Bennington Friends Meeting
Minutes
Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business
Held at the Senior Citizens Service Center, Bennington, Vermont
August 23, 2009
Let us listen more carefully to each other—certainly without interrupting each other. I suspect that some of us tend to formulate our own thoughts while others are speaking. We would do better to listen more deeply, considering the exact message made explicit: the emotional content in the context of the speaker’s life and commitments: the sources, rational and emotional, of our own acceptance or rejection of the message; and the source in the divine love of the message and our response to it.
To do this kind of listening is hard work, and we need a brief silence after each person speaks to hear the echo of the message in our own soul and to judge if a response is needed. Such a brief silence is also a guard against interruption…..
Pieter Byhouwer, “The Conduct of Business,” Friends Journal Daily Readings from Quaker Writings, Ancient and Modern, May, 1971, cited in Linda Hill Renfer, ed.
Present: Timmy Bullock, Co-Clerk; Beth Cheadle, Co-Clerk; Bain Davis, Auberta Galusha, Ruth Hawes, Arnold Ricks, Priscilla Tracy.
Out of the silence at the beginning of the Meeting Co-Clerk Timmy Bullock read the above words from Pieter Byhouwer.
Acting Recording Clerk Arnold Ricks read the minutes of the July Meeting for Business.
2009-54 Priscilla Tracy read the minutes of the Ministry and Counsel meeting held August 9, which were approved, and are appended.
2009-55 Speaking for the Nominating Committee, Auberta Galusha reported that John Maloney was asked to serve on the Finance Committee and he has accepted. There is not yet a recommendation for an additional member of Ministry and Counsel. Friends raised the question as to whether the Meeting might wish to reconsider our existing policy and open the possibility of membership on Ministry and Counsel to long-term attenders as well as members.
2009-56 Timmy Bullock reported for the Finance Committee, which met on August 14. Meeting Treasurer Jane Radocchia, addressing the status of the budget, noted that contributions are down for the year. To meet total outlays planned, about $5,500.00 additional will be needed. The Meeting agreed to revisit the matter of organizational contributions at our Monthly Meeting for Business in October.
2009-57 In view of our all-day retreat on Saturday, September 19, Timmy Bullock proposed that the next Meeting for Business be deferred to Sunday, September 27. This was approved.
2009-58 Bain Davis reported on New England Yearly Meeting sessions, noting particularly two matters that especially exercised Friends present. The first was consideration of the personnel policy of Friends United Meeting. Bain illuminated for us differing views on aspects of the issue, and the recommendation of a committee on how to respond in love to an issue that exercises Friends deeply. A second issue was a request from Moses Brown School in Providence in the light of its sense of its present needs, that the School have a Board independent of the Yearly Meeting, while a significant percentage of the Board would still be Friends, and the School would continue to value a close association with Friends.
The Meeting concluded in silence.
Timmy Bullock, Arnold Ricks,
Co-Clerk Acting Recording Clerk
August 9, 2009
Meeting of Ministry & Counsel
Present: Timmy Bullock, Priscilla Tracy (Co-Clerks), Bain Davis and Beth Cheadle
Pastoral Concerns discussed
16.09 Ministry & Counsel reviewed planning for our September 19 retreat and awaits the tentative final schedule from the co leaders, Kristina and Callid Keefe-Perry