ID will appear when you look for WiFi networks with your device. The password is available from Bob or members of the committee, or other members of the Meeting community already using the network. During installation, caller ID was added to our phone service. The Meeting purchased the wireless router ($200), instead of renting it, to save money over time.
Nominating Committee: Don Miller announced the nomination and recommendation by the committee of Michelle Bellows as the Friends General Conference (FGC) Liaison. Don noted that Michelle has extensive experience with FGC, including work planning the upcoming FGC Gathering. Friends approved.
Religious Education: Diane Bowden announced that the Summer RE program calendar still has three dates open and encouraged committees to sign up.
Financial Stewardship: Steve Humphrey reported for the committee. Before Steve gave his report, the Clerk provided this background: On the First Day following the Young Friends’ coffeehouse, a $100 bill was taken from the contribution basket which had been put out during Meeting for Worship to encourage additional contributions to be made. Financial Stewardship was asked to consider this incident and Steve reported they had two responses: (1) The committee felt that the Young Friends should be able to accomplish their goal of raising money to donate to the organizations they had chosen. The committee will transfer $100 from the Meeting contingency fund to cover the missing amount. (2) The committee will develop guidelines for committees that handle cash with the intent of avoiding a similar incident. A Friend commented that although he was in unity with the committee’s decision to replace the missing amount, he wanted to make note of the responsibility of the adults who were charged with safeguarding the money. In response to a question, the Clerk said that money had gone missing from a pocketbook in January (Friends were notified at that time). These are the only two instances we are aware of. A Friend suggested that we all contribute a dollar to make up the missing amount; Steve stated the committee would accept any contributions. During a discussion of a recent period during which the lock on the contribution box was missing, Steve noted that it is best to make contributions by check or by online transfer.
Care and Counsel: Randee Humphrey reported for the committee: (1) Katy Rugg’s application for membership was presented for the second month, again with the recommendation of the committee. Friends approved. (2) Martha Menk is requesting help with meals in early July. Please contact Margaret Edds if you can help.
Ad Hoc Committee for Building Use: Margaret Edds reported for the committee:
(1) After the recent threshing session held to gather input about how the Meeting should respond to issues regarding the use of our building by non-Quaker groups, and what is required of us to be good neighbors, the committee completed a set of guidelines for building use. These guidelines are for the building coordinator to use when considering requests and scheduling, and for groups that use our building. Margaret read the guidelines, which elicited comments. One Friend suggested we plan a way of communicating the essential guidelines to non-Quaker users of our building, perhaps using signage located both inside and outside the building. After some discussion of the phrase “there should be no congregating outside the building for smoking or socializing in the evening,” Friends requested that the guidelines be changed to make it clear that this was intended to apply after 9:00 pm. Friends approved the guidelines, with that change. (2) During the threshing session, suggestions were made for a variety of ways that we might communicate with residents of the neighborhood. After discussion and consideration at several meetings, it was the discernment of the committee that these efforts might create unrealistic expectations. As a result, the committee recommended that Meeting not pursue active engagement with the neighbors. In response to questions, Friends were reminded that we do notify and invite neighbors to join us in some activities, such as the International Day of Peace candlelight walk. (3) The committee is meeting again to consider whether there might be merit in requesting donations of suggested amounts from users of the building instead of our current practice of charging rent.
Peace and Social Concerns: Denna Joy reported that the changes suggested at the second reading of the climate change minute at Fifth Month MWB had been accepted by the committee and incorporated into the minute. The final minute will be published in the newsletter and on the website. In response to suggestions from the Meeting, the committee is looking at ways to disseminate the minute, including sending it to BYM and various newspapers, and sharing it with the Virginia legislature.
BYM Representative Report: Denna Joy reported on her trip to Sixth Month Interim Meeting, held at Patuxent Friends Meeting. Denna informed Friends that there are 55 Meetings in BYM and that Virginia has more than any other state. She also described several highlights of the Interim Meeting: the grant from the Shoemaker Fund to BYM to fund a position to help Meetings grow in diversity and encourage young Friends to stay involved and become leaders; the “one book” chosen to be read next year, “A Sustainable Life,” by Doug Gwyn; the visit to Patuxent Meeting, with its rich history, including a visit by George Fox; the honoring of two Friends (Alison Duncan and Riley Robinson) leaving BYM after serving many years and, a current effort to find someone from Virginia to serve on the BYM nominating committee. Denna emphasized how interesting it is to visit other Meetings.
Adult Spiritual Education: Howard Garner announced the next Bible Workbench will be held July 12, 2015 at 9:30 am.
Fifth Month 2015 MWB Minutes: Approved.
Clerk’s Business: (1) The Clerk announced that she had received a minute from Langley Hill Meeting concerning the use of drones as weapons. She forwarded it to Peace and Social Concerns, who did not feel led to take up the concern at this time. The Clerk read the minute. It will be posted on our bulletin board. (2) Midlothian Meeting invites us to a celebration of completion of work to make their meetinghouse accessible to be held on June 28, 2015. More details are in the RFM Sixth Month newsletter. (3) Several Friends have raised concerns with the Clerk about what it means to do something on behalf of, or in the name of, the Meeting. While it has long been RFM’s practice to have committees season issues affecting the Meeting before bringing them to the entire community, there does not appear to be unity about what issues require the “approval” of Meeting as a whole and what issues can or should be acted on through the discernment of a committee. The Clerk asked whether this was something we needed to have dialogue about and, if so, how we might go about that. After some discussion, Friends agreed to ask Ministry and Worship to take the lead in developing a process for dialogue about these issues. (4) The next potluck lunch will be June 28, 2015, at rise of Meeting. Please bring food to share.
Other Business: A Friend noted that the kitchen faucet was still leaking significantly. She expressed a concern about the amount of water that is being wasted and said that it is urgent to have it fixed as soon as possible. Noting that there was not a report this month from the Hospitality or Building and Grounds committees, the Friend asked if anyone knew when the kitchen renovation work was scheduled. Bob Alexander stated that he understood the renovation work would begin in one to three weeks, as soon as the contractor was available.
All business being concluded for the day, we settled into silence until the rise of meeting was signaled from the facing bench.
Barbara Hulburt, Clerk
James Thoroman, Recording Clerk
by WebPost | Jul 1, 2015 | Baltimore Yearly Meeting
Letter to Baltimore Yearly Meeting from the Clerks Regarding the Shoemaker Grant3rd Month, 17, 2015
Dear Friends of Baltimore Yearly Meeting,
As your clerks, we are delighted to announce that the Shoemaker Fund has awarded Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) a major grant to support our Growing Diverse Leadership in BYM initiative. This grant and the program it supports provide an enormous opportunity for our Yearly Meeting to live more fully into our vision and our Quaker values in truly exciting ways. Below are links to additional documents that provide full details. In this letter, we want to underscore that the vision for this program has evolved and become bigger and broader. This effort is not just about our camps. It will engage and benefit the entire Yearly Meeting. Therefore, at Interim Meeting on 3/21/2015 at Patapsco Friends Meeting, we will be asking the Yearly Meeting to affirm the plans as they stand today, including the expanded involvement of BYM.
The grant application process has involved ongoing, iterative consultation with the Shoemaker Fund, which has been remarkably constructive, challenging us to think bigger and explore how the whole Yearly Meeting could be involved. This collaboration has revealed a remarkable alignment between the Fund’s mission and our Yearly Meeting vision.
With the energetic and insightful leadership of young adult camp alumni, the Growing Diverse Leadership in BYM program started in 2010 with a clear focus on our camps. They produced impressive results in a few years, increasing the diversity of both campers and staff at Camp Catoctin as well as developing other key program elements to support that. With that success, they initiated the idea of applying for a major grant to expand those efforts beyond Catoctin.
After several iterations, in January, the Fund came back to us again, asking “but what is the Yearly Meeting actually going to do—not just the camps, but the whole Yearly Meeting, its committees, and its local Meetings?” How will we try to engage campers, alumni, and their families in the life of our Yearly and local Meetings? And how will we measure the results? So along with your General Secretary, Development Director, and Alison Duncan, as clerk of the Camp Diversity Working Group, we brainstormed specific actions the Yearly Meeting is already engaged in and others that we could take. In early February, we then submitted an addendum to our original proposal. In doing so, we, your clerks, tried to be mindful and faithful to the aspirations already articulated through BYM’s Vision Statement and the implementation recommendations—aspirations that we felt sure the Yearly Meeting shared as a whole. We also understand that the work done under such grants is constantly evolving as we learn from our experience; we have many details to work out.
Now we are asking, does BYM affirm the broader vision for this effort? To that end, we want to share some key language from the February addendum:
Broadly speaking, our proposed program seeks to address two issues that have long been a perplexing concern for the Religious Society of Friends and BYM. First, how can our Meetings at all levels be more inclusive and welcoming to all and build multi-cultural community? Second, how can we encourage and sustain participation by young adults and develop them as leaders now and for the future? …
We in BYM have been particularly inspired by how our camp diversity program has produced impressive results that have been so elusive for Friends until now. We have much to learn from this developing effort. This grant would present a tremendous opportunity for the whole Yearly Meeting to draw from and build on this leadership from Young Adults and find ways to integrate the successes of the camp diversity program into what we do as a Yearly Meeting. At the same time, we have the opportunity to strengthen the connections between the camps and the Yearly Meeting and deepen the unity of the BYM community as a whole. We are clear that this program promises to be a catalyst for transformational opportunities for the whole Yearly Meeting in addition to its camping program.
- More specifically, let us review and clarify our broad expected outcomes, which include:
- Increased diversity at camps, in local Meetings, and the Yearly Meeting…
- Attendance at local Meetings by people who have developed a Quaker identity at BYM Camps, …
- Strong relationships between young adults and local Meeting members resulting in continued or increased young adult participation in local Meetings.
- Increased participation in local Meeting and Yearly Meeting committees and leadership roles by people from underrepresented groups such as young adults and people of color.
- A Yearly Meeting, local Meetings, and camps with increased vitality and cultural competency, helping them thrive for years to come and be patterns and examples for other Meetings and the world.
The addendum then lists several specific actions we could take, in these broad categories, some of which are already underway through the work of our standing Committees, even before we applied for the grant:
- Helping our Meetings be Welcoming and Inclusive
- Connecting Campers and Alumni to Meetings
- Engaging and Supporting Camp Alumni and other Young Adults in Committee Work
- Leadership Training
- Evaluating and Measuring Outcomes
Finally, in describing the relation of the Yearly Meeting and its committees to the new staff person (the Outreach and Inclusion Coordinator-OIC), to be hired with grant funds, we wrote
We are clear that the work we are undertaking is the work of all of us and could never be done or sustained only by staff. We fully understand that the role of the OIC is to help facilitate the work by all of us. …Through the efforts described here and others yet to be discerned, BYM is committed to exploring how the rest of the Yearly Meeting needs to contribute to this work. What we are contemplating is no less than a profound culture change that will permeate all we do and change us forever. Our Quaker witness demands no less.
So, Friends, are we ready? Can BYM affirm its commitment to this program that will help us fulfill our vision to be inclusive and welcoming to all, to teach and nourish Quaker ways for this and future generations, and to witness to our shared experience of the infinite Love of God?
In Love and Light,
Ken Stockbridge Tasha Walsh
Presiding Clerk Clerk of Interim Meeting