CMM 2019-09-08

Minutes of Meeting for Worship for Conduct of Business

Concord (NH) Monthly Meeting of

the Religious Society of Friends

Ninth Month 8, 2019

[Fourteen] Friends gathered and entered into quiet worship.  We accepted the minutes of Seventh month as posted on the website.

09.1  Budget Committee.  Budget committee report was presented by the treasurer. See the attached spreadsheets

1. of the corrected amounts for FY 2019, and
2. of income and expenses for the first three months of the current fiscal year with percentages of the amounts we projected at the start of the year, and
3. the balance sheet of current assets and liabilities. There were some questions that the treasurer will take back to Budget committee to find answers to clarify some things for Friends who are concerned.

The bottom-line numbers are:

• For FY 2019, income of $26,497 with expenses of $26,824, 97% and 98% respectively of the budgeted $27,331 for the year;
• For the first three months of FY 2020, income of $9,347 with expenses of $4,913, 34% and 18% respectively of the budgeted $27,570 for the year.

09.2  PSECC reported that they are working on a future plan for a program on mass incarceration. It was noted that there is a sign up on the Meetinghouse bulletin board for bringing food to the annual AFSC fundraising dinner and that Concord Friends usually stay after the event to help with clean up.

09.3  Ministry and Counsel submitted a written report that is appended here.  Highlights include:

1. Several members joining in the prison ministry program.
2. They are planning for a fourth Sunday program to discuss the Faith and Practice revision committee's proposed chapter on “Dying, Death, and Bereavement”.
3. The clerk of M&C expressed a desire to start working on a potential minute from our Monthly Meeting on how NEYM will relate in future to FUM, addressing the decision at NEYM sessions to not continue the policy (that will end September 30, 2020) of allowing Meetings and individuals to specify that none of the funds they send to NEYM are to be shared with FUM; our consideration needs to address the underlying issue of the failure of FUM to respond to feelings that the sexual ethics portion of the FUM personnel policy is discriminatory .
4. A clearness committee for Ruth H helped her reach clearness to participate over the coming 9 months in the Nurturing Faith and Faithfulness program of NEYM.  This will need others in Meeting to step up to cover Meeting tasks the she has carried up to now. She will also be setting up a local Faith and Faithfulness group that she will lead.

09.4  Property Committee report was presented and is appended. Discussion of the committee decision not to recommend that the Meeting acquire a wifi capability occurred. We accepted the report but note that more discernment about this may be needed.

09.5  Landscape Design Committee submitted a written report that was read by the clerk. It is appended to these minutes.

There was no report from either Youth Religious Education or Nominating committees.  No committee report was sent from Outreach, but we received a verbal report that members of the committee are working on plans to do outreach at the Concord Multicultural Festival [on September 22^nd].

Meeting closed with brief worship, purposing to meet again on the second Sunday of Tenth month.

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 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 = $4,837

Ministry and Counsel Committee Report, Ninth Month 2019

Ministry and Counsel Report

to Meeting for Worship with attention to Business

September 2019

1. Prison Ministry:  Ministry and Counsel Committee has established clearness committees which have now met with Lynda, Elaine, Heidi, and James for discernment of their callings to join in our Prison Ministry at the New Hampshire State Prison.  Each of these individuals either have already or will be be joining Rob S. at the Meetings for Worship conducted in the chapels at the Men's and/or Women's Prison here in Concord.  If other members or attenders are interested in joining the Prison Ministry, please speak with one of these participants or a member of the Ministry and Counsel Committee.
2. NEYM Faith & Practice:  We discussed having a Fourth Sunday program on the NEYM Proposed chapter on ‘Dying, Death, and Bereavement’. We are hoping to schedule this in the future.
3. Puente de Amigos:  Maggie Fogarty is coming September 22, 2019 to share about her trip to Cuba with Puente de Amigos.  Jackie Stillwell may also come.
4. July Fourth Sunday:  We had a very rich sharing on fourth Sunday worship-sharing in July on “What is Prayer to You?”.  We arranged tables in a square and starting the sharing in a whole group soon after the food was served.  We will try this again in November which will be the weekend after Thanksgiving.
5. Minute on FUM:  Sara would like to make a response but we need to start the process soon in order to go through Quarter.  Sara will write a minute and bring it back to us. Others are welcome to help draft this, to be presented to Meeting for Business at a future date.
6. WiFi in Meetinghouse:  We discussed the need for wifi in the Meetinghouse. We discerned that this was more appropriately addressed by Property and Budget Committees.  We continue to request no cell phone or other electronic use during Worship and feel other uses are best addressed through these other committees.
7. Nurturing Faith and Faithfulness:  Members of M and C met with Ruth and helped her reach clearness on attending the NEYM/Woolman Hill program on Nurturing Faith and Faithfulness.  We hope to support her by asking others to take up some of the many tasks she so joyfully performs for the Meeting.
8. Friendly Eights Coördinator:  We are looking for someone to help arrange a new series of Friendly Eights.  Ruth has done this in the past by coordinating hosts and participants in finding dates, etc.

Property Committee Report, 8^th of Ninth Month 2019

Property Committee Report for Meeting for Business, Ninth Month 8, 2019

Property Committee met this week and set up its framework for the year.

• Greg Heath is Clerk and Lucy Nichols is the Recording Clerk.
• We plan to meet every other month rather than quarterly.

Cleaning Days:  We have established cleaning days for the rise of meeting on third Sundays every other month beginning this month, recognizing that other plans the Meeting could make may preempt this from time to time.

Septic System:  This spring the septic system was pumped for the first time and we have been advised that every nine years is not too infrequent for pumping given present uses of the building.  We have been urged by the pumper to remove the apple tree that is near the tank in front of the Meeting Room.  He says that its roots will surely invade the tank and cause problems for us.  We will remove the tree before the ground freezes.

Triple-trunk Oak Tree:  We are keeping an eye on the triple trunk oak and will take it down at some point.

WiFi:  We considered obtaining WiFi for the meetinghouse, an item referred from Ministry and Counsel, and have concluded to not pursue it further at this time.

Responsibility for Spaces:  We recognize that orderliness of the Mechanical Room and attic spaces are our responsibility.  We ask that members and attenders not place items there without first consulting with the Committee members.

Heating:  Last heating season Ministry and Counsel asked that we set the Meeting Room temperature to 70°F during the heating season.  We will do that, but we plan to keep the Fellowship Room and Classrooms at 67°F until we get further input from the Meeting.

Kitchen Dish Washing Procedures:  The proper method that we ask everyone to follow is a three-sink method.

1. Hot water and Soap,
2. Clear rinse water warm or cold,
3. Bleach rinse (one cap full of bleach to the sink – with a 15 sec. immersion).

We plan to place signage to assist with this. We are looking into wall hanging systems for a drip dry method for items washed with the help of Ruth Heath.

Land Uses:  We are looking into the feasibility of having a green burial site on the property and have obtained some preliminary advice from an expert in the matter.

Landscape Committee Report, 3^rd of Ninth Month 2019

Landscape Committee Report for Meeting for Business, Ninth Month 3, 2019

The Committee has not met since early spring when plans were made for the current growing season.  The plantings we made are looking healthy for the most part and watering has been discontinued, at least until we hit a major dry spell.  Due to some good luck and Richard’s referral to a source of landscape timbers, we have a good supply to be able to get us through the anticipated needs.

As individuals, members of the Landscape Committee have been mulling ideas for completion of the spaces in front of the south face of our building.  There had been thought of getting more loam this season to prepare for next growing season, with the landscape plan incomplete, it feels premature to purchase and spread loam at this time.

The committee will be meeting to formalize a plan for next growing season during the fall and winter months.