2020 Yearbook
Sixth Month 2020 Interim Meeting Attachments
Attachment I2020-12A: Youth Programs Manager's Annual Report
Youth Programs Manager’s Annual Report 2019-2020 – Jossie Dowling
I usually begin my report by reflecting on all the successes of a full year of Quaker Youth Conferences. In the past, as our seniors graduate and our 8th graders move into high school, so many of our kids are excited about summer and look forward to attending camp and other hot weather adventures. But this year was different. With the onset of COVID-19 in early March, we had to make some unexpected changes. Our youth stopped attending school months ago, they have made alternative summer plans, and our conferences faced cancelations and had to shift into the virtual realm.
We were able to host 3 successful in-person conferences with our Junior Young Friends Program (JYF). We had a nice balance of new attenders and regular committed 8th graders that could help orient the new JYFs to the details of our program. I was really impressed with the regular attenders who built a strong sense of community within the program. This year’s theme for Junior Young Friends was Exploring Quaker Testimonies Through Art. We started off in October at Langley Hill Friends Meeting creating Crankies with Maria Nicklin from Goose Creek MM. JYFs worked in teams to illustrate a scroll for each of the testimonies and the scroll was hand-cranked to depict a moving image. In January, we enjoyed the beautiful landscapes at Gunpower Friends Meeting, where Rosalie Eck (Adelphi/Homewood MM) taught us how to make magnets and keychains of testimonies out of Shrinky Dinks and we enjoyed an awesome game of capture-the-flag with glow sticks in the dark. In March, we headed to Adelphi, and made luminaries with Miranda Elliot Rader (Charlottesville MM). But, just days after our March conference, local schools began to close and we had to find an alternative format for our final gathering. We held our final JYF con of the year online, where we were able to play group games, share appreciations for our graduating 8th graders and concluded with an epic game of Dungeons and Dragons (a JYF favorite).
Attendance at our Young Friends Program continued to be very low. We started off the school year in September at Baltimore Stony Run where many new attendees joined for the first time. Actor and Camp Alumni, Silas Brigham, led a workshop “What is Power: Exploring our Presence, Our Breath, and Our Voices” using theater and improvisational arts. In November we were hosted in the gorgeously renovated space of Friends Meeting of Washington. Ruth Flower (Adelphi MM), used her extensive work with FCNL to educate us on Native American Congressional Advocacy and on Sunday morning we joined the MFW community in a community service project making cards and baked goods for local people experiencing homelessness. In February we had our annual Love Con at Adelphi where Guli Fager (Stoney Run MM) led a Sex Education Fish Bowl that helped answer questions about healthy sexuality. Friends danced the night away in their annual Love Prom. Unfortunately, April Service Con was Canceled due to the onset of COVID-19. But we resumed in May for our Graduation Con online. YFs played online games such as Animal Jam and Quiplash. Then joined in worship to share loving appreciation for our graduating YFs in our annual Senior Circles ceremony. Additionally, the creation of online folders for each senior allowed friends to upload messages, photos and other appreciations for each senior.
This fall the Youth Programs Committee had an informative workshop on Youth Mental Health led by Brook Carrol (Sandy Spring MM) to help us better understand some of the cognitive challenges many of our youth endure. Friendly Adult Presences and committee members appreciated this workshop and hope to continue providing this training to all members of BYM who work with adolescents. Additionally, we were excited to hire Ana Philips (Stony Run MM) as our JYF assistant, to help support the facilitation of our thriving JYF program. The Youth Programs Committee is still searching for new members that are interested in supporting our programs. Our low membership has been challenging and we are eager to invite new members with new energy and perspective to join our team.
Lastly, as many folks already know, I, Jossie Dowling, have decided to leave my position as Youth Programs Manager and return to graduate school. I have been accepted into Johns Hopkins’ School of Education’s School Counseling Program for the fall 2020 semester. My work with BYM youth has been so rewarding for me and it is time for me to take my love for youth empowerment work and share it with the larger Baltimore community. I am so upset that I have to leave the BYM community under the current pandemic conditions, but know the unconditional love of BYM youth will continue regardless of the circumstance. Thank you to everyone that made this job the greatest job in the world.
Attachment I2020-12B: Minute of Appreciation for Jossie Dowling
Youth Programs Committee Minute of Appreciation for
Jossie Dowling
The Youth Programs Committee is deeply grateful to Jossie Dowling for her service to Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Jossie started as Junior Young Friends Assistant in 2014 and took on the role of Youth Programs Manager in 2015. Over the last six years, she has been a mentor, ally, and advocate for the middle- and high-schoolers of BYM, and she has approached the job with candor, curiosity, humor, and above all kindness. JYFs who were in seventh grade when she started at BYM are graduating high school now, and in that time, Jossie has never stopped helping them foster a community built on caring, trust, and love. Being Youth Programs Manager is a challenging and sometimes exhausting job, and Jossie has handled its unique pressures with enormous grace, including late nights, meal planning experiments, singed eyelashes, and a global pandemic. We are so proud of the young people of BYM, and we are so proud of Jossie for her commitment to them. We know she is moving on so she can support more kids in more ways, and we know she will be great, and we will miss her very much.
Attachment I2020-13: Friends General Conference Gathering Report
FGC 2021 Gathering in Radford next Summer
The FGC Gathering that had been planned to take place at Radford University this July had be shifted into a virtual on-line Gathering due to the pandemic. However, BYM has not lost the opportunity to host this important event.
An in-person FGC Gathering is being planned for Radford in the summer of 2021. Many of the volunteers from BYM who comprised the 2020 FGC Gathering Committee have agreed to continue with preparations. More volunteers are needed. We invite Friends join the committee. We are particularly looking for people to help in choosing the plenary speakers (evening programs sub- committee) and to help to spread the word about the event (Communications sub-committee). We also need Friends to help with local arrangements. If you want more information about the FGC Gathering or the sub-committees, contact the co-clerks (Tony Martin, Patsy Arnold Martin, Barbara von Salis) at FGC2021gatheringclerks@gmail.com.
Attachment I2020-15: Development Director's Report
Interim Meeting: Development Report
June 13, 2020
Friends across Baltimore Yearly Meeting have experienced many changes in their 348 year history. Still the combination of the pandemic and civic unrest amid global financial fluctuations and massive unemployment gives us pause to reflect and consider our recent actions.
In these times, Friends are rising to bear witness, to take action, and to support what matters. We see accelerated work in interest groups and committees; we see fuller attendance in worship groups across our region; and we see higher levels of participation at Interim Meeting, the Spiritual Formation Retreat, and yes – in development, too.
Recognizing the serious financial challenges confronting the Yearly Meeting, you offered your encouragement and your financial support. As of the end of May 2020, we are deeply gratified to report that 351 Friends have donated; this is a 32% increase over the same period in 2019. 55 new donors have heeded the call for financial assistance to BYM; many have made a gift for the first time in 3 years – or longer. The average size of a gift has risen by $40 over the past year.
Together Baltimore Yearly Meeting Friends have contributed $177,000 as of 5/31/20. Thank you, Friends!
Of this, almost $132,000 will support various BYM programs and general operating expenses, and $45,000 has been raised for camp capital projects.
Further, there is more good news. While suspending our summer camp season disappointed us all; still, we are truly buoyed by the many camp families who have donated to help cover the $463,000 in ongoing operating expenses for maintaining our closed camps and sustaining our year-round camp staff this year. (These expenses would normally be covered by camp fees.) 186 camp families have donated all or a part of their camp registration fees to help carry our camps through these times. 23 new families, whose children have not even attended camp yet, also contributed to this pressing need at camps. Altogether $83,000 has been donated through converting camp registration fees. In addition, thanks to the generosity of ten local Meetings, another $26,000 has been contributed specifically to help meet these camp expenses. This is in addition to the $177,000 of contributions reported above, and will help significantly to cover the ongoing costs of our camps during this time of pandemic.
While the numbers are encouraging, what is truly heartening are your expressions of support and your belief in the value of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Your Yearly Meeting, gathered in the presence of the Divine, knits together Friends from the Chesapeake to the Appalachians into the larger Religious Society of Friends. We unite in Spirit and in a call to action.
Looking ahead then, we have a good ways to go through difficult and uncertain times. We are seeking to raise another $89,000 in contributions to support BYM programs and other operating expenses to meet our $221,000 goal, and another $114,000 to support needed camp capital projects to meet our $159,000 goal.
Thank you for your generosity today and for your stewardship tomorrow.
Attachment I2020-16: Treasurer's Report
Report from the Treasurer
June 2020
This is my first “in person” report to Interim Meeting since becoming Treasurer in January of this year. I am still on a learning curve and appreciate even more than usual assistance from Margo.
This has been an unusual year so far to say the least. BYM finances have been seriously affected since March with the closing of camps for this season, closing of the office, and changes to other BYM programs. The financial reports we will look at today will report activity through April 30, 2020 with comparisons to our revised budget and to the same period last year.
The first report is the Statement of Financial Position. It lists the assets, liabilities, and net assets of BYM as of April 30, 2020. Column B shows the balances as of two years ago, column C shows last year, and column D shows the current year.
Assets are reported on lines 4 through 17. Cash (line 6) of $658,569 is up because of receipt of the emergency government loan/grants, accelerated apportionment payments and accelerated contributions. Because many meetings paid their apportionment early, the apportionment receivable total of $284,462 (line 7) is lower than usual at this time of year. Total assets reported on line 17 are comparable to the last two years.
Liabilities are reported on lines 19 to 28. Deferred revenue (line 22) represents revenue we have collected but cannot count as current operating revenue. This total of $730,503 is much higher than normal and includes camp fees, most of which had to be refunded when camps were cancelled. It also includes emergency government funds received which can only be counted as current income when the terms of the loan/grant are fulfilled. Total liabilities of $1,056,569 (line 28) are up due mainly to the increase in deferred revenue.
Net assets are reported on lines 30 to 42. Net assets are the total assets reduced by our total liabilities. Net assets are broken down into five categories: unrestricted, fixed assets, designated, temporarily restricted, and permanently restricted. Temporarily and permanently restricted net assets report the totals of funds on hand from contributions with restrictions imposed by the donors. Designated net assets are funds which were originally unrestricted but have been set aside by BYM for particular purposes. Fixed assets represent to total of our property and equipment as reported on the asset section of the Statement of Financial Position. Line 34 will always equal line 13. What is left are unrestricted net assets. Our total net assets of $4,079,498 (line 42) are down as of April 30 due to the increased liabilities and the loss shown on the Statement of Activities. Line 46 is an information line which reports the balance of our unrestricted reserves as of April 30. This amount was $196,920 and is computed by subtracting line 40 from line 33. You can see that this total is down substantially from our previous two years.
The next report is the Statement of Activities. This reports revenues and expenses from January to April. Operating revenues and expenses are reported on page one. Page two reports property and equipment activity and restricted activity. Column B reports last year, Column C reports the 2020 revised budget and Column D reports current year activity.
Apportionment income of $271,650 (line 4) is higher than usual because meetings were asked to pay apportionment earlier and many responded. Under unrestricted contributions, there is a new budget line for emergency government grants of $188,000. This includes a federal loan/grant of $178,000 and a grant from Montgomery County, Maryland of $10,000. Although we received these funds in April, we could not enter it as income yet until we fulfill all the requirements. The federal funds from the Paycheck Protection Program are initially classified as a loan. The loan can be forgiven all or in part if most of the money is used to preserve payroll during a specified time period. Until we fulfill these requirements, we entered the amounts received on the Statement of Financial Position as deferred revenue.
Unrestricted contributions are reported on line 8. This amount through April was a little less than $56,000. It is higher than normal due to Friends responding to requests. This may represent an increase in donations for the year, but it may also be a timing difference. Friends have accelerated their payments and may pay less later in the year. Total attendance fees of $50,555 (line 12) are dramatically less than usual due to the cancellation of camps. Total operating revenues through April (line 27) are a little over $410,000.
Operating expenses are reported on lines 29 to 39. The total through April 30 was $396,852 (line 39). You will note in column C, line 38, there is a budget adjustment for approved staff reductions of $114,000. Other approved reductions to the 2020 budget have been recorded in other operating expense lines and do not show up as a single negative adjustment.
Our net operating activity reported on line 41 shows a surplus of $13,300.
On the next page, property and equipment activity is reported on lines 43 to 46. The net change in property and equipment activity is an increase of $1,554.
The restricted transactions are reported on lines 50 to 60. Restricted contributions received through April total $38,617 (line 51). There is a large unrealized loss recorded on line 54 due to drops in the stock market through April. We show unrealized losses and gains in our investments because we adjust totals on the Statement of Financial Position to the fair market value as of the reporting date.
Our overall Statement of Activities shows expenses in excess of revenues of $128,246, mostly due to a drop in the stock market. Although we do not like to see deficits, keep in mind that this was a very volatile time and that it is too early in the year to draw conclusions about how we will do in 2020. We must be very careful going forward since our unrestricted reserves are down. If we end the year with a deficit, they will be reduced further. But I believe we have weathered the worst of the storm and are on course to build a stable financial future for the Yearly Meeting.
Jim Riley
Treasurer
Attachment I2020-17B: Supervisory Committee PersonnelBudget Report
From: Supervisory Committee
To: 6th Month Interim Meeting 2020, Baltimore Yearly Meeting
Re: Personnel Budget
In this spring of 2020, our Yearly Meeting has been caught in a vortex of unprecedented challenges. In mid-March, Ned Stowe, our General Secretary shared his observation with Supervisory Committee, Stewardship and Finance, and Trustees that we were highly unlikely to achieve our 2020 Income objectives, based on his analysis of past years’ results. Before these committees could really work on resolving that crisis, we were confronted with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. These included closing our offices and limiting our programs to what we could do via Zoom, values in the stock market plunged resulting in the values of our reserves plummeting, and then we decided it was not safe to operate our camping program. Ned’s report to us on May 16 (Document 1 of that day) includes an excellent summary of these concerns. One bright spot financially was that fast action by the staff resulted in our qualifying for Federal and Montgomery County payroll-support aid.
When Interim Meeting met on May 16, Supervisory Committee reported on some of our adjustments to cope with this “perfect storm”. Interim Meeting accepted our proposals to reduce non-staff expenses and approved personnel cuts from July 1-December 31, 2020, but directed the General Secretary and Supervisory Committee to bring back a final report on these cuts. Furthermore, the General Secretary and Supervisory Committee were asked to meet with all committees of the Yearly Meeting having connection with staff seeking their input into this decision.
Supervisory Committee started by developing a series of queries for the committees which work closely with staff:
How do you envision your committee’s work from July 1 - December 31, 2020? in 2021? What level of staffing do you need to accomplish this program? Are there different needs in different months or are the needs steady through the year?
What programmatic impact would a reduction in staff time during July and August have on the 2020 work of your committee? [remove if not relevant]
What will need to be adjusted or laid down in certain months?
What plans will your committee need to make to return to full programming following reductions?
How can the members of your committee, Supervisory Committee and BYM in general support the spiritual and emotional needs of staff during this time?
How can the members of your committee support and/or augment the work of staff during this time?
We greatly appreciate that all the committees we contacted were able to either meet with one or more of us, or to send us complete replies. Virtually all of the committees consulted hoped to keep their full staff complement and some had reasons to expand their staffing.
In working on the temporary staffing plan we were guided by the following principles:
- We are committed to continuing the programs of the YM to whatever extent is possible given diminishing resources.
- Affected committees, staff, and constituencies will be consulted as much as possible, within what may be very tight timeframes.
- We make staffing cuts only after considering and exhausting all other cost reduction options.
- We will apply our anti-racism queries as a test on all our decisions.
- We will consider reversible options before irreversible ones.
After deep consideration, we arrived at $110,000 in personnel cost reductions, which include:
- leaving certain vacancies unfilled for the rest of 2020. We will undertake a thorough review of staffing requirements and the resources available to meet them before filling any vacancies, except that we will fill the Youth Programs Manager position by September 1.
- applying a general salary reduction of 6% which may be scheduled as furlough of eight days be taken between July 1 and December 31, 2020, as arranged with one’s supervisor, or taken as a general salary reduction.
- making a limited number of other staffing adjustments to reflect changing workloads.
- Health benefits will not be affected, for those who presently receive them.
Please note that these costs include an expected 15% increase in health care premiums. If that is less, there will be greater savings.
We are distressed that our staff are being asked to pay this price for our inability to create the resources needed for the budget we all created in August 2019, and made worse by the effects of the pandemic.
Respectfully submitted,
Adrian Bishop and Ramona Buck, Co-Clerks Supervisory Committee
Attachment I2020-17C: Supervisory Committee Report Regarding Acting General Secretary Position
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
Supervisory Committee
June 6, 2020
Report to June 2020 Interim Meeting Regarding the Position of Acting General Secretary
On May 21, Supervisory Committee accepted the resignation of our General Secretary, Ned Stowe. We are sad that Ned has decided to move on. We have greatly appreciated his service. A Minute of Appreciation will come to the Body as a separate item.
In view of the difficult times we now find ourselves in Supervisory Committee has asked the Associate General Secretary, Wayne Finegar, to serve as Acting General Secretary. We appreciate his willingness to serve and feel we are in good hands. Wayne’s present job description as Associate General Secretary includes to “serve as substitute administrator for office and staff in the absence of the General Secretary”. Supervisory Committee expects that he will serve as Acting General Secretary, until a competition is held for the post of General Secretary, late in 2020 or in 2021.
In proposing this job adjustment, Supervisory Committee states:
1). Wayne will not be prohibited from applying for the position of General Secretary once it is open and applications are sought.
2). We look forward to working with him to define the job of Acting General Secretary in a way that makes sense, takes into account the present circumstances of BYM, and distills the critical aspects of two positions (General Secretary and Associate General Secretary) at least temporarily into one.
We are pleased to report that Wayne has agreed to this change of assignment.
Supervisory Committee plans to review all of our administrative positions, including the Comptroller position, (recently vacated), before making new appointments, and anticipates working with our administrative and program committees as we all plan for 2021 and the future life of Baltimore Yearly Meeting.
Sincerely,
Adrian Bishop and Ramona Buck
Co-Clerks, Supervisory Committee
Attachment I2020-18: Program Committee Report
Program Committee Report to June 2020 BYM Interim Meeting
Program Committee is responsible for planning our Annual Sessions, excluding business meetings. We work throughout the year to plan and implement a fun, dynamic and inspiring program. Our goal is to support and strengthen BYM thru building community and offering opportunities for fellowship, surrounding our meetings for worship with a concern for business. The theme for this year’s gathering is: Courage, Faith, and Hope to Love Across our Differences. Full program information is in the spring Interchange which you should have received online or in the postal mail.
In mid-March, in response to the covid-19 pandemic, Program Committee made the very difficult decision to cancel our in-person gathering for 2020. This is the first time Annual Session has been cancelled since 1918, when Baltimore Yearly Meeting, Hicksite branch, was cancelled during the Spanish flu pandemic.
We have an opportunity, however, that wasn’t available in 1918: to go virtual. Many other Quaker gatherings are doing the same. BYM will hold our Annual Session online, via zoom (or other video technology format), beginning with the retreat July 27-28, and with formal sessions running July 28-August 2. We will also provide “Pre-session” programming during the week of July 20-24. We invite all members and attenders of BYM to participate, and expect and hope that the online format will allow for Friends who typically don’t travel to Annual Session to join us this year.
As you will have seen in the Interchange, our daily program will be much shorter than usual. We have tried to keep some of everything, from plenaries, to workshops, to Junior Yearly Meeting programs for children and youth. Business sessions will only be 1.5 hours in length. This will require thorough preparation by all in attendance. Please read your advance reports. Plan to attend pre-session opportunities to hear reports and listen to one another to help season our decision-making. In addition to workshop opportunities on July 22 and July 24, the exact program for pre-session events will be sent out in July.
Program Committee also decided to use Pay as Led financing to cover expenses. The suggested fee is $100, to cover any and all programs you wish to attend. Please consider your own financial circumstances, and pay that amount, or any amount more or less that you are led to pay. This financing models helps all of us participate, as some who can pay more assist with the costs of those who pay less. Amounts above $100 are considered donations to BYM.
Jason Eaby, from Nottingham Monthly Meeting, is heading up our technology sub-committee. We are seeking volunteers who are knowledgeable about using video technology platforms to assist with tech trainings which are planned daily. Please email Jason at jeeaby@outlook.com if you can volunteer or recommend others.
Program Committee met via zoom 5 times in April and May to address and plan for our virtual Annual Session, and will continue to meet in June and July. We also reached out and consulted with other Quaker groups who had already met virtually or are planning to. We usually meet only 4 times a year, handling our business via email in between meetings. This spring we had a lot of hard thinking, many challenges, and difficult decisions to make in a short time period. Every single part of our usual program had to be re-thought, and re-created for a virtual format. I want to thank all the members of the committee who are continuing to dedicate much more time than is typically required to planning for our Annual Session this year.
Barb Platt, Program Committee clerk
Attachment I2020-19: STRIDE Working Group Report
STRIDE Working Group Report
- Philly STRIDE created a list of resources for online summer classes/engagement for youth.
- Baltimore STRIDE is trying to meet the immediate needs of families. They have delivered masks and held a virtual “orientation”.
- DC STRIDE’s last anti-racism meeting with Working Group on Racism will be on June 27th.
Mutual Aid
Mutual Aid is a voluntary reciprocal exchange of resources and services for mutual benefit. Mutual aid, as opposed to charity, does not suggest the moral superiority of the giver over the receiver. Mutual aid has been around for a long time especially in communities of color.
Dean Spade, activist and writer explored in his course “Queer and Trans Mutual Aid for Survival and Mobilization”
- Whereas charity differentiates those who have from those who need and puts those who have in a position of power to make decisions about how to meet others’ needs, mutual aid emphasizes working cooperatively to meet each other’s needs. Charity is vertical; mutual aid is horizontal.
- Whereas charity addresses symptoms of systemic issues, mutual aid analyzes the causes of those issues and builds new social relations to help society be more survivable in the long-term.
- Whereas charity is often professionalized work performed through 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, posing onerous bureaucratic accounting and compliance obligations, mutual aid projects avoid formalization to retain autonomy and flexibility.
- Whereas the charity funding model relies on the donations of rich individuals and profitable corporations, requiring the charity to publicize those donations to boost the public image of donors and for donors to continue to make sufficient profit to have enough left over to donate, mutual aid utilizes the resources available in their communities, often creatively seeking free supplies.
- Whereas charity implements criteria for who is deserving of assistance, mutual aid is offered to anyone.
Solidarity Not Charity: Mutual Aid & How To Organize in the Age of Coronavirus
The Preamble of the African Free Society provides a succinct portrait of a religious-oriented mutual aid society. This organization was rooted in caring for one another. The Free African Society was established by Absalom Jones (Episcopalian Priest and Abolitionist) and Richard Allen (writer, educator, and Bishop who founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church). Joseph Clarke a white Quaker, who was chosen as Clerk and Treasurer, with the understanding and support that other Quakers would also occupy that space.
Attachment I2020-20: Working Group on Racism Change Group Report
Update on racial justice Change Group work
for BYM Summer 2020 Interim Meeting
**********
Alexandria Friends Meeting
The Meeting will consider the formation of a Change Group during the June meeting for business.
**********
Annapolis Friends Meeting
The Meeting has adopted a revised version of the BYM Declaration and Queries. It took the Meeting several meetings since fall 2019 to revise this (8+ drafts) and to get the final version approved by the April Meeting for Business via Zoom.
Beyond the Declaration, an African American attender is doing an informal survey of present and former Friends/attenders of color for their thoughts / suggestions for the Meeting. The Meeting has agreed to reach out to the African American / other minority communities and ask for referrals to undertake some major repairs to the Meeting House (replacement of roof, floor, tree cutting). It has also agreed (perhaps post-corona shelter) to visit African American and other minority churches to better understand their neighbors’ concerns.
The Meeting already participates in an Industrial Areas Foundation chapter -- known as ACT - Anne Arundel Connecting Together-- which (by democratic process with minority churches / other groups as the majority) sets priorities for community action. Currently ACT is actively participating with and supporting programs for ongoing employment / food assistance for those in need during the COVID shut down. The Meeting has sent funds in support of this ACT program. Three Meeting members regularly attend.
**********
Gettysburg Friends Meeting
The Meeting has been sponsoring financially and helping with its local Abolitionists Day celebration, begun as a counter to Confederate demonstrators.
**********
Herndon Friends Meeting
In early March, the Meeting’s Peace and Social Concerns Meeting considered an invitation to join the Change Group. Committee members were offered options for being a regular member in the group or maybe helping with certain activities or projects. There were also plans to discuss the antiracism declaration and related queries, but they ran out of time, so it is planned to discuss that topic at the next P&SC meeting, tentatively set for early July.
At the P&SC meeting, a Friend also introduced her proposal for a mural (which she would paint on a canvas) to be displayed at the Meetinghouse. She has begun preliminary plans for this mural. It will include profile views of people including a variety of skin tones, gendered and non-gendered clothing, hair styles, ages, family groupings, and singles. The mural is intended to be an immediate, tangible symbol of the inclusive nature and intention of the Meeting.
**********
Homewood Friends Meeting
Homewood is taking additional steps to galvanize its Change Team.
**********
Little Falls Friends Meeting
Little Falls is beginning a series of discussions related to the Antiracism Declaration in June. The Meeting plans to have one Adult First Day program a month dedicated to talking about anti-racist behavior/practices/decision-making. The goal of this series is to educate everyone on how to be as welcoming a Meeting as they can be and to either adopt the Declaration as written or to make some minor changes to it to fit the Meeting.
**********
Patapsco Friends Meeting
The Clerk of the BYM Growing Diverse Leadership Committee led a discussion at the Meeting about the antiracism declaration on March 8th. Then, anticipating having something on the business meeting agenda in June about whether Patapsco supports the declaration, there was a listening session on May 10th. A member of the Meeting offered a workshop on anti-racism, drawing from what she does for such workshops at the school where she teaches. The Meeting is also considering the formation of a Change Group.
**********
Patuxent Friends Meeting
The Meeting is one of 14 organizations and churches that have been working on dismantling racism and privilege in Southern Maryland over the past four years. This effort was originally started by an Episcopal Church in the area. The program is called, The Big Conversation on Dismantling Racism and Privilege (BC-DRaP). The goal is to connect people, policy, and history to illuminate structural racism and its impact.
Each BC-DRaP begins with a panel of experts presenting on the topic to inspire thought and conversation. They then break out into small group conversations of 10 or 12 participants. The discussions are led by experienced facilitators provided by the Community Mediation Centers. (Patuxent Friends also supports The Community Mediation Centers of Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties.) Five members of Patuxent Friends are also mediator/facilitators). Activities have drawn over 200 community members. The attendance is diverse in age, gender, race, religion, economic status, and geographic location.
The first BC-DRaP was in January 2018 and was called, I Didn’t Know…Exploring Racism and Privilege in Our Community. The second BC-DRaP in January 2019 was on Progress and Challenges in our Schools toward Dismantling Racism. The next Big Conversation is scheduled for September 2020 and will focus on Many Wounds to Heal: Health Care (In)Equity.
Patuxent Friends on the BC-DRaP steering committee as well as mediators with the Community Mediation Centers compiled and edited a book called, “The Big Conversation on Dismantling Race and Privilege.” It documents the process used to create The Big Conversations, so others can duplicate it. The book is available at Lulu Publishing and the website: http://dismantleracism.org/
Patuxent Friends also created a Building Bridges Resource Guide, which lists over 32 organizations who are working to build bridges across racial divides in Southern Maryland. It is handed out at the events and is available on the BC-DRaP clearinghouse website. http://dismantleracism.org/ It was created for those in the community who want to be actively and positively involved in dismantling racism. It also serves to connect organizations who are working on like issues.
**********
Roanoke Friends Meeting
The Roanoke Meeting has continued taking initial steps in its anti-racism work. Several Friends have gone to white privilege workshops including a workshop at Pendle Hill. The Peace and Social Justice Committee supported efforts to get young people of color to participate in the FCNL Spring Lobby Weekend, and Friends are supporting the Roanoke Branch NAACP. One Friend is a member of the Roanoke Branch NAACP Executive Committee and was recently appointed the NAACP Branch Representative to the Board of Total Action for Progress (TAP) in Roanoke. Another Friend is active in the Roanoke Asylum-Seekers Support Network.
Attachment I2020-22: Supervisory Committee Minute of Appreciation for Ned Stowe
Appreciation for Ned Stowe, General Secretary, Baltimore Yearly Meeting
The Supervisory Committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting wishes to express our appreciation for the work of Ned Stowe, General Secretary of BYM in his four years with us. Ned has worked long hours managing the office; working with staff; dealing with unexpected events and surprises; meeting with Yearly Meeting committees; attending many local Meetings for Worship; preparing for, attending, and reporting to the Annual Sessions, the Interim Meetings, and other groups requesting his assistance; hiring new staff; overseeing the many projects of Baltimore Yearly Meeting; and taking on many other duties and initiatives.
In the words of one of the Yearly Meeting members who has worked with him:
He listens deeply and responds thoughtfully. He is upbeat in his work with others. But he also brings the sense of a larger structure about how Yearly Meetings can function well. He sees the structural parts of an organization and thinks carefully about how they can be made better.
In the words of another BYM member: He gave his heart, mind, body and soul for four years. He tried every day to create a supportive spiritual environment at BYM. May his next adventure be supported by all who value his leadership, sense of humor, loving soul and keen intellect.
We hope that Ned will now take time to rest and to center himself after all the work he has done for us. In his own words – part of his report to the last BYM Annual Session – we hope he will: Look up to the sky and beyond the next rapids; float for awhile and behold the beauty and harmony of the present moment.
We propose the following Minute of Appreciation from Baltimore Yearly Meeting:
We of Baltimore Yearly Meeting express our gratitude and appreciation to Ned Stowe for his service as General Secretary of BYM from 2016 to 2020. He has devoted his full time and energy to the Yearly Meeting, seeking to discern the right way forward for the community as a whole. Ned oversaw the staff, the Yearly Meeting programs, and had overall responsibility for the camps. He served the committees, the members of BYM, and all 49 local Meetings. He saw the Yearly Meeting through some difficult challenges and attempted to stay connected to all of its many parts. It is not possible here to list all that Ned did as our General Secretary. But we can say, “thank you.” Thank you, Ned, for all that you have done in this position. We appreciate you, and we wish you all the best in the future.
