Bennington Friends Meeting
Minutes for Meeting for Worship on the Occasion of Business
April 26, 2009
“…It lies in our practice of intentionally being open to what is, of being attentive to difference, to listening for what underlies it in ourselves, in others, and in the Spirit moving between us. This means we begin by intentionally emptying ourselves to wait on, rather than avoid, the excruciating pain of living with and listening to people whose view, stance, preferences and very way of being are different from and challenging to our own. When we are sufficiently prayerfully opened we are tendered by what we hear. We often find the error of our preconceptions and have our boundaries of acceptability extended. We can grow more deeply into a sense of our common humanity and seek the way to allow the humanity of all parties to be stretched in love.
Listening Spirituality, Volume II, Corporate Spiritual Practice Among Friends. By Patricia Loring
Present were Juliet Wright, Timmy Bullock, Priscilla Tracy, Bain Davis, Ruth Hawes, Peggy Kahn, Maurice Kahn, Connie Evans, Auberta Galusha, Ann Coakley and Sadelle Wiltshire.
Out of the silence the clerk read the above passage from Listening Spirituality, Volume II, Corporate Spiritual Practice Among Friends, by Patricia Loring.
2009-27 The minutes for meeting for worship on the occasion of business from March 15, 2009 were read and approved.
2009-28 The end of life document was reviewed, edited and approved. We will target a two month period when members and attenders will complete them.
2009-29 The ministry and counsel minutes were accepted. They are appended.
2009-30 Meeting for business accepted the revised State of Society Report with edits. The report will be submitted to New England Yearly Meeting.
2009-31 The meeting accepts with pleasure the transfer of membership of Bain Davis, Ruth Hawes and Marj Davis from Cornwall Monthly Meeting to Bennington Meeting. We will concurrently be receiving Bain Davis’ recording in the ministry.
2009-32 The topic for our annual retreat was discussed. We are developing a topic that focuses on the power of spirit-led silence.
2009-33 Mayfest Update – Meeting for business approved the theme for this year’s Mayfest: “Paint a picture of how one creates peace using peaceable means. What do you think peace would look like?”
2009-34 Coakley-Wiltshire Wedding was discussed.
After a period of silent worship, the meeting adjourned.
Juliet Wright, recording clerk
Timmy Bullock, acting clerk
************************************************************************
Ministry and Counsel Minutes for April 12, 2009
Present: Timmy Bullock, Fanny Culleton, Bain Davis, Priscilla Tracy: Acting Clerk, and Arnold Ricks.
The meeting began out of silence.
Pastoral concerns were discussed.
It was agreed that the State of Society Report for 2008 needed no further action from Ministry and Counsel. It will be passed on to Meeting for Business.
9:09 Ministry and Counsel recommends that the Meeting accept the transfer of membership from Cornwall monthly Meeting of Bain Davis, Marj Davis, and Ruth Hawes. Concurrently we will be receiving Bain Davis’s recording in the Ministry. That designation will now reside with the Bennington Meeting.
Ideas for the up coming end of the summer retreat were discussed. One idea put forth was, “The Spirituality of Quaker process, what does it address other than a helpful way do doing business?” No actions were taken.
The meeting closed with a brief period of silence.
Priscilla Tracy