February 18, 2024 Business Meeting Minutes
Posted: under Minutes from Meeting for Business.
Bennington Friends Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business
February 18, 2024
Present: Timmy Bullock, Auberta Galusha, Priscilla Tracy, Gabrielle Isenbrand, Juliet Wright, Alex Miller, Julie Snow, Alison Levie, and Michael Wajda.
We gathered in the Senior Center for meeting for worship with attention to business.
The meeting opened with a period of worship during which the clerk read the following 1985 quotation from Daniel Seeger:
…We will aim for transparency of heart; we will never manipulate each other’s consciences, or try to force other members of our Religious Society into our own scheme of things. No one will seek a procedural victory, or a formulation for faith and practice, or the advancement or postponement of a concern, which leaves someone else defeated.
The recording clerk read the minutes from our January 21 meeting for business for information.
2024-08. The meeting turned its attention to the 2024 budget and specifically to the list of contributions the meeting plans to make during this fiscal year.
Following up on the threshing session held last Sunday regarding our contributions, Timmy, Alison, and Gabrielle met to develop a proposed list of contributions based on their notes of what they heard during the threshing session. Their list for this year’s budget combines the regular and special contributions into one column since this is the last year of our commitment to draw down reserves. As they worked on the 2024 list, they realized it would be helpful to project a list for 2025 when we will have fewer funds to support the various organizations.
The meeting reviewed the 2024 list, which totals $7,550, and accepted it as presented. The meeting also reviewed the projected list for 2025, which totals $4,800 and is an increase of $1,000 over what we have been contributing through our regular budget (minus the extra contributions from drawing down reserves.) The meeting decided to affirm the 2025 contributions list temporarily with the possibility of amending it when we consider the full 2025 budget. Final approval for this higher figure will rest on the assumption that contributions from members and attenders of the Bennington meeting can be increased sufficiently to cover regular expenses, charitable contributions, and allow for a comfortable margin for the unexpected. The list of the 2024 and 2025 contributions is attached to these minutes.
It was noted that NEYM has been receiving an extra $300 from the special contributions. That extra amount is not included in the 2024 numbers presented. NEYM will receive the $1,700 listed in the regular budget.
The meeting then turned its attention to the full 2024 budget. We approved the budget with the new contribution amounts and the increase to the Greater Bennington Interfaith Council from $250 to $400 as stated in last month’s minutes. It was recommended that we do a more complete review of our budget before bringing a proposal for 2025. We will take this up later this year.
2023-09. We then turned our attention to considering a redo of our website. Michael has done some research about redesigning it, and Gabrielle has offered several questions regarding our website goals.
What are we trying to accomplish with this site? Who is our audience? How do we plan to engage that audience, and how will this strategy affect the design of the site? How will the design of the site powerfully convey what is “most” important to us?
Michael feels that our current website could be greatly improved. Many of the links are broken. It is limited in the information it provides. It could be much more visually appealing and welcoming. He would like to include our web address in the weekly church listing published in the Bennington Banner and feels a better website would be a strong way to welcome visitors. Our audience is both potential seekers and Quakers who may be visiting our area or live nearby. It also can provide useful resources to meeting members, with passcode protected access to our meeting directory, minutes, budgets, and fiancé reports. The website can be a dynamic way of projecting our identity and welcome.
Michael distributed a chart of website design options following his conversation with a Quaker website designer, Betsy Blake. There are three levels of possible engagement—a do it yourself through a purchased template, an assisted option, which includes help from the designer, and a full custom option, where the designer does most of the work. Michael recommends beginning with the Do-It-Yourself option, with the possibility that we move to the Assisted level if deemed it necessary. He also mentioned his interest in exploring another platform through a webinar he has registered for this week. He would value having another member to work with him in pursuing this website remake. The meeting asked that the explorations go forward before approving an expenditure, and that Michael report next month on the progress. Gabrielle has offered to work with Michael on the project. It was approved
We were surprised to learn that Bennington Meeting is not listed on QuakerFinder.org. Alison will contact FGC to make sure that the meeting gets listed.
2024-10. Michael Wajda reported on the progress with finding Friends to serve on an anchor committee for the extended worship ministry that he and Jean Rosenberg have been convening around New England Yearly Meeting since May 2022. He distributed a description of the roles of anchor committee and reported that he has approached Gabrielle and Timmy about their willingness to serve. Both have said yes.
The meeting approved having these two Friends to serve on the anchor committee. Jean and Michael have also asked Greg Moschetti, a member of Amesbury Meeting in Massachusetts, to serve as clerk of the committee and he has agreed.
The meeting closed with a period of worship.
Michael Wajda
Recording Clerk
BENNINGTON MEETING CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS | ||
Organization | 2024 | 2025 Tentative |
GBICS | $1,200 | $800 |
Peace & Justice | $400 | $250 |
McWaters | $500 | $300 |
Sunrise | $600 | $500 |
Turning Point | $200 | $150 |
Local Organizations | $2,900 | $2,000 |
AFSC | $200 | $0 |
FCNL | $1,000 | $800 |
FGC | $100 | $50 |
Friends Journal | $50 | $50 |
FUM | $100 | $100 |
FWCC | $200 | $200 |
Powell Hse. | $100 | $50 |
QEW | $800 | $250 |
QREC | $100 | $100 |
Right Sharing | $500 | $300 |
Woolman Hill | $600 | $400 |
Quaker House | $200 | $0 |
QUNO | $200 | $100 |
Quaker Organizations | $4,350 | $2,500 |
Combatants for Peace | $200 | $100 |
Children’s contributions | $300 | $300 |
Other | $500 | $400 |
GRAND TOTAL | $7,550 | $4,800 |
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Feb 19 2024