CMM 2015-09-13
Minutes of Meeting for Worship for Business
Concord (NH) Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Ninth Month 13, 2015
Attending: 11
9.1 The meeting opened with worship.
9.2 Seventh and Eighth Month Minutes: The minutes of seventh month and eighth month Meeting for Business were approved, with changes to eighth month for clarification.
9.3 Budget Report: Budget Committee reported on income and expenses for the first 3 months of the fiscal year. Income is ____________. Friends are reminded that requests for funds be submitted on paper with a signature from the committee clerk (if needed).
9.4 Property Committee Report: Property Committee Clerk, Greg Heath, reported they are still trying to problem solve how to minimize the peak usage of electricity in order to decrease our monthly bills which effects at least one half of our bill. Landscape Committee will not have a report for the Meeting until late fall or winter. The Youth Religious Education has asked to be released from responsibility for the shed and Jon Hall has taken responsibility for the project. Members are reminded that if you notice an issue regarding the building, please contact the Property Committee or leave a message on the bulletin board in the kitchen.
9.5 Temporary Meetinghouse Use: The meeting approved Greg Heath using the Meetinghouse for a construction project, recognizing this is not a precedent but a special case.
9.6 Support for New American Africans: Mark Barker read an e-mail from New American Africans requesting support from faith based organization. They support newly resettled Americans throughout the state during their assimilation process. We noted that there is some intersection between our concern for speaking out against racism and this group, since African immigrants have been victims of racism in Concord. Since the PSECC committee [is] ready to deal with this at present, there was a suggestion that we use a Fourth Sunday to thresh how to respond to this and other concerns we have in the community, and whether there is the energy for this or another issue of witness, recognizing that if we want to have an impact we must witness in the community; outreach is witness and witness is outreach. This threshing discussion would be a good way to help focus the PSECC committee’s work. We might ask Maggie Fogarty of Dover Monthly Meeting and American Friends Service Committee to help us in this discerning to determine where our hearts are.
This was a specific request for financial support on an ongoing basis; however, this raises the larger question of whether the Meeting wants to [give] expand its giving beyond Quaker organizations. This discussion may be part of that threshing session or a later one.
The Meeting asks Ministry and Counsel to consider having this threshing discussion on 4th Sunday in October.
9.7 NEYM Permanent Board Report: Sara Smith gave a report from NEYM (New England Yearly Meeting) sessions where the theme was ‘Living Into Covenant Community’. She spoke of the ongoing discussion about the purpose of NEYM as a whole, not just NEYM sessions. The Yearly Meeting staff and committees are looking for ways to become a better resource to monthly meetings. We hope to have more reporting when time allows.
9.8 The meeting closed with worship.
Submitted by
Recording Clerk, Jonie LaBombard
Acting Presiding Clerk, Rob Yager
