CMM 2009-05-10

Minutes of Meeting for Worship for Business

Concord (NH) Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends

5^th Month 10, 2009

Concord (NH) Monthly Meeting gathered in Meeting for Worship for Business at the Merrimack Valley Day Care Center in Concord, NH.  Friends present were Mark Barker, Lois Booth, Greg Heath (Recording Clerk), Ruth Heath (Treasurer), Dean Kellison, Jay Smith, Sara Smith (Clerk), Carol Flavin Veenstra, David Woolpert.

Meeting was opened with a period of worshipful silence.

5.1  Minutes.  We reviewed and approved minutes of the 4^th Month meeting with only “dots and commas” corrections.

5.2  Treasurer’s Report.  The Treasurer’s report was reviewed.  Treasurer, Ruth Heath, pointed out that she needed direction with respect to accounting for the broadcast hearing system.  The meeting concluded that it should be expensed in the housing line item rather than capitalized as part of the building project.  She also reported that the “Cash on Hand” line was in error and should read “$2,894.”  The Treasurer was asked to inform the meeting of additional donations that would be necessary for income and expense to be in balance by the end of the fiscal year on May 31.

5.3  Nominating Committee.  Sara Smith reported that the Nominating Committee has not met but expects to meet and have a report prior to the next meeting for business.  The Committee will distribute the list of positions to which appointments are made so that members and attendees can be considering these opportunities for service.

5.4  Address List and Privacy Concerns. Clerk Sara Smith reminded us to use the “bcc - blind carpon copy” option when emailing others in the Meeting and asked us consider issues around privacy and distribution of the address list, for future discussion and decision making.

5.5  Friendly Eights. The Clerk announced that one dinner was held at the Flavin Veenstra’s home and that she looked forward to others taking place.

5.6  Quarterly Meeting.  The date of next Quarterly Meeting is not established.  It may be held on Sixth Month 14. If necessary, the Clerk will reset our next business meeting with proper notice in order to avoid a conflict.

5.7  Worship Sharing on Sexual Ethics and Same Sex Marriage.  As a response to prompts from the Yearly Meeting and in preparation for Quarterly Meeting, the clerk asked us to engage in a worship sharing on the general topics of sexual ethics and same sex marriage.  As an opening she read a statement she had written in which she applied Quaker testimonies to the question “What makes a just relationship?”  At the outset Friends recognized time was limited to only a bit more than one half hour.  Regardless of this fact, the experience was moving and fruitful.

Respectfully submitted 6/12/2009,

/s/ Greg Heath, Recording Clerk

Accepted as the approved record when signed,

/s/ Sara Smith, Clerk

—  Prepared by Ruth Heath, Treasurer