MFM Monthly Meeting for Business Minutes

February 12, 2017

9:00 am           Meeting for Worship

9:45 am           Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business

Attendance: David Woolley—presiding clerk, Stephen Snyder—recording clerk, Pat Jones—Director of Ministry

1. Gathering Worship
2. Minutes of the January 8, 2017 meeting for business were approved.
3. Reports
   1. Director of Ministry—Pat Jones  Meeting has acquired a very large banner from the Friends Committee for National Legislation (FCNL). It reads, LOVE THY NEIGHBOR (No Exceptions).  The Peace and Social Concerns Committee requested this banner for use in marches, immigration events, and other appropriate venues.  If you are attending such an event contact the Pat Jones if you would like to carry the banner.  In preparation for retirement Pat will be taking some retreats in the coming months to help gain perspective and focus on what needs to be done during this time of transition. The first retreat may be before the end of March.  She will get some pastoral counseling as part of these retreats. Pat also invited friends to participate in two projects that need to be done in the next few months—learning to open the meetinghouse and prepare it for worship, and updating our membership records. DISCUSSION: Keitha encouraged all members of the Care of Unprogrammed Meeting Committee and the Semi-Programmed Worship Planning Committee to get trained on opening the meetinghouse.  Pat expressed thanks for the great job the Care of Unprogrammed Meeting Committee has done in nurturing the 9:00 am meeting for worship
   2. Ministry and Counsel (M&C) report –  Carolyn VandenDolder M&C members had a rich discussion around the topic of worship and vocal ministry.  Many friends are burdened with sorrows, illness, loss and grief whether personal or related to our political climate.  At times, some friends may feel a need to share their sorrows and seek comfort during meeting for worship.   Other friends may prefer to deal with these burdens outside of worship and simply want to worship the Divine in silence. How can we be sensitive to those people who bring their concerns to meeting as well as those who need the silence to just rest in the Divine presence.  M&C discussed a number of ways Meeting might meet these needs including holding mid-week worship at the meetinghouse twice a month, experimenting with an online worship via computer or making the conference room available before or after worship for those who need more directed worship time. M&C has no recommendation at this time but invites suggestions and comments from friends.       Monthly meeting asked M&C consider how Meeting might deal with grief around Pat’s coming retirement.  In considering this request the Committee acknowledged that there are many sources of loss and grief at play in the Meeting:  Pat’s retirement, the increasing fragility of the beloved elderly in the Meeting,  an aging cohort of Meeting leaders, aging and dying family members, and the current political and social environment. To begin addressing this concern, M&C will offer mid-morning program on grief on April 2 to help us better understand and find common language around grief.  M&C will offer a second, more focused mid-morning program on grieving in May.
   3. Stewardship Committee –  Preliminary budget report—Roland Barrett  This initial budget proposal is tentative as the Director of Ministry will retire 6 months into the fiscal year and the Meeting has not decided whether this position will be continued. The proposed budget includes a 2% salary increase for the Director of Ministry for 6 months prior to her retirement plus an additional one-half of that salary should it be needed.  The salary of the office assistant is increased from $15 to $18 per hour and more hours have been budgeted on the assumption that there will likely be increased responsibilities associated with this position.  The budget for plant operations is mostly unchanged.  In the program area the travel budget for the Director of Ministry is reduced by half while Welcoming and Outreach is increased by $400.  The amount budgeted for utilities is down $1,100 as gas usage has been less than previously budgeted.  The contribution to Northern Yearly Meeting (NYM) is increased to $5,000.  NYM is in need of additional resources and this figure is more in keeping with the amount expected given the size of Minneapolis Friends Meeting.  The proposed total general fund budget for 2017-2018 is $113,436.  Discussion:  Tom W. noted that there is no money for Quaker Voluntary Service(QVS) in the budget.  In January people will be hired for QVS and Meeting may need money to cover these expenses.  He also expressed hope that friends will at least maintain the current level of giving in the future. Sandy O. suggested that at least part of what QVS might need could be budgeted now to help it meet its obligations next year.   Roland B. noted that Meeting may have to increase its contribution to the building fund in future years as the building ages. Jeannette R. wondered whether Meeting needed to continue contributions to the sabbatical leave fund and what will happen to that fund when the Director of Ministry retires.  Some friends observed that any proposed budget makes assumptions about the future structure and direction of Meeting. Friends must bear in mind that decisions about the transition have not been made yet and changes may be made to the budget.  A number of friends expressed support for the proposed budget and appreciation for the work of the Stewardship Committee.  Tom W. reminded friends of the Quaker saying, “Way will Open,” and asked us to go forward in faith.  Clerk David Woolley thanked Roland and the Stewardship Committee for their work and indicated that Meeting will have an opportunity to revisit and act on the proposed budget next month.
   4. Nominating Committee – Preliminary report – Mary Snyder  Mary distributed two handouts—a description of committee responsibilities and another indicating those friends who have agreed to be nominated to fill positions on these committees.  She noted that members of the Committee have enjoyed holding members and attenders as they listen with open hearts and consider who might fill the vacancies.  Mary went over the names on the committees and noted where there are still some vacancies to be filled.  Some comments and corrections were offered as follows:
      1. Unprogrammed worship planning should be named “Care of Unprogrammed Meeting Committee.
      2. Not all committee clerks are ex-officio members of the Mid-Morning Program Committee.
      3. Meeting needs clarification on the structure of the Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS) committee—description of responsibilities, how many members, terms of service, etc.

The Clerk thanked the Nominating Committee and Mary for their work and noted that Meeting will act on the final report in March.

E. Transition Committee –Barbara Ziegenhagen  A Transition Committee has been formed composed of Roland Barrett, Renae Bonde, Maddie Kraft, Jeannette Raymond and Tom Wells.  The Transition Committee is charged with proposing a process by which the Meeting will formulate a plan for leadership of Meeting following the retirement of the Director of Ministry.  The clerk will be chosen by the committee.

F. Plans for First Day School – Bill Hendricks   Bill thanked all the instructors working with the children and reported that the young teens program will begin meeting weekly in March.  Friends who would like to help with First Day School or the young teens program are asked to contact the Child Welfare Committee.

4.  Communications

A. Guidelines for Google Group—Keitha Herron: There was not time for presentation of the Guidelines but a copy of the Guidelines is attached to these minutes.

B. Northern Yearly Meeting middle school retreat April 7-9, 2017 –Bill Hendricks Bill Hendricks and Rae Beth Cornelius will be Meeting hosts for this retreat to be held at the Minneapolis Friends meetinghouse.  Pat Jones noted that when a request is received to host such an event the Meeting process is to bring it to meeting for business to ensure Meeting has adequate hosting resources.

C. Judith Eisner meditative concert & presentation, April 23 

D.Request from prisoner for correspondent Friends interesting in corresponding with incarcerated men or women should let the Clerk know.

E. Experiment with Light announcement – Diane Barrett   Agreed to postpone comments until next month.

F. Request to have meditative concert and program about Quakers and the holocaust at the meetinghouse.  Carolyn VandenDolder will help host and Welcoming and Outreach will find another person to help host.

G. Nancy Helfrich asked if meeting would like posters “All of Welcome Here” Friends asked that such requests go through Peace and Social Concerns.

Transition to 11:15 Meeting for Worship 

Attachments: 

GOOGLE GUIDELINES FOR MINNEAPOLIS FRIENDS MEETING 

1. Participation in Minneapolis Friends Meeting Google Group is voluntary. The Google Group enables us to easily communicate with the whole meeting about meeting- related interest or business, as well as joys, sorrows and requests for support meeting would wish to know. It is not used for contacting an individual, or a committee.
2. Google Group is used to send us the weekly bulletin, meeting for business agendas, and the first and final drafts of meeting minutes. It can also be used to send out new business for prior feedback, before being listed as an item for the meeting for business, to lessen discussion at the business meeting. Committees can send us a summary of their committee meeting or a copy of a report they have prepared for the meeting for business if they so wish. Please realize that a reply to a Google Group message will go to everyone in the Google Group, not just to the individual who sent the message. If an individual reply is requested, it must be sent to the individual, not the group.
3. To post a message, send it by email to: mpls-friends-meeting(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)googlegroups.com

The subject line must state the nature of the email (e.g., Adult Program Hour). If the subject is not meeting related, the subject must be stated as Non- Meeting Related, and then the nature of the email (e.g., Non-Meeting Related: Cat needs a home.) Please keep in mind that non- meeting items should be used sparingly.

4. Google Group messages are sent to all subscribers as soon as they are posted. You can choose to receive daily summaries (one email each day containing all of that day’s messages.) To manage your delivery preferences, log into the group with your web browser at https://groups.google.com/forum/@!forum/mpls- friends-meeting, then click the “My Settings” button in the top right corner of the screen. The button resembles a small figure of a person next to a gear icon. It will open a menu of options. Choose “Membership and email settings” to manage your membership in the group and message delivery preferences.

5. New attenders to meeting may send a request to join the Google Group to the Google Group administrators.

6. The list of subscribers and their email addresses will not be shared with other groups, including Yearly Meeting or national groups. If a meeting individual wishes to share a message from such groups with meeting, the individual will send it to meeting.

7. The following statement automatically appears at the bottom of all Google Group messages sent to meeting: “This Google Group is an important form of communication used by Minneapolis Friends Meeting to announce activities, events and topics of interest pertaining to our community.”

David Woolley and Roland Barrett are the Google Group administrators.

To enroll:   Send e-mail to Roland Barrett, Google Group administrator.  rolandbarrett(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)msn.com

David Woolley is the technical administrator.