CMM 2017-03-12 Items Proposed for Agenda

Here are some proposed agenda items for Third Month's Meeting for Worship with attention to Business, which will be on the 12th of Third Month.  Some of the items from Second Month have been carried forward.  Some of the proposed items may need further seasoning. They are in no particular order at the moment.

  • Minutes of Second Month's Meeting for Worship with attention to Business
  • Names in on-line Meeting minutes – It’s harder than anticipated to remove names from text of minutes, since many don’t make sense without names.  This would also make archiving them easier.  Please see “Guidelines for Minutes of Monthly Meeting for Business” from Friends Meeting of Washington, in particular, the section on ‘Identification of Persons and Positions’:

    Identification of Persons and Positions

    Friends believe that all true messages given in any gathered meeting originate from God, and so minutes should only refer to individuals when that person could be considered a source of further information on a matter, is the subject of discussion (as in a request for membership), or when the person is presenting a report in some official capacity.  Otherwise, remarks or leadings are attributed only to “a Friend” (“A Friend said . . . Several Friends felt that. . .”) or some other vague identification.  An individual identified by name is also identified by a position if that position is relevant to the matter under discussion (e.g., “Maria Sanchez, Clerk of the House Committee, . . .”)

    Personal Names

    Use the full name of a person (including maiden name, if applicable) when minuting a birth, membership matter, marriage or commitment, death or memorial minute.  In other minutes the given name commonly used by the person plus the family name is enough.  Such minutes always initially state the actual given name of a person, and if the person uses a nickname, it should be given in quotation marks after the given name if it is not obviously derived from the given name (e.g., Edward “Tip” Haley).  Honorifics such as Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Professor or Doctor are not ordinarily used, in accordance with Quaker custom.  Friends can be referred to as “Friend” and their family name (e.g., “Friend Robini”), however.  If a person has commonly used a different name, as in the case of a woman changing her family name upon marriage or someone recently begun using a middle rather than first given name, the previously used name should be shown in parentheses (e.g., Tiwana (Brown) Madigan) for some time until the new name will be widely recognized.

    Since a list of attenders “could be considered a source of further information on a matter”, it would seem reasonable to retain the names of attenders in the minutes unless an attender asks to have their name omitted (‘opt out').

  • Consider endorsing Northwest Quarter’s Minute, which was originated by Hanover MM in Twelfth Month 2016.
  • Solar Committee report
  • Follow-up to Minute 2017.2.8:  draft text for minute proposing a process for making time-sensitive public statements.
  • State of Society draft? - we can think more about this - should we review recommendation from 4th Sunday on SoS - set goals in each committee and as a meeting?  task groups to address PSECC concerns and perhaps draft letters?
  • Sponsoring the travelling banner exhibit, Waging Peace, as part of AFSC's 100th Anniversary.