Durham Monthly Meeting Minutes, June 18, 2017

Durham Monthly Meeting for Business, Minutes of June 18

Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends convened in worship on Sunday, June 18, 2017 at 12:15 with 10 people present. Clerk Sarah Sprogell opened with a reading on consensus and the sense of the meeting from New England Yearly Meeting’s “Interim Faith and Practice” (page 43).

1. Ron Turcotte reported for Ministry and Counsel.

a) Liana Thompson Knight has requested the transfer of her membership to Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends from Hartford Monthly Meeting. Ministry and Counsel has received a letter of transfer from Hartford Meeting and recommends this transfer.

b) Martha Hinshaw Sheldon has requested that her membership be transferred from Wilmington Friends in Ohio to Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends. Ministry and Counsel recommends this transfer. We have received a letter of transfer from Wilmington Friends including information that Martha was recorded as minister by Wilmington Yearly Meeting. Ministry and Counsel recommends this transfer and will look into the steps needed to transfer her status as a recorded minister.

c) Ministry and Counsel recommends a donation to the Quaker Climate Pilgrimage witness taking place July 9-16, from Portsmouth, NH to the Bow coal fired plant. Ministry and Counsel will consider appropriating money from their budget.

d) Ministry and Counsel is interested in investigating further our participation in the Growing with Hope leadership development program that is offered by Hope Gateway Church. Four to six people from Durham would be expected to participate in this program, which will take place in 2018 if we chose as a meeting to do it. There are a number of Durham Friends who have expressed an interest in participating.

2. The meeting heartily approved the transfers of Liana Thompson Knight and Martha Hinshaw Sheldon to Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends.

3. It was approved that Ministry and Counsel may ask others to contribute to the Climate Pilgrimage fund.

4. The meeting approved proceeding with the plan of participating in Growing with Hope. Ministry and Counsel will find the people to participate in it. It is requested that Finance Committee consider how the meeting will cover the $2000 fee. There will be an article in the newsletter to explain the program.

5. Tess Hartford reported for Christian Education. Children’s Day was a very joyful, special day with eight children with their families in attendance. The Yard and Plant Sale was a great success and raised $950. $500 of this will go to their 2017 sponsorship of Cornelius Magona, a high school student with the Kakamega Orphans Care Centre project.

6. Wendy Schlotterbeck, in her Youth Minister report, gave thanks to Christian Education and others for all their time and very generous contributions to the very successful Yard and Plant Sale. She will be a resource person for Young Friends at the August New England Yearly Meeting Sessions, which will have about 50 Quaker youth for the week.

7. Leslie Manning reported for Trustees.

a) Trustees reminds Friends that proof of insurance is necessary for any contractual work done for the meeting.

b) They are seeking bids for the work needing to be done on trees.

c) Margaret Wentworth will finish the 2016 cemetery books during the summer. On completion, the cemetery books will be passed over to Eileen Babcock. Trustees will be working on a 3 – 5-year plan for the cemeteries.

d) Trustees will also look at replacing the basement windows, which might be over 100 years old!

e) Gratitude was expressed to Craig Freshley for doing the many small but important jobs that Trustees has needed to have done.

f) Cleaning and floor work of the horse shed will be done during the summer.

8. Cindy Wood reported for Peace and Social Concerns. A press release will go out about the Meeting going solar. The new-comers’ dinners are continuing well. The date of the Kakamega fundraising dinner will be Saturday, September 30.

9. Sarah Sprogell reminded Friends of the $2000 donation that Rachel Carey Harper made to the meeting for us to use as we see fit. Sarah reported that the clerks meeting decided to donate the full amount to the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine, run by Fatuma Hussein in Lewiston/Auburn. It will be used by the IRCM as an emergency fund for the many needs of people who come to the center.

10. Jo-an Jacobus expressed the gratitude of the 12 Step group that meets at the meetinghouse on Sunday evenings. They donated a clock for the fellowship room.

11. In keeping with our practice, it was approved that we will meet in July but we will not meet in August. 11. The minutes of Monthly Meeting were approved during the meeting.

The meeting adjourned in the Spirit at 1:50.

Sukie Rice, Recording Clerk

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