Minneapolis Friends Meeting

Minutes of Monthly Meeting for Business

3/11/2018

9:00 am           Meeting for Worship

9:45 am           Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business

Linda Coffin—acting presiding clerk, Tom Ward—recording clerk [most names and some material have been edited for posting on the web]

1. Gathering Worship
2. Minutes from February 11 were APPROVED 
3. Reports:
   1. Ministry and Counsel (M&C) report  –  John K.   (see Attachment #2):  No discussion
   2. Stewardship & Finance Committee – Final Budget for 2018-19, Roland B: the proposed budget was handed out. Two changes since last month’s budget presentation: $4,000 was added for Quaker Volunteer Service, and Peace & Social Concerns budget request was increased to $500. Total budget for 2018-19 stands at $113,699, which is $90 more than the current year’s budget.  Friends APPROVED budget for 2018-019. 
   3. Nominating Committee  – Final Committee Slate for 2018-19,  Gayle Mc.:    Monthly Meeting has extended the Interim Assistant Clerk position for one year, and Bill H. has agreed to serve in that capacity. Presiding Clerk will be John K., with Ranae H. and Barbara Z. serving as Assistant Presiding Clerks.  Sandy O. will be clerk of Ministry and Council. A number of committee positions remain unfilled and members and attenders are encouraged to consider if they would be able to serve on those committees.  The underlined names in the Structure of Service and Ministry represent individuals new to the committee or are taking a new role on the committee – and represent the changes Meeting will be approving today. Discussion: Concern that the growing First Day School attendance may suggest need for an education committee instead of an education coordinator. Answer: that is being actively considered and should be coming to monthly meeting next month for discussion.  Question: what is the process, now, for selecting new nominating committee members? Presiding Clerk: That has been overlooked in the last few months. She will confer with John K. regarding this.  Historically, nominating committee does not choose its own membership and the director of ministry and presiding clerk would make the recommendations to monthly meeting. The two members leaving nominating will remain in place until replacements are selected.  Also, Friend pointed out that one of the individuals listed as gardener is no longer attending meeting.  Friends APPROVED the nominating committee report for 2018-19. 
   4. Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Update – Doug H.    FCNL is the oldest religious group lobbying in Washington with a staff of 75 people.   A mid-morning program for discernment held on 2/18/18 focused on the priorities FCNL should address in the coming year. The five top priorities are:  1) Reduce military spending and armed interventions. 2) Promote economic justice that reduces inequality and poverty and encourages fair compensation for workers and healthcare for all. 3) Work to end gun violence. 4) Campaign finance reform. Reduce the influence of money in political campaigns. Promote equitable access for all citizens to participate in the political process. 5) Advocate for Native American concerns.   Presiding Clerk:  In her experience working at FCNL some years ago she was impressed by the seriousness with which FCNL considers these recommendations provided by monthly meetings.   Discussion: there was no mention of global warming.  Response: Global warming was a priority last time Meeting considered these priorities, but this year gun control seemed to take precedence; and it makes sense for FCNL to support issues more reflective of unique Quaker values, especially when so many other groups are advocating for global warming.  Friend asked if priority #2 encompassed heroin addiction within the broader healthcare topic.  There was no recollection of that coming up much in the discussion.  Friends Approved sending the list to FCNL for their consideration.
   5. Update on Memorial Minute for Dick Magraw, Jim H.:  (See Attachment #2) The Memorial Minute was read.   Discussion:  Friends praised the minute. A couple recommendations were made which will be included in the attachment found at the end of these minutes.  Suggestion was made to send a copy to the family.  Friends APPROVED the Memorial Minute for Dick Magraw.
      1. In another Memorial Minute matter, it was pointed out that the Minute for Arnie Anderson was never finalized.  It had been written but then was completely lost when a computer was stolen.   Bill H. agreed to restart the process of writing with Lin B. assisting.
4. Discernment for the Meeting’s next step, led by Jeannette R. from the ad hoc Transition Committee:  Copies of report were made available.  They are recommending we continue the interim meeting coordinator position. But before asking for approval on this recommendation the ad hoc committee wants Meeting to review the options they see for us going forward and to ask any clarifying questions. Action on these options is being considered for next month’s meeting or for a special called meeting.  They have a summary of the two threshing session held previously.  There was good attendance at these threshing sessions. A brief review – The ad hoc Transition Committee was formed before the retirement of the director of ministry to help design the leadership structure that we have been following since the retirement.  They have been monitoring our progress and have identified five areas of concern: 1) Pastoral care; 2) Knowledge of Quaker practice and our institutional history; 3) Committee work; 4) New attenders and families; 5) Managing and attending to the needs of the our building.  They see three options for us to consider as we move forward: 1) Create a permanent leadership structure. This entails moving from a period of transition into a planning phase, with monthly meeting appointing a planning committee. Staff support would be contracted.  2) Continue as we have been doing, but with some changes in the interim leadership structure, letting groups more fully fill their roles.  There is concern about maintaining our basic Quaker values, strengthening our spiritual skills and addressing concerns about building operations. There are a number of ideas regarding this, but financial considerations might limit our resources. 3) Continue the present structure for 6 months while clarifying where people go to get information. An informational flow chart might assist in this.   Today, we are not deciding on the options.  The committee is interested in receiving clarifying questions people might have.   Discussion: A friend clarified that Ministry and Counsel has a role in developing the leadership in the meeting both for pastoral care and for skills in Quaker practice. Friends expressed concern that our process doesn’t overlook the needs of middle-agers, singles and families and others who have not been active in the transition process. Response: the ad hoc committee recognized that there are groups that have not participated broadly in providing input into leadership structure discussions.  This was lifted up in the fourth option presented by the ad-hoc transition committee. The Presiding Clerk asked for approval to continue the interim coordinator (Carolyn’s position) for another 6 months. Liaison and Review have worked closely with Carolyn in this regard and support having her continue.                                                                                                     Friends APPROVED extending the Interim Meeting Coordinator position for 6 more months.                                                                                                                                                                                            Continuing Discussion:  Do we continue discussions in monthly meeting for business or move discussions to a special called meeting? One person thought we should do both.  Incoming presiding clerk indicated that if a lot more discussion is needed, then a special called meeting would be appropriate; although the final decision should still rest with monthly meeting. Other points mentioned: this will not be a simple solution …  How do we get more people to participate? Jeannette said the committee could distribute a document to everyone in the meeting emphasizing that we are getting to a decision point … A new transition committee should gather input from young adults although that may be a lot of work – focus groups for young adults?  Dinners at home? … Friend expressed caution about trying to address everyone’s concerns. Feedback shows the Meeting is not in disarray.  The transition is going pretty well and there is time to do this, to listen to everyone. We don’t have to be in a hurry … We were reminded of the lengthy 3-year process Meeting followed when disposing of the old pews during the meeting house remodel.  Turns out, that we were being overly sensitive to those who wanted to preserve the benches, because, in the end, they did not exist.  It was more about our concern that they might exist. People who do not speak up may be happy with the way things are going. It is a good reminder to still try to hear all the voices … Friend voiced concern that we may be focusing too much on the interests of different groups within Meeting – a type of tribalization. Dividing us up into all these groups, with special points of view, doesn’t belong in Meeting …  The threshing sessions had a good variety of attenders and proved helpful in clarifying where each of us were on the continuum of options, both for ourselves and for meeting … Jeannette said that after the threshing sessions she felt Meeting was ready to move in the planning phase, that we were moving beyond the interim phase.  Presiding Clerk: what is next for the committee? Jeannette: their document will be tweaked and distributed to Meeting.  She suggests we place the question on the agenda in April – to choose one of the three options or to move to a special called meeting for further consideration of the matter. The current ad hoc committee will be standing down. Some members are no longer able to participate. If it is necessary to continue with an ad hoc Transition Committee, a new one will need to be appointed.  Friends are comfortable with this process and approved bringing it up for discussion in April. Friend asked if Nominating needed to appoint a new committee. No, not yet. The current ad hoc Transition Committee was selected by the clerk of Liaison, clerk of M&C and the Presiding Clerk.
5. New Business:
   1. State of Society Report, Presiding Clerk:  This year Northern Yearly Meeting has added a wrinkle to the request for our State of Society Report – they suggest meetings submit a song that could be sung during their annual meeting, in addition to the written report. The song could reflect something prominent or meaningful for the meeting from the past year. We would need to provide performers at the Annual Meeting May 25-28 (Memorial Day Weekend).  Barbara Z. will compose the written report with assistance from Carolyn V.  This needs to be done soon so April monthly meeting for business can approve it.  There was a suggestion to include material from the transition committee’s activities.  No one came forward to indicate their willingness to compose a song.  Interested individuals are asked to contact Barbara Z or Carolyn V.
   2. Request for MFM to endorse the Anti-War Protest on April 15, Nancy H.:  This event is sponsored by MN Peace Action Committee.  The organizers wish to include many organizations, such as ours, as sponsors in their literature and publicity.  No other commitment is necessary. Nancy is bringing the request to monthly meeting on her own since the protest is quite soon and there would be insufficient time to go through normal Meeting procedures and still have time to have an endorsement included in their published materials.   Discussion: Some thought that Meeting should do more than just endorse the protest. If we are concerned, we should actively participate.  Others questioned who the organizers were and who was paying for it. Who are the other sponsors?  Nancy read off a list of some of the sponsors. Is the protest national or local? Response: the event is organized locally, but there are a number of events occurring at the same time around the country.  Concern was raised about not following process and not having Peace & Social Concerns (P&SC) season the request before it comes before monthly meeting.   Clerk sensed the Meeting was not prepared to endorse the request at this time, although members are encouraged to attend and take part in the anti-war protest.  There is still time for P&SC to consider the request, even though any action taken by monthly meeting in April would probably come too late to help with publicity for the protest.
6. Communications:
   1.  Cannon Valley Friends are asking us to join them in duplicating a project initiated by Portland, Oregon Friends to support Quaker Volunteer Service, by creating some simple block quilts. Portland Friends do this every year as a way to support their QVS volunteers.  Would Minneapolis commit to making a couple quilts for the QVS volunteers who will be coming to the twin cities?  After brief discussion that included information that this project is done every year by Portland Friends, Minneapolis Friends indicated there was insufficient interest or energy to take this long term project on at this time.
   2. Clerk sent a letter to Zach W., in response to his request, stating that he is no longer a member in Minneapolis Friends Meeting.
   3. Meeting received a number of thank you letters acknowledging our contributions to their organizations from:
      1. Why Hunger, 505 Eighth Ave Suite 2100, NY, NY ($1,000)
      2. Tucson Samaritans / Southside Presbyterian Church 317 W 23r St, Tucson, AZ ($1,000)
      3. Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Dave Archambault II, Chairman, BLDG 1 North Standing Rock Ave, PO Box D, Fort Yates, North Dakota ($890)
      4. Right Sharing of World Resources, 101 Quaker Hill Drive, Richmond, Indiana ($400)
      5. Urban Homeworks, 2015 Emerson Ave N, Minneapolis  ($890)
   4. As part of an application for education funding, Karl H. has requested a letter from MFM confirming his involvement in the meeting. To provide a timely response, the Clerk has already written the letter and is informing Meeting, today. There was support for the action she took.

Transition to 11:15 Meeting for Worship

 

Attachment #1: 

Ministry and Counsel  Monthly Meeting Report 03/2018

1. Intro
   1. Our Charge: Ministry and Counsel oversees and cares for the worship, spiritual and community life and care of membership of the meeting. Supports and guides ministry/ministers, pastoral care and attends to requests for membership and marriage under the care of the meeting. Meets monthly on the first Thursday, 7 to 9 p.m.
   2. Membership in MFM is required. The Presiding Clerk and Recorded Ministers are ex officio members. Membership – Heidi F., Nancy H., Annette S., Bill H., Keitha H., Terry K., John K. (clerk), Sandy O., Steve S., Carolyn V.. Ex Officio – Barbara C., Gayle Mc., David W.
2. Current Focus
   1. Coordinating Pastoral Care
      1. Attentive to care requests with a primary organizer for each and help from folks in the meeting
      2. Coordinated 3 Clearness/Support committees. We’d like to remind the Meeting of this process.
      3. Helping cover the meeting voicemail
      4. Reminder to contact anyone on M&C if you have or know of anyone with care needs
      5. To simplify – contact the Clerk of the Meeting, Clerk of M&C or call the office
      6. Reminder we all care for each other. We all can raise our empathy and notice when folks are unsettled. We can all minister to each other.
   2. Coordinating, along with Welcoming and Outreach, “Introduction to Friends (Quakers)” sessions planned for Tuesdays and Sundays in March 2018. These sessions are intended not just for new folks but also for anyone wants to share and deepen their understanding of Friends’ faith and process. We would like to invite everyone (not just new folks) to attend. The more folks that are there the richer the sessions will be. If you need childcare please contact Sandy Olson. Remaining sessions are:
      1. Sun. March 11 and Tues. March 13. Quaker testimonies. How did Quaker testimonies develop? What is their relevance for today?
      2. Sun., March 18 and Tues. March 20 Quakers at local, regional & national levels. How does a meeting for worship for business work? How are Quakers organized?
      3. Sun. March 25 and Tues, March 27. Putting it all together. How do Quakers express their beliefs in their work and personal lives?
   3. Considering ways to bring attenders of both the early and later worship sessions together. Example – midmorning social hour one Sunday per month.
   4. We are blessed with several new families and a growing number of children in the Meeting. Ministry and Counsel would like work with families and across our various program committees and coordinators to reinforce and strengthen our Ministry to these Friends.

 

Attachment #2: 

Memorial Minute for Dick Magraw

Dick Magraw died November 30, 2017 at age 98.  Dick was associated with the Minneapolis Friends Meeting from 1950.  He remained an active participant in the meeting until days before his passage.  Meeting attenders remember his vocal ministry, especially his ability to recite classical poems that flowed with the message and Spirit of the meeting, even in his last weeks.

Dick grew up in St. Paul, and was an Episcopal choir boy.  His family recognized the horrors of war as they became known as people looked back on World War I.  His earliest attraction to Friends was toward the American Friends Service Committee.  Dick’s older brother was imprisoned as a conscientious objector.

Dick and Shirley brought their young children as the meeting moved from downtown Minneapolis to the building in Linden Hills in 1950.

He had a long and sometimes tumultuous career as a physician.  His Quaker testimony was reflected in his advocacy for the voice of the patient.

He began his career in 1944 in Two Harbors, Minnesota, where he served members of the newly formed medical cooperative, the Community Health Center, which became a model for “prepaid” health plans in the 1940s.  He studied intensely so he could meet the challenges of rural general practice, including surgery and obstetrics.  He had to deal with the trauma of the North Shore’s Highway 61, railroads and lumber camps.  When the ambulance was called, he had to drive it by himself to accident scenes.

He returned in 1947 to Minneapolis, for residency at the University of Minnesota.  He explored psychiatry and found a calling in teaching that patients were more than their diseases.  At the time, University Hospitals served as a charity hospital, in which patients waited in lines of chairs to attend specialty clinics.  Dick recognized the need for “primary care” coordination and continuity of care.

He was then caught up in the “doctor draft” for the Korean War in 1953.  Though distressed because of his opposition to war, he served as an army captain in Korea, as a neurologic and psychiatric consultant.  He managed to bring his family to Japan, and lived there in 1954 after the Korean truce.

He then returned to the University of Minnesota with a joint appointment in psychiatry and medicine. He headed the clinic that provided continuing care across specialties.  He thrived on teaching students and residents in primary care until 1967.  To him, the highlight of his career was writing Ferment in Medicine: A Study of the Essence of Medical Practice and of Its New Dilemmas, in 1966.  He recognized the emotional factors that led to “dis-ease,” and the importance of listening deeply to patients.

He left the Twin Cities in 1967, and was gone until 1978.  He served in the national Health Education and Welfare department as an expert on medical education, in the administration of Lyndon Johnson. He then became Dean of the medical school at the University of Illinois.   He helped found community-based medical schools in Rockford and Peoria, Illinois. He later served as president of a new medical school in Eastern Virginia.  His convictions as a Friend sometimes were challenged in the politics of these communities, including distrust of his pacifism in a region of Virginia with a strong military presence.

On his return to the Twin Cities, he volunteered as a consultant for the Indian Health Service in South Dakota.  He then went to work for VA psychiatry, and was soon named chief of psychiatry.  He retired in 1992.  He loved teaching, and continued to teach as a volunteer after his retirement.

Through all these years and travels Dick and Shirley kept a home in a family cabin on the St Croix, where Dick loved hard physical work.  They were gracious hosts to many.

He served on the board of the Center for Victims of Torture, and worked to raise funds for a brain science center at the VA.

In his later years he was a caregiver for his wife Shirley, who had progressive dementia.  She died in 2011.

In the Minneapolis Friends Meeting, he showed his love for everyone.  He continued to see himself as a teacher, and was a spirited conversationalist.   His advocacy for peace was central to his faith.  His ability to quote poetry and literature helped enliven and strengthen the meetings for worship.  He was a minister to many member and attenders.  Many recalled how he recognized them personally, and encouraged them to pursue their values and dreams.