Mountain View Friends

Mountain View Friends Meeting

All-Clerks’ Potluck and Meeting
August 22, 2010

 

Attendees:  Lynn Andrews, Dennis Barrett, Bente Birkeland, Jane Cahn, Carol Clinkenbeard, Ben Colkitt, Judy Danielson, Loyce Forrest, Marilyn Gilmore, Brad Goeddel, Robert Griswold, Tom Hobin, David Huhn, Gail Hoffman, Jim Hoffman, Tom Kowal, Kris Louden, Glen McGuire, Robin Patterson, Martha Roberts, Gene Rooke, Eric Smith, Allen Stokes, Brenda Stokes,  Judith Streit, Eleanor Wright, Eric Wright, Hal Wright

The clerks of the meeting gathered for a potluck. The meeting opened with a period of silence.

The incoming co-clerks, Marilyn Gilmore and Allen Stokes, introduced themselves with brief professional histories and comparison of their Myers-Briggs personality types and how they will work as a team.  Their goals are to strengthen spiritual and social community.

The co-clerks asked for advice from committee clerks.  Responses included:

·         Committee clerks should be sure to season things they are bringing to the meeting for business to reduce the time spent discussing matters that don’t have the certainty of the committee behind them.

·         At times, two heads will be better than one, so co-clerks should feel free to take time during business meeting to share their thoughts with each other as needed.  However, there is no need for both of them to do everything, so they should also feel free to focus their respective strengths as they are led regarding issues brought to them.

·         The co-clerks are encouraged to be proactive in managing issues that are unclear or unresolved; if the meeting is “wandering” then sometimes offering a summary can help focus the meeting for business.  They should also feel free to send things back to committees, particularly if it needs more seasoning, rather than trying to rush to a conclusion or solution.

·         Co-clerks are also encouraged to find ways to help move the meeting for business along when someone is not speaking to the topic or is speaking too long or frequently or repetitively.

·         Use the silence of worship, regularly, to help ground the meeting and turn our focus back to the Spirit.

·         If time allows, co-clerks could try to attend a meeting of each committe, and provide written feedback as they see fit.

Committee clerks introduced themselves briefly and outlined their primary activities upcoming this year:

·         Death and Memorials – continue encouraging all to fill out end-of-life forms

·         Peace and Justice – develop stewardship of our financial and human resources, map the work friends are currently doing and support them in it, focus meeting involvement in “mending this world”

·         CALM – service projects with the children in both the meeting and outside community, involve adults in First Day school

·         Worship and Ministry – develop spiritual and social community; continue Quaker Quest inreach events, especially looking at how we can have a faith community that is grounded in Quaker practice and principles and isn’t exclusive; Martha Roberts and Loyce Forrest will teach Quaker Studies starting in the spring of 2011

·         Spiritual Journeys – considering 3-person panels on Quaker values

·         Community and Fellowship – looking at meeting service projects to bring the meeting together, hope to do a Gleaning day in October

·         Building and Grounds – the year’s projects include painting, replacing the kitchen floor, putting in a new pad under the fire escape stairs, adding a motion-sensitive security light on the north front corner of the building

·         Hospitality – continue to provide hospitality so that meeting for worship and business can happen without diversion

·         Membership Guidance – get a true current list of members, consider ways the meeting can be friendlier to newcomers

·         Archives – consolidate name and address lists currently kept in multiple places

·         Communications – this new committee plans to start with streamlining the email delivery of the newsletter, and take on website design and management

The Mail Clerk reminds us to check our committee mailboxes regularly.

The School of the Spirit committee is open to suggestions for what the meeting would like to explore this year.

All committees are asked to provide copies of their agendas and meeting minutes to the clerks if they have them.  Those committees which have agendas and/or minutes are Finance and Budget, Membership Guidance, Oversight, Worship and Ministry, Archives (minutes only), Building and Grounds, CALM, Communications, Community and Fellowship, Death and Memorials, Library, Peace and Justice, and School of the Spirit (agenda only).  Those who have neither are Trustees, Hospitality and Newsletter.

In order to keep the Meeting for Worship for Business running as smoothly as possible,

·         Please submit agenda items to the co-clerks two weeks prior to the meeting

·         The co-clerks will send out the agenda one week prior to the meeting

·         The co-clerks will include a notice in the agenda of which annual reports will be presented  at the meeting following the upcoming one, so that those committees have time to meet and prepare their reports

·         Please send the co-clerks an electronic copy of your annual report PRIOR to the meeting for business for their review

·         Please send the recording clerk an electronic copy of your report or proposed minute PRIOR to the meeting for business

We had a period of worship sharing about what issues the meeting should address this year.

We also had a period of worship sharing about what the committee clerks expect of the co-clerks.

We closed with a period of worship.

Lynn Andrews, Outgoing Clerk

Marilyn Gilmore and Allen Stokes, Incoming Co-clerks

Carol Clinkenbeard, Recording Clerk

MOUNTAIN VIEW FRIENDS MEETING

WORSHIP-SHARING RESULTS - ALL CLERKS MEETING - AUGUST 22, 2010

 

Query:  What issues should our Meeting address this year?

·         Each person should attend to source of messages in Business Meeting -- from self or Spirit?

·         Avoid doing committee work in Business Meeting.

·         Need for new building

·         How to address announcements that become a concern of the Meeting?

·         Continue 5^th Sunday worship-sharing?

·         Committees could build more trust through seasoning and discernment – not just decision-making.

·         Where are we in our actions to protect safety of children?  We need more discussion.

·         Relationship of this Meeting to the wider community

·         Need clarity re: membership of children, now adults, who are birthright Quakers and may not be involved now.

·         Real discussion of financial contributions to the Meeting

·         Engage members more in FGC

·         Developing leadership among young adults

·         Role of Regional Meeting in considering IMYM business?

·         Involvement in Quaker Quest, or at least an update

·         Revisiting previous decisions – need to start with information from earlier discussions

 

Query:  What are your expectations of the co-clerks?

·         Hold this Meeting to standards.  We need to be able to grapple with difficult issues, being clear on what needs to come to Business Meeting.

·         Advising committees on what needs Business Meeting approval and what doesn’t.

·         Sensitive to balancing addressing agenda with ability to sit for long periods

·         Resource for committee clerks who are having difficulty with their committees

·         When conflict arises, help us to slow down and move into a spiritual dialogue

·         Call for silent worship when needed

·         Expressing the sense of the Meeting in a way that doesn’t feel like a vote

·         Remind Friends who disagree of the choice to stand aside

·         Prevent a false sense of unity.  Remind Friends of authentic Quaker process

·         Gratitude!!  You have our support.

 

8.25.10