MOUNTAIN VIEW FRIENDS MEETING
Meeting for Worship for Business - 201012
December 12, 2010
Participants: William Alsup, Lynn Andrews, Betsy Baer, Richard Baer, Joe Bartell, Dennis Barrett, Jane Cahn, Carol Clinkenbeard, Judy Danielson, Laura Dodson, Marilyn Gilmore, Tom Gilmore, Brad Goeddel, Elaine Granata, Tom Kowal, Jacob Makvandi, Paul McElwain, Glen McGuire, Ruth Montague, Page Penk, Jerry Peterson, Martha Roberts, Jackie Short, Tom Short, Allen Stokes, Judith Streit, Bruce Thron-Weber, Penny Thron-Weber, Katya Thronweber, Risa Thronweber, Eleanor Wright, Eric Wright, Hal Wright, Maya Wright
Bruce Thron-Weber held the meeting in the light as we worshipped with a concern for business.
1. Opening Worship
Advice: Friends' way of conducting business is of central importance. It is the Quaker way of living and working together. It can create and preserve the sense of fellowship in the Meeting, and from there it can spread to other groups and decisions in which individual Friends or Meetings have a part. Thus it contributes to the way of peace in the world. New England Faith and Practice (1966)
Query: As difficult problems arise, are we careful to meet them in a spirit of love and humility with minds receptive to creative solutions? Do we avoid the pressure to time, neither unnecessarily prolonging nor unduly curtailing full discussion? Intermountain Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice (2009)
2. The minutes of November 14, 2010 were accepted with one small correction.
3. Continuing Matters
A. Allen Stokes attended the Pendle Hill Clerking Workshop presented by Arthur Larrabee in November. He found it very valuable and is looking forward to using the tools he learned there.
B. We approved the names of Rachel Moran, Judith Streit, and Eleanor Wright for the Nominating Committee. Continuing Nominating Committee members are Ben Colkitt, Jim Hoffman, and Scott Heath. Jim Hoffman will clerk the committee.
4. Spiritual Reading - we took a few moments to listen to a reading by Risa Thronweber from Parker Palmer's The Courage to Teach. Our vocations, Palmer writes, should be that which gives us "deep gladness," the place to which we are led by the Inward Teacher so that we may work from the strength of our truth as we move in the outside world.
5. New Matters
A. Intermountain Yearly Meeting (IMYM) has presented queries to the monthly meetings for response.
1. Friends General Conference (FGC) has requested direct access (mailing and e-mail address) to Quakers affiliated with FGC. The Executive Committee of IMYM has recommended that IMYM proceed with the creation of an IMYM members and attenders directory. Should IMYM create an IMYM members and attenders directory?
Comments Included: Generally, comments were in favor of an IMYM directory. Security is an issue to protect our privacy and avoid those who might prey on the hospitality of Quakers. A paper copy is more secure and more usable for some people. Electronic copies can be secure and save paper and are easier to update. We would like to understand what FGC would use the directory for, in particular regarding fundraising. A directory would simplify getting in touch with people at IMYM when needed. Would being included in an IMYM directory affect people's willingness to be in our own directory?
2. Should IMYM start on Tuesday instead of Wednesday so that yearly meeting goes an extra day?
Comments Included: Business meetings have been extremely full the past few years and it would be nice to have time to spread it out a little more. An additional day would allow the business meeting to be more spiritual and complete and less rushed. Adding a day will be a financial hardship for some families and might reduce attendance. Breaking up the business meetings (over another day) further than they are already will make the business disjointed; it would be better to make the meetings longer in the current 4-day timeframe to allow the worship for business to work better. Examine the content of the business meetings: are we expending our energy on trivial decisions rather than devoting our time to the "right business?" The children's program is already stretched and it will be difficult to stretch it further. Some years, there are more interest groups than we can accommodate in the current schedule, and it is difficult to get everything in, so it would be nice to have an additional day to work with. The increase in cost should be a charge to us to examine IMYM finances and fund-raising; perhaps increasing assessments will be needed to reduce the cost for attendance. Interest group presentations could be moved to early days and allow the last part of the week to be devoted to business; often, the interest groups inform the work of the business meeting. This way, people could also decide which part of the week to attend. The social aspect of a yearly meeting should not be discounted; the yearly meeting should not be exclusively about the meetings for business. Our yearly meeting is still maturing in the areas of social concerns. IMYM might need to try some of these options to see what works, rather than try to make a permanent decision this year.
3. What can IMYM do for monthly meetings? How could there be more back and forth between IMYM and monthly meetings?
Comments Included: IMYM could have a directory. Facilitate communication between meetings on handling issues that come up so that meetings or worship groups could get advice and resources. Collect information about skills and knowledge available within the IMYM community.
B. Hal Wright presented a proposal titled A Project to Evaluate Building Options: "The Space We Live In." The thoughtful proposal includes: reasons why we need to examine our space; options for renting, buying, building, or remodeling a facility; a suggested group of people with appropriate skills to be on a research team; financial issues; considerations of our community's and committees' needs for a space; and the phases of the evaluation. In discussion, it was noted that a previous discussion included whether or not we needed to split our larger meeting into several smaller meetings spread geographically through the city, and this option was not on the new list. It is important that the meeting do the work to support the process well, so that it is not work done in vain if the meeting is not readyto make changes and commit financial resources. Changing buildings is historically very difficult for a community, so we will need to deal very tenderly with each other. The proposed team comprises only men; it is suggested that a woman and a young adult Friend be included on the team. Paul McElwain is willing to take a group of people to the Church of Christ in Washington Park which is struggling financially and has a large facility it might be able to share. We are not quite ready to make such investigation before we have done some of the prior work of determining the needs of our facility before looking at options. We need to have faith that a solution will be there when we are ready.
We will continue discussing Hal's proposal at January's meeting for business.
C. We accepted the Library Committee Annual Report with gratitude.
D. We approved the membership of Doren Day to Mountain View Friends Meeting. The welcoming committee will consist of Bruce Thron-Weber (convener), William Alsup, Martha Roberts, Eleanor Wright, Jerry Peterson, Gail Mitchel and Judith Streit.
E. Page David Penk has applied for membership in Mountain View Friends Meeting. The letter and accompanying packet of documents was forwarded to the Membership Guidance Committee.
F. Tom Coiner's welcoming was held in good order at the home of Dennis Barrett on November 14.
6. Announcements
A. Worship and Ministry is forming a planning committee to move forward with Quaker Quest in 2011.
7. Other Concerns
8. Closing worship. The meeting closed with silent worship.
Respectfully submitted,
Marilyn Gilmore, Co-Clerk
Allen Stokes, Co-Clerk
Carol Clinkenbeard, Recording Clerk
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