Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends convened on Sunday, May 12, 2011, at 12:20 P.M., with 14 people present. Clerk Edwin Hinshaw read a gentle prayer by Mary Stewart of Longmont, California (1904).
1. Susan Rice was approved as Recording Clerk for 2011, with thanks.
2. Jo-an Jacobus reported that Durham Monthly Meeting now has a two-year contract with FairPoint Communications for a landline telephone. It will cost approximately $45 a month. It should be hooked up on May 20th. The phone number is: 207.725.0411 and we will be listed as Durham Meeting of Friends. It was agreed that we should have voice mail along with call forwarding and conference calling. It was also agreed that we should have a block on 900 and international calls. It was agreed as well that Clarabel Marstaller and Jo-an Jacobus would be our contacts with FairPoint. Despite our wishes to have a copy of the contract held by the Trustees, there is no contract with FairPoint, only a verbal agreement. Jo-an Jacobus will write a report of all the items agreed to by both parties and provide it to the Trustees so it may be held by them.
3. The Meeting would like to recognize our graduates for this year:
From high school: Kristopher Reed, Amanda Curtis, and Sarah Freshley.
From college: Keegan Brown and Nicholas Gorgone.
From graduate school: Wesley Marstaller.
A gift certificate from Quakerbooks of Friends General Conference (FGC) for each graduate was approved to go with our hearty congratulations.
4. Katharine Hildebrandt, Treasurer, presented the Treasurer’s report for April. Income for April was $4,761.92; expenses were $4,862.55. The report was accepted with thanks. (Report attached.)
New England Yearly Meeting of Friends sent us a $100 donation to help with costs for the wonderful Godly Play Workshop supported by FGC. We agreed to send that $100 to FGC along with $160 from Christian Education Committee and the fees taken in for the workshop.
Katharine has been researching all the Meeting’s funds to determine which were given with restrictions. At this time the only fund that Katharine was able to determine has a restriction is the Goddard Fund, with a restriction on the principle. She requests that someone else do a similar check of all our trustees’ and finance files to confirm this and to help establish the base amount of the Goddard Fund which is being held and invested by the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends Pooled Funds.
5. David Reed reported for Trustees. Saturday May 21 will be clean-up day for the inside and outside of the Meetinghouse.
6. Finance Committee reported:
A. The organ that is in the Meeting Room was donated to us by Friends Camp. Finance Committee encourages anyone who would like to thank Friends Camp for this gift to do so by making a contribution to the Meeting and we will gratefully send it to Friends Camp.
B. There was discussion about having people make their donations to the Meeting through automatic monthly transfers from their bank account to ours. For some people this might be a more regular, manageable way to make their contributions. This method of receiving donations was approved. The Finance Committee is being asked to announce this at Meeting and through the newsletter. They were also asked to create a form for automatic transfers that friends could give to their bank with our bank account and routing numbers included.
7. Susan Rice reported that the Peace & Social Concerns dinner to benefit the Lisbon Area Christian Outreach Food Pantry will occur on Saturday June 25th at 5:30. It will be a pig roast with a locally grown pig. The menu will include vegetarian baked beans, cornbread, a variety of salads, and our famous Strawberry Shortcake. There was a discussion concerning serving pork as it excludes Muslims and Jews. It was decided to proceed with the menu as planned with a request for deeper discussion for future dinner menus. There will be a strong effort to invite people who live in the local area.
8. Clarabel Marstaller reported for Christian Education Committee that June 12 will be Children’s Sunday. It was requested that there be a second offering on that day to go to the United Society of Friends Women International children’s projects. This was approved.
9. Clarabel Marstaller reported on the Quarterly Meeting that gathered on April 30 at Friends Camp. The July 24th Quarterly Meeting will be held at Portland Meeting and the program will be on the Friends World Committee on Consultation theme of “Salt and Light”.
10. Daphne Clement gave a pastor’s report which included special thanks for her support committee. A contemplative prayer group has started on Tuesday evenings at the Meetinghouse. She will begin to repaint our old sign. Hooray!
11. Wendy Schlotterbeck gave a very full Youth Minister report. (Report attached.) We accepted this report with appreciation and admiration.
12. A letter of greeting from Durham Monthly Meeting will be carried by Elizabeth Muench to the Intermountain Yearly Meeting.
13. The minutes of the Monthly Meeting were approved during the meeting.
14. The Meeting adjourned, continuing in the spirit of worship, at 2:10 P.M.
Susan Rice, Recording Clerk
