2019 Yearbook
Attachment Y2019-08: Report from Interim Meeting
BYM Interim Meeting Report
Annual Session 2019
OVERVIEW
We left Annual Session 2018 with unfinished work to complete, and in fact it took us most of the year to see this work through. Quite a bit of new business came forward through the year, as well. Our three Interim Meetings were long, one being well over the four hours allotted for Interim Meeting. But business happened at a good pace. Committee clerks and staff members mostly prepared reports well ahead of time so that Friends could come to Interim Meetings prepared. More than seventy-five Friends attended each meeting, with representatives from most of our local Meetings attending at least one meeting.
Seasoning the way forward for the STRIDE program
When we gathered in August 2018, we did not reach agreement on how to continue the work of the STRIDE (Strengthening Transforming Relationships in Diverse Environments) program with regular support from BYM. We really got ourselves into a difficult situation and didn’t create enough of a path for ourselves to get through it. We had to find a path and figure things out. As a worshiping body, we approved the STRIDE program in 2015, a program to begin with start up funds provided by the Shoemaker Fund. The minutes of IM in 2015 did not indicate a clear mandate that the program would be continued after three years ,or if there should be a decision made on whether to continue after three years. For those participating in the program and making it successful, along with a number of other BYM Friends, there was a clear expectation – to continue the program with funds raised by BYM when the grant funds were finished. Because everyone did not have the same expectation, the seasoning process was difficult. This created a lot of difficulty and heart felt work for Clerk of Interim Meeting!
Since we took on the STRIDE program, we made two other decisions that greatly affected our budgeting, especially for our 2020 budget (to be considered at this 2019 Annual Session). First, in the fall of 2016, we agreed to build a bath house for Catoctin Quaker Camp that met our environmental and spiritual goals. The cost of the bath house was several times more than expected, and those numbers came in after our 2017 budget had been approved at 2016 Annual Session. We built the bath house and put great effort into seeing through this project and raising the funds to cover much of it. We did this in faith and with a lot of work. The bath house was successfully built and it is all we had hoped for. Funding the bath house was worked out, though plans are now being modified, as you will see during Annual Session.
Second, in the fall of 2017, we agreed to create two new staff positions, in part parceling out the work of former Administrative Manager, but also adding responsibilities for a higher level staff position to better support BYM’s work. Thus we created the position of Associate General Secretary and the position of Administrative Assistant. The Administrative Manager position was dispensed with, so we only added one more staff position. This involved committing to a long-term budget increase. The new staff positions have met many important needs; they have allowed BYM to be responsive to important events while also ensuring that our database is updated and other essential day-to-day tasks keep moving forward. This staff change has proved to be as positive as we thought it would be.
While funding the bathhouse and staff positions, we still had our 2015 approved STRIDE program and knew that for this program to continue, we would need to fund it from our regular budget after the grant funding ended. The STRIDE program is well organized, has drawn a good number of volunteers, and meets its mission. The YM tends to like to keep its successful programs!
It is fair to add that taking on all of these expenses has been experienced quite differently among BYM Friends. Friends have very different individual views on handling money, but as BYM, we are a community, seeking truth together. This is awesome work.
In the spring of this year, our STRIDE volunteers brought to Interim Meeting a very thorough report about what the STRIDE program accomplishes and how volunteers accomplish this work. Those who attended Spring Interim Meeting got to hear that the program is very well organized and overall meets their mission impressively – please check the minutes of Interim Meeting for more information https://www.bym-rsf.org/publications/yearbooks/third19.html.
But STRIDE has also struggled mightily this year without the support of the staff person that they had depended on to organize and guide their work. After hearing the presentation at IM, asking questions, and worshiping together silently, Spring IM discerned that BYM should continue to support the STRIDE program including supporting the fulltime position of STRIDE Coordinator. Unused funds from the grant would be used to fund this position through 2019, at a part-time level through August 2019, and then full time starting in September. The continued funding for a fulltime STRIDE Coordinator and program costs are now part of the 2020 draft budget.
Seasoning other business
A number of committees have seasoned items for Interim Meetings this year. Our Program Committee for a second year is considering ways to make Annual Session more accessible and inclusive for more Friends. Our Peace and Social Concerns Committee has brought minutes for IM to consider and has both added and laid down a Working Group. Our Stewardship and Finance Committee has worked long and hard to rework our budget planning. We will see the fruits of their labor when we consider the 2020 budget.
Working with BYM Committee Clerks in preparing for each IM is a joy. What an impressive group of clerks we have. Clerks work to transform ideas into plans, help the committee see through these plans, and then let the body of the Yearly Meeting and our Monthly Meetings know and sometimes join in this work. Holding committee meeting by video online conferencing has helped a number of committees this year, and clerks have stepped up to learn how to use this technology while also keeping the work of spiritual discernment rich. As committee reports show, much good work in the Spirit has happened this year.
Committee Clerks met together at the end of Annual Session last year and then three times for Clerks’ breakfast on Interim Meeting days. Hearing the wisdom shared, as well as the faith and humor of this group, has been helpful, uplifting, and even . . . . fun.
Closing reflection
Through the process of seasoning business and clerking Interim Meeting this year, I have had to lean into the Spirit as I sought my way forward. I that a clerk is neutral – but in a very active way. A clerk is on everyone’s side at the same time. I like this part of the work! A clerk’s job is to make sure that everyone in the worshiping, discerning body has the information they need to make a good decision, and to make sure that everyone understands what is being asked of them in making a decision – what will move forward, what will be laid down, what is the cost of postponing?
Through this year, my third as Clerk of IM, I have felt the guidance and comfort of the Spirit. I am deeply grateful for such a meaningful journey this year. It is wonderful to spend time with Friends who love our Yearly Meeting and have such faith in Friends Spirit-led business process. I look forward to the adventures that the fourth and last year of my clerking IM will bring.
SUMMARY OF THE DECISIONS MADE IN INTERIM MEETING SINCE
ANNUAL SESSION 2018:
Staffing
We noted that our Development Director, Ann Venable, resigned from her position, and we recognized her work with a minute of appreciation at Interim Meeting.
We noted that the hiring of our new Development Director, Mary Braun, and were glad to meet her at Interim Meeting.
We noted that our now full-time Comptroller will be changing over to a part time schedule, and a part-time bookkeeper will be hired to work longer hours than previous bookkeepers had so that they can do some of the work previously accomplished by the Comptroller.
Our General Secretary regularly reported on his work. We noted that the GS is making plans for a long-term planning process for BYM.
Lawsuit resolved
At two Interim Meetings, BYM’s Trustees reported on the progress and then the outcome of a lawsuit against Friends Community School, Adelphi Friends Meeting, BYM, and others. We noted that the terms of the settlement of the lawsuit are confidential.
Program Committee Discernment
The Committee is considering and researching the possibility of financing Annual Session through a “pay as led” program, which some Yearly Meetings already have in place, to encourage greater participation and greater diversity among those who participate.
Working Groups and BYM Representatives to Organizations
We accepted the Peace and Social Concerns Committee’s decision to lay down the Right Sharing of World Resources Working Group, but BYM approved having the Yearly Meeting name a representative to Sharing of World Resources (RSWR), now a non-profit organization, with details to be determined.
We approved the recommendation of the Religious Education Committee to name a BYM Representative to the Quaker Religious Education Collaborative (QREC), and approved making an annual contribution of $200 to the QREC from BYM, starting in 2020. We directed our Manual of Procedure Committee to add material on the QREC representative to the manual. We encouraged the RE Committee to suggest a name or names for QREC Representative to Nominating Committee.
Two working groups were started:
We concurred with the recommendation from the Peace and Social Concerns Committee to establish an End of Life Working Group, under its care.
We concurred with the Advancement and Outreach Committee to establish a Growing Our Meetings Working Group, under its care.
Nominations
The Nominating Committee brought forward names for first and only readings of committee appointments and resignations. The Search Committee brought forward names that are now being forwarded to Annual Session for approval. A Naming Committee was established, and a name was approved on a first and only reading for Search Committee.
Manual of Procedure
We approved the Manual of Procedure Committee’s recommended changes to the manual for forwarding to our upcoming Annual Session, with modifications.
Traveling Minutes
Traveling minutes for Jolee Robinson (Adelphi) and Jade Eaton (Adelphi) were approved.
Minutes of Social Witness of our Faith
We approved a minute on immigration proposed by the Peace and Social Concerns Committee’s Working Group on Refugees, Immigrants, and Sanctuary.
We approved endorsement of the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative resolution on the Prescription Drug Affordability Initiative.
We approved endorsement of our Working Group on Civil and Human Rights of Transgender and Non-Binary People’s “Letter on Trump’s proposed policy on transgender people in the military,” with modifications.
Growing Diverse Leadership and STRIDE
We approved changing the Ad Hoc Growing Diverse Leadership Committee to a standing committee, and we approved the proposed charge for this committee.
We approved establishing a new staff position, STRIDE Coordinator, which will be 25%-time through 8/31/2019 and full-time thereafter. We also approved the proposed full-time STRIDE Coordinator job description.
Appreciations
Appreciation was minuted for Phil Caroom, Clerk of Peace and Social Concerns, Arthur David Olson, Recording Clerk, and Ned Stowe, General Secretary.
Respectfully submitted,
Marcy Baker Seitel (Adelphi)
BYM Clerk of Interim Meeting
Attachment Y2019-10: Associate General Secretary's Annual Report
At Tenth Month 2017 Interim Meeting, the Supervisory Committee presented a proposal to recommendations of the HOPE Committee. These included the creation of a new full-time staff position and the redefinition of a second one. As a result, on January 1, 2018, my title changed from Administration Manager to Associate General Secretary. On May 15, 2018, Laura Butler (Sandy Spring) joined the Yearly Meeting staff in the new position of Administrative Assistant. We are now about 18 months since the beginning of 2018, and we have had enough time to be able to begin to evaluate how the changes are working. One of the immediate changes is being inaugurated here, with the first Annual Report from the Associate General Secretary about his work.
The Supervisory Committee’s report to Interim Meeting stated that “[t]he goal of the proposed staffing changes is to increase the capacity of the General Secretary and other staff to support local Meetings and the Yearly Meeting committees that serve them.” Overall, we have made significant progress towards this goal and the Yearly Meeting staff are continuing to find additional ways to progress. Several unanticipated events and issues have arisen in the past 18 months that have required significant time and attention from both the General Secretary and the Associate General Secretary. While the additional support provided by the approved changes made dealing with these issues easier, they have also had an impact on our ability to move forward as quickly as desired.
Administrative Assistant:
The general goal of creating the new position of Administrative Assistant was to “provide administrative support to other staff and committees so as to release other staff to better support local Meetings, committees, and volunteers.” Prior to Laura Butler joining the staff, the Administration Manager was responsible for answering the phones, processing the mail, depositing contributions, and other similar basic administrative functions. These responsibilities not only were a continual distraction from other duties, but meant that one person’s absence from the office resulted in these basic duties being left undone.
Laura has taken over these basic functions fully now. She is a daily presence in the Yearly Meeting office that assures there is someone to answer the phone and greet visitors regardless of the schedules of all of the rest of the staff. Especially in light of the time commitments for the Associate General Secretary outside the office in the last year (see below), this very simple thing has been a significant aid by itself.
A less visible element of the work of the Administration Manager in the past was the daily maintenance of the Yearly Meeting’s membership database. This tool is the primary resource for many elements of the work of the staff. Not only does is have the names and contact information for most of the Friends who are part of the Yearly Meeting community, it also includes information about family relationships that are vital for the development program, information about Friends’ service to the Yearly Meeting and local Meetings that is relied on by the Nominating and Search Committees in their work, and information about past campers and their families which supports both the development and camp programs. Since our community is constantly vibrant and ever changing, the task of keeping the database current is also constant and ever changing.
Prior to Laura’s joining the staff, the amount of time needed to perform all of the work needed on the database simply wasn’t available to the Administration Manager. As a result, more and more of the information was out-of-date. With Laura’s hard work, we have made significant strides towards catching up on the old data and keeping current with new changes. There is still a lot of work to go, mainly related to the migration of data from an older database to the current one that cannot be automated, but her ability to dedicate significant time to this effort has been a great benefit to our infrastructure.
Going forward, we are going to be looking for more ways to expand the breadth of the Administrative Assistant’s tasks. The approved job description identifies several tasks that haven’t been assigned to Laura yet. The need to make substantial progress on the database has delayed adding these, but we are moving forward with them now. At Annual Session 2019 itself, this has included increasing her presence at the Registration Desk and assisting members of the Program Committee in their work during the week.
Associate General Secretary:
On January 1, 2018, the transition from the Administration Manager to Associate General Secretary was simply a change of title. It has been a continuing evolution for me, the General Secretary, and all of the staff since then to begin to really flesh out what the changes really mean. Many of the changes have been to formalize things that were already the de facto situation, and others have been more substantial, new duties.
As anticipated in the Supervisory Committee report, many of the day-to-day administrative elements of Yearly Meeting’s office operations have become the responsibility of the Associate General Secretary. In addition to administering the telecommunications and information technology infrastructure, I am now also responsible for the maintenance of the office building in general, as well as the grounds. We have recently had to remove several dying trees (which have been more than replaced with new saplings from the Quaker Oaks program). We are coordinating with Friends House on the possible resurfacing of the parking lot in conjunction with the construction project nearby and are getting bids for remediation of a portion of the building’s foundation to prevent mold in the garage storage area. Previously these were responsibilities of the General Secretary. Similarly, I have taken over most of the payroll and insurance administration duties that had absorbed much of the Comptroller’s time, especially during the summer with camp staff payroll.
In working with the Yearly Meeting’s committees, the work of the Administrative Assistant has freed me to be able to expand my support of the work of our volunteers. In the last year, I have worked with the Supervisory Committee on their project to revise and update their Committee Manual and the staff Employee Manual. On the occasions where both Stewardship and Finance Committee and Trustees have met at Interim Meeting, I have attended one meeting so as to allow the General Secretary to attend the other. We have also introduced support of the Zoom conference call system to ease the burden of travel for Friends participating in committee meetings, as well as constructing a video-conference room at the Yearly Meeting office.
One of the biggest single elements of my work is the support for Program Committee and Annual Session. Prior to the 2018 changes, the Administration Manager supported the committee, but was not an actual member of the committee. Instead, the General Secretary was automatically a member of the committee in an ex officio capacity. We have changed these relationships to that the reality matches the procedure. The Associate General Secretary is now officially both the primary staff support and a full member of the Program Committee. Since, on average, 20% of all my time in a year is spent on matters related to Annual Session, this is a more efficient allocation of our resources.
Laura Butler’s ability to focus on the daily work on the database has freed me to keep more current with the news of the local Meetings, especially appointment and membership changes. In recent years, there has had to be a rush to get information updated at the last minute to seek the most current listings for the Yearbook. This year we are as up to date as we can be in advance, which saves time for both the Yearbook preparation process and keeps the website more accurate.
Future
The changes made in the staff of the Yearly Meeting have produced benefits for everyone employed by the Yearly Meeting and for the community we support. Going forward, the changes have provided flexibility for staff to share tasks and duties as needed. The infrastructure needed to support new goals and priorities of the Yearly Meeting is stronger than ever before and we continue to seek new ways to aid the growth of our local Meetings, the Yearly Meeting, and the wider Friends community.
Attachement Y2019-11: Manual of Procedure Committee Report
Report from Manual of Procedure Committee to 2019 BYM Annual Session– July 2019
Note: all page numbers are from the 2018 print version of the Manual
Pg 377 - I. Introduction to Manual of Procedure
Current text:
The purpose of this Manual is to provide a basis for the good order of the Religious Society of Friends within Baltimore Yearly Meeting by describing the current organizational structure of the Yearly Meeting, its officers and committees, and its relations to other Friends’ bodies. Changes that alter the meaning of this manual (substantive changes), are approved by Yearly Meeting in Session as described in article XI of this Manual.
This Manual deals solely with the organizational structure the Yearly Meeting establishes to handle matters which are entrusted to it by the constituent Monthly or Quarterly Meetings or by individual Friends.
Revision:
The purpose of this Manual is to provide a basis for the good order of the Religious Society of Friends within Baltimore Yearly Meeting by describing the current organizational structure of the Yearly Meetings, its officers and committees and its relations to other Friends bodies the following:
a) its relations to other Friends’ bodies;
b) the committee, officer, or staff person the Yearly Meeting has designated to carry out certain tasks;
c) the parameters within which the committee, officer, or staff person should function;
d) whether recommendations from the committee, officer, or staff person should ultimately go to Annual Session, to Interim Meeting, or elsewhere; and
e) the rationale for the process or method.
Changes that alter the meaning of this manual (substantive changes), are approved by Yearly Meeting in Session as described in article XI of this Manual. (remove unnecessary comma)
This Manual deals solely with the organizational structure the Yearly Meeting establishes is designed to assist the Yearly Meeting community to handle matters which are entrusted to it by the constituent Monthly or Quarterly Meetings or by individual Friends.
Clean Copy:
The purpose of this Manual is to provide a basis for the good order of the Religious Society of Friends within Baltimore Yearly Meeting by describing the following:
a) its relations to other Friends’ bodies;
b) the committee, officer, or staff person the Yearly Meeting has designated to carry out certain tasks;
c) the parameters within which the committee, officer, or staff person should function;
d) whether recommendations from the committee, officer, or staff person should ultimately go to Annual Session, to Interim Meeting, or elsewhere; and
e) the rationale for the process or method.
Changes that alter the meaning of this manual (substantive changes) are approved by Yearly Meeting in Session as described in article XI of this Manual.
This Manual is designed to assist the Yearly Meeting community to handle matters which are entrusted to it.
Pg 379 – move the last sentence of the first paragraph under Recording Clerks about appointing reading clerks to the description of Presiding Clerk of YM on 378 as the penultimate sentence of that first paragraph.
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. Reading Clerks are appointed by the Presiding Clerk as needed at Yearly Meeting sessions. The Clerk reports to each regular session of the Interim Meeting on activities as Clerk during the intervening period.
Pg 381 - Restate the first in the list of Interim Meeting functions:
The functions of Interim Meeting are:
• to act for the Yearly Meeting when necessary in the intervals between sessionsto consider recommendations from standing committees and working groups as needed between Annual Sessions.
Pg 382 - add to 2nd paragraph of Search Committee description (approved by Search Comm):
The Search Committee nominates persons to serve as Presiding Clerk, Recording Clerk, Clerk of Interim Meeting, Recording Clerk of Interim Meeting, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, members of the Supervisory Committee, and members of the Nominating Committee. In order to fill these positions with Friends well qualified to best serve the Yearly Meeting, the committee not only strives to consider each individual’s experience and spiritual gifts, but also strives to draw these gifted Friends from diverse age groups, genders, racial identities, ethnicities, and geographical regions. These nominations are proposed to Interim Meeting and, if approved, are forwarded to Annual Session. The Search Committee usually presents these nominations on behalf of Interim Meeting at Annual Sessions.
Pg 383 – remove the 6th paragraph under SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE to match the phrasing in Camping Program, Camp Property, Program, and Youth Programs committees.
The Committee will provide ensure that any necessary staff and volunteer training is provided and will ensure that programs and events are carried out in compliance with policy guidelines.
Pg 385 – under V. Committees of the Yearly Meeting, expand last sentence of the page to include the option for a committee clerk to send another member of that committee to IM.
Committee clerks attend Interim Meeting or delegate another member of the committee to attend.
Pg 386 – revising the 7th paragraph on that page under V. Committees of the Yearly Meeting
As a general practice, the Nominating Committee does not nominate members of an ad hoc committee or working group; the members select themselves. The names of members and the dates of establishment of ad hoc committees and working groups are listed in the 2012 Yearbook after committee rosters. on page 143-144.
Pg 387 – under Advancement and Outreach add:
The Growing Our Meetings Working Group (GOMWG) is under the care of Advancement and Outreach.
Pg 391 – Add a new standing committee – Growing Diverse Leadership
The Growing Diverse Leadership Committee is a standing committee that consists of ten people. It includes four nominated by the Nominating Committee and appointed by the Yearly Meeting, a person appointed by the Strengthening Transformative Relationships in Diverse Environments (STRIDE) Working Group, a person appointed by the Camping Program Committee, a person appointed by the Working Group on Racism, and a person appointed by the Young Adult Friends Special Group, plus the following, ex officio: the Presiding Clerk of the Yearly Meeting and the Clerk of Interim Meeting. The work of the Committee connects with these other committees of the Yearly Meeting and therefore encourages open communication with them: Advancement and Outreach, Indian Affairs, Ministry and Pastoral Care, Peace and Social Concerns, and also the Civil and Human Rights of Transgender and Non-Binary People Working Group.
The Committee discerns ways that the Yearly Meeting’s committees, local Meetings, and staff can welcome and encourage participation and leadership among all Friends. There is a focus on cooperating to promote equity, outreach, inclusion, friendship, and wholeness to all persons in order to build an anti-racism, multi-cultural faith community. This includes the encouragement and sustained participation of younger Friends and development of their leadership skills and experiences throughout BYM.
There is a STRIDE Working Group which is under the care of the Committee. It is comprised of Core Groups, one for each of four cities within the area which the Yearly Meeting serves. They are composed of young adults and work to extend the camping program to people of diverse backgrounds who might not otherwise find it or participate in it.
Pg 392 – under Ministry and Pastoral Care in the 4th paragraph, change “Committee of Oversight” to “working support group” to match the Guidelines for Embracing the Ministry of Friends (p429ff).
The Committee maintains the Guidelines for Embracing the Ministry of Friends and supports Monthly Meeting Committee of Oversight working support groups for these Friends. The Committee maintains a current list of all recorded ministers within the Yearly Meeting.
Pg 394 – under Peace and Social Concerns, three changes: 1) at the end of the second full paragraph to agree with the description of Quaker House on pg 406:
meets five times a year in various locations in North Carolina.
2) remove the 4th paragraph about Right Sharing of World Resources, since it is no longer a WG
3) add a new working group at the end of P&SC’s description:
The Working Group on Civil and Human Rights of Transgender and Non-Binary People is under the care of Peace and Social Concerns.
Pg 394 – under Program Committee, change the final sentence to read:
The Committee will provide ensure that any necessary staff and volunteer training is provided and will ensure that programs and events are carried off in compliance with policy guidelines.
Pg 407 – under X. Changes in Faith and Practice change the reference in the last sentence from the “Draft 2013 F&P” to “Resource 2013 F&P” since that document is no longer on its way to approval, but is being widely used as a resource.
For “Important Minutes” from prior years, please see the Draft Resource 2013 Faith & Practice, pages 241-55 at http://www.bym-rsf.org/publications/fandp/.
Pg 407 – under XI. Changes in the Manual of Procedure add a final sentence:
In the interest of accuracy and clarity, the Manual of Procedure Committee may copy-edit the Manual of Procedure. The Manual of Procedure Committee is not responsible for making changes to entries in XII. Appendices.
Edits to the Manual of Procedure which do not require IM approval:
*Pg 377 – in the first paragraph of the Introduction to the Manual remove the unnecessary comma following “(substantive changes)”
*Pg 381 – replace Young Friends Executive Comm with Young Friends Nuts & Bolts Comm
…and the Clerks of Baltimore Yearly Meeting Young Friends Executive Nuts and Bolts Committee and Young Adult Friends.
*Pg 387 – under Advancement and Outreach Committee remove the quotation marks at the end of the second paragraph.
*Pg 392 - capitalize the ‘g’ of Working Group on Racism in the list of Working Groups under the care of Ministry and Pastoral Care
Attachment Y2019-23: General Secretary's Report
General Secretary’s Report
Annual Session
Draft 7/28/19
I begin with many thanks. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Yearly Meeting. Thanks to our staff for their hard work, dedication, and good humor day in and day out. Thanks to my supervisors and the Supervisory Committee for their support and guidance. Special thanks to my spiritual support committee for their patient listening and thoughtful questions. Thanks to my wife Amy for her faithful and enduring support. And thanks to you and hundreds of other Friends who support the Yearly Meeting with your time, talents and treasure.
I have just completed my third year as General Secretary. In case there was any doubt, I think the “honeymoon” is now officially over. In fact, I think it ended after my first month on the job when we received construction bids on the Catoctin bathhouse that were much higher than expected. The hoped-for smooth, inaugural glide across placid waters during my first months at BYM turned into a sudden descent into some wild rapids. And, it has been whitewater ever since. The obstacles have changed along the way, but they have been no less intimidating and disruptive.
I will spare you the details. Let it suffice to say that there has rarely been a moment when some crisis or conflict has not been thrust into the stream ahead requiring urgent action and attention. We have had plenty to keep me, the Supervisory Committee, and many others busy. But please rest assured: We have not swamped yet. Each of these challenges has been more or less successfully negotiated.
How have I managed to stay afloat? Only by the grace of God. I, on the other hand, have not always been graceful. I have sometimes turned in the wrong direction, resulting in bumps and bruises all around. But fortunately, I have had wise, forgiving, and supportive Friends and staff along the way who have helped us all to stay afloat and kept us pointed in the right direction - downstream.
Crisis and conflict management are not listed among the General Secretary’s top job responsibilities. It is just assumed to be part of the job. However, providing “Spirit-led strategic leadership” IS one of the top priorities listed for a General Secretary. So how do I do this while negotiating whitewater?
I am still figuring that out.
So far, what I try to do is make the most of the occasional moments of stillness along the BYM river’s course. Look up to the sky and beyond the next rapids. Float for a while. Behold the beauty and harmony of the present moment, place, and time. Take inventory. Assess where we have been, how we got here, and where we are going. Then I find the next “V” in the rapids ahead; center in the Spirit as best I can; and take the next plunge.
Managing chaotic elements is a given in the life of the Yearly Meeting and General Secretary. The goal is simply to get better at running rapids. However, this does not seem very “strategic”. It may be Spirit-led leadership, but it is not “Spirit-led strategic leadership”. Strategic leadership is about keeping an eye on where our river is headed and where we want to go over time as a community. The big picture.
In this Light, I wonder: can we transcend the rapids, or, better yet, carve a new course for the BYM river? Could we change our direction to reflect Spirit-led vision, intention, and priorities? Can we anticipate and mitigate the obstacles along the way, while tapping into the river’s spiritual energy and power to move us forward?
In the year ahead, I hope we can engage in a process of discerning our future together. I would like to work with the Yearly Meeting to develop a more intentional, facilitated, structured, and comprehensive way to think about our future.
- Who are we as a faith community?
- Who / what is God calling us to become in the years ahead?
- What priorities are most important?
- How are we being called to speak and witness in our communities and world today?
- What are the principal opportunities and challenges to advancing our vision and mission?
- What changes and adaptations to our organizational structures, practices, volunteers and staffing would help us to better serve and advance our mission in these times?
Certainly, BYM has been exploring aspects of these questions already. Such discernment is ongoing. Our continuous seeking has brought us to where we are today.
However, as I have witnessed the process, it has seemed somewhat piecemeal and fragmentary – one urgent and important issue at a time, in isolation from consideration of other urgent and important priorities and long-term needs. Yet, from where I sit, I see that the choices we make to advance one urgent priority often have consequences for our capacities to advance other priorities.
As a community, we have both tremendous opportunities and significant challenges to advancing our Quaker vision in our meetings, communities and world today. We cannot do and be everything. What is most important, and how do we discern that together on an ongoing basis?
I have heard from Supervisory, Trustees, Development, and Stewardship and Finance committees that they share my concern and sense of urgency for comprehensive long-range thinking. Developing a clearer sense of BYM’s long-range mission, priorities, and goals is essential for guiding the development of our budget, our apportionments and fundraising, our staffing, our youth and camping programs, facilities planning, and the overall work of the Yearly Meeting. Further, having a clearer sense of our long-range priorities can inspire more Friends to participate in Yearly Meeting activities, to volunteer, to serve on committees, and to contribute financially. It can also attract new attenders and members who share in our vision.
In the months ahead, I will be working with Supervisory Committee and members of our community to develop a proposal for the Yearly Meeting’s consideration for how we as a community might develop and advance our vision for the future in a more intentional, facilitated, structured, and comprehensive way.
Prayerful discernment of who we are as a Yearly Meeting, what the Spirit is leading us to become, and what tools we will need to advance our mission in the future can change the course of our river and help guide us through the rough passages. I look forward to continuing this journey with you in the year ahead.
Attachment Y2019-24:Catoctin Bathhouse Report
Catoctin Bathhouse Financing Report to
2019 Annual Session
Ned Stowe, General Secretary
7/23/19
It has been two years now since the new Catoctin bathhouse opened its doors to our camping community. The building is much appreciated and well-used by hundreds of people each year - campers, staff, volunteers, and camp renters. It was well-designed and well-built for light, ventilation, low impact on the environment, accessibility, functionality, durability, and the needs of our community. It has performed well in every way, and we expect it to continue to do so for another 50 years and more. A recent visit, two weeks before the start of the 2019 camping season, found the bathhouse surrounded by blooming wildflowers which were planted as ground cover after construction was completed.
In addition to the excellent architects, engineers, contractors and skilled laborers, it took many more hands to build this bathhouse – BYM committees, staff, volunteers, donors, and Friendly lenders. Hundreds of Friends donated their time, talents, labor, money, materials, and sweat. For this, we are thankful and much indebted. Please visit and see what we have built together.
The total cost of the project was $772,735. Member contributions paid more than $430,000 of the cost up front. The balance, $340,000, was financed by ten Friendly lenders who provided low-interest loans to BYM Trustees for three to five years at an average interest rate of 2.3 percent (rates ranging from 0.0 to 4.0 percent).
All ten Friendly loans were on an interest-only basis until December 31, 2017. After that, two Friendly loans required 20 equal payments of principal and interest on a quarterly basis starting on March 31, 2018. With the last scheduled quarterly payment on December 31, 2022, each of these loans will be paid in full. One of these loans has since been forgiven.
Eight of the ten Friendly loans are on an interest-only basis for the entire term of the loan with the entire principal balance due on the maturity date. For these Friendly loans, the maturity dates on which the total principal balance is due in full range from December 31, 2019 until December 31, 2022. Two of these loans have since been forgiven.
A total of three of the loans have been forgiven ($85,000 of the original $340,000). Because BYM has been paying principal quarterly on two of the loans, the remaining balance due on the loans as of 12/31/18 is reduced to $247,624. Annual interest and principal payments on the remaining loans will be as follows:
- 2019: $13,693
- 2020: $53,091
- 2021: $61,991
- 2022: $135,179
In 2017, Trustees expected the principal and interest on these loans to be paid from two sources. The camping program instituted graduated fee increases of $13,000 in 2017, $45,000 in 2018, and $67,000 in 2019 (for a total of $125,000) that were designated for interest and for loan repayment. The second source of funds is to be restricted contributions to camp capital. To date, $37,300 has been set aside for this purpose.
The loan agreement provides BYM with a prepayment option, in part or in whole. Depending on the funds available in the restricted camp capital account and on the immediate needs for capital improvements, it may be possible for BYM to consider making a partial prepayment on one or more Friendly loans, thereby saving on interest expense.
Each Friendly lender also has a prepayment option. Trustees wanted to accommodate the possibility that the personal circumstances of a Friendly lender may change at any time prior to the maturity date. If a Friendly lender requests payment in full, BYM will have the following options: 1) refinance with another Friendly loan; 2) pay directly from unrestricted reserves; and/or 3) BYM could borrow from itself from BYM’s permanently restricted reserves, which totaled $396,872 as of December 31, 2018.
Attachment Y2019-25: Friends United Meeting Report
Seven Minutes of Belize
Adrian Bishop and Nikki Holland, as part of FUM presentation at BYM Annual Session, 7/30/19
Adrian ... Thank you, Georgia. Good Morning Friends, I am Adrian Bishop, Member at Baltimore Monthly Meeting, formerly Meeting Coordinator at Stony Run, and now serving BYM as Co-Clerk of Supervisory Committee. My wife Rosalie Dance and I were previously members of Adelphi since 1979. Currently we are also serving as FUM Living Light volunteers to Friends in Belize. We agreed in February 2018 to serve in Belize in 3 month intervals for up to three years, in the absence of a Director of the Belize City Friends Center and School.
FUM has been present in Belize since 1994, when ‘we’ started a school for boys who had failed the PSE, Primary School Examination, which meant no high school for them. This was at the request of Sadie Vernon, a Friend well known in her native Belize as well as in several US and Jamaican YM’s. In recent years the FUM General Board reviewed the support for this school and decided to start the Belize City Friends Center to grow a Friendly presence in Belize. The Friends Church/Meeting would support the school and bring Friends’ witness to issues in the community. The school and center are located in ‘South Belize City, the poorest and one of the most troubled communities in Belize.
The first Director of the Center was Dale Graves, a seasoned Friend from Indiana YM, and a frequent visitor to this body. Under Dale’s leadership the center found a new home, providing a larger space for the school as well as space for worship, community program space, and rooms for visiting individuals and work groups. Many visiting Friends contributed their work and donations to convert our site from a truck parts warehouse to a school site. Sadly, Dale died in late 2018. Our work, Adrian and Rosalie, has been to continue development of the site, mentor the teachers, and bring our experience in Friends institutions to assisting the local Advisory Board to become the Governing Board, phasing out direct FUM management.
Next week we will return for our 4th sojourn. Major concerns await. At the end of the last academic year our long-time teacher and principal Candi Young resigned. This created an immediate challenge for our newly empowered Board. They have been meeting close to weekly since June, frequently with our participation via Skype. After we have hired a principal, we also need to find new teaching staff. Our remaining teacher will be on academic leave this year to put an FUM scholarship to work, enhancing her qualifications.
Into this maelstrom we are thrilled to welcome Nikki Holland. Nikki is a recent graduate of Earlham College, and comes to us from Merida Mexico, where she helped establish a neighborhood Friends Church, and she is a member at large of the New Association of Friends.
Nikki ... Thanks so much, Adrian and Georgia! Adrian has given a great description of the three entities that make up Belize Friends Ministries – the school, the church, and the community center. I suppose what I can add to this is to tell you what I am going to be doing and why.
As the director, I will manage the facilities and the resources, I’ll lead the senior staff team, I will interact with governmental and nongovernmental organizations in Belize, I’ll write grant proposals and communicate from Belize to the rest of the world, I’ll organize the Living Letters volunteers and work teams – things like that. There are many components to this job. But the part I’m most excited about is the part where I get to spend time listening and learning about what is already happening down there, and see how I can support the ministers who are doing this work! Friends ministries in Belize is in a period of immense transition, and not all of it is going smoothly. There are many ministries in their infancies, and I’m so excited to help these ministries solidify and grow and thrive.
Sometimes people wonder why I’m going to Belize City. The reason is that I believe I have been called to a ministry of spiritual hospitality. For me, that means that I make space for people to rest and grow in the love of God. And that’s what I believe the Center is doing in Belize. Belize City is a very intense place to live, and I think the center is a place where people can come and rest from chaotic lives – it’s a place where they can experience the love of God and grow and thrive.
As Adrian mentioned, I am hoping to be down there by the middle of August – both so that my children can start school, and so that I can be there when Belize Friends School starts. This is a critical juncture in the life of the Center, and it is important for me to be able to be there. In order for that to happen, I have to be fully funded – not with money, but with monthly or annual pledges for the coming three years. Please let me know if you are feeling lead to partner with me in this way or if you want to pray for me – I will help you get set up to do that.
We would like to close this report by reading to you from the recent newsletter of our Pastoral Minister in Belize, Oscar Mmbali. He can’t be here today, but we still want you to hear from him.
Adrian or Nikki, quoting Oscar ...
The puzzle of the missing person in John 5Challenges like human trafficking, poverty, lack of access to education and violence reflect delayed or denied access to development opportunities. Working with Friends in Belize to address these issues reminds me of the story of the missing person in John 5:1-8.
The story in John 5:1-8 is an image of a healing puzzle. In this puzzle, the Jewish community set apart a place in the city, near the pool of Bethesda. It was a place where the paralyzed, blind and the lame were taken to seek healing. For the healing to occur, it required someone else to put the sick person into the pool, just at the time when the water bubbled up. One sick person laid there for 38 years because the person to put him into the pool was missing. It is a story of delayed healing because of the missing person – the one who could have put the sick person into the pool when water bubbled up. In this story, Jesus took the place of the missing person. He addressed the problem of delayed healing. He completed the healing puzzle.
This is the work we do at Belize City Friends Center. It is a place on the Southside, set apart for those seeking healing. Like Jesus, we take the place of the missing person so that those who are suffering because of human trafficking, poverty, violence and lack of education can walk free. I call on Friends to support the work of FUM in Belize so that we can have enough team members and resources to take the place of the missing person. Your support gives us the strength to go into these communities to help those whose chances to experience well-being have been delayed or denied.
Attachment Y2019-28: Strengthening Transformative Relationships in Diverse Environments (STRIDE) Report
STRIDE Advance Report for Annual Session
Overview of STRIDE
STRIDE (Strengthening Transformative Relationships in Diverse Environments) is a program within BYM that works to break down barriers to access that youth of color experience in attending BYM Quaker camps and build communities of genuine diversity. By actively including youth of color, we hope to create an environment at camp that is transformative for all participants.
STRIDE operates in four cities with four independent Core Groups (details of this report will be focused on Baltimore STRIDE). STRIDE also relies on the dedication of volunteers and local meetings, as well as the support of the yearly meeting.
Why do we do this Work?
Many of us know firsthand that BYM camps change lives. Research on summer camp supports this: camp has positive impacts on children physically and emotionally. Research also tells us that diverse environments create stronger individuals, communities and institutions, and are one of the best ways to address implicit bias. As Young Adult Friends, doing this work is a way to be connected to BYM in a way that feels meaningful to us.
What Did We Accomplish This Year?
Each group follows the same annual cycle of events, pictured below.
Recruitment
This year, Baltimore STRIDE supported nine campers in attending Opequon, up from seven last year. Campers have been recruited a number of ways, from outreach done at Baltimore City Schools, to a partnership with the McKim Center, a community center in downtown Baltimore. Additionally, much of our growth has come from drawing from the circles of our existing campers; this year we added two new campers to the program, one of whom is the younger sister of a fourth-year camper and one of whom is the cousin of a second-year camper. We find that using these existing connections helps build a strong cohort and easier transitions for everyone.
Support
We are committed to supporting the campers and families in our program in a multitude of ways.
- Financially: Through fundraising, we cover most of the cost of tuition for our campers. We ask for a contribution from families, which increases over time, but no one is turned away due to inability to pay. We raise money through events, phone-banking, and grants. This year, we raised about $2,000 at a phone-banking event where volunteers called members of the meeting to share about our work and ask for support. We have received significant awards from The Miles White Foundation, as well as the Fresh Air Fund of the Baltimore Community Foundation. In addition – we provide camping gear for the campers (much of which we get from donations), which can be prohibitively expensive for families.
- Logistically: Transportation can be a challenge, especially since Opequon is two hours away from the city. We provide rides for any campers who need them to and from camp, as well as to and from any local events that happen throughout the year. For example, this year we helped a STRIDE family attend a Family Camp Weekend at Opequon.
- Culturally/Staff Training: Camp is very different from what a lot of campers have experienced at home, school, or in their communities. Before camp every year, we host a practice hike where we introduce new campers to camp-y things (hiking with a backpack on, eating camp food, camp games and songs) and have a discussion about camp and what to expect. Returning campers can help lead this event, and share their experiences with the new campers. After camp, we hold a feedback session for the families to come and share about their experiences (if a family can’t make the event, we make sure to schedule phone calls because this insight is very important to us). Based on feedback we hear, we provide suggestions for the camp staff and help recommend training topics so they are best prepared to give these campers positive experiences at camp.
Community
An important facet of our work is community building. We want STRIDE to be something the local meetings and greater BYM is interested and invested in, and are very grateful for the support we’ve received. We hold several events per year that are open to the community. For example, last year, we hosted a square dance in Baltimore featuring music by Slim Harrison. About 50 people attended and it was a great opportunity to spread the word about STRIDE and build enthusiasm for the program.
We also have turned our practice hike into a community picnic, as a chance for folks from the local meetings to come and meet the campers and families in the program.
Challenges with Staff and Committee Support
Beyond the usual scope of our work, a big theme of the year was figuring out the future of STRIDE with the OIC position vacant. Many STRIDE members participated in the STRIDE working group, and after much discussion and discernment, a proposal was created that outlined a plan for a permanent STRIDE coordinator position, as well as giving STRIDE a home within the Growing Diverse Leadership Committee. At Interim Meeting in March, funding for this position was approved. Jossie Dowling was hired as a temporary STRIDE coordinator to assist with the busy summer months (during which many STRIDE members go to camp). This was a huge success for our program, as prior to this the future had been uncertain. We knew that to continue our work without staff support would be unsustainable, especially for groups with fewer members. The staff position means we can move confidently into the future with room to grow.
What’s Next for STRIDE?
As the summer comes to a close and many core group members return from camp, we will start to regroup and resume our twice monthly meeting schedule. We will restart our annual cycle by reflecting on the summer and collecting feedback from the campers and families.
There is currently a search committee working to hire the new STRIDE Coordinator. Having this position in place will allow the STRIDE groups to continue to thrive and grow; it will bring much needed security and continuity to the groups, especially those that are lower on numbers.
STRIDE will need to determine what kind of growth is achievable and sustainable for the program. What is our “target” number of campers? And as this number grows, how will we fund and support them? How can we continue to do this important work without members burning out? How can we support core members who wish to transition away from this work, and how do we recruit new committed core members? With new-found staff and committee support, how can we grow and change our operations for maximum impact? How can we continue to push ourselves and community to do the work needed to be truly welcoming, inclusive, and transformative for all? These are the questions we will continue to ask as we move into the next phase of STRIDE.
-Submitted by Hannah Brown, Co-Clerk of Baltimore STRIDE
Attachment Y2019-38:Reparations Action Group Report
The Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) Reparations Action Group is an Informal group comprised of BYM Friends seeking to explore the concept of Institutional Reparations for Black and Indigenous Native people. We operate with the understanding that our function and charge will change over time. In the early stages of formation, this group is focusing on how we might bring forth the topic of Reparations to the wider Yearly Meeting and how we may begin to educate Friends about our history as an institution. We hope to provide educational opportunities to further understand ways in which our community has been complicit in the oppression of Black and Indigenous Native people through history and at present. A better understanding of our institutional and individual roles in oppression may shed light on the issue of Reparations; should we better understand the truth, then we may be poised for justice, reconciliation, and repair.
This group has split into three smaller groups to start, each with its own focus. The Education focus group will help to provide educational opportunities for the Yearly Meeting so that we may better understand our history and all that Reparations can entail. The Logistics focus group is working to compile as many frameworks and examples of institutional reparations to present to Friends so that as a Yearly Meeting we may have a more clear pathway forward. If we understand what Reparations can look like in all their forms, we may feel more equipped to begin the process of repair. The Communications focus group works to communicate with the wider Yearly Meeting and focuses on all outward-facing documents and messages. This includes FAQ sheets and any information the Yearly Meeting may receive about Committee work.
We see room for expansion should we have more Friends join this work. Near term expansion will involve a fourth focus group: Fundraising. We commit to always compensate those from whom we learn. It is imperative to pay Black and Indigenous Native people for their work and their knowledge; to not pay is to contribute to racist oppression. We must raise funds in order to adhere to this commitment. Long term expansion, should we succeed in growth and progression, will involve a fifth focus group which looks at outward-facing issues. State-level legislation and larger community movements will be priority for this group; how can the Yearly Meeting aid larger-scale change at a local state level? Each focus group meets about once a month, however during the summer when many of our Friends are working at camp, we have met less. Commitments among Friends vary, with some attending every meeting and others only having attended one or two thus far.
Right now and in its early stages, this group is composed primarily of white Friends. This is not the goal; the group is not intended to be a caucus. However it is important to acknowledge the voices contributing to this work, as those voices will impact the work and its outcome. We commit to not burdening Black and Indigenous Friends in Baltimore Yearly Meeting by requesting that they join this work to provide their voices; however we do welcome all Friends who are affiliated with Baltimore Yearly Meeting to join these conversations. We commit to centering Black and Indigenous Native people’s voices in this work, and educational materials as well as logistics research will focus on and center the ideas, wisdom, and teaching of Black and Indigenous Native folks. This group is relatively intergenerational, with about 40% of our participants falling within the Young Adult Friends (YAF) age group. We hope to also incorporate the voices of Young Friends as we grow.
Folks interested in joining do not need to be members of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. We welcome anyone affiliated with BYM through our camping programs, our Meetings, our Young Friends programs, or otherwise. BYM membership is not a requirement, as that may limit who participates and who does not. For more information or to be added to the contact list, please contact Nikki Richards at nikkirichards1993@gmail.com or 443-631-4038.
Atachment Y2019-42: Treasurer's Report
BALTIMORE YEARLY MEETING
Treasurer's Report to 2019 Annual Session
The Treasurer's job is to report past financial results to help Friends evaluate recent operations and in preparation for the Stewardship & Finance Committee's presentation for the future budget(s). Today I will touch on two past results: The 31 December 2018 audited annual financials and the unaudited 2019 financial results through 30 June. I remind Friends that BYM's financial reporting under U.S. Generally-Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") has two distinctive features. First, BYM is an accrual-basis organization, so we record income when earned or pledged and we record expenses when we incur them rather than when we issue payment. Second, BYM follows donor gift restrictions closely and records income and expense in separate funds tracking the restrictions. BYM has observed these two principles for many years and has not changed either this year, though there were some minor changes in the CPAs' presentation this year.
2018 Audit. For its 2018 financials, BYM again employed BBD, LLP to conduct the audit. At March Interim Meeting, I reported the unaudited 2018 internal calculation of results, and at the June Interim Meeting, I reported receipt of the first draft of the BBD audit. Now the Trustees and I have reviewed the audit, and I have accepted the 2018 audit on behalf of BYM. The results are pretty much what I reported before: BYM and its "controlled" affiliate, Miles White Beneficial Society of Baltimore City, had combined 2018 revenues of $1.98 million vs 2017 combined revenues of $1.77 million. The 2018 combined expenses were $2.06 million vs. $2.03 million in 2017. After adding investment-market-value gains or losses, the 2018 bottom line was a deficit of $293,000 vs. a 2017 bottom line surplus of $409,000. The 2018 deficit reflects that the investments of both BYM and Miles White lost a lot of market value in the fourth quarter of 2018, while both did well in the rising markets in 2017. As I said at the Interim Meetings, in 2018 BYM ran a small operating surplus, and I see the overall financial situation as steady.
30 June Unaudited Financials. The 30 June 2019 income statement and balance sheet include only BYM and not Miles White. As I have said in previous years, the June financials always show a surplus as our cash is strong and not all expenses are accrued for the interim financials. BYM's largest program, the Camping Program, collects fees early in the calendar year and has its seasonal payroll mostly in late June and July. Many of the Camps' other expenses, like food and state licensing fees, also start in June. I find the most value in comparing the 30 June results and fund balances year to year. For this 30 June income statement, Apportionment income is down a few thousand dollars, and the unrestricted contributions were up a few thousand dollars. Line 26 Total Operating Revenues dropped almost $50,000, and Line 39 surplus in Net Operating Activity has dropped $87,000. On page 2, the Line 44 net change in Property & Equipment this year is $153,000 better than at 30 June 2018. Line 58 Net restricted activity is also up $66,000 vs. 2018. The unaudited bottom line is $133,000 better than 2018. The 30 June Balance Sheet shows 2017, 2018 and 2019 side by side. I tend to focus on the net assets starting at line 30. Almost every class of net assets has gone up over the three years, and Line 42 Total Net Assets has increased each year. This shows me steady finances.
Thomas C. Hill
Click here to download 06/30/2019 Income Statement
Click here to download 06/30/2019 Balance Sheet
Attachment Y2019-43: Development Report
BYM 2018 Annual Session
Advance Report –Development
July 20, 2018
In the late fall of 2017 BYM Friends approved the fundraising goal for 2018 of $710,000.00. This goal included support for many pieces of BYM. Like a puzzle, each piece is a part of the whole.
The 2018 BYM budget includes fundraising in the following areas:
- $159,800.00 … to support the BYM General Fund operating budget, which includes support for our newly created staff positions, BYM committees and Meetings.
- $165,000.00 … to support the camping program operating budget. This includes financial support for campers as well as camp equipment and supplies.
- $36,000.00 … to support BYM Youth Programs providing a safe space for our young people to learn and grow thru Junior Young Friends and Young Friends.
- $5,000.00 … to support Annual Session. FUN FACT: if 300 Friends attending Annual Session gave $16.67, we would reach the $5,000.00 goal.
- $2,000.00 … to support the BYM Spiritual Formation Retreat. Not much money each year to assist others who perhaps could not attend because of financial limitations.
- $4,000.00 … to support the BYM Women’s Retreat. This year Friends answered the appeal for financial support for Women’s Retreat so we did not lose money when so many Friends were unable to attend at the last minute.
- $329,000.00 … To support the ongoing upkeep and stewarding of BYM’s camp properties. These donated funds will pay for cabins, buses, refrigerators, road and bridge repairs, and to retire the debt from the Friendly loans for the Catoctin Bathhouse.
- $10,000.00 … to support the BYM Barry Morley Endowed Fund to support campers in perpetuity.
Where are we now? Will we reach BYM’s fundraising goals for 2018? Below is where we are as of June 20, 2018.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Session |
18
|
$946.25
|
$5,000.00
|
19%
|
| *Camping Program |
168
|
$77,914.00
|
$165,000.00
|
47%
|
| Youth Programs |
3
|
$175.00
|
$36,000.00
|
.5%
|
| General Fund |
96
|
$55,009.15
|
$159,800.00
|
34%
|
|
Spiritual Formation
|
6
|
$238.00
|
$2,00000
|
12%
|
|
Women's Retreat
|
45
|
$3,731.00
|
$4,000.00
|
93%
|
|
Camp Property Capital
|
14
|
$8,314.42
|
$329,000.00
|
3%
|
|
Barry Morley Endowed Fund
|
9
|
$636.00
|
$10,000.00
|
6%
|
|
As of 20-Jun-2019
|
***359
|
$146,963.82
|
$710,800.00
|
21%
|
| *Includes gifts to support the Diversity program. | ||||
| **359 gifts from 294 unique giving units. | ||||
Can we? YES! Will we? It’s up to BYM Friends!
Attachment Y2019-55: Growing Our Meetings Working Group Report
Thinking About Growth
Thinking About Growth
Growing Our Meetings Working Group
Advance Report: Thinking About Growth
Background
According to its charge, the initial focus of the GOMWG is to facilitate a discussion of questions around growth at the BYM level, as well as in local Meetings. To this end, the group intends to gather information and engage in a listening exercise.
What we seek from Annual Session
We are not seeking a particular decision at this point, but would like the Yearly Meeting to commence a discussion on the question of growth. The following queries (taken from our charge) might guide the discussion:
How do the various activities of BYM committees relate to growing membership in the Religious Society of Friends in the BYM area?
Does the Yearly Meeting wish to undertake coordinated steps that would facilitate a substantial increase in the membership of the Yearly Meeting?
What might be reasons for (or against) growth (at the Yearly Meeting or local Meeting level)?
How does a growth initiative relate to increasing the racial, age, and other diversity of BYM?
How do local Meetings articulate a diversity goal (for example, coming more into line with the population of their local community)?
How would becoming more welcoming require a given local Meeting to change? Is the Meeting willing to change in that way?
Does becoming more attractive to newcomers involve articulating what BYM Quakers do and believe? What statements would help in this respect?
Proposed follow up
The working group intends to engage in a discussion on growth with local Meetings. For those local Meetings that wish to have a conversation on this issue, the working group will consult with the Advancement and Outreach Committee, the Working Group on Racism, the Growing Diverse Leadership Committee, and any Change Group which the local Meeting has established.
The working group sees a connection between the Yearly Meeting’s diversity goals and growth. Increasing diversity involves being welcoming to newcomers. There is also a mathematical relationship between increased diversity and growth. Diversity involves bringing additional members into the meeting. This necessarily implies that the local Meeting will grow, or, if the local Meeting is already up to capacity and does not want to get any bigger, might involve splitting.
The GOMWG is looking for additional members who are led to join in this work.
Attachment Y2019-55: Growing Our Meetings Working Group Report
Proposed Minute on Theological Diversity Screening Process
Proposed Minute on Theological Diversity Screening Process
Growing Our Meetings Working Group
Advance Report: Proposed Minute on Theological Diversity Seasoning Process
Background
Newcomers thinking about coming to a Quaker meeting, and uncertain how their own beliefs fit in with Quakerism, might look at the Baltimore Yearly Meeting website for a statement about what Quakers believe. Such a statement cannot be found there. In order to be welcoming to newcomers, it is helpful to make available clear statements about our beliefs and practices. The Growing Our Meetings Working Group (“working group”) has identified the need for a statement about beliefs of BYM Quakers, the absence of such a statement being a barrier to welcoming newcomers. Such a statement might take the form of explaining that the Yearly Meeting welcomes people regardless of their theological beliefs.
Such a statement would talk about being welcoming. This fits in with the Yearly Meeting’s general orientation to increasing diversity. Greater diversity along any dimension can be achieved by being welcoming to each individual just as they are.
The working group has prepared a preliminary discussion draft which will be presented at a workshop on theological diversity scheduled for Saturday Aug. 3 at 2-4 p.m. All interested in discussing the topic are invited to join.
The working group seeks the Yearly Meeting’s endorsement of a process to season the statement in conversations with local Meetings. One reason for this is to enable local Meetings to take ownership of this statement and to consider how to integrate it into their lives. Saying that we are welcoming is easy enough, but implementing this concept day to day is more of a challenge.
The working group is ready to meet with interested local Meetings for a conversation on this issue. We envisage the conversation as including not just the statement on theological diversity but also the question of the local Meeting’s attitude to growth and to increasing diversity along all dimensions, not just theological diversity. The specifics of how the conversation might take place might differ for different local Meetings. Some might just send us their thoughts. Others might schedule a more intensive discussion. In planning the discussions with local meetings, the working group intends to consult with the Advancement and Outreach Committee (under whose care we operate), the Working Group on Racism, the Growing Diverse Leadership Committee, and any Change Group which the local Meeting has established.
Proposed minute on theological diversity seasoning process
The working group asks the Yearly Meeting to embrace the process for seasoning the proposal from the Working Group on Growing Our Meetings to adopt a minute on theological diversity.
Proposed follow up
The Growing our Meetings Working Group will contact local Meetings to get their views on the discussion draft on theological diversity (which might be revised from time to time). For those local Meetings that wish to have a conversation on this issue, the working group will consult with BYM’s Advancement and Outreach Committee, the Working Group on Racism, the Growing Diverse Leadership Committee, and any Change Group which the local Meeting has established.
The working group will then bring back the discussion draft as a proposed minute, either to Interim Meeting or to Annual Session, no later than August 2020.
After its adoption, the minute would be made available on the BYM website. It would also be submitted to the Faith and Practice Committee for eventual incorporation into Faith and Practice.
Attachment Y2019-56: Memorial Meeting for Worship Memorial Minutes
Elizabeth Ann (Susie) Hutcheson Fetter
2nd Tenth Month, 1936 ─ 21st Third Month, 2019
Elizabeth Ann (Susie) Hutcheson, born in Kingston, PA on October 2, 1936, was the second of three daughters of Allen Farrar Hutcheson and Marian Virginia Hornbaker Hutcheson. Her father had moved North from Virginia to work in the anthracite coal industry. Susie lived her young life in a loving family and a neighborhood full of kids and games. With no TV, the local library and radio were great sources of information and exposure to the wider world, while church choir, Sunday School and many neighborhood friendships provided a deep grounding in the community.
Only five years old when the United States entered WWII after Pearl Harbor, the changes imposed by rationing and blackouts were confusing. The death of one neighbor’s son, the sense of impending doom fostered by propaganda films and Susie’s own reflection upon hearing of much worse privation and terror suffered by children in the war zones—all these cemented Susie’s deep commitment to the hope of a world free of war.
After beginning her formal education at Main Street School, she completed High School at Wyoming Seminary where she was the recipient of the Ruggles Award made to the outstanding graduate of the Class of 1954. She next attended Goucher College in Towson, MD, obtaining an undergraduate degree in Biology in 1958. She also earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University in 1960, which included practice teaching at Milford Mill High School.
On June 25, 1960 she married Robert (Bob) Pollard Fetter. Before having two children, Allen Hutcheson Fetter (born in 1962) and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Pollard Fetter Kellett (born in 1965), Susie taught almost two years of high school biology at Roland Park Country School (RPCS) in Baltimore City.
In 1964 she was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a painful and debilitating arthritic condition, which came with a number of attendant challenges, especially during her last four years of life. This disease, which in Susie’s own words, “dominated” her life, first appeared when she was 16 but remained undiagnosed with intermittent symptomatic episodes until her late 20’s. Though the disease’s progression caused pain as joints deteriorated and her spine began to fuse, Susie fought off its effects and learned to “manage.” Courageous and determined, she might be slowed but would not be stopped. Illustrative of both her style and outlook, Susie described how she found that while underarm crutches helped relieve pain, her “fashionable 60’s wardrobe of short dresses were hiked up to immodest levels,” hence the “Canadian Crutches” she used for the rest of her life. She also learned that admission of her limitations allowed engagement with others and later proved a role model to her students who also struggled with disabilities.
In her memoir, Susie states “I am certain that my disability helped me raise independent, self-sufficient kids.” Indeed, Allen and Lizzie learned early on to navigate the city by foot and public transportation. Additionally, there was a three-month hospital stint of in-patient traction while her leg broken while riding on skis healed. Her hospital wing usually housed patients from prisons, mental hospitals and those living on the edge of poverty. One of her roommates was a stripper from The Block. When the clerk of Ministry and Counsel paid a call, Susie was just trying on the Stripper’s wig. All this, in her words, “broadened my perception of humanity and kept me entertained.” During those months even Bob’s naturally high energy was challenged as he attempted to keep the house running while commuting to DC. Wonderful neighbors strengthened the “feeling of belonging to an extended family” as they provided a dinner each night of the week in rotation in their homes while Susie was in the hospital.
Once the home routines were re-established after this long hospital stint, and the kids well established in making their way, Susie found “just” volunteering – at Stony Run, the League of Woman Voters, the Green Circle Program, Planned Parenthood, and coaching debate at Roland Park Country School—were not enough. Seeking the next challenge, she found employment with the Baltimore City schools teaching hospitalized and home-bound kids, often with disabilities. She found that her own challenges provided her opportunities to help students see their own potential and possibilities. She also encountered the harsh realities of poverty and its accompanying violence—she grieved that a few of her students left the hospital, only to die on the streets.
These experiences fueled Susie’s life-long commitment to advocacy and justice work. As she stated in her 50-year High School Reunion summary of her service while living in Roanoke, Virginia and serving on the boards of justice-seeking organizations: “I am a bit over-boarded right now, serving on five: Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Refugee and Immigration Services, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, and Literacy Volunteers.” To that list compiled in her late 60’s, add Plowshares Peace Center, and we are still not anywhere near the end of the line in Susie’s organizing efforts, including a host of them at Broadmead where she was an active resident for 12 years, serving two years as President of the Broadmead Residents Association, [BRA], next as a BRA representative to the Broadmead, Inc. board, and most recently as co-editor of the “Voice of the Residents” publication.
Across the years Susie and Bob were members of three Quaker Monthly Meetings: Baltimore Monthly Meeting, Stony Run, where Susie twice served as Clerk of Meeting (1973-75, 1979-81), Roanoke Friends Meeting, and Gunpowder Friends Meeting. Friends from the Roanoke area noted upon their leaving, that “calculating the good [the Fetters] did is not possible. …Hundreds, maybe thousands, of other people are living a little better today because the Fetters were here.” We at Gunpowder, who treasured our living with Susie and are blessed with Bob’s continuing contribution, could not say better except to add a bushel or more of love!!
Bob recalled with joy and warm memories some of the highlights of their work together particularly in the Quaker world: in 1992-1993 serving as the Celebration Coordinators for the 50th Anniversary “Jubilee” for FCNL; in 1994 designing and leading a workshop at Friends General Conference (FGC) on “So You’ve Been Asked to Talk about Quakerism”; in 1996 serving as Friends in Residence with Washington Quaker Work Camps in Greene County, Alabama helping to rebuild burned African-American churches; in 1997 delivering together the 50th Anniversary Carey Memorial Lecture titled “Leadings and Invitations” at Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s annual sessions.
Elizabeth Ann (Susie) Hutcheson Fetter, died March 21, 2019 at Broadmead Retirement Community following a short illness with several complications. In addition to her husband and son and daughter, Susie is survived by daughter-in-law Danielle Hermey, son-in-law Paul Kellett, four grandchildren Isabel Andolina Fetter, Elijah Hutcheson Fetter, Eliza Whitson Kellett and Robert Hutcheson Kellett, two sisters Eleanor Hutcheson Epler of Port St. Lucie, FL and Abigail Hutcheson Fair of Arlington, MA, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and still more wider family.
John "Jack" Davidson Fogarty
Born: March 9, 1928, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Died: December 6, 2018, Sandy Spring, Maryland
John "Jack" Davidson Fogarty, 90, a retired electronics engineer, died on December 6, 2018 in his sleep pain free. He is survived by Margaret Meyer Fogarty, his wife of 62.5 years, a son Eric, a daughter Barbara, and grandson Jonathan.
Jack Fogarty was born on March 9, 1928 in Plymouth, MA, the second child of Jeannette Owens and Thomas S. Fogarty. He graduated from Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, MA and went on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he majored in electrical engineering, course VI-A, class of 1949. He received both BSEE and MSEE degrees in 1950.
Jack Fogarty moved to Philadelphia, PA, living in the Friendship Cooperative House where he met and married Margaret C. Meyer in the Moorestown (NJ) Friends Meeting.
He worked for seven companies, the longest being Univac where he got his first patent on a memory circuit for an early solid-state computer. He relocated with his family to Columbia, MD in 1971 where he worked on over-the-horizon radar for ITT, then on, among other things, an optical computer for Westinghouse.
Jack Fogarty held engineering licenses in three states as well as both commercial and amateur radio licenses. He has several patents and has authored numerous technical articles and papers.
Jack's hobbies included square dancing, Sunday bicycling with Peggy (before children), camping, astronomy, and "ham" radio (W3OWJ).
After moving to Maryland they were active with the Quakers in Sandy Spring Friends Meeting in their prison ministry. He also volunteered at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, recording their newsletter for the blind.
He retired from Westinghouse in 1994. Jack and Peggy moved from Columbia, MD to the Friends House Retirement Community, Sandy Spring, MD in 2002.
Memorial Minute for Edward (Ted) Kenneth Hawkins
Edward Kenneth Hawkins died on 12/8/18 aged 90 at Collington Retirement Community in Bowie, MD.
Ted was born to Ruby Annie and John Edward Hawkins in 1929 in Hereford in England, a small market town near the Welsh border, where he lived until he went to university in Hull. While studying in Hull he met Evamaria (Ria) Guillery, a fellow student. He graduated with first class honors in economics and was offered a scholarship to do graduate study at Queens College in Oxford. After receiving his graduate degrees from Oxford in 1952 he married Ria and together they moved to Ibadan in Nigeria where Ted did research at the West African Institute for Economics and Social Research for 3 years.
Upon returning to England in 1955, now with a 9 month old daughter, he obtained a position as Research Fellow in African Studies at Nuffield College, Oxford. During his time at Nuffield College he spent one year in Uganda to research their road transport system, accompanied by his family with 2 children. In 1959, shortly after the birth of their third child, the family moved to Sheffield where Ted was appointed to a lectureship in Economics at the University of Sheffield. During vacations he made several trips to Africa as a consultant, writing reports on transport systems. An invitation to he a consultant for the World Back as part of a team studying the Spanish economy led to an appointment to work at the World Bank, and the family moved to Bethesda, Md. In 1963. He worked at the World Bank for 25 years, in many countries and departments.
Ted grew up attending an English Baptist church, while Ria grew up attending Quaker meetings. When they started dating, they shared their church attendance and went to Quaker Meeting in the mornings and to Baptist church on Sunday evenings. Before leaving Oxford for Sheffield Ted applied for membership in Oxford Meeting, and then became active member of Sheffield Meeting. After moving to the Washington area the family became founding members of Bethesda Friends, where Ted was an active participant, serving as clerk and on several committees,
He also became heavily involved in the Baltimore Yearly Meeting. He served on Stewardship & Finance, Supervisory Committee and Trustees. He became clerk of Trustees the year the Yearly Meeting bought camp Shiloh He helped to organize the financing of this second camp’s purchase and to bring the physical plant up to the standards needed to be operational. He soon realized that the former practice of one camping committee that could manage all matters concerned with camping was not adequate and he established the Camping Property Committee and the original committee became a Camping Program Committee. The Yearly Meeting also appointed a full time camp property manager.
Ted always had a concern for Third World countries, and in retirement became involved the Right Sharing of World Resources, a Quaker not for profit organization. He served on the board and shared the experience he had gained while working at the World Bank.
In 2000 Ted and Ria moved to the Collington Retirement Community in Bowie, Md. and eventually moved their Meeting membership to Annapolis Friends Meeting where he also served on Stewardship and Finance Committee and Trustees. Ted became involved in the life of the Collington community serving on the board of directors as well as several resident committees and the Collington Foundation In his later years, Ted developed dementia, and his family was grateful for the support available in the Collington Community. Ted cared very much for his growing family, which included his 3 children and their spouses, 7 grandchildren and their spouses/partners and 13 great grandchildren, who to his great delight all managed to visit him in the last 9 months of his life.
Betty Hutchinson
October 16, 1919 - May 16, 2019
Betty Hutchinson passed away on May 16, 2019, five months short of her 100th birthday. She had lived at Friends House Retirement Community in Sandy Spring, Maryland, for over 30 years.
Betty was born in Argentina on October 16, 1919, to American parents. She grew up totally bilingual. She attended Methodist schools in both Argentina and Uruguay until the family returned to Lincoln, Nebraska, when she was 13, where she attended public schools and the University of Nebraska.
While working at a summer job at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Betty got her first taste of sailing, the love of which led her years later to buy a summer cottage in Riva, Maryland, where she could keep a small sailboat. During her last year of college, World War II erupted and she became friends with two young men who were conscientious objectors. Their ideas strongly influenced the rest of her life.
Betty attended graduate school in social work at the University of Nebraska, then worked in Minneapolis at the Family and Children’s Association. During WWII, she joined the American Red Cross in hospital service, serving in India, the Philippines, and Korea. That experience led her to focus on medical social work, in which she eventually received a master’s degree from the University of Chicago. This led to a job in Denver. where she learned to ski and enjoy the mountain outdoors.
She developed an itchy foot and in 1952 she accepted a position as a medical social worker consultant to the International Cooperation Administration (now AID) in Panama. This was followed by positions in Delaware and Mexico. In 1960, she accepted a job with the Anne Arundel County Health Department so she could finally live in her cottage in Riva.
During the Kennedy Administration, the Peace Corps became a reality, and Betty accepted a staff position. As such, she did health education work in Colombia, evaluated programs in Chile, and became the Peace Corps Director in El Salvador. She later reflected that working with the Peace Corps was the job she loved the most. Later positions included consultant to family planning projects with the Westinghouse Learning Corps, social worker in a geriatric program with the Anne Arundel County Health Department, and director of the county Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program. She joined Annapolis Friends Meeting in 1971. She also became interested in Transcendental Meditation, and she continued her twice daily meditation practice for many years. She called doing TM the best decision she ever made for her well-being. Betty retired from paid work in 1981.
However, she didn’t know the meaning of the word retire. She volunteered for many years with the American Friends Service Committee, serving on various committees within the Mid-Atlantic region and on the national board. She also was interim director of Davis House, AFSC's Washington, D.C., office and international guest house. She attended many a peace demonstration through these years. When she moved to Friends House, she could be found on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Rt. 108 carrying a peace sign on Saturday mornings.
In 2001, Betty transferred her membership to Sandy Spring Friends Meeting. However, Annapolis Friends never quite let her go. Various Friends visited her on a regular basis. Friends remember with loving humor her occasional grouchiness as well as her impeccable integrity and her inspiring devotion to peace. Upon hearing about her death, many Annapolis Friends emailed about the personal support she had offered them. She was active in the practical things – setting up the kitchen in the new meetinghouse, showing up for Quaker Market – whatever needed to be done. She also offered a sizable, interest-free loan to Annapolis Friends to help buy the meetinghouse, and she ultimately forgave a large portion of that loan.
Betty was someone special who touched many lives. She will be missed but not forgotten.
Susan Jewett Lepper
August 11, 1934—May 14, 2019
Susan Jewett Lepper was an economist who used her expertise as an instructor at Yale University, a researcher for New York Federal Reserve Bank, a staff member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, Chief Economist for the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, Assistant Director of the Research Division and Chief of the Fiscal Analysis Section for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Senior Economist for the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress, and as an economist for the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
She was born in Pittsburgh PA on August 11, 1934, the daughter of Helen Jewett Lepper and Robert Lepper. She attended Swarthmore College, receiving her BA in Economics cum laude Phi Beta Kappa in 1955. She then attended Yale University where she received a master’s degree in economics in 1956 and a Ph.D. in economics in 1963.
Susan first applied for membership in the Religious Society of Friends through Morningside Preparative Meeting, New York Monthly Meeting, in 1962. She moved to Washington, DC in 1963 and attended Friends Meeting of Washington (FMW) until she moved to Connecticut in 1966 and formally transferred her membership to New Haven Friends Meeting. She returned to Friends Meeting of Washington in 1991 and became a member of this Meeting in 1995.
Susan immediately became Co-clerk of the Finance & Property Committee where she managed the financial aspects of repairing and restoring the Meetinghouse. She served on the FMW Board of Trustees from 1997 until 2009. She was the Meeting’s Recording Clerk from 1999 through 2001 and Alternate Presiding Clerk of the Meeting in 2009 and 2010.
She served as Clerk of the Records and Handbook Committee from 2004 to 2008. From 2005 to 2010 she served on the Planning Committee, which was responsible for developing plans for the FMW renovation work that is now nearing completion. For several years she volunteered with the Meeting’s Hunger and Homelessness Task Force and participated in the FMW Spiritual Formation Group.
She also found time to volunteer for several years outside the Meeting with the American Friends Service Committee DC Peace and Economic Justice Program, the St. Luke’s Shelter, which was located near her home, and in support of a Friend who worked on the Torreon/Star Lake Chapter of the Navajo Nation.
Additionally, Susan curated the artwork and legacy of her father, who was a noted artist and professor of art.
Memorial Minute for Joe Rogers
Joseph Evans Rogers, Jr. died at age 80 on Jan. 11, 2019 from metastasized prostate cancer. Joseph was born on Jan. 8, 1939, the only child of Mary A. Jones and Joseph E Rogers, in Mt. Holly NJ. Joseph married Gertrude “Trudy” Brown in 1964 under the care of Friends Meeting of Washington.
Joseph attended Moorestown Friends School; upon graduation he went to Haverford College where he majored in chemistry and then on to Cornell University where he earned his PhD in Organic Chemistry. He then taught organic chemistry at Carleton College, Northfield MN, and Earlham College, Richmond IN, before moving into academic administration with the Great Lakes Colleges Association. Wanting to move back to the mid-Atlantic region to be closer to aging parents, Joe looked for employment in Washington DC. He worked at the American Chemical Society as a research grant program administrator for their Petroleum Research Fund, encouraging grants for work at liberal arts colleges as well as major universities, retiring in 2000. In the early 1970’s he broadened his academic interests with study about energy production and the environment. This interest continued to grow as he worked with the Petroleum Research Fund. In retirement he continued his interest in energy and climate change issues, even offering an adult learning course on Energy and the Environment at the Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning.
Joe Rogers greatly valued his long Quaker heritage, and loved to share stories about his Quaker forebears. These deep Quaker roots found expression in a lifetime of service to the Religious Society of Friends, for which he felt a personal sense of responsibility. Joe served as treasurer for the Young Friends of North America in the early 1960’s, and as monthly meeting treasurer for Langley Hill Meeting. His ability to explain budgets and financial decisions with simplicity and clarity was greatly appreciated by Friends, and he was repeatedly called on to serve in this way. He served on the Board of Sandy Spring Friends School and then Friends House. He clerked the Finance Committees for FCNL and later for Friends General Conference and also for Pendle Hill. A good strategic thinker, he saw the policy implications of many lightly proposed actions and was willing to ask hard questions, especially about important proposals. He was constantly looking for the best way forward, and his energy and enthusiasm inspired others to redouble their own efforts.
For their ‘active retirement’ Joe and Trudy moved to the Eastern shore of MD, to a house in the woods along Fairlee Creek that they had designed themselves. Joe loved the water, and carefully maintained a canoe and other small craft for exploring it. He loved raising flowers and vegetables in the small front yard, and enjoyed walking among the ancient trees, noting where there was downed wood to be harvested for his beloved fireplace. An avid birdwatcher, he ringed the patio with birdfeeders, and fretted about the pesky squirrels. There were several nature reserves and birding areas nearby that he loved exploring, and he particularly enjoyed taking guests on walking tours to introduce them to the joys of birding.
Joe had a particular gift for hospitality. He had a keen wit, a dry sense of humor, and a love of puns. He loved bringing people together for an evening or a casual weekend, in hopes that they would build a lasting connection. He thought carefully about who among his many acquaintances might especially appreciate each other if they had a chance to meet, or might want to join forces around some common concern, and he issued invitations accordingly. He presided over these gatherings with a kind of courtly grace, and a heartfelt desire to make everyone feel at home, while Trudy quietly managed the work of hosting. It would be impossible to count the number of friendships that grew out of these encounters at the Rogers’ home, or the beach house where they spent a week each August.
Joe took great pride in his two daughters Elizabeth Evans Rogers and Mary Katherine (Kathy) Rogers, and never tired of talking about their academic prowess and professional achievements. Later he welcomed his son-in-law, Leonard Dickens, and grandsons, Alexander Evans Dickens and Mateo Edward Rogers into the family with open arms. He enjoyed having his family together, all of his progeny in one place. One particular highlight was Kathy and Leonard’s wedding in the great room in the house on Fairlee Creek in August 2004. Joe never succeeded in getting his grandsons interested in birding, but he did teach them to fish from the dock. His children and grandchildren especially remember how he would send them off on a canoe trip down the inlet, and then sit on the dock watching the birds through his binoculars, waiting for them to come back.
One of the cards we received spoke of “One life lived, Many lives touched.” Joe’s influence will live on in the buildings whose plans he tweaked and the financial structures he encouraged and adopted. His memory will also live on and color the ways his family and friends remember and honor him and his service to so many groups, especially the Quaker ones.
Attachment Y2019-64: Quaker Earthcare Witness Report
Report to Annual Session
by Baltimore Yearly Meeting Representative to
Quaker Earthcare Witness
Barb Adams (Richmond)
8/3/2019
This first year as your BYM rep to Quaker Earthcare Witness has been a very full and challenging one. Some highlights:
- I, with my two film partners, finished a film for QEW for the organization’s 30 anniversary called Quaker Earthcare Witness: A Panorama, that blends powerful messages from QEW participants with stunning visuals of a world we are losing at an alarming rate. This film comes at a time when QEW is seeking organizational transformation and renewal. Hayley Hathaway, QEW Publications Director, and I will be showing the film again in an interest group this afternoon.
- This spring I received a travel minute from Richmond Friends Meeting, and am scheduling visitations as my schedule allows to Monthly, Interim and Quarterly Meetings to share the film, talk about aspects of earthcare and discover how together we can build a network of Quakers in Action for the Planet. Please, contact me!
- Unity with Nature Committee and I are collaborating on a quarterly epistle to go out to Meetings to include in your newsletters/news lists or be made as announcements. We would like to keep our Monthly Meetings contacts as current as possible to receive these environmentally-focused blurbs and some occasional messages, so please check and update this list.
- My work this past year in developing my QEW role as a liaison to Women’s and Indigenous Groups around the world addressing Climate Crisis and Environmental injustice and Racism has brought so much personal growth and understanding, on a challenging and steep learning curve.
Last fall I travelled to Kenya, working with fellow Quaker Joseph Akeyo on a personal project, a school for children impacted by HIV/AIDS. While there, I was able to meet with Milka Kuto, a young woman of the Sengwer People whom I met at the previous UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues in NY. The Sengwer have a cultural and spiritual attachment to the Embobut Forest in Western Kenya and Milka has been working tirelessly to protect her people from illegal evictions and destruction of their homes. According to Amnesty International, a Kenyan government task force on conserving forests by ejecting forest communities concluded that the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) colluded in extensive illegal logging and destruction of the Embobut Forest, for which the Sengwer are being blamed and persecuted. Despite this finding, the task force recommended the continued indiscriminate eviction of communities living in endangered forests, including the Sengwer. I met with some Kenyan Quakers in Nairobi, but was unable to make much headway in finding support for Milka and her People against the human rights violations and welcome all and any connections and assistance in these efforts.
My experience with Milka and meeting Emma Condori, our Friend from Bolovia, here, brings into sharp focus the face of climate change that I believe Quakers can readily resonate with. Environmental justice issues are human, social, civil rights issues and at the root of these issues are national and multi-national corporations, usually seeking to extract resources, with government acquiescence or active collusion. Not surprising, the directly affected communities are those with the least power and influence: poor, indigenous, brown and black, immigrant, refugee, often rural, and I would add youth and unborn.
On the surface, these can seem like isolated issues “business as usual” activities in communities, states, nations, where companies hypnotize local governments and unaffected people with the promises of jobs and revenue. But collectively - en masse - it is a violent onslaught against the natural world for profit, greed and perpetuates a system of dominance and submission. For any of us not experiencing daily pain and life challenges, this speaks to our privileged place in the world - for now - that buffers us from the harsh realities experienced by so many. This is changing quickly, as more friends in BYM states can attest.
I would like to share with you a message that has galvanized and inspired me, a speech by Greta Thunburg to the United Nations.
Friends, I thought a lot about whether or not to share Greta’s message here today. I have chosen to do so, knowing that it may be seen as too negative, too harsh or upsetting. But I chose to because I believe Greta models brilliantly plain-speaking her truth to power, something that we Quakers know something about, but have seriously lagged in identifying climate crisis and environmental racism and injustice as worthy of this honored and powerful behavior.
Also, Greta’s direct and laser sharp call is juxtaposed to the world’s, including Quakers, well-meaning but often vague and muddled messages and actions. At the end of Eileen Flanagan’s workshop on Fear in Tumultuous Times, the query was posed “What could Quakers do if we could let go of our fear?” As a Quaker but also as your QEW rep I ask each of us not to discuss, explore or figure out why, but now to work through our fear and resistance, and find our own words of deep, beautiful, spiritual truth and act from them to save our home.
I am grateful for this opportunity to serve and thank the yearly Meeting for continued support - financial and in so many other ways. Please hold me in the Light as I continue to find and walk my path.
Attachment Y2019-66: Working Group on Right Relationship with Animals Report
Advanced Report for Annual Session 2019
Working Group on Right Relationship with Animals
A year ago at Annual Session, the gathered meeting adopted this minute: In the interest of peace, and with a deep concern for the living world, Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends encourages Friends to discuss how to extend the circle of love to animals, and to consider their welfare when making food choices. Our Working Group is grateful to the Yearly Meeting for promoting open discussion about this important subject.
We now invite everyone to choose a diet at least one day a week that is free of animal products, or to add another day per week for those who have already been doing that. Few actions in our daily lives can have as much direct benefit to another living being and to the environment as taking this one simple step. If everyone in the United States were to reduce their consumption of animal products by one seventh, more than a billion land animals would be saved every year from a life of misery and an untimely death. A hundred million acres of land would be made available for other purposes including wildlife habitat and reforesting. Many billions of sea creatures including whales and turtles would be spared. Having experienced the joy that comes from saving some of our fellow creatures, we may start to ask ourselves, why not spare them all?
Attachment Y2019-66: Working Group on Right Relationship with Animals Report
Oral Report
Oral Report
Oral Report by the Right Relationship with Animals Working Group
Good morning, Friends.
My name is Dayna Baily and I am a member of Penn Hill Friends Meeting in southeastern Pennsylvania. I am also a part of the Right Relationship with Animals Working Group, which took shape under the leadership of Margaret Fisher at Annual Session in 2014. The mission of our working group is to reduce animals’ suffering. Collectively, we desire a world in which all sentient species are treated with love and compassion.
Because of the tremendous scale of misery and torment caused by the animal farming industry, combined with a misguided cultural imperative that makes animal protein the center of every meal, most, but not all, of us in the working group have elected to eat a plant-based diet. But please understand that what brings us together us is the strength of our commitment to reduce animals’ suffering, not the number of plant-based meals a Friend manages to pull off in a week. We are well-acquainted with the challenge of going against the grain and view the transition to plant-based eating as a gradual process.
My name is Edie Silvestri from Langley Hill Friends Meeting. My diet is primarily vegan because of the kinship I feel with all animals and a deep concern for their welfare, my desire to reduce my carbon footprint—and for my physical health and in order to enjoy feelings of well-being.
My name is Margaret Fisher from Herndon Friends Meeting. While performing an atrocious experiment on a live frog in college, I had an epiphany: if it was wrong to unnecessarily harm and kill that frog—which it clearly was—then it would also be wrong for me to unnecessarily harm and kill animals for food, given the many healthy alternatives at my disposal. In a life filled with dilemmas and difficult choices, it has been a great joy to me to have this one way to consistently live up to my principles while also helping to counter the forces that are leading to environmental collapse. It has also been a pleasure to see our society adopt more animal-free foods and use human creativity to come up with a cornucopia of delicious and convenient plant-based options. I elaborate on these positive changes in “A Vegan Offers Three Reasons for Hope,” an article published in the June/July issue of Friends Journal.
My (Dayna) decision to adopt a plant-based diet was the result of a come-to-Jesus meeting I had with myself about 7 years ago, when my conscience wanted to know why, as someone who had always considered herself to be an animal lover, I was eating them. If you would like to know how my solitary drive to silent worship led to my permanent transition to a vegan diet, please read the personal essay that I wrote for the June/July issue of Friends Journal. It is titled “Butcher Hogs for Sale.”
A year ago at Annual Session, the gathered meeting adopted this minute: In the interest of peace, and with a deep concern for the living world, Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends encourages Friends to discuss how to extend the circle of love to animals, and to consider their welfare when making food choices. Our working group is grateful to the Yearly Meeting for promoting open discussion about this important subject.
Our concern for animals is not fringe; it is fundamental to our faith’s commitment to peace, and stewardship, and love. One of the voices held up to the light in Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s Faith and Practice is that of Martin Luther King, Jr. who states, “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” His son, Dexter King, former director of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, is a vegan for reasons of conscience. In his own words, “If you are violent to yourself by putting things into your body that violate its spirit, it will be difficult not to perpetuate that onto someone else.” Dexter King’s decision was inspired by human rights activist Dick Gregory, and he convinced his mother, the founder of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, to do the same. She viewed veganism as the “logical extension of Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy of non-violence.”
Today, Saturday, August 3rd, Baltimore is hosting Vegan Soul Fest for the sixth year in a row. The purpose of this event is to inform African Americans about the many benefits of plant-based eating. The event initially took shape at Land of Kush, an African-American owned vegan restaurant in Baltimore.
Reasons to adopt a vegan, or plant-based, diet abound. In addition to a concern for animal welfare, they include a concern for the environment, as well as human health. As a country, we are in a degenerative state nutritionally, due to an increasingly high percentage of lifestyle diseases attributed in part to the consumption of animal products. Our current generation of children is the first in history projected not to outlive their parents for this reason. It’s worth noting that even the U.S.D.A views Americans’ consumption of animal protein as excessive.
So we now encourage everyone to choose a diet at least one day a week that is free of animal products, or—for those who have already been doing that—to add another day per week. Few actions in our daily lives can have as much direct benefit to another living being, including ourselves, as taking this one simple step.
Please feel free to contact us by email, or by phone, if you have questions or would like some pointers on making plant-based cooking delicious, sustaining, and affordable.
Thank you.
Attachment Y2019-72: Growing Diverse Leadership Committee Report:
Declaration by Baltimore Yearly Meeting as an Anti-Racist Faith Community
Declaration by Baltimore Yearly Meeting as an Anti-Racist Faith Community
In struggling with how to ensure that our Yearly Meeting is an anti-racist faith community, we have come to some convictions.
We Aspire To Recognize And Affirm Diversity As A Means To Truth
We Friends are of many skin colors, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, stages of life, and socially constructed racial identities. We are all seeking the Spirit’s presence in our lives, and in our life together. We recognize that some of us have experienced oppression and marginalization in ways that others have not. We aspire to live as members of the blessed community, which is one of liberation, equity, and great diversity across all differences.1
We Approach Racism as a Virus to Be Healed
Simply “addressing” racism is too weak. Believing that we can simply end racism is too optimistic. Our response to racism must be to challenge it, to confront it, to correct it, and to heal this societal infection.2
We Are Committed to Becoming More Inclusive and Welcoming to All
We are committed to discerning how our Meetings at all levels can be more inclusive and welcoming to all, can encourage participation and leadership among all Friends, and can build an anti-racist, multicultural community.3
We Strive To Do More To Build And Maintain Trust
We will focus upon being more authentic (sharing the real me), logical (being rigorous in my thinking), and empathic (my being in it for others).4
We Seek to Ensure That We Do Not Benefit Some at the Expense of Others
We are encouraged by a practice that was adopted by the Board of Trustees at Pendle Hill Conference and Retreat Center several years ago to vet each decision using the following queries:
- How might this decision affect people from other cultures or those within the same culture who have different experiences, perceptions, belief systems, and perspectives from our own?
- To what degree have privilege, class, stereotypes, assumptions, and our ability to include other perspectives affected this decision? Will this decision promote inclusiveness, allow equal access, and welcome those we perceive as different from ourselves?
- How might this decision advance Pendle Hill’s goals of promoting diversity, fostering justice, and creating the Beloved Community for all people?
A Major Step Toward Becoming More Anti-Racist is To Test Decisions We Make
Using queries to examine how our decisions may promote inclusiveness, allow equal access, and welcome those we perceive as different from ourselves could, we believe, guide us in our deliberations. It will also make us more accountable for our actions and less likely to be satisfied with a statement that sounds laudatory, but proves empty or even harmful. In that regard, we seek to always be able to answer the following queries:
- How could this decision affect those who have been harmed by racist behavior?
- To what degree have privilege, class, stereotypes, assumptions, and our ability to include other perspectives affected this decision? Will this decision promote equity, diversity, and inclusiveness? Will it enable us to be more friendly and whole?
- How will we provide opportunities for those most likely to be directly affected by our decision to influence that decision?
- How does this decision support the declaration of our Yearly Meeting that we are an anti-racist faith community?
In Love and Peace, We Can Live as Friends
We will reach out to and welcome others we do not yet know, but who are God’s children, as we are. This must be done with warmth, compassion, love, and truth so it is rightly ordered (has integrity) and reciprocated in love and peace.
Further, we will include friends-to-be in our activities and welcome their questions and differences in understanding and action so as to develop friendships and become a whole community, richer due both to our more diverse composition, perspectives, and strengths and to the truth and love we have grown and used in the process.
Baltimore Yearly Meeting Statement of Vision (2016, adopted as revised)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting Epistle (2017 Annual Session)
Baltimore Yearly Meeting Epistle (2018 Annual Session)
Pettus, C. (2018). A Descriptive Analysis of the Views of People of Color Regarding Building a Bigger and Better Worship Community (A report submitted to the Growing Diverse Leadership Committee of the Baltimore Yearly Meeting)
