Durham Monthly Meeting Minutes, March 20, 2016

Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends, March 20, 2016

Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends convened in worship on Sunday, March 20, 2016 with thirteen people present. Clerk Sarah Sprogell was not available for the meeting. It was approved that Edwin Hinshaw clerk the meeting. The meeting was opened in worship with Ed reading quotations from Dr. Martin Luther King.

  1. Ron Turcotte brought the report from Ministry and Counsel.

a) Joyce Gibson has agreed to be the meeting’s representative to NEYM M&C. Doug Gwyn will also be attending M&C as our pastor.

b) Most of the friendly dinners have begun meeting.

c) People bringing the message: April 3 – Sukie Rice; April 10 – Pastor Nelson Ida from Kakamega Orphan Project; April 24 – Craig Freshley; June 25 – Dorothy Selebwa from USFW-Kenya and the Kakamega Orphan Project.

d) Brian Drayton will be at Durham Meeting on June 4, facilitating a meeting for Friends with a concern for ministry. This will be for Falmouth and Vassalboro Quarterly Meetings.

e) On April 6, there will be a joint meeting of the clerks of the different Durham Meeting committees at 7:00 at the parsonage.

f) A letter has been received from Charlene McPhee requesting that she be removed from membership from the Meeting. Ministry and Counsel recommends that she be discontinued as a member. They also recommend that her daughter Lexie McPhee be discontinued from Junior Membership.

g) Durham Ministry and Counsel has been working on feedback to NEYM on the NEYM Faith and Practice Revision section on Ministry and Counsel Queries and has sent this feedback to Revisions Committee.

h) Ministry and Counsel has started a discussion about collective prayer and finding opportunities to be able to do this.

i) Doug Gwyn, Clarabel and Sarah Sprogell have been appointed for Ministry and Counsel to Falmouth Quarterly Meeting in Windham on April 2.

The report was accepted with thanks.

2. It was approved that Doug Gwyn, Sarah Sprogell and Clarabel Marstaller be our representatives to Falmouth Quarterly Meeting on April 2.

3. The recommendation to discontinue Charlene McPhee from membership and Lexie McPhee from Junior membership was approved, with our appreciation for their previous involvement in the meeting.

4. Doug Gwyn gave the pastor’s report, much of which is an overlap with the Ministry and Counsel report. On February 9, he met with Portland Friends who are reading his book: Sustainable Life. He met with Tallahassee Friends February 19-21 who are also reading the book. On April 24 he will be visiting with Central Philadelphia Friends meeting. He is working with Brian Drayton on the June 4th meeting on Friends with a concern for Gospel Ministry. Mid-week meetings for worship will resume on Wednesday evenings beginning March 30th at 7:00 at the parsonage. Doug’s report was accepted with thanks.

5. Wendy Schlotterbeck gave the Youth Minister’s report. They have decided to postpone a trip to Quebec until the autumn. There will be a closing dinner for the seniors this spring. Wendy’s report was accepted with thanks.

6. Approval was given for changing recording clerks from Sukie Rice to Martha Hinshaw Sheldon.

7. Wendy Schlottertbeck gave the Christian Education Committee report. All are invited to attend a Seder supper on Thursday, March 24 at 6:00 in the Meeting house. On Easter Sunday, March 27 Christian Education Committee is planning activities for the children between breakfast and meeting for worship. Meeting for Worship, starting as usual at 10:25, will be a family worship organized by Jeanne Baker Stinson and Tess Hartford using Godly Play. Christian Education has changed its meeting time to the first Sunday of the month. This report was accepted.

8. The Trustees reported that the committee is in transition juggling projects that are in process or needing to be done in the near future. The cell phone tower work continues in process. The committee is considering putting solar panels on the Meetinghouse roof but needs to also look at the potential and likely need for a new roof prior to solar panels. The committee is seeking multiple recommendations regarding the roof and will report findings. This report was accepted.

9. The Treasurer’s report for the month of January was distributed. The Finance Committee is discussing the possibility of having monthly reports change to quarterly reports.

10. A proposal was made that Durham Meeting invite Portland Friends Meeting to join Durham Friends in a sister relationship with Valesco Friends Meeting in Cuba. Durham Meeting has been a sister Meeting with Valesco Friends since 1996. Discussion occurred on the format, process and benefits of this proposal. Approval was given to appoint three people to work with Sarah Sprogell to develop a workable relationship between the three Meetings being sensitive to historical and socio-political concerns. People appointed were Ron Turcotte, Joyce Gibson and Katherine Langelier.

11. May is Break Free from Fossil Fuels Month, as created by 350.org and other organizations. Wendy Schlotterbeck presented some climate actions the Meeting could take. 1. Durham Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends could endorse a public vigil that will be held in Albany New York May 14 to protest oil trains going through the US. Albany is a central city for such trains. 2. Invite a small group of activists to talk to the Meeting on April 2. Jay O’Hara may be able to speak at Sunday school hour. (He spoke at a Peace and Social Concerns event a year ago.) 3. Meeting could help advertise for participation in a temporary working group on climate change/action in the local area. Approval was given for these three items with Wendy or the Clerk of Meeting writing the endorsement for item #1.

12. Durham Friends will be the host for New England Yearly Meeting-United Society of Friends Women on April 9.

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

The meeting adjourned in the Spirit at 2:20.

Sukie Rice and Martha Hinshaw Sheldon, Recording Clerks

Please follow and like us:
Pin Share