DQM 2022-05-29

Dover Quarterly Meeting

Held at Dover Meetinghouse in person with others joining via Zoom.

29 May 2022

Present:

• Dover- Jeremiah Dickinson, Beth Collea, Wendy Berthiaume, Ginny Kristl, Nancy Lukens
• Weare- Marian Baker, Dick and Ann Ludders
• N. Sandwich- Susan Wiley and LeeAnn Stevens
• Concord- Ruth Heath, Mark Barker, Heidi Babb
• Regrets from Bridget of West Epping.
• Gonic, Souhegan, and Nashua- no one present

08/22  Previous minutes were approved as received.

09/22 Treasurer’s report:  Received donations from Concord and Dover Meetings.  Unrestricted funds are: $562.94 and restricted funds are: $1,111.69.

The report was accepted with gratitude.

10/22  Question of allocation of the funds for Indigent Ministers:  The trust funds should be used, as it is not growing.  It is not good to let it decay over time.  It was proposed we give $300 to Marian to help other women ministers in East Africa.  Keep the rest to see what comes out of the proposal of helping ministers in New England.  Friends voiced support for that proposal, as Marian’s ministry is empowering the next generation of women ministers in East Africa.  It was approved to send $300 to Marian for her ministry.

11/22  Marian reported about her ministry.  Here in USA as well as in East Africa.  While in the USA, she has kept in touch with Friends in East Africa and has periodically sent some funds to help the Kenyan women who regularly continue the ministry with women in Uganda, Tanzania, and Turkana.

12/22  Memorial Minutes: Wendy read a memorial minute from Dover Monthly Meeting for Chip Neal  who died June 25, 2021 (See attached). Meetings are asked to send any memorial minutes to the clerk.

13/22  Nancy Lukens presented a colorful poster of the City of Dover’s land acknowledgment that has Abénaki art on it. She felt it especially connected with the memory of Chip Neal.

14/22  News of meetings:

1. Concord: Mark Barker shared that they have had a Quaker basics course this year and hope to start another one soon. They have had new attenders.  Quite a few at their meeting for worship this morning.  Ruth Heath has organized a Spring Party that will be in hybrid format to support the ministry that helps with legal fees of those in asylum.  Mark will send the link to the Quarter to invite them to join.  Interest was expressed in inviting others in the Quarter to the Quaker basics course that Concord offers.
2. Dover:
   • Beth Collea reported on the continuing construction on the sanctuary apartment.  Dover has been invited to submit an application to the National Fund for Sacred Places supported by Eli Lilly Endowment for a matching grant up to $100,000.
   • Nancy Lukens shared that the Kakamega Care Centre they have supported has merged with Crossroads Kenya to become Friends of Kenya Rising and is led by John, the son of the late Sukie Rice.  It has an emphasis on community support towards self-sufficiency in each village, instead of an orphanage in the city.  Millicent, the orphan whom Dover supported, passed her exams of HS, and could go for further studies in Agriculture or work in the home village.  Dover will hold their annual yard sale 9-noon on June 18^th. All are welcome to come.
   • A simple birthday party for Charlotte Fardelmann on June 9^th outside Dover Meetinghouse.  Others in the Quarter are welcome to join in celebrating with this elder.  Exeter worship group (under Dover‘s care) is still meeting.  Charlotte’s group there can’t attend in person, only via zoom.
3. Gonic: no news.
4. Nashua: no news.
5. N. Sandwich: Susan Wiley reported that their meeting is working with Sandwich Climate Action.  They are also are working with Peter Woodrow in AFSC.  They received a grant and are repairing their windows in their meetinghouse.  Need some mixed generation projects.  Their kids go to China Camp.  They also have a project on burial grounds conversations with grades 4-6 on History in N. Sandwich in next three weeks.  Caroline Sutcliff died of advanced age this week.  She was formerly of Wellesley Meeting.  They are hoping their summer numbers will increase, now that they can be alive again in person.  They have no children in the meeting at present.
6. Souhegan: LeeAnn reported on behalf of her husband, Erik Cleven, that Souhegan has moved to Milford at the Odd Fellow Hall (former Chinese restaurant).  They do hybrid-worship.  Brian Drayton is leading regular adult education classes.  Are these available by Zoom for others in the Quarter to join?
7. Weare: Marian reported that they are meeting in person in the meetinghouse and have had some new younger attenders.  They plan to have their Summer Solstice Singalong and Pie Social on June 26^th, at 6:30PM.  Friends in other meetings of the Quarter are invited to join it.
8. West Epping: Bridget sent in a report that they are engaged in renovation to add plumbing with help from Alan Sifferlin of Lawrence.  They have had a well dug and septic system put in.  The small bathroom will be in the former janitor’s closet.  They are also installing a gradual ramp to make it handicap accessible.  They continue to meet twice a month for worship.

15/22  Gathering of Ministers:  Jeremiah brought forth a proposal to host a gathering of ministers.  One thing that came up in NEYM consideration about Ministry and Counsel, is how ministers who are involved in public ministry, need to be able to meet together.  Since we have two recorded ministers in our Quarter, we can could host such a gathering that would help the public ministers among us mentor one another.  It is proposed this be sponsored by the Quarter to occur at a time in the fall at Dover or Concord to gather ministers and elders to come together for a day.  Maybe other Quarters will copy us for mutual support and education.  Friends gave their endorsement to sponsor this.  Support might include a potluck lunch for the ministers.  Part of Brian’s ministry in the past is to hold informal gatherings in different quarters himself.  Falmouth Quarter has 10 ministers who identified as public ministers.  Jeremiah will continue speaking with our ministers about it.

16/22  Next Meeting: We adjourned, promising to meet next on 31^st July. The location has yet to be chosen. Perhaps since it is summer, one of the smaller meetings that does not have hybrid capability might host it.

Earl “Chip” Neal

(December 9, 1945 – June 25, 2021)

When Chip Neal brought his family to Dover from Maryland in 1978, they loved everything about their new home except the proposed construction of a nuclear power plant in nearby Seabrook.

He had been hired by New Hampshire Public Television to do a nightly news show, having worked his way up from entry-level floorman in a pioneering community college television station to cameraman at WETA in Washington and then director/producer at Maryland Public Television.

Across the Granite State he became known for the segments he produced and hosted on “New Hampshire Crossroads,” where spent many years traveling every corner of the state bringing unique New Hampshire features and people to a statewide audience.  It was in one of those stories that he coined the phrase Yankee yard.  His curiosity was sweet-tempered and non-judgmental.  He also produced segments for the popular weekly “Windows to the Wild” outdoors adventures series featuring Willem Lange.

Although he attended the University of Illinois during the Vietnam era, he did not earn a degree until he worked at the University of New Hampshire for NHPTV.  He graduated from college the same year his daughter, Amanda, graduated from high school.

He never aspired to go into management.  Rather, he always preferred to be hands-on, something son James inherited.

That was reflected in the family’s old farmhouse near the Cochecho River, where they began rearing a few chickens, sheep, and honeybees.  After aligning with the Clamshell Alliance opposing the Seabrook Station, he realized the activists he admired the most were all Quakers, and soon he, too, was worshiping in the old meetinghouse, along with children Jamie and Amanda, while his wife Nell continued at First Parish just down the street.  Over time, as she felt her spiritual growth being nurtured more through connections with Friends, she, too, became part of the Meeting.

Their social life included visits by boat with other Quaker families living downstream or around Great Bay.  Inspired by what he had read about the Amish and a “why not” attitude, Chip determined to try a barn-raising of his own, resulting in a merry one-day celebration that did, indeed, accomplish the task.

Chip was commissioned to create a private documentary profiling Silas Weeks, who had been instrumental in the reopening of the Dover Friends meetinghouse.  The interviews, now available on YouTube, remain a touching intersection of the faithful lives of both Silas and Chip.

Many of the qualities of Chip’s spiritual life also infused his professional career.  A fellow producer noted that Chip possessed a brilliant communication talent in short-form and long-form storytelling.  He not only saw the heart of a story, he let it speak for itself, time and time again.  Where most producers tended to interpret meaning for the viewer, Chip had the unending patience – and absolute stubbornness – to never let that happen in his work.  Thanks to his relentless focus, firm discipline, and above all a fabulous sense of humor, time and time again he would dig down until he found the light of truth hiding inside the most humble to the most exalted story, and to let it shine like a diamond in the wide open, all on its own, available and meaningful to the viewer.

As he grew and matured, he more and more thought deeply and broadly about events and phenomena, all with a spiritual bent.  Often, this led to rising in the middle of the night to write down his ideas and insights, sometimes as haiku with a snap.

He emphasized the necessity of being centered in the present, explaining, “Life is that thing you’re doing right now.”  From that, he had an ability to view difficulties from the side and then provide helpful alternatives to the knot before us.

During his terms as clerk of Dover Friends Meeting, Chip would stand after the closing of worship with the shaking of hands and then, gazing around the room, say simply, “Thank you for sharing your spiritual journey with us this morning – whether spoken or unspoken.”

He loved serving as clerk and treasured Quaker process, especially taking sufficient time in our labors together.

The advance of Parkinson’s interrupted his service to family, Friends, and the wider world, but not his presence.  He had often reminded us that in trying to reach a destination while sailing, one had to constantly make adjustments – tacking.

He was also fond of a Navajo prayer:

All above me peaceful,

all below me peaceful,

all beside me peaceful,

all around me peaceful.

He passed over peacefully on June 25, 2021, in the comfort of his wife, Nell.

# # #

Dover Quarterly Meeting of Friends

New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, Religious Society of Friends

℅ LeeAnn M Stevens, Treasurer, 400 Webster St, Manchester, NH 03104

Respectfully submitted,

s/ LeeAnn M Stevens

Treasurer, submitted 2022-05-28

**Restricted Funds are the “Mary G. Morrell and Horatio S. Morrell Trust Funds.  Such funds are dedicated to help ‘poor...ministers… in the service of the Lord.’” (In the 1^st Month 2000 Dover Quarterly Meeting for Business minute, the treasurer was directed to maintain the $1000.00 of the Restricted Funds as “principal” in keeping with restrictions on the funds, with the remainder available for use by the Quarter.)  In 7^th month 2017, it was agreed that interest earned on the H.S. Morrell Trust Fund will be accumulated and available as allowed by the Fund.