Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends

Minutes from Tenth Month 18, 2003

State College Meeting, State College, PA

I2003-26 Opening. Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s Interim Meeting gathered on 10/18/2003 at the State College Meeting House in State College, PA. Michael Cronin, Presiding Clerk, opened the session at 2:46 after a period of worship.

I2003-27 Right Sharing of World Resources. Maurice Boyd spoke for RSWR, explaining that they are not asking for the usual donations to the General Fund, but rather about support for a co-operative self-help group of women in India. Roland Kreiger of RSWR is working to guarantee funding each year for this group, and would appreciate support from any of us who feel so led. Maurice has the full information. Ted Hawkins suggested that BYM consider sponsoring this project, not with financial support but as if it were a "sister-city", to feel a direct connection to this group. Interim Meeting took no action on this.

I2003-28 Ministry and Pastoral Care Committee. Miriam Green, Co-Clerk of Ministry and Pastoral Care, brought forward a Traveling Minute for Roger Wolcott to go with Christian Peacemaker Teams to Canada, where there is a dispute over logging rights on First Nations land. This was endorsed by the Interim Meeting.

Miriam also reported that the Committee has laid down the Counseling Service after years of inactivity, as there are serious difficulties in maintaining and overseeing it. The Committee is exploring alternative ways to provide counseling support to community members in our meetings.

I2203-29 Presiding Clerk of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Lamar Matthew is into his sixth and final (there was some question about this from those who do not wish to let him go) year as Presiding Clerk of Yearly Meeting. He is meeting-ing the remaining meetings he will preside over, and the Supervisory Committee meetings he will attend, which he has found to be some of the most challenging as well as rewarding of his life. He asks Committee Clerks to attend carefully to the important issues facing them, and be considering how best to carry the Yearly Meeting forward in years to come.

I2003-30 Ad Hoc Committee on Gender and Sexual Diversity Concerns. Bonnie Stockslager, convener, spoke of a packet of information that was available at Annual Session. They are working on expanding this, especially with minutes from Monthly Meetings. Everyone was asked to please see if their Meeting was represented, and if not to encourage the meeting to participate.

I2003-31 Stewardship and Finance Committee. David Hunter, Camp Property Manager, spoke of the many projects at the camps that are coming forward in the next five years. The Long Range Property Planning Committee is developing a vision for the properties that will help to determine how and when these projects happen (as will the funding). We will need to be creative about how we manage our resources.

Marion Ballard, Clerk of Stewardship and Finance, noted we are a growing Yearly Meeting. We have grown the equivalent of a full monthly meeting this year, which means more requests are coming into our Yearly Meeting Office for use of our resources, especially in religious education and youth programs. We need to figure out how to fund these needs. The Yearly Meeting owns more than 850 acres of land, plus cabins, vehicles, canoes, and other equipment, and much of this is aging. Although the easiest solution is to sell off all the property to fund the programs, it is not a desirable solution. We do not want to raise camp fees, as we know how vital this is to our Yearly Meeting, nor do we want to raise apportionments to monthly meetings. We would like to be a resource to monthly meetings instead, and help them get more individuals to contribute to their budget so that apportionment would not be such a burden. However, we are also going to try some fundraising among individuals as well at the Yearly Meeting level. This year solicitations to individuals to support the Yearly Meeting directly will be tried. Next year we will be asked if we have put the Yearly Meeting in our wills, so be prepared.

I2003-32 Search Committee. Ann Marie Moriarty brought forward the names of Frances Schutz of Charlottesville for Recording Clerk of Interim Meeting and Fred Hetzel of Sandy Spring for Nominating Committee. These were approved. It was noted that the Nominating Committee is not in the Yearbook, but that they are still active, with Ruth Flowers as Clerk. Please give her any suggestions for Nominating that you have. The Nominating Committee and correct Search Committee are included here.

Nominating Committee

Clerk: Ruth Flower

2004

Rodney Pelton, Goose Creek (98-04)

Kathleen Wright, Sandy Spring (98-04)

Darah Kehnemuyi, Frederick (01-04)

Dorothea Musgrave, Washington (01-04)

 

2005

Ramona Buck, Patapsco (02-05)

Ruth Flower, Takoma Park (99-05)

Beverly Moore, Valley (99-05)

Fred Leonard, Baltimore. Stony Run (02-05)

 

2006

Dorothy Habecker, State College (03-06)

Fred Hetzel, Sandy Spring (03-06)

Cynthia Power, Charlottesville (03-06)

Andrew Stone, Gettysburg (03-06)

 

Search Committee

Clerk: Ann Marie Moriarty

2004

Ann Marie Moriarty, Adelphi (98-04)

2005

Stephen Davidson, Carlisle (99-05)

Liz Hofmeister, Bethesda (96-05)

 

2006

Katrina Mason, Bethesda (03-06)

Margaret Stambaugh, Gettysburg (03-06)

Elizabeth Meyer, Sandy Spring (00-06)

Edward Hawkins, Bethesda (03-06)

I2003-33 Friends General Conference. Miriam Green reported for Trudy Rogers, who sent her regrets. The Gathering in 2003 was a wonderful time in Johnstown, PA, a lovely, compact, air-conditioned campus. Next summer it will be at University of Massachusetts at Amherst. This is a return visit, and the Committee assures us that the problems enMeetingered at the last visit are being worked out. Plans are underway to go to Virginia Tech again in 2005, giving us a good opportunity for exercise. We are reminded that going to Virginia to FGC does NOT mean we do not come to Yearly Meeting as well.

I2003-34 Friends World Committee on Consultation. Flossie Fullerton reported that FWCC is having a triennial in January. It will be in New Zealand with the theme Being Faithful Witnesses: Serving God in a Changing World. Issues covered will include Peace Concerns, Indigenous Issues, Spiritual Nurture and Communication/ Outreach and QUNO (Quaker United Nations Office). Rebecca Rawls, Dona Boyce-Manoukian, Jenny Johnson and Flossie will attend.

Flossie reminds us that since the Yearly Meeting is a member of FWCC, all Monthly Meetings are as well. The annual meeting of FWCC, Section of the Americas, is open to everyone in the Yearly Meeting. The next one will be in Ottawa, Canada March 18-21, 2004. Please plan to attend.

I2003-35 Friends United Meeting. Howard Fullerton noted that Baltimore Yearly Meeting is as large as it has ever been, and few other Yearly Meetings in the United States can say that. This gives us a different perspective from the others, which we need to keep in mind when dealing with FUM and FGC.

QUIP (Quakers Uniting in Publications) is calling for submissions from Young Friends telling about their experiences growing up Quaker for a publication called Young People’s Experience of Quakerism (working title). This will be an international collection due in February 2004. QUIP is also looking for Young Friends who would be interested in serving on the selection committee for this. Tom Fox, Youth Secretary, noted that BYM Young Friends are already working on this.

Two of FUM’s Yearly Meetings had to cut their budgets by 15 percent last year, which led to a very difficult and prolonged budget session by the General Board. Therefore it was at a special Sunday morning session that the Executive Committee made a response to the minute from BYM about last year’s triennial. The summary from the Minutes of 2002 Annual Session BYM read:

One unfortunate event was the action of the FUM General Secretary, Retha McCutchen, to reverse the invitation to Lamar Matthew to be a worship sharing leader at the Triennial because he is in a same-sex union. The BYM delegation was deeply offended by this, met several times as a group about it, provided the best support it could to Lamar, and tasked BYM’s members of the FUM General Board to meet with the General Secretary about it.

This matter was taken up by BYM at its Annual Sessions and a minute approved. The minute is to be sent to the incoming Clerk of the FUM General Board, with a request for its consideration by the General Board. The delegates concurred in the view that BYM should remain engaged with our fellow FUM Quakers on this matter.

In the minute, BYM asked FUM:

(1) To confirm that FUM policy governing the selection of worship-sharing and workshop leaders and other leadership roles within FUM is inclusive and not discriminatory. That is, to confirm that leaders are chosen based on spiritual gifts without regard to sexual orientation or whether Friends are in the same gender relationships.

(2) To review and clarify the respective roles, responsibilities and authority of FUM staff and committees.

The response from FUM (below), described a policy approved in 1988 for volunteers in Quaker Volunteer Witness and in 1991 extended to staff. This requires that volunteers and staff may only have sexual relations within a marriage between one man and one woman. FUM stated that it does select leaders for spiritual gifts but that they are not chosen without regard to whether they are in a same-gender relationship. FUM General Board expects the FUM staff to follow the wishes of the General Board and its committees.

While recognizing the diversity of perspectives within the FUM community, they do not show any inclination to revise their policies. There are some serious divisions within FUM Yearly Meetings about this and other issues of accepting full diversity among people. We have referred this letter to the Ad Hoc Committee on Gender and Sexual Diversity Concerns and the Ministry and Pastoral Care Committee to draft a response with input from Young Friends and other interested Friends. The initial response to our minute to FUM was for FUM General Board to be powerfully affected, partially because we so carefully crafted it with compassion, in spite of our anger and hurt. We want to take care to do so in our response now as well. This will come back to Interim Meeting for consideration.

Friends United Meeting

101 Quaker Hill Drive, Richmond, Indiana 47374

October 17, 2003

Dear Michael Cronin:

Greetings in the name of Jesus who brings us together. I hope this time finds you well and prosperous.

I am writing to provide responses from the Friends United Meeting General Board to the two requests submitted in a minute from the Baltimore Yearly Meeting 2002 Annual Session regarding the policy for the selection of worship-sharing leaders. For ease of reference, your requests are shown below:

(1) To confirm that FUM policy governing the selection of worship-sharing and workshop leaders and other leadership roles within FUM is inclusive and not discriminatory. That is, to confirm that leaders are chosen based on spiritual gifts without regard to sexual orientation or whether Friends are in same gender relationships.

(2) To review and clarify the respective roles, responsibilities, and authority of FUM staff and committees.

At the FUM General Board Meeting held earlier this month at Quaker Lake, North Carolina, the policy statements pertaining to the issue of sexual orientation adopted in 1988 and 1991 were reviewed again in the context of applicability to the BYM requests. The policy as stated in Minute 88-GB-52 reads as follows:

(a) We affirm the civil rights of all people to secular employment, housing, education and health care without regard to their sexual orientation. In particular, we condemn violence, whether verbal or physical, against homosexuals, and call for their full protection under the civil rights laws.

(b) We reaffirm our traditional testimonies of peace, simplicity, truth speaking, gender and racial equality, personal integrity, fidelity, chastity and community. We recognize that there is diversity among us on issues of sexuality. For the purpose of our corporate life together, we affirm our traditional testimony that sexual intercourse should be confined to the bonds of marriage, which we understand to be between one man and one woman.

(c) The lifestyle of volunteers under appointment to Quaker Volunteer Witness, regardless of sexual orientation, should be in accordance with these testimonies.

The 1988 minute placed the personnel policy within the framework of traditional Friends testimonies and said that the policy applied to the corporate activities of FUM. The wording of the 1991 Personnel Manual explicitly applies the policy to all staff and volunteer appointees of FUM.

Therefore, in response to the first request, we do confirm that leaders are chosen based on spiritual gifts without regard to sexual orientation; however, we do not confirm that leaders are chosen without regard to whether they are in same gender relationships.

In response to the second request, we expect the FUM General Secretary and the FUM staff to follow the wishes of the General Board and its committees as directed. We expect that the General Secretary and FUM staff make decisions in a timely manner where and when it is necessary. It is the responsibility of the FUM staff, the General Board and its committees to communicate with each other.

In addition to submitting the above response to the BYM requests, the General Board also approved of the statement "that Friends United Meeting is a reflection of the diversity of its constituent yearly meetings." It should be noted that the Baltimore Yearly Meeting representatives, Howard Fullerton and Rich Liversidge, stood aside on the approval of the General Board response.

In closing, I fully understood the range of viewpoints on this troubling issue for the worldwide Christian community. As we continue our struggles to be obedient servants, may we let His love and light be our guide.

Sincerely,

Brent McKinney

Clerk, Friends United Meeting

I2003-37 Pause for worship and re-centering.

I2003-38 Staff Reports. Frank Massey, General Secretary, thanked us for our continual witness. He returned to the Office in July, very thankful for the staff and the work they did in his absence; Ron Mattson, served as Frank while he was away, Jane Megginson, the "Voice Master", and Michele Levasseur, Youth Secretary, who is now gone to teach school. Tom Fox is serving as Interim Youth Secretary while we look for a permanent replacement.

Tom Fox, Interim Youth Secretary, reported that the Young Friends have already begun work on QUIP, and that they are preparing for Youth Quake in spite of the difficulty some YF’s have with the FUM policies with which the adults are also struggling. Tom has been organizing files from the last three Secretaries and came across the following note written by some YF’s a few years ago.

What is the purpose of Young Friends?

Young Friends gather together to feel connection and growth in Quaker process. As a faith community Young Friends strive to bring out an individual’s sense of spirituality. An individual can learn how to relate with others, support others, accept personal responsibility and be part of a community. Young Friend’s gatherings provide an environment for change and growth to take place. By having a positive environment and individual can experience inner growth.

This sums up Tom’s experience with YF’s at the past weekend with 70 of them at Adelphi, as well as the past 8 plus years of FAP’ing and Youth Programs Committee work. Frank noted that unfortunately this is a part-time position even though there is enough work for full-time.

David Hunter, Camp Property Manager, reports that they have streamlined the budget/income/expense and registration processes at the camps. He is grateful for the opportunity to work on the camps. He reported on the departure of Robert Strasser, Catoctin Caretaker. This Minute of Appreciation was written:

After 15 years of service, Robert Strasser is moving on from his position as caretaker at Catoctin. In his years of service he helped build the "Palace," cared for our septic system, made major improvements to the shop, mapped all of our septic lines, waterlines, and electrical wires, dredged the lagoon twice and rebuilt the dam, helped to build a caretaker’s residence and was instrumental in helping the Yearly Meeting sell an easement on the property at Catoctin. In selling these easements Yearly Meeting was able to establish a much needed Capital Improvements Fund for our camping properties. The preservation of the land at Catoctin also protects a number of endangered plant species. He also helped to organize a group that has persuaded the Meetingy Roads Commission to create a scenic gravel roads designation that will ensure that the remaining 63 miles of gravel road in Frederick Meetingy will not be paved. This has saved the portion of Mink Farm Road that divides our property from being widened and improved.

These accomplishments do not begin to reflect all the ways in which Robert has been a blessing to our camp and a guardian of the mountain. His ability to leave each place that he moves through more beautiful than he found it; his gift of discerning what is special about a spot—pointing out what he sees, ensuring that each wonder is recognized, appreciated and protected, are his gifts to us all. The treasures that he has left on the mountain will be appreciated for many years. I hope we can all be grateful for his gifts and hold him in the Light as he seeks new surroundings in which to offer his blessings. We are in his debt.

Frank noted he is grateful to have David on board, and that we should all take a trip "down south" and see the Shiloh, Opequon and Teen Adventure campuses. We are lucky to have them.

   Enrollment - totals

· 677 people applied to camp. 580 were accepted.

Opequon

· Of the 170 campers accepted, 89 (52) were returning, 81 (48) were new.

· Of the returning campers, 97 had been to Opequon the year before. 3 were immigrants from another BYM camp.

· Of the 81 new campers, 31 were BYM Quakers, and 50 were other Quakers (10) or non-Quakers (40).

· Of the returning campers, 55 were Quakers, 10 were other Quakers, and 24 were non-Quakers.

· Overall religious affiliation was: 86 BYM Quakers, 20 Other Quakers, and 64 Non-Quakers. That’s 51 BYM Quakers, 12 Other Quakers, and 38 Non-Quakers. Everyone who applied to camp was accepted.

 

Catoctin

· There were 177 total campers. Of these, 131 or 74 of the campers were returners; 46 or 26 were first-time applicants.

· Of the returners, 128 (98) had gone to Catoctin the year before; 3 (2) immigrated from Opequon.

· Of the new campers accepted to Catoctin, 30 were BYM Quakers, 16 were other Quakers or non-Quakers.

· Of the returning campers, 94 were BYM Quakers, 7 were other Quakers and 30 were Non-Quakers.

· Overall religious affiliation was: 124 BYM Quakers, 14 Other Quakers, and 39 Non-Quakers. That’s 70 BYM Quakers, 8 Other Quakers, and 22 Non-Quakers.

Shiloh

· There were 157 total campers. Of these, 122 (78) were returning campers; 35 (22) were new applicants.

· Of the returning campers, 113 (93) were Shiloh returners; 8 (7) were immigrants from Opequon. There was one immigrant from Catoctin.

· Of the new campers to Shiloh, 18 were BYM Quakers; 3 were Other Quakers and 14 were Non-Quakers.

· Of the returning campers, 59 were BYM Quakers, 11 were other Quakers, and 52 were non-Quakers.

· Overall religious affiliation was: 77 BYM Quakers, 14 Other Quakers, and 66 Non-Quakers. That’s 49 BYM Quakers, 9 Other Quakers, and 42 Non-Quakers.

Teen Adventure

· There were a total of 76 campers: 48 in the first year program, and 28 in the second year, Leadership Training program.

· Of these 76, 74 (97) were returning campers; 2 (3) were new campers. Both new campers were BYM Quakers.

· All but one of the Leadership Training program campers had been to Teen Adventure the year before.

· Of the new applicants to Teen Adventure, 25 came from Catoctin, 20 came from Shiloh, and 3 came from Opequon.

· Overall religious affiliation was: 47 BYM Quakers, 7 Other Quakers, and 22 Non-Quakers. That’s 62 BYM Quakers, 9 Other Quakers, and 29 Non-Quakers.

 

Waiting List

· Of the 45 people left on the waiting list, all but two were between 12 and 16 years old. This means, if you apply to camp at the age of 9, 10, or 11, it’s pretty easy to get into camp. After this age, it becomes harder.

· 10 of the 46 people on the waiting list were BYM Quakers who applied before the deadline but were unable to get into camp.

· All children on the waiting list were campers who wanted to enroll at Teen Adventure or Catoctin. All BYM Quakers who applied to or were willing to go to Opequon or Shiloh got into camp.

· There were 3 other BYM Quakers who applied late and did not get into camp.

TA Waiting list: 18 total. 5 were new campers, 5 were returning Catoctin campers, 3 were returning Shiloh campers, 1 was a returning Opequon camper, and 4 were returning TA campers. Of the group of waitlisted returning campers (13), 7 were BYM Quakers. The remaining 6 were Other Quakers and non-Quakers. Of the waitlisted new applicants (5), 4 were BYM Quakers, 1 was not.

Camperships and Financial Aid

52 people donated money to the Barry Morley Camper Financial Aid Endowment totaling $2,240. Most folks donated between 25 and 50 dollars.

Campers received $23,410 in Monthly Meeting Camperships, representing contributions from 14 different monthly meetings. Sandy Spring, Goose Creek and Maury River all make a significant effort to scholarship campers

We gave out $41,396 in Work Grants and $17,352 in Camperships from the Barry Morley Camper Financial Aid Endowment.

Camp growth: We added approximately 12 spaces at Opequon and 4 additional spaces at Teen Adventure. After Catoctin, Opequon had the greatest number of campers throughout the summer—largely due to the one week sessions. Shorter sessions mean more turnover, means more bodies coming to camp. Shiloh came in third.

Where the campers camp from: Maryland (261), Virginia (150), Pennsylvania (59), and the District (41), we had campers from West Virginia, Vermont, Georgia, New York, Delaware, Utah, Arizona, Wisconsin, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, North Carolina, Montana, Massachusetts, Illinois, Indiana, California, Connecticut. That’s 24 states and the District of Columbia. International: Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, England, France, and Jakarta.

Josh Riley, Camp Administrative Secretary, reported that aside from the wonderful stories the camp directors tell there is a great deal of administrative work in the office for the camps. This year we raised fees a bit over 8 percent, which we don’t like to do, but it helped cover operating expenses. Enrollments show that 677 youth applied, and we were able to accept 580. 50-75 percent were returning campers, largely because of our policy of favoring returning campers. After age 11 it is very hard to get in as a new camper, especially at Catoctin and TA. A few monthly meetings contributed over $23,000 to help campers come to camp, plus over $17,000 from the Barry Morley Scholarship Fund and numerous work grants for parents. The full report is below.

5 Year Camper Enrollment Statistics

Statistics by Religious Affiliation

 

Adelphi Meeting	37
Alexandria Meeting	7
Annapolis Meeting	18
Bethesda Meeting	6
Baltimore Homewood	11
Blacksburg Meeting	4
Baltimore Stony Run	22
Charlottesville Meeting	11
Deer Creek Meeting	1
Dunnings Creek Meeting	2
Floyd Meeting	1
Frederick Meeting	13
Gunpowder Meeting	2
Goose Creek Meeting	18
Herndon Meeting	12
Hopewell Centre Meeting	4
Langley Hill Meeting	10
Mattaponi Preparative	1
Maury River Meeting	29
Oxford Meeting	1
Patapsco Meeting	4
Richmond Meeting	12
Sandy Spring Meeting	68
Seneca Valley Preparative	2
State College Meeting	2
Takoma Park Preparative	2
Warrington Meeting	1
Washington, Friends Meeting	28
Williamsburg Meeting	4
Subtotal BYM Quaker	333
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting	26
OTHER	28
New York Yearly Meeting	1
North Carolina Yearly Meeting	1
Episcopal	7
Unitarian	7
Jewish	12
Catholic	16
NonQuaker	149
Subtotal non-BYM	247
Grand Total	580

5 Year Camper Enrollment Statistics
Enrollment 2003
		Catoctin		Shiloh		TA		Opequon		Totals
		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
BYM Quakers		124	70%	77	49%	47	62%	86	51%	334	58%
Other Quakers		14	8%	14	9%	7	9%	20	12%	55	9%
Non-Quakers		39	22%	66	42%	22	29%	64	38%	191	33%
TOTALS		177	100%	157	100%	76	100%	170	100%	580	100%
Enrollment 2002
		Catoctin		Shiloh		TA		Opequon		Totals
		#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
BYM Quakers		118	67%	73	46%