July 17, 2011
Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends convened on Sunday, July 17, 2011, at 12:15 pm with 16 people present. Co-Clerk Edwin Hinshaw read a quote from Thomas Kelly: “Social concern is the dynamic life of God at work in the world.”
1. Theresa Oleksiw and Leslie Manning reported for Ministry and Counsel.
a) Ministry and Counsel recommends that the new sound system be provided by Confield Associates. This system means there will be hand held microphones so that everyone will be able to hear. (It was determined that the hanging mics would not work in our meeting room.) It will cost between $1900 -$2100. Woman’s Society has $2000 earmarked for this. Finance Committee is asked to suggest how any cost over $2000 should be met. This recommendation was approved.
b) Because of child safety concerns for child care in the meetinghouse, M&C recommends having half windows installed in the nursery room doors for both of the access doors. Finance Committee is asked to look into how the costs for this would be met. This was approved.
c) The telephone tree is now available and will be distributed to all who are on the tree with extra copies available on the table in the library.
d) A questionnaire to assist in the annual evaluation of the Pastor will be done by forms that will be made available in the August newsletter as well as on the table in the library. Daphne Clement will also be filling out an evaluation. There will be a place on the form where members and attenders can say what they would like in the way of program offerings and when they might be available to attend such programs. M&C will bring a report of the evaluation and a recommendation coming from it to Monthly Meeting in November.
2. The Treasurer’s Report (attached) was distributed by Katherine Hildebrandt and was accepted with great thanks. Income for June was $2,936.03 and Expenses for June were $6,523.41. The significantly lower amount in contributions in June reflects seasonal differences.
a) It was noted that we budgeted $42,000 for contributions for 2011 and at the half-way point of the year, we have brought in $20,690, so we are very close to the budgeted projection. However our income for the first 6 months of 2011 is $4980 short of our expenses in the same period.
b) The Rise Up Singing benefit concert of the youth group brought in $1650. $650 went to pay the musicians. $250 has gone to sponsor a child at the Kakamega USFW Orphan Project. The youth group is still deciding how to allocate the rest of the money.
c) Finance Committee is still working on developing the method of making electronic transfers for people who want to make their contributions through automatic bank transfers.
d) $1261.26 is available as part of the compensation package for Daphne Clement to go to conferences. We approved allocating $500 of that to assist Daphne with her costs for going to New England Yearly Meeting sessions.
3. Susan Rice and Leslie Manning reported for Peace and Social Concerns.
a) They wish to hold a second benefit dinner for Lisbon Area Christian Outreach (LACO) food pantry on Saturday, October 1. It would be a “Harvest Dinner and Pies” event. Shiloh and Church of the Brethren would be asked to carry this event with us. This recommendation was approved. Daphne Clement is offering to be the liaison for Durham’s connections to LACO for fundraising. This was quickly approved
b) On Saturday November 12th, Peace and Social Concerns is recommending that we hold a Kenya Crafts Sale and Tea. The crafts would be brought back from Kenya by Susan and the sale of them will directly benefit the Orphan Project. At a particular point in the day, there would be a “Kenyan Tea (and biscuits)” and a reporting from those who were part of the trip this summer. This was heartily approved.
c) On Sunday, January 29, 2012 (the 5th Sunday of the month) Peace and Social Concerns would like to invite Brunswick and Lewiston Friends for worship and a pot luck with a program on how war spending has affected our job economy.
4) Dorothy Hinshaw reported for Christian Education Committee:
a) The special offering taken on Children’s Day (for the Children and Youth projects of United Society of Friends Women [USFW]) was $215. Durham’s Woman’s society has contributed further funds to make it a total of $500.
b) Rally Day will be on September 11. Plans for the year will be reviewed at that time.
c) At the end of August there will be a training workshop called Our Whole Life (OWL) Training, for middle school and high school curriculum. Daphne Clement’s conference fees are already covered in her compensation package. The Meeting approved funding for Wendy Schlotterbeck and Katharine Hildebrandt through the Christian Education budget and Conference funds.
5) Daphne Clement gave the pastors’ report.
a) She attended Friends General Conference Summer Gathering in July where she co-led a “Spiritual Journey and Writing” workshop that was very well received. Nearly 1000 Friends from all over the world were in attendance and she appreciated living for a week in a “village of Friends.”
b) Pastoral visits continue. She gives special thanks to Bill Curtis who does an exceptional job on our lawns. The community garden is coming along very well.
c) Jim Douglas will be bringing the message on August 7.
d) The sign is a work in progress. It was decided that the sign will have the website on it instead of the telephone number.
5) The Meeting decided to give $1200 (a 10% tithe from our Charity Fund) to the Brunswick Unitarian Universalist Church to help the rebuilding of their church following the fire.
6) It was approved that Elizabeth Muench will serve as our Ministry and Counsel representation to NEYM until or unless another person is appointed to undertake this responsibility
7) Monthly Meeting will not be held in August.
8) The minutes of the Monthly Meeting were approved during the meeting.
9) The Meeting adjourned, continuing in the spirit of worship, at 1:40 P.M.
Susan Rice, Recording Clerk
