Minutes for Meeting for Business for August 18, 2019, with Retreat Summary
Posted: under Announcements, Minutes for Ministry and Counsel, Minutes from Meeting for Business.
Meeting for Worship on the Occasion of Business
Held at the Senior Citizens’ Service Center
Bennington, VT
August 18, 2019
Present were Timmy Bullock, clerk, Priscilla Tracy, Eliza Navias-Bell, Lucie McKee, Auberta Galusha and Juliet Wright.
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…..It is a remarkable fact that Friends for three hundred years have taken neither the path of religious authoritarianism nor path of spiritual privatism. Instead, Friends have always accepted both the possibility of individual truth and the obligation of corporately testing that truth.
Parker J. Palmer, 1980
Out of the silence the clerk read the above quotation.
The minutes from the last meeting for business were read and approved.
2019-27 Given the few members present at meeting for business, meeting for business recommends deferring until next business meeting the decision on Eliza Navias-Bells’ recommendation for membership to Ministry and Counsel.
2019-28 Meeting for business affirms the intent of the retreat summary document as the working document for the meeting (See attached). Meeting for business sees the summary of the retreat as an accurate summary of the discussion and reflections that occurred on that day.
2019-29 In response to the suggestions from the Earthcare Minute from NEYM, meeting for business suggests that we informally check in on our individual and corporate efforts toward reducing our carbon footprint. We are reminded that there is a group, Climate Advocates of Bennington, that we might wish to join.
2019-30 Meeting for business thanks Eliza Navias-Bell for her finance report. We are deferring a decision about our contribution to Quaker Earthcare Witness until next month. Everyone is encouraged to read the Quaker Earthcare Witness website.
2019-31 Meeting for business asks finance committee to consider creating a discretionary budget line in the budget for one-time contributions
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Minutes for Ministry and Counsel
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Present were Timmy Bullock, clerk, ex-officio, Priscilla Tracy, Auberta Galusha, Juliet Wright and Eliza Navias-Bell
Pastoral concerns discussed.
19-12 Ministry and Counsel recommends having Eliza Navias-Bell as a member of ministry and counsel.
19-13 Ministry and Counsel recommends reading for approval the summary of retreat at meeting for business.
19-14 Ministry and Counsel recommends bringing the NEYM earthcare ministry to business meeting for discussion and suggestions.
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RETREAT SUMMARY
Nine Friends from Bennington Meeting gathered at the home of Eliza Navias-Bell to consider the business practices of the meeting. A need was expressed to look at whether the meeting’s business practices are serving the meeting well in light of a decrease in active participants.
After worship, we shared brief histories of our entry into Quakerism and our experiences with different meetings. Bennington is blessed to have Friends with a lot of experience in a variety of meetings, including many in other yearly meetings, and /or a long history with Bennington Meeting. Friends also had served in many roles, including some at the Quarterly or Yearly Meeting level.
As we looked at how issues are brought before the meeting, how seasoning and discernment occurs, and how few people are filling the roles that were often filled by others in the past, we noted several areas of concern. Ministry and Counsel and Finance are the only two active committees in the meeting at this time. This situation has resulted in those committees taking on roles that used to be shared with other committees or positions. Some committees, like nominating committee, are down to one person. A number of Friends would welcome greater shared discernment.
We considered whether, in light of the small number of Friends participating in the business of the meeting, could we or should we operate as a committee of the whole more often. At the same time, there was a desire not to have business meeting take up much of the afternoon while the meeting seasoned issues.
Several areas for consideration emerged.
1. The clerk expressed a concern about the pressure to generate an agenda that truly served the meeting. She requested that committee representatives and officers submit items for the agenda, rather than generating it with no input from others.
2. Enthusiasm was expressed for developing the habit of submitting a paragraph in writing to the clerk before business meeting if anyone wanted something to be included on the agenda.
3. The possibility of using ad hoc committees to season particular issues was suggested as a way to balance the length of business meeting and good practice.
4. The question was raised of what should be done if individuals have items for consideration that are currently being taken to M&C but do not properly fall into its purview. It was concluded that such items should be raised directly to the clerk (give examples) for inclusion in the agenda for business meeting.
5. There was interest in looking for ways to relieve the clerk of some of the many tasks which she currently fulfills.
6. It was suggested that meeting minutes be consistently read and edited to everyone’s satisfaction at the end of each item for business, eliminating the need for later correction and approval. The idea was widely embraced.
7. Near the end of the discussion, Alison offered a newcomer’s view of the meeting. She expressed gratitude for the way in which she and Michael have been welcomed and included without being pressured to take on responsibilities, and gave the opinion that while the meeting has issues to wrestle with, overall it is a welcoming group with a lot to offer. The group thanked her for that contribution.
We thanked Eliza for hosting and facilitating this opportunity for the meeting and Friends left feeling gratefully optimistic about the possibilities before us.
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Aug 22 2019