Bennington Friends Meeting

Bennington Friends Meeting for Worship for the conduct of Business

Held at the Senior Citizens Service Center, Bennington, Vermont

March 18, 2012

Present: Timmy Bullock, Clerk; Juliet Wright, Recording Clerk; Beth Cheadle, Bain Davis, Auberta Galusha, Arnold Ricks, Priscilla Tracy.

In a Quaker meeting, for worship or for business, there is more than waiting and silence. There is also speaking for one’s self and feeling the weight of the words of others. The quest for truth among Friends is meant to be corporate, not a private reverie. The leading of the gathered group is to be trusted, and when you or I speak we must be willing to test our truth against the truth received by others.

Parker Palmer, 1980, cited from The Spirit of the Quakers by Geoffrey Durham, p. 189

2012-15 Out of the silence the recording clerk read the minutes for meeting for business for February 19, 2012. They were approved as read.

2012-16 Priscilla Tracy, Clerk of Ministry and Counsel, read the minutes of its meeting on March 11, which are appended.

2012-17 Meeting for business encourages the clerk to explore with the regular attending students how the meeting can be helpful to them. Are there ways that the meeting could be more helpful to them?

2012-18 Meeting for business asks that Ministry and Counsel reflect on ways that Friends can build on Friends testimonies to reach into the community.

2012-19 Auberta Galusha reported on behalf of Interfaith Council. Meeting for business asks finance committee to clarify the components (Food and Fuel, rent, clinic support) of Greater Bennington Interfaith Community Service and also to consider the $60.00 requested for administrative support for Interfaith Council.

After a few moments of silence, the meeting adjourned.

Timmy Bullock, Clerk Juliet Wright, Recording clerk

Minutes for Ministry and Counsel Meeting

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Present were Priscilla Tracy, clerk, Timmy Bullock, clerk ex-officio, Beth Cheadle, Auberta Galusha and Juliet Wright

Pastoral concerns were discussed.

3-12 Ministry and Counsel recommends having the clerk contact the regular attenders among the Bennington College students to see if they are willing to share their spiritual journeys with us. We also will ask them what would be a way for them to come to know us better.

4-12 Ministry and Counsel has successfully updated the directory with current contact information. Hard copies will be available on March 18.

Minutes

Bennington Friends Meeting for Worship for the conduct of Business

Held at the Senior Citizens Service Center, Bennington, Vermont

February 19, 2012

Present: Timmy Bullock, Clerk; Beth Cheadle, Bain Davis, Auberta Galusha, Arnold Ricks (Acting Recording Clerk), Priscilla Tracy.

2012-10 The Acting Recording Clerk read the minutes of the January Meeting for Business which with minor emendation were approved as read. The matter of depositing our minutes in New England Yearly Meeting archives was raised. The Clerk is to inquire of the N.E.Y.M. office as to current practice.

2012-11 Priscilla Tracy, Clerk of Ministry and Council, read the minutes of its meeting on February 12, which are appended.

2012-12 In response to a request the Clerk raised for our consideration a list of proposed Friends Committee on National Legislation priorities for the year. Bennington Monthly Meeting strongly supports the five elements that FCNL has proposed. We see nuclear disarmament and peaceful prevention of armed conflict as two dimensions of one fundamental concern. While we wholeheartedly support the extended statement of concern for Native Americans, we would hope that the term “sovereignty” would be eschewed in this connection. The Meeting would also encourage a focus on clean air and clean water as well as on a sustainable energy policy.

2012-13 Arnold Ricks presented the report of the Finance Committee, which reviewed the financial record of the past year, and proposed that the Meeting adopt the same budget for this year. The Meeting agreed with the recommendation.

2012-14 Auberta Galusha, reporting on the Interfaith Council, noted that it wishes to establish a line item in its budget for administrative cost of the Interfaith Council itself. We ask that some indication of what these costs are be made available to our Finance Committee. We recommend that the Finance Committee consider this request when we have more information on these expenses as well as current levels of support. The meeting closed in silence.

Timmy Bullock, Clerk, Arnold Ricks, Acting Recording clerk.

Minutes for Ministry and Counsel Meeting

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Present were Priscilla Tracy, clerk, Timmy Bullock, clerk ex-officio, Beth Cheadle, Auberta Galusha and Juliet Wright

Pastoral concerns were discussed.

2-12 Ministry and Counsel reviewed and made corrections to the contact directory and approved a letter to be sent to persons whose information is in question.