CMM 2024-09-08

Minutes of Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business

Concord (NH) Monthly Meeting of

the Religious Society of Friends

8^th of Ninth Month 2024

Fourteen Friends gathered for meeting for worship to attend to business, in person and by Zoom.  We opened with a period of quiet worship.

The Minutes of Seventh month 2024 were approved as posted on our website.

09.01  Finance Reports:  Dave W, Clerk of Finance Committee, reported on operations for the first quarter of the fiscal year, June through August 2024.  Income was $8,297 and expenses were $8,106 for a net gain of $191.  Cash on hand is $13,697.  Details regarding income and expense and the balance sheet were highlighted.  Not reflected on the balance sheet is $15,000 we hope and expect to receive from the federal government for the geothermal system.

09.02  Timely Decision Made:  Clerk Heidi B reported on a decision made last week through our procedure for timely decisions that must be made prior to a duly called Meeting for Business.  This relates to the sponsorship of two movies to be shown at Red River Theatre.  See minute 09.03.

09.03  Peace Social and Earth Care Concerns Committee:  Sharon K reported the Meeting is sponsoring two movies being presented later this month and promoted by the organization Not in My Name. They are Israelism and Where Olive Trees Weep.  The Committee is also planning a worship meeting on Dustin Island with a date uncertain at this time.  The Peace Pole will be ordered soon.  The committee has selected English, Abenaki, Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, Swahili, Japanese, and Ukrainian as the eight languages to be engraved on the pole.  The complete committee report will be appended with these minutes on the web site.

09.04  NH Peace Action Event Sponsorship:  Ruth H reported on the annual NH Peace Action event.   Combatants for Peace, an organization made up of former members of both the Palestinian and Israeli armies working for peace, will be featured.  The Meeting approves sponsorship of this event which costs $300 and authorizes the use of $300 from the Social Justice Fund.  We will further contribute any small amounts which would otherwise remain in the fund.  The program is scheduled to begin at 11:30 on October 13 at the Derryfield Country Club restaurant.  Since this time conflicts with our meeting for business, we plan to hold the October Meeting for Business on First Sunday, October 6.  As a sponsor we are entitled to 2 free tickets.

09.05  Ministry and Counsel:  Ruth H, Ministry & Counsel Clerk, reported that the walking group needs new leadership.  Members will be called soon regarding their personal interest in green burial in the Canterbury Cemetery.  A new greeter is needed for once a month commitment.  Juliet C volunteered for this work, an offer that was gratefully accepted.  Nax T was a great help to many during the loading and unloading of canoes and kayaks before and after the Merrimack River paddle last week.  We extend grateful thanks to them.   4^th-Sunday planning is underway and suggestions will be gratefully received.  The full report is appended to these minutes on the web site.

09.06  Cleaning Day.  Jennifer S reminded us that next Sunday is our regularly scheduled cleaning day and hopes Friends will be able to stay for a while to spend twenty minutes to a half hour taking on both indoor and outdoor projects.

Following our closing worship Friends adjourned purposing to meet again on Tenth Month 6, 2024 as way opens.

* “A budget is a moral document” ~ often attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 – 1968)

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.

Ministry and Counsel Report to Meeting for Business for Ninth Month

The committee met twice in August and covered these topics:

1. Fourth Sunday: We came up with the following ideas for 4^th-Sunday programs and hope to get feedback from the Meeting on these.
   
   1. PSECC hopes to have a Meeting for Worship at the Hannah Dustin Monument followed by a picnic potluck and program on Quaker involvement with Indian Boarding Schools and potential reparations idea raised at NEYM.
   2. Listen to the final Bible Half Hour of 2024 NEYM Sessions (which mentions an Emmaus Walk) and worship sharing on it.
   3. Palestine/Gaza/Israel situation
   4. Worship sharing around a story about our early religious education experience
   5. State of Society – reflection on our Meeting during 2024 (probably January)
   6. Discussion on the draft Faith and Practice Introduction that was first read at 2024 NEYM Sessions and will be considered again in 2025.
   7. Sometime before 2025 NEYM we will plan a program about NEYM that would help people learn about it, prepare for it, and engage in concerns arising within New England Quakers. Maybe titled: Where Are NE Quakers At?
      
      We’re open to hearing other suggestions.  With better advance planning we hope to increase attendance.
2. Pastoral Care: We regularly spend a portion of our meetings considering the pastoral care needs of our community.
3. We would like to see the Walking Group continue but have not found anyone to lead it.
4. Green Burial at Canterbury Cemetery: We were asked to survey members on their interest in green burial (or any burial) at the Canterbury cemetery.  Calls to members should begin soon.
5. Name Tags: Greg has printed out name tags for several recent attenders and has ordered (and received) new name tag holders.
6. Greeters: Ruth sent a draft job description of greeting to the current greeters and asked them to affirm their desire to continue.  We need someone to cover 3^rd-Sunday greeting.
   
   1. 1^st Sunday: Sara Smith
   2. 2^nd Sunday: Kathy Urie
   3. 3^rd Sunday:
   4. 4^th Sunday: Chris Haigh
   5. 5^th Sunday: Ruth Heath
7. Quakerism 101: We plan to hold a series of sessions on learning more about Quakerism that will be fruitful for both new attenders and those with years of experience.
8. Sept 1 Float Down Merrimack was a very successful, fun, intergenerational event attended by 15 of us on a perfect end-of-summer day.  Swimmers and birders were happy with the delights of the river.
9. Heidi relayed a request from PSECC that the Meeting co-sponsor two films at Red River Theatres organized by Not In My Name and in conjunction with NH Peace Action Palestine Education Network.  The movies are “Israelism” (9/19) and “Where Olive Trees Weep" (9/26).  Because a decision was required before our next business meeting, Ministry and Counsel (M&C) was requested to approve the request in accordance with our policy on time-sensitive issues: Time-Sensitive Public Statement Process.  We did approve that request at our August 26^th meeting with all committee members present.

Respectfully submitted,

Ruth on behalf of Ministry and Counsel

Peace, Social, Environmental Concerns Committee (PSECC) 8/20/24

Attendees: Sara S, Clerk; Sharon K; Heidi B (meeting Clerk)

[Much of this report was presented orally at Meeting, but not circulated in advance.  It is included for completeness.]

● Update AFSC - Here is the AFSC goal statement:

AFSC New Hampshire Program

Program goal: All New Hampshire residents – particularly immigrants, formerly incarcerated people, low-income people & BIPOC young adults – experience equity, justice, economic security, peace, & opportunities to thrive.  If New Hampshire people are inspired, prepared, and supported to take coordinated, timely, focused, and nonviolent actions which draw upon humane values such as fairness, social justice, compassion, equality, and respect, then ongoing action will spotlight specific grievances, identify specific remedies, and change unjust practices and policies, because in New Hampshire, relatively small groups of well-organized activists can have an influence disproportionate to their size.

These are enacted through these three main areas of the NH program.

• Decarceration support by Ophelia Burnett, as well as Maggie Fogarty in Jail visitation program
• Lobbying through the interfaith coalition Voices of Faith - Maggie Fogarty    
• Youth Empowerment - Change for Concord staffed by Fisto Ndayishimiye

They will be having a workshop day on September 28 from 9-4 and then supper on a nice organic farm called Tuckaway Farm.  Concord Mtg will not have to play any major role.  We are invited to attend and make a donation if we are able.  See newsletter for info.

● Peace Pole -

The 8 languages PSECC chose in consideration of Meeting suggestions: English, Abenaki (special language selection), Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, Swahili (special language selection to represent Kenya), Japanese, and Ukrainian at September Business Meeting.  We will also consult with Greg Heath to ask him to put in the order and where it should be shipped, and about installation of the pole.  We suggested in the middle front garden area close to the front.

A dedication/celebration was briefly discussed which will be further planned once the ship date is known.  Ideas: after rise of MFW everyone gather around pole and say prayers/words for peace followed by refreshments.  Prayers flags and prayer time capsules were also thought upon.

● 4^th Sunday Presentation for October -

Ideas discussed:

• AFSC presentation on their current 3 projects- TBD
• Hannah Dustin Monument worship
• Indigenous Peoples’ Day

For future reference, here is the link to the NEYM report on Quaker Indigenous Boarding Schools (QIBS).  I hope people will read the first 15 or so pages as it has huge implications for the need for reparations.  There may be further resources or workshops planned to discuss this.

https://neym.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/NEYM%202024%20QIBS%20final%20report%20%26%20sources.pdf

● Hannah Dustin Monument Worship & Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Programming could consist of:

• Paul and Denise Pouliot of the Cowasuck Band of the Penacook Abenaki People have produced a film about Hannah Dustin which they could show in the Meeting house- followed by a simple meal reflecting indigenous foods.  Then we could go to the Monument and have worship sharing and prayers there.
• May tie in the Land Acknowledgement statement, and possibly the Doctrine of Discovery, Colonialism, and the Indian Boarding school report (this is complex enough that it could and should be a whole program in itself.)
• Invite Denise and Paul Pouliot – they are available for a possible October Fourth Sunday to speak from an Indigenous view of the Hannah Dustin event & statue.
• A Meeting member speak on silent worship for attendees outside of the Quaker faith
• Invite residents, organizational representatives, politicians to attend??

● Other-

• Sponsorship of film “Where the Olive Trees Weep,” at Red River Theater, Concord.  September 26- We decided not to show this film ourselves but to support the Red River event.  See below for their statement on the situation which fit well with our views.  A contribution is not needed but is welcome.
• Spring 4^th Sunday program on “Rewilding”.  Heidi will explore this topic further with the PSECC Committee