DRAFT
Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends Business Meeting Minutes, March 15, 2026
Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends met for the conduct of business on Sunday, March 15, 2026, with fourteen people in attendance at the Meetinghouse and two by Zoom.
1. Meeting Opening
Clerk opened the meeting with the Lord’s Prayer adapted by Peter Bishop:
Father and Mother, Creator of the Universe, Ground of Being,
whose True Name is beyond knowing,
may all the Earth feel Your presence
and be filled with Your Light.
May we find what we need for this day,
for ourselves and one another.
May we find it in our hearts to forgive
and to accept forgiveness
Having eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil,
may we choose the good.
We ask all this of You
for all that is, is of You
and You are more besides.
Amen.
2. Approval of Minutes of February 2026
Meeting approved the minutes of the February meeting.
3. Ministry and Counsel — Renee Cote
Please see report.
- Regarding the Meeting’s “State of Society” report, Renee provided a first reading aloud. Members made suggestions that will be considered and included in the draft that will be brought back to the Meeting in April for approval. Suggested edits include:
- “Indigenous people of this region” will be added to describe the Wabanaki people with greater clarity.
- Replace “eshew” with “do not use it” in the paragraph pertaining to the use of Zoom.
- The Maker Cafe idea came to fruition by a group of Meeting members, not just one. Please send editing suggestions to M&C
- Woman’s Society description received suggested edits.
- Peace and Social Concerns entry was edited by including the exact number of schools reached.
- An entry for the Monday Morning Prayer group needs to be added.
- Use “Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends” as our name in the first paragraph. It is our legal name.
The suggestions was also made to add something about our worship life — our experience during Meeting for worship, the quality and depth; the kinds of issues that are raised for our spirit-lifting, the kinds of messages we bring, and how we deal with them.
The committee appreciated all of the input.
Meeting accepted the Ministry and Counsel report, with gratitude.
Clerk noted that the MCC report is available every month on the Meeting website.
4. Finance Committee — Nancy Marstaller
NEYM Pooled funds guidelines are available in print with copies in the Gathering Room and a copy posted to the website.
5. Rachel Carey-Harper gift — Nancy Marstaller
Nancy read the paragraph from Rachel Carey-Harper letter that expressed hopes for the use of this gift. Conferring with Wendy Seligman, Nancy recommended the Maine Solidarity Fund. Information about the fund was distributed and will be posted on the website.
The gift of $3,000 will come through the Charity Fund. The suggestion was made to disperse funds to both MSF, $2,000, and to a Meeting family, $1,000, who has borne great cost in support of refugees and LGBTQ+ communities.
Meeting approved dispersement of gift funds as described above.
6. Peace and Social Concerns — Ingrid Chalufour
Please see report.
Regarding associating with the Wabanaki Coalition, members expressed reservations about joining and thereby endorsing Coalition positions. The Coalition works to further their agendas for tribal sovereignty, autonomy, and related legislation, and is steered by Wabanaki leadership. Friends Committee on Maine Public Policy is already a member of the Coalition.
This is an opportunity for an individual, who has the interest and time, to represent the Meeting in this Coalition. An individual with such interest should reach out to P&SC committee. This opportunity will also be added to the newsletter.
How active do we want to be in pursuing this question during the election season here in Maine? This question provides a topic for the April 12 Friends Committee on National Legislation conversation to help set legislative priorities for this year.. Additional information in preparation for discernment for the April 12 meeting will be circulated.
7. Request to Endorse a Minute from Shepherdstown Friends Meeting
Meeting members voiced the concern that this minute didn’t reflect the leading of spirit of God, feeling that the text was arose from issues surrounding government positions and hierarchy.
What would we say, as a Meeting, to our elected officials? Might we consider this as a direction this Meeting would like to take and share with FCNL as a priority.
Meeting agreed to allow time for people to read the materials, return to the FCNL priorities discussion next month, and continue further discussion at April’s meeting for business,
8. Trustees — Sarah Sprogell and Doug Bennett
Please see report.
Doug reviewed the progress of the resolution around the Babcock estate.
9. Use of the Meetinghouse March 27 and 28
Young adult friends who plan to attend the Living Faith conference have asked to stay in the Meetinghouse.
10. 2025 Statistics Report — Sarah Sprogell
Please see report.
Meeting accepted the report, with gratitude.
11. Other Business
Please hold Leslie Manning in prayer between April 1st and 4th as she travels to Florida.
Meeting thanked Sarah Sprogell for serving so ably as Clerk for the past 3 months.
12. Closing Worship
From Taize:
With love and reverence, have we met.
With love and reverence do we part.
With love and reverence shall we meet again.
Our circle is open,
But never broken.
Blessed be.
Amen
Respectfully Submitted, Ellen Bennett, Recording Clerk
