↓
 

Meeting For Business Minutes October 11, 2020

Minneapolis Friends Meeting Posted on by

Minutes of Meeting for Business

Minneapolis Friend Meeting

October 11, 2020

[content and names have been edited for publishing on the internet]

Attendance: John K – Presiding Clerk, Stephen S – Recording Clerk  plus 41 participants

  1. Worship
  2. Approve Agenda:  The agenda was approved.
  3. Approve Minutes:  Minutes of the September 13, 2020 Meeting for Business were approved.
  4. Reports:
    1. Peace and Social Concerns (P&SC) Committee Annual Report – Roland BP&SC is an open committee and other Minneapolis Friends periodically attend its meetings.  The committee serves as a clearinghouse for peace and social concerns requests that come from Meeting, proposes recipients for the Winter Envelope and carbon tax gifts, supports Friends engaged in social concerns, and suggests a focus for Meeting’s response to social concerns.                                                            The focus in 2019-2020 was Gender Justice and Well Being.  Accomplishments included initiating a knitting and crocheting project for women at the Shakopee Correctional Facility and continuing the movie night program with a film on Gender Revolution facilitated by four Quaker Voluntary Service fellows.  The committee also began discussions with Mayim Rabim on coordinating P&SC activities, publicized the Green New Deal document and initiated a discussion with Friends about working with or joining Isaiah, a Minnesota interfaith organization working for peace and social justice.  The focus in 2020-21 is on issues surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic and racial justice.                                                                                                                                                                       While the committee has not attracted wide participation by members of the meeting, the recent establishment of a bi-weekly meeting on racial justice and police reform has increased committee participation.  However, the committee is also aware and grateful for the activities of many other members of meeting who are engaged in peace and social concerns study and work.  There is a real sense of these activities being Spirit led. Through silence, prayer and discernment, the committee continues to leave itself open to the leadings of the Spirit.
    2. Welcoming and Outreach Committee Annual Report – Jim L    Nancy H prepared first draft of this report and it was updated by committee members at its last meeting.  There are five members on the committee. The committee’s mission is to help create an open and welcoming community with a particular focus on visitors, new attenders and new members, a task to be shared by all attenders and members of the meeting community.                                                                                       During the past year committee members have contacted visitors who sign the “Guest Book” when they leave contact information.  Eighteen friends signed up to offer “Coffee with a Quaker” with four attenders taking advantage of this offering so far. Prior to closing the meetinghouse, the committee arranged for greeters/welcomers before each unprogrammed and semi-programmed worship.  Now the welcoming is done through the Chat room on Zoom.  The committee welcomed two new members, Carol B and Tom H, during its mid-morning program time.  The committee is also working on outreach via neighborhood news media such as the Southwest Journal and Nextdoor.  The Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenge.  The annual August ice cream social, the “Friendly Home Potlucks and the welcoming of new members, Patrick H and Linda F, all had to be cancelled.  Discussion:  Friend wondered how phone outreach is going. Several friends have offered to be available for conversations by phone but so far only one person has called.  Committee members do take initiative to reach out.  Jim expressed gratitude for Judith J’s initiative to recognize birthdays in meeting.
    3. Stewardship and Finance Committee Quarterly Report – Marilyn J  There are six members on the Stewardship Committee. Stewardship Committee manages the Meeting’s general funds.  The second quarter of our fiscal year 2020-2021 (FY) began July 1st. In this quarter donations were $26,325, about 22% of the annual budget which is $117,673. However, for the fiscal year so far, income was only about 34% of the budget as giving was down in the first quarter.                                           Expenses for Quarters 1 and 2 were $25,432 or about 22% of the budgeted amount, so income covered expenses, with $14,248 to spare.  Part of these expenses was an expenditure of $6,000 for the Covid-19 Response Fund which was approved by Meeting but not included in the original budget.  The current general fund bank balance is approximately $123,000.   Discussion:  Friend wondered how the Covid pandemic has affected the budget.  Utilities seem to be about the same, but salaries and supplies are down a little.  Friend noted that utilities are billed on budget plan so expenses may be less at end of year.  Friends wondered about ways to make contributions during the pandemic.  Most contributions are being received by mail, but some members have arranged for direct deposits to Meeting’s bank account. Other members wondered if the committee could offer a mid-morning program overview of the process for budgeting and arranging for direct deposits.  Friends thanked the committee for their work.
    4. Ministry and Counsel (M&C) Committee Report – Bill H  There are eight members on Ministry and Counsel and three ex-officio members. Every Ministry and Counsel meeting begins with a reading, followed by a period of silent worship.                                                                                             Much discussion at the October Ministry and Counsel meeting focused on how best to facilitate meetings for worship on Zoom.  The same Zoom link is used for worship and the mid-morning program on Sunday morning.  Each month, two members of M&C are responsible for arranging closers and speakers for the two meetings for worship.  In addition, there is a need for persons to host the actual Zoom meetings during these times.  The committee reached agreement that hosting will be done by the two committee members responsible for finding closers and speakers that month.  Additional training on Zoom will be provided if needed.  M&C hosts will pass hosting to a representative of Mid-Morning Program Committee for that program.  Hosting will return to M&C for the second hour worship.  Bill H and Carolyn V are offering training sessions on how to access and host Zoom meetings.  Friends needing help may contact them.                                                            In addition to arranging for the Sunday worship services, Ministry and Counsel offers a mid-week meeting for worship on Wednesdays at 7 pm.  These have been times of deep worship but have not been well attended.  Friends are encouraged to try out this additional opportunity for unprogrammed worship.  Mary S continues to offer worship sharing/Lectio Divina at 11:30 Wednesday morning.  M&C is also planning to offer two mid-morning programs on December 6th and 27th.  Mary and Stephen will introduce the practice of worship sharing and Lectio Divina to go deeper into writings of Friends and passages from the Bible.  This will be followed by an opportunity to experience the practice.  Heidi F will be offering the program on December 27th. Ministry and Counsel will also be hosting two workshops in February with Christopher S on deepening our connection with each other and the Divine.  Space will be limited to 25 persons.  Friends are encouraged to save the dates.  The first workshop will be February 12th and 13th.  The second will be February 19th and 20th.  Both workshops will begin Friday evening and continue all day on Saturday.  On February 21st there will be a final opportunity for participants in both workshops to meet.  More details will be coming soon.                                                                  Ministry and Counsel will also be reaching out to committee clerks to see what support they might need.
  5. Care and Counsel Covid fund request — Annette S      The Covid fund was created to help members and attenders of Meeting experiencing financial distress related to the pandemic.  The committee has spent $6,000 of the $10,000 approved earlier by meeting for business.  Anticipating there may be further need, Care and Counsel requested Meeting approve replenishing the account to the $10,000 level whenever it is drawn down to $3,000. Discussion:  In response to several questions, Friends noted that Covid funds are coming from the general fund.  There is no designated fund for this use.  Meeting has considered creating a fund for suffering of some sort, but this is still in process and may require a special called meeting for business to allow for proper discernment of the matter.  Clerk noted that there seems to be some concern about setting up a designated fund that gives money to individuals and a more general concern to avoid situations where individuals funnel money through meeting to get tax deductions.   Friends approved maintaining the Covid fund at $10,000 once the first $7,000 is disbursed.  Clerk will consider how to create time for additional consideration of a special ongoing fund.
  6. Religious Education Committee update—Carolyn V          The committee does not currently have a clerk.  There has been discussion but no unity around the question of hiring a religious education coordinator.  Such a person might reach out and plan programming, but currently only two children are participating.  Aside from one enthusiastic person, there seems to be little support from meeting for religious education for children.  The committee has chosen the testimony of equality as a focus for this year’s program.  Children are asked to join a Zoom meeting at 10:15 am for a story.  Then older youth are invited to stay on and discuss now the story relates to their lives.   Friends wanting to offer a story please contact Linda F.  Carolyn thanked Mary S who has volunteered and brings much experience in religious education to the meeting.   Discussion:  Clerk wondered if the committee should work on a job description.  Friend supported this idea but thought the bigger issue was one of the commitment of adults in meeting to the children.  There was discussion of whether a worship sharing opportunity might help us with discernment around this matter.  No decision about the next step was reached.
  7. Friends for a Non-Violent World (FNVW) craft fair update–Tom W    FNVW asked permission to use meetinghouse for four days to organize and conduct the annual craft fair.  On December 2nd and 3rd materials from vendors would be collected and organized.  On December 4th and 5th these materials would be distributed to buyers.  Three persons, two of which would be family members, would be allowed in the building on each of these days.  Over the four days, there might be a total of about six persons using the meetinghouse. Discussion:  Friend asked what food will be served.  There will be no hot meals.  Friend noted that there is a sign in log at the meetinghouse and protocols that need to be followed to keep these and other persons safe.  Another friend said that Meeting might need to reconsider this matter if there is a much higher Covid infection rate in December.  Meeting approved FNVW’s request with the expectation that volunteers will follow the strict protocols for being in the meetinghouse to prevent spread of the virus.
  8. Meeting for business transitioned to second hour worship at 11:15 am.

 

ATTACHMENTS

 

Minneapolis Friends Meeting

Annual Report for Peace and Social Concerns Coordinating Committee

September 13, 2020

Members:  Terry, Ellen, Roland, Jim, Joey, John (the P&SC committee is an open committee and other MFM member periodically attend meetings)

Peace and Social Concerns Coordinating Committee Charge: The mission of Peace and Social Concerns Coordinating Committee is to coordinate activities that focus on five items:

  1. Proposing recipients of the Winter Envelope Gift (formerly the “White Envelope Gift”)
  2. Serving as a clearinghouse for peace and social concerns requests that come to the Meeting
  3. Allowing for and supporting and offering (if asked) clearness to groups and individuals who take on peace and social concerns action in the Meeting
  4. Proposing the annual contributions budget allocations to the stewardship committee
  5. Helping the Meeting select one to three peace and social concerns focus topics for each year and to support a Meeting group to create a Meeting-wide event or activity or action for each of the chosen topics.

Focus for 2019: The Peace and Social Concerns Committee had as its focus for the 2019–20 Gender Justice and Well Being. This focus was on both men and women and included actions related to #MeToo movement, justice for rape and sexual abuse victims, work pay equality, health and wellness, the epidemic of male suicides, and acceptance of gender fluidity.

2019 Accomplishments: Coordinated with the Meeting the Winter Envelope recipients and Annual Meeting Contributions.

  • The committee selected the recipients for the 2019 carbon tax donations.
  • We initiated a knitting & crocheting project for women at the Shakopee Correctional Facility.
  • The committee continued the movie night program showing a number of films during the year. Included in the films was the movie Gender Revolution which was facilitated by four QVS interns.
  • The Committee publicized the document the Green New Deal through MFM Google Group
  • We began discussions to coordinate MFM P&SC activities with Mayim Rabim
  • We began a discussion of joining Isaiah as a vehicle for social justice action.

Focus for 2020: The focus for 2020-21 is on issues surrounding the Covid-19 Pandemic and racial justice.

Challenges: We are an open meeting, gathering the 3rd Wednesday of each month.  Outside the regular committee members, we have not attracted many additional attenders to our monthly meetings.  Covid-19 has also prevented us from face-to-face meetings.

The recent establishment of a bi-weekly meeting on racial justice and police reform has increased committee participation.  It may be a template for future activities.

How does the committee leave itself open to the leading of the Spirit?  We make time during our meetings for silence and prayer.  We attempt to bring our committee’s and the larger meeting’s leadings to our group for consideration.

How has the committee experienced movement of the Spirit in its meetings or as it carries out its work? Our committee has a constant stream of suggestions and information from MFM members for consideration.   We are made aware of activities that members are engaged in.  All of this feels to be Spirit led.

 

Minneapolis Friends Meeting

Welcoming & Outreach Annual Report

October 11, 2020

Reporter:  Nancy H

Members:  Nancy, Keitha, Sue, Jim, Deborah

Short description of the committee’s charge:  Our mission is to help create an open and welcoming community with a particular focus on visitors, new attenders and new members. We encourage and empower attenders and members to actively invite people to share in our experience as a community.

Accomplishments: We contact those who have signed the “Guest Book” weekly if they leave contact info.

  • We had what we named “Coffee with a Quaker” to offer to meet with a new person in a safe and personal way, as a gentle and friendly intro to Minneapolis Friends Meeting and Quakerism. We had only four “takers” to date. Eighteen people in our meeting, however, signed up to meet with folks.
  • We arranged for greeters/welcomers before each unprogrammed and semi-programmed worship.
  • We organized a welcome at mid-morning time for Carol B’s transfer of membership from Tampa, Florida, and for Tom H, a new member by convincement.
  • During Zoom worship, via Chat, we now welcome newcomers, welcome back those who have been away, and reach out to those with concerns, etc.

Challenges:

  • We are not able to greet and welcome face-to-face
  • We cancelled our annual August ice cream social, and, in March, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we cancelled the “Friendly Home Potlucks”.
  • We were not able to welcome new members, Linda F and Patrick H, at the meeting house.

Upcoming points of attention: We are working on “outreach” via neighborhood news media such as the “Southwest Journal” and Nextdoor.

How does the committee leave itself open to the leading of the Spirit? We have a period of worshipful gathering at the beginning and ending of our meetings. Also move into silence as needed.

 

Minneapolis Friends Meeting

Quarter 2 Financial Report

10/11/2020

There are six members on the Stewardship Committee. Stewardship Committee manages the Meeting’s general funds.

In this report first I’ll talk about the Meeting’s income from donations, and then later about our expenses.

The top 8 or 10 lines of the spreadsheet refer to our income.

The second quarter of our fiscal year 2020-2021 (FY) began July 1st. In this quarter our donations were $26,325, about 22% of our annual budget, which is $117,673. That percentage is about what we normally get in a quarter.

Now, switching to thinking in terms of the half year, i.e., the first two quarters, our income was only about 34% of our budget, because giving was down in the first quarter.

So we’re not quite on track to have donations meet our budget, but Quarter 2 was better than Quarter 1.

Switching to Expenses: The rest of the first page of the spreadsheet, and all of the back page.

Our expenses for Quarters 1 and 2 were $25,432 (next to last line of spreadsheet), about 22% of our budget. So our income covered our expenses, with $14,248 (last line) to spare.

One expense category which we now have is the Covid-19 Response Fund, which was not budgeted. We spent $6000 from that fund during the first half.

The current bank balance of the general funds is about $123,000.

Thanks for your support of the Meeting’s work, financial and otherwise.

Marilyn Johnson,

Clerk of Stewardship

 

Ministry & Counsel Report

October 11, 2020

Every Ministry and Counsel meeting begins with a reading, followed by a period of silence.

The Reader for the November meeting is John K.

We began our meeting by discussing how the worship and mid-morning program meetings on first days would be facilitated. The committee discussed a few options, and we decided that it would be best for the meeting that we would have several individuals trained with Zoom to facilitate.

To accomplish we came to unity on a couple of steps. First, the committee members that are volunteers for the month that they are to find speakers and closers will also facilitate first-day meetings. For example, this month, Heidi and Carolyn seek speakers and closers, so they will also facilitate the meetings for worship. November, Keitha and Bill will seek the closers, and speakers will facilitate.

The individuals facilitating worships will pass the hosting to mid-morning program because they will frequently have special needs such as screen sharing and breakout rooms. After the mid-morning program is finished, the hosting will be passed back to the individual, facilitating the hosting for worships.

M&C (Ministry and Counsel) also agreed that Carolyn and Bill host two training sessions for hosting Zoom meetings. They occurred last Monday and Wednesday. They were well attended.

Wednesday worship will continue… as weekly meetings at 7 pm. This is a small group, and individuals that are attending are concerned about the low attendance. We hope members will take part as they need or are able.

The telephones will continue to be staffed by members for both Care & Counsel and Ministry & Counsel. We wish to thank all that have staffed the phones on Monday, Tuesdays, and Saturday.

Other Activities of M&C

The committee will present mid-morning Programs on December 7 and December 27. Mary and Stephen will explain and facilitate a mini-Lexio session. December 27th program is being planned by Heidi, Keitha, and Bill

SAVE THE DATE: Christopher S will offer two workshops for Minneapolis Friends to deepen our connection to each other and the Divine. Dates: Feb 12, 13, and 21 and Feb 19, 20, and 21. Space is limited to 25 per workshop. More details to come; reserve time on your calendar for one of these enriching, community-building opportunities.

February 5–the mid-morning program will give us an introduction of the workshops

With the resignation of the assistant clerk… it has encouraged to relook at the scope and charge of our committee. One of the tasks we were charged with by the meeting is nurturing and supporting both the committees and clerks of MFM. Therefore, the members of M&C volunteered to connect and support our committees. So clerks, you should be hearing from one of the M&C members soon.

The following are the M&C members, and the committees they volunteered to support are

Religious Education… John

Camp … Carolyn

Care & Counsel … John and Bill

Child Welfare … Bill

Liaison & Review … John

Mid-Morning Program… Heidi

Ministry & Counsel… John

Nominating… John

Nursery… Bill

Peace & Social… Heidi

Property… Steve

Quaker Voluntary Service… Carolyn

Social… Keitha

Shepard Scholarship… John

Stewardship & Finance… Keitha

Trustees… John

Welcoming and Outreach… Carolyn

Comments are closed.

↑