CMM 2019-04-14

Minutes of Meeting for Worship for Conduct of Business

Concord (NH) Monthly Meeting of

the Religious Society of Friends

Fourth Month 14, 2019

Eleven Friends gathered on the 14^th day of fourth month to pay worshipful attendance to Meeting affairs.  Minutes from third month as posted on the website were accepted.

04.1  NEYM and FUM Personnel Policy [1]:  The clerk brought Meeting’s attention to the upcoming discussion at New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM) annual sessions of the current policy allowing Meetings or Meeting members to withhold a portion of their per capita remittance to NEYM that would otherwise go to help support Friends United Meeting (FUM).  The issue at hand is the discomfort of many Friends with the FUM personnel policy.  The yearly meeting in session in 2014 decided to wait another five years before dealing with whether to change the current policy due to Friends’ lack of unity on the best way to respond to this issue.  Friends decided to ask Ministry and Counsel to season how we wish to proceed.

04.2  Budget Committee Report:  Budget committee presented both the proposed budget for fiscal 2020 and the income & expense report for the first ten months of the current fiscal year.  They noted that our income from contributions is lower than in prior years and lower than the expectations set in our fiscal 2019 budget perhaps due to demographic changes in the Meeting’s contribution base.

The proposal for the coming year is based on this concern but not to be using the next budget to address the shortfall this year since that can easily be covered by our unrestricted reserves.  See the attached budget committee report for details on their thinking about the changes in the proposed budget.

The income & expense report, the balance sheet, and the budget comparison spreadsheets were handed out at the beginning of our consideration of the budget committee report and are also attached to these minutes.  The clerks were requested to announce the issue of the budget shortfall on each of the next several First days and in the Meeting emailed announcements.

Another item in the report on the proposed budget that requires attention was the request that property committee address the level of Replacement Reserve that we are setting aside.  It was suggested that budget committee develop a planning document to support this future set aside taking into consideration what items may need to have replacement and when.

Meeting approved the budget committee’s recommended budget for fiscal 2020.

04.3  PSECC Report:  The written report of the Peace, Social, and Earthcare Concerns Committee (PSECC) was read and accepted with a minor correction.

04.4  M&C Report:  Ministry and Counsel (M&C) sent a written report that was reviewed for us by the co-clerk of the committee.  The committee is planning for the coming fourth First day program about what we as a Meeting need to do to address how white privilege affects our relationships with others.  The report also mentioned other program ideas that they are working on.  Various opportunities for involvement in other Quaker activities were included in the report.  M&C also requested that Meeting refer to Property committee the issue of finding ways to reduce the barrier to hearing impaired people in our acoustically live spaces.  The written report is attached.

There were no written reports this month from Youth Religious Education committee, Property committee or Nominating committee.

Budget Committee Report, April 13^th, 2019

The budget for Fiscal Year 2019 (June - March) is attached, along with projected end of year totals.  The budget committee notes that income from contributions is lower than last year, a result of demographic shifts.  The budget committee brings a proposed budget and set of recommendations to the Meeting for Fiscal Year 2020.  The proposed budget is attached.  The budget committee makes the following observations & recommendations:

1. Income from contributions is falling short of income received in FY2018, the result of demographic shifts in the Meeting.  It is also falling short of the amount budgeted in the current [fiscal] year ending May 31.  The committee is recommending the contributions budget line for FY2020 be similar to the amount budgeted in the current fiscal year.  The budget committee recommends that the business meeting direct the clerks to mention (during FY2020) during announcements and via the emailed announcements that the Meeting’s income from contributions is less than our current budget, and request that Friends consider their giving to the Meeting.
2. The Meeting is experiencing an increased level of activity reflected by increased budget requests from committees.  The sum of actual dollar amounts of those increases from PSECC and Ministry and Counsel is approximately $500 or 2% of the overall budget.  The Library Committee has not spent money in the past since material has been donated.  This budget transfers the subscription costs for Friends Journal and Quaker Life from the Ministry and Counsel to the Library Budget, $90.
3. In recognition of the possibility of increasing costs and planning conservatively (for instance for a heavy snow winter) the property committee is adjusting its recommendations upward responsibly.
4. We have applied roughly a 5% increase to the support lines of those groups who depend upon us for their good health; specifically, AFSC [2], NEYM [3], FCNL [4], Friends Camp [5], FWCC [6], and Woolman Hill [7].
5. Finally we are recommending reducing the funds we set aside in our Replacement Reserve from $480 per month to $400 per month in order to keep the overall growth of the budget within reason.  We are asking the business meeting to ask that the Property Committee develop a planning document to support the purpose of the Replacement Reserve over the next few months.  Such a plan would enumerate the items which may need replacement, and place them on a timeline of expected life spans, with associated costs providing the meeting with a firm basis to plan future funding of the reserve.

The budget committee feels that this budget reflects an intention to support those groups who depend upon us for their good health, more active committees, a responsible care for our property, and faith that the members of the Meeting can support those priorities, and does not expose us to financial risk.

NB. The Income & Expenses Sheet was created with two decimal points, which were removed for readability, the cents being unimportant to the overall understanding.  This can have the effect of throwing off any given sum by a dollar due to compounded rounding.  —  Prepared by Greg Heath and Chris Haigh.

NB. The Balance Sheet was created with two decimal points, which were removed for readability, the cents being unimportant to the overall understanding.  This can have the effect of throwing off any given sum by a dollar due to compounded rounding.

Do we have the resources to support our obligations? YES

Variable Assets Less Current Liabilities and Replacement Reserve = $3,165

Peace, Social, and Earthcare Concerns Committee (PSECC) Report, April 11^th, 2019

"Ask a Muslim Anything", with Robert Azzi, was presented at the Meetinghouse on April 4^th, attended by 35 persons, only 4 of which were from Concord Meeting.  The evening was a success, in community involvement and education, and persons, who were challenging, were calmed.

A planning meeting, of the committee, will take place on Saturday, April 20, at 9 a.m., with the goal of identifying new ideas and directions for the committee.  All Friends are invited - We are a small group, and wish to take the approach of coordinating and implementing events and projects, involving all who wish to take part, without demanding ongoing commitment to the core committee.

Ministry and Counsel Committee Report, April 8^th, 2019

Concord Friends Meeting

Ministry and Counsel

Report to the Meeting

April 8, 2019

1. The program for April’s Fourth Sunday is “White privilege [16]? What do we need to do as a Meeting and as individuals to feel comfortable in relationships with persons of color and be welcoming to them, individually and as a Meeting?”.

   May’s Fourth Sunday program will be Betsy Myers sharing about her Pendle Hill Pamphlet (PHP 453 [17]), “A Practical Mysticism : How Quaker Process Opens Us to the Promptings of the Divine” [ISBN: 978-0-87574-453-7 [18] / 0-87574-453-2], which is in our Meeting’s library [19].

   Topics we are exploring for future programs:

   • Right Sharing of World Resources (also good topic for PSECC to share)
   • We are interested in hearing about the recent trips to Cuba by members of NEYM, as well as by the Puente de los Amigos committee.  We hope to arrange a visit by one of those participants on either a fourth Sunday or Thursday evening.
   • Brian Drayton –
     • Spirituality of Climate Change [20];
     • book on early Friend, William Dewsbury;
     • Language for the Inward Landscape [21];
     • Right Use of Media [22] (pamphlet);
     • On Living with a Concern for Gospel Ministry [23] (book);
     • From Mourning to Renewed Witness [24] (a Pendle Hill weekend).
   • Marian Baker – and her African ministry with women

   We would love suggestions for speakers or programs.  Share your ideas with a member of M and C.  There is much thought and time taken to arrange these special events which enrich and build our community so much.

2. Ministry and Counsel, after considering the need for building community through the sharing of ideas, is trying various ways to expand our adult education Meetings for Learning.  We are currently offering first and third Thursday evenings.  We have changed Sunday times to 1^st Sunday after meeting after holding the announced March 17 meeting.  Anyone with a topic to offer should contact Sara for Sundays and Ruth for Thursdays.
3. Women’s Prison Ministry in Concord - We realized that some attenders might not know we support Rob Spencer in holding a monthly Meeting for Worship at the men’s prison in Concord.  Rob feels these is an opening to offer a Meeting for Worship or a worship sharing in the new Women’s Prison in Concord (which moved from Goffstown recently).  We invite members and attenders to consider if they feel a calling to respond to this request; if so, they should contact M&C clerk about arranging a clearness.
4. Are you looking for a way to nurture your faithfulness to the spiritual leadings in your life?  Yearning to go deeper into the process of discernment?  Woolman Hill and NEYM are offering this year-long program.  It requires 3 weekend retreats with monthly meetings and a small ‘care’ committee.  Participants will become a community of practice to support each other in providing and receiving spiritual nurture and in supporting leadings, service and faithful witness.  We are hoping attending this leads to a modified local offering.  See Ministry and Counsel if you are interested in the current program.  Some scholarship is available.
5. Hearing problems in Worship Room and Fellowship Room:  What could we do to mitigate the echoing that causes issues with hearing?  We are asking Property Committee to explore ways to mitigate the echo in the high ceiling rooms, in a way that is aesthetically pleasing.
6. Next meeting is May 6, 1 p.m. at the Meetinghouse.