Durham Monthly Meeting Minutes, December 18, 2016

Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends, December 18, 2016

Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends convened in worship on Sunday, December 18, 2016 at 12:30 with 12 people present. Clerk Sarah Sprogell opened by reading a Christmas meditation on sharing by Levinus Painter (found in New England Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice, page 123).

  1. Dorothy Hinshaw reported for Ministry and Counsel.

a) Ministry and Counsel is inviting Sass Carey to present her work with nomadic Mongolian people after worship on February 26.

b) The Friends United Meeting Chain of Prayer will be held from the beginning of the year until April. Joyce Gibson will coordinate with FUM concerning our day.

c) Ministry and Counsel plans on creating a written plan of how we will address the needs of the meeting as we are pastor-less for six months. Sarah Sprogell, Ron Turcotte, Joyce Gibson and Ed Hinshaw will make up the team that works on this.

d) There has been a request from New England Yearly Meeting for help with the chapter on membership in the revised the Faith and Practice. Sarah Sprogell, Ron Turcotte and Joyce Gibson will work on this together.

e) A group of New England Friends is going to Cuba in January. We will send a letter to our sister meeting in Velasco for them to carry over for us.

f) Ministry and Counsel will have read during worship the minutes on Earthcare and on Racial Justice that were approved at New England Yearly Meeting Sessions 2016.

2. It was approved that a collection be taken at the program for Sass Carey’s healthcare work with nomadic Mongolian people.

3. Doug Gwyn gave his final pastors report. Much of his efforts this month has been to help the transition after he has left.

a) He held a workshop on bringing the message, created a guide for care of worship, and guidelines for bringing the children’s message. He also wrote guidelines on making home and hospital visits. Daphne Clement has been helpful in adding to that.

b) Doug also reported that he has continued a correspondence with a man in Sing Sing Prison which Daphne had begun when she was pastor. Tess Hartford agreed to continue this correspondence.

Friends accepted Doug’s report with much gratitude for it and all that he has brought the meeting for the past two years.

4. Tess Hartford reported for Christian Education.

a) There was a well-attended gathering on December 11 for wreath-making and to decorate the meetinghouse. It was a lively group of children and adults, sharing a good time and a meal together.   The committee looks forward to having future events for families. Jo-an Jacobus expressed appreciation that Christian Education was very flexible and considerate of the 12 Step program that also met that night.

b)   Christian Education has been discussing the possibility of hiring someone to do the childcare on Sunday mornings for about 1 ½ hours each Sunday at $30. When they have specifics on the job description and agreement for such a childcare worker they will bring it to monthly meeting for business.

5. Jo-an Jacobus reported for Nominating Committee. There has been good success in bringing new people onto meeting committees for 2017.

Changes in the Committees and Officers in 2017:

Martha Hinshaw Sheldon will become the co-clerk, confirmed for the first six          months of the year, and archivist/recorder;

Nancy Marstaller will become coordinator of piano/organ;

Renewing her three year term:

Eileen Babcock (Trustees);

New Committee members:

Trustees: Paul Wood, Daniel Henton and Leslie Manning;

Christian Education: Katherine Langelier and Jeannie Baker Stinson;

Fundraising Committee: Donna Hutchins Ross;

Newsletter Committee: Jo-an Jacobus and Susan Wood;

Peace and Social Concerns: Cindy Wood and Linda Muller;

Friends Committee on National Legislation contact: Douglas Bennett;

Website committee members are still in transition.

6. Sukie Rice reported for Finance Committee and brought the proposed budget for 2017.   It is projected that our Income in 2017 will be $54,100 and our Expenses will be $46,000. These projections include the following changes from 2016:

a) a reduction of over $1000 for our electric and oil bills due to the installation of a heat pump and solar array;

b) income from rental of the parsonage;

c) a reduction of the pastor’s line item from $24,000 to $10,000;

d) a reduction of income of contributions.

The meeting approved the 2017 budget.

David Marstaller and Sarah Sprogell have been working out the arrangements for renting the parsonage to begin January, 2017. The lease agreement will be for the first six months of 2017 in which the rent would be $1500 per month. That will include all the utilities, but not cable/internet.

7. Sukie Rice reported that our grant proposal to the New England Yearly Meeting Legacy Gift Fund for $9000 is being very favorably viewed. The Legacy Fund will be making their announcement by the end of the year.

The meeting approved the solar/heat pump project, contracting with Maine Solar Solutions. It was also approved that there would be an open meeting to provide information so friends may learn about the project and meet the contractor, Sam Zuckerman after worship Sunday, January 22, with January 29 as the snow date.

8. The minutes of Monthly Meeting were approved during the meeting.

The meeting adjourned in the Spirit at 2:25pm.

Sukie Rice, Recording Clerk

 

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