Minutes Of Baltimore Yearly Meeting

Interim Meeting

 Sixth Month 21, 2003

Annapolis Monthly Meeting

I2003-15  Opening. Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s Interim Meeting gathered on 6/21/2003 at the Annapolis Meeting House in Annapolis , Maryland . The Presiding Clerk reported receiving regrets from Katherine Smith and Ed and Fran Norton.

I2003-16  Letter of thanks. The Presiding Clerk read a letter of thanks to Michele Levasseur, outgoing Youth Secretary, for Michele’s service to the Yearly Meeting. We Approved the letter.

Michele Levasseur, Adieu!

Having joined the staff of Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in 1998 as its youth secretary, Michele Levasseur has worked diligently with our Young Friends who are scattered widely, from Pennsylvania , the most northerly reaches of our Yearly Meeting, to the most southerly near Maury River , Virginia .

Michele inspired our young people during the past five years as they planned and executed their programs, helping at the same time to develop programs for Junior Young Friends.

During most years, five weekend conferences were organized for Young Friends and three for Junior Young Friends.

There have been special bus tours to spots of Quaker interest, and Michele also helped to develop programs for Junior Young Friends which consolidated widely separated groups of our Yearly Meeting.

She was responsible for finding adult leadership who would attend the conferences, being sure the conferences afforded safe places for all participants.

No less importantly, Michelle encouraged our young people in their search for ways to express their feelings, and to become more active participants in the Yearly Meeting.

We shall miss Michele and her able leadership while she returns to college in pursuit of a master’s degree in special education as a reading specialist

Our love and best wishes go with her. We hope she will in the future be able to take other leadership roles in our Yearly Meeting.

I2003-17  Stewardship and Finance. Marion Ballard, Clerk of Stewardship and Finance, read the beginning of a draft document proposing a $2.5 million capital endowment campaign. The fund would likely produce about $125,000 of interest income a year. We Empowered the Committee to make a presentation at our upcoming annual session.

At the Committee’s recommendation, we Empowered the Committee to notify Friends Peace teams of a 6/30/2004 end to Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s role as financial agent for the group.

I2003-18  Manual of Procedure. Trudy Rogers, Clerk of the Manual of Procedure Committee, handed out proposed changes to the manual.

Manual of Procedure Proposed Changes

Key: Underline=Addition    Strikethrough =Removed    Italics = Comments

Based on the changes suggested by the Restructuring Group and approved last summer at Annual Sessions [see Y2002‑10] the following changes to the Manual of Procedure are in order.

Committee On Records

This Committee has been laid down and this section should be deleted in its entirety. This work will be done by an Archivist, who could become a part‑time staff person.

Publications Committee

This Committee has been laid down and this section should be deleted in its entirety. The work of editing the Yearbook will be done by an ad hoc committee called by the General Secretary.

Epistle Committee

This standing committee has been laid down and this section should be deleted in its entirety. The Presiding Clerk is asked to name an ad hoc Epistle Committee each year so the following addition to the section about the Presiding Clerk is needed.

 

Officers—Appointment and Duties: Second Paragraph, Presiding Clerk

The Presiding Clerk serves as Clerk of all business Meetings of the Yearly Meeting and acts as Convener should special sessions be required. The Clerk serves as a member of the Interim Meeting, and as an alternate to the Clerk of Interim Meeting. The Clerk also serves as a member of the Supervisory Committee, the Program Committee, the Trustees, the Publications Committee, and, in accordance with the provision of Friends General Conference, is a member of the Central Committee of that body. Annually the Clerk nominates and the Annual Session approves an ad hoc Epistle Committee to draft a general epistle to other Friends groups for the Yearly Meeting’s review and approval. The Clerk reports to each regular session of the Interim Meeting on activities as Clerk during the intervening period.

As an interim measure we suggest adding the following text at the bottom of the page for each of the following Committees. The full description of the new Ministry and Pastoral Care Committee is being developed, but will encompass the work of these two Committees.

Ministry And Council Committee

This Committee is now combined with the Committee for the Nurture and Recognition of Ministry as the Ministry and Pastoral Care Committee. See also p. 30.

 

Committee For The Nurture And Recognition Of Ministry

This Committee is now combined with the Ministry and Counsel Committee as the Ministry and Pastoral Care Committee. See also p. 27.

Friends Council On Education

We have learned that the Friends Council no longer asks Yearly Meetings to name persons to serve on its Board. Therefore we recommend removing this section from our Manual of Procedure. Our Friends in Education Committee maintains a relationship with the Council.

 

 III. Affiliation with Friends General Conference and Friends United Meeting

Monthly Meetings of Baltimore Yearly Meeting are affiliated with Friends General Conference and/or Friends United Meeting in accordance with the decision of each Monthly Meeting. Membership statistics are reported by the Yearly Meeting to the larger bodies in accordance with the Monthly Meeting decisions; members of Monthly Meetings affiliated with only one are reported to that body only; members of Monthly Meetings affiliated with both are reported to each body in the proportion decided by the Monthly Meeting.

Baltimore Yearly Meeting is affiliated with both Friends General Conference and Friends United Meeting.   Any member of Baltimore Yearly Meeting may be considered for appointment to the various agencies of Friends General Conference and Friends United Meeting. Appointments to such responsibilities are made by the Yearly Meeting, upon nomination by the Nominating Committee, in accordance with the procedures and requests of the respective body. Appointments of the appropriate number of persons are made annually The appropriate number of persons is appointed annually to serve three-year terms as members of the Central Committee of Friends General Conference. Appointments of the appropriate number of representatives and alternates to Friends United Meeting are made The appropriate number of representatives and alternates to Friends United Meeting is appointed every three years at the Yearly Meeting sessions immediately preceding the Friends United Meeting Triennial sessions.

Friends General Conference, established in 1900, is an association of some 14 Yearly Meetings and other regional Friends’ entities and six eight Monthly Meetings as of 1990 2002. Its coordinating body is its Central Committee, to which member groups make appointments in proportion to the number of persons in their fellowship.

Central Committee members are expected to participate in one long weekend annually, and to serve on one of the program or administrative committees. This may involve several other meetings annually. In addition they are expected to communicate to Friends General Conference the needs and hopes of their parent bodies, and to interpret to their own groups the needs and programs of Friends General Conference.

All Friends are encouraged to attend the annual week‑long Friends General Conference Gathering of Friends each summer. Information about FGC resources may be found on their web site,

Details of the procedures of Friends General Conference can be found in the Friends General Conference Organizational Blue Book FGC available from Friends General Conference, 1216 Arch Street , 2B, Philadelphia PA 19107 .

Friends United Meeting, formed in 1902 as the Five Years Meeting of Friends, is composed of Yearly Meetings, 20 as of 1999, and smaller Quaker groups. It meets triennially and publishes a complete record of its proceedings. It has jurisdiction over matters delegated to it by the constituent Yearly Meetings. Friends United Meeting may provide Yearly Meetings with advice and counsel, and Yearly Meetings may look to it for advice and counsel.

Each Yearly Meeting in Friends United Meeting is entitled to appoint five representatives to the Triennial Sessions, plus one additional representative for each 1,000 members or major fraction thereof.   (According to FUM procedures. if an appointed representative does not attend the Triennial. those representatives present may select a replacement representative from those members of Baltimore Yearly Meeting attending the Triennial. This should be reported to the Yearly Meeting in session.) Representatives form the Representative Body. Major matters and proposals are considered by the Representative Body and the plenary sessions. Routine procedural matters may be acted upon by the Representative Body and reported to the Plenary Session which reserves the right to approve, disapprove, or reconsider.

At the time representatives are nominated, each Yearly Meeting names one of its representatives to serve on the Triennial Nominating Committee and another to serve on the Triennial New Business Committee. Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s representatives, as of 1999 seven in number and including those persons also named to serve on the General Board, serve also for the three years following the Triennial sessions to which they were appointed as a support group for the relationship between Baltimore Yearly Meeting and Friends United Meeting. Each Yearly Meeting names one of its representatives to serve on the Nominating Committee and another to serve on the New Business Committee. These Committees serve the Representative Body only during the Triennial Session.

Between Triennial Sessions, the General Board is the responsible body and legal representative of Friends United Meeting. Each Yearly Meeting makes appointments to the General Board, the number determined by formula, during the year preceding the Triennial Sessions. As of 1999, Baltimore Yearly Meeting appoints two persons to the General Board. The formula for determining the number of appointments is: membership of 3,000 or less, maximum of 2 appointees; 3,001 to 10,000, maximum of 3 appointees; 10,001 and over, maximum of 4 appointees. One of the General Board members is designated to serve on the General Board Nominating Committee.

The General Board has four regular administrative Committees: Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Nominating Committee, and Program Coordinating and Priorities Committee. The Nominating Committee of the General Board includes one appointee from each Yearly Meeting, designated by the Yearly Meeting, from among those who are its general Board representatives. The General Board also appoints from its members such program Committees as are necessary to give continuity and support to the work of Friends United Meeting. Every member of the General Board serves on at least one of its committees.

Practice has been for each Yearly Meeting to name one representative to the Triennial Planning Committee for the upcoming Triennial.

Yearly Meetings contribute to a travel pool, administered by the General Board, to cover expenses of the designated number of representatives traveling to and from the Triennial sessions.

All Friends are encouraged to attend the Friends United Meeting Triennial sessions. Information about Friends United Meeting resources mav be found on their web site, www.fum.org.

Details of the procedures of Friends United Meeting can be found in the pamphlet, Friends United Meeting Organization and Procedure, 1996, available from Friends United Meeting, 101 Quaker Hill Drive, Richmond Indiana 47374.

Our Yearbook no longer shows membership numbers for Friends General Conference (FGC) and Friends United Meeting (FUM) on a Monthly-Meeting-by-Monthly-Meeting basis, although it does show different total numbers being reported to the two groups.

We Approved the Committee’s proposed changes for forwarding to our upcoming annual session, one Friend standing aside from the approval of changes regarding affiliation with FGC and FUM. The Manual of Procedure Committee undertook to investigate where best to publish information about organizations and to gather information on all organizations with which we are affiliated for inclusion in the manual.

Trudy reported that the Committee is considering whether to move material on the Friends World Committee for Consultation to be in the same section as the material on FGC and FUM. The Committee is continuing its work on updating the manual’s material on the Web Publishing Subcommittee, the Archivist, responsibility for the Yearly Meeting’s style manual, the Education Funding Resource Committee, and the Ethel Reynolds Fund Committee.

I2003-19  Web Publishing Subcommittee. Howard Fullerton, convener of the Web Publishing Subcommittee, reported the resignation of Tom Ryan as Web Manager. We Directed the Supervisory Committee to consider how the Subcommittee’s work can be carried forward given Tom’s resignation and the laying down of the Publications Committee which Web Publishing was under.

We noted our appreciation for Tom’s setting up and maintaining our Web presence.

I2003-20  Search Committee.  Ann Marie Moriarty, Clerk of Search Committee of Interim Meeting, reported that the Committee has no nominations at this time; the Committee is continuing its work.

I2003-21  Ad Hoc Search Committee.  Sheila Bach reported on behalf of the Ad Hoc Search Committee. At the Ad Hoc Committee’s recommendation, we Named Betsy Meyer and Margaret Stambaugh to three-year terms on the Search Committee of Interim Meeting.

I2003-22  Interim General Secretary.  Ron Mattson, Interim General Secretary of Baltimore Yearly Meeting, reported. Ron’s service as Interim General Secretary ends in ten days; Ron has appreciated this learning experience. Ron reported that both facilities and program are well-prepared for our upcoming annual session. Ron suggested that one way to reduce ever-increasing annual session costs is to reduce the length of the annual session, and that moving business to Interim Meeting sessions could help make this possible. Ron brought us greetings from Great Plains Yearly Meeting which Ron attended two weeks ago; Deborah Haines, a soujourning member of our Yearly Meeting, gave three lectures at their Yearly Meeting.

We thanked Ron for his service as Interim General Secretary.

I2003-23  Indian Affairs.  Flossie Fullerton, Clerk of Indian Affairs Committee, introduced Howard Fullerton, who presented a document on a proposed Torreon/Star Lake Working Group.

Proposed Torreon/Starlake Working Group

BYM’s responsibility for Patricia Kutzner’s work with a Navajo Chapter in New Mexico ends this August. A long‑range planning group proposes a continuing relationship between the Torreon/Starlake Chapter and BYM, that is, a new ministry developed from the opening of the past six years.

New Working Group under care of the Indian Affairs Committee

The Torreon/Starlake Working Group would be chartered by the Indian Affairs Committee. The Working Group includes some previously involved with Patricia Kutzner’s embrace and with Torreon visitors; it also includes newcomers with other interests and/or experience in this region or with Native American matters. The long‑range planning group has identified such people. (The names of members of the Working Group would be placed in the BYM Yearbook.)

The proposed new working group would

•    Provide two people who have a leading to work with Torreon/Starlake Chapter—preferably young adult Friends experienced with  BYM youth work—to help the Chapter’s Youth Advisory Committee YAC expand its own youth program(s).

•   Continue, as appropriate, to bring Torreon/Starlake children to participate in our Camping Programs (specifics to be worked out jointly with Torreon ’s YAC).

•    Bring adults to Baltimore Yearly Meeting.

•    Provide a group who can offer information about opportunities for service in Torreon , and can offer information, assistance with clearness, and oversight for BYM members with leadings to work with Torreon/Starlake people.

Funding   Programs and ministries are not funded through the apportionment process. The Working Group would apply for grants as needed, and could request use of the Yearly Meeting mailing list for contributions under the usual process. The Indian Affairs Committee needs Yearly Meeting permission to set up a fund to receive gifts and grants and to spend the monies.

Motivation   We have established friendships and have a cross‑cultural opening. Torreon/Starlake wants our help to work with their youth. The Working Group will continue the work begun with the Torreon Y AC. In addition, Quakers of all ages who have met the Navajo—hosted them in their homes, toured and talked with them and developed friendships, especially with those who came to Yearly Meeting. Part of this joy is the hope and the challenge for better living out our own practices through working with another people. We may also hope to assist in making the life of some of the earliest peoples of North America better known throughout our country, to the end of promoting our nation’s progress toward becoming a peaceable kingdom.

Activities of the Indian Affairs Committee  The long range planning group believes that the proposed new Working Group complements the current work of members of the Indian Affairs Committee.

Areas of Involvement by Indian Affairs Committee Members, 2000-2002

•     Participation in Northeast Regional Gathering of Friends and Indians

•     Assistance creation of three sweat lodges for Native American prisoners at Petersburg , VA correctional institution

•     Participation with American Indian Society of DC

•     Assistance with needs of RAMAH Navajo Chapter, New Mexico . Assistance with Soaring Eagle Dance troop in Baltimore

•     Assistance for students to help build Straw Bale House for Native Americans in Montana

We heard responses of Monthly Meetings to the proposal sent out in the mail. One Meeting could not unite; one felt supportive of those with the concern but did not feel involved; one was concerned that the proposal would increase the work of the Yearly Meeting staff; others were supportive of the proposal. The Indian Affairs Committee has agreed to take responsibility for the Working Group.

We heard that roughly $10,000 a year has been collected and spent on programs with which the Working Group would be involved. We heard a sense that with the completion of oversight and support of Pat Kutzner’s work, those who have provided that oversight and support have the time and opportunity to share their experiences. We heard a concern that we have not received a written request from Torreon/Starlake to continue work being done there; we heard a sense that at least in part this may be due to cultural differences.

We Directed Stewardship and Finance to consider funding issues involved with the Torreon/Starlake Working Group.

I2003-24  Presiding Clerk of Yearly Meeting. Lamar Matthew, Presiding Clerk of Baltimore Yearly Meeting, reported. Lamar asked Friends to let him know of business items for our upcoming annual session as soon as possible. Lamar read, and we United with, a minute of appreciation for Marjorie Forbush Scott’s service as Interim Meeting Clerk.

Baltimore Yearly Meeting acknowledges its deep appreciation for the able and loving leadership provided by Marjorie Forbush Scott. As Clerk of Representative Meeting, lately Interim Meeting, Marjorie has kept us close to good right order as we moved through complicated and heavy concerns. Additionally, during her six years at the Clerk’s table, Marjorie tenderly looked to the needs and cares of the staff of the Yearly Meeting in her capacity as clerk of Supervisory Committee. We are grateful for the pattern and example that Marjorie has set before us. Thank you Friend for your faithful service.

We also thanked the outgoing Interim Meeting Recording Clerk for his service; the Presiding Clerk undertook to write a letter of appreciation.

I2003-25  Closing. We heard of an Annapolis convenience store with a sign advertising “Hooks and Sinkers for Sale ;” clearly the store has speedy clerks.

We heard, corrected, and Approved these minutes. We Adjourned, to gather next on 10/18/2003 at the Meeting House in State College , Pennsylvania , or at the call of the Presiding Clerk.

 

Marjorie Forbush Scott, presiding                Arthur David Olson, recording

 

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