Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends\nconvened for the conduct of business on Sunday, February 16, 2020, with 14\npeople present. Co-Clerk, Susan (Sukie)\nRice, opened the meeting with quiet waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1.The January minutes were approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Sarah Sprogell reported that the balance in the Charity\nAccount is $16.321.63; this report was requested due to projects which might\nuse this account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Katherine Hildebrandt reported that the Woman\u2019s Society\nrequests funds from the Charity Account to support Durham Meeting\nrepresentatives to the United Society of Friends Women International triennial conference\nwhich meets in Kenya in July. The amount\nrequested is $600 each to cover registration, food and lodging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. We approved the amount of $1200 from the Charity Account\n($600 each) for Martha Sheldon and Dorothy Curtis who are attending the USFWI\nconference. The clerk will prepare\ntraveling minutes for Martha and Dorothy and will plan a \u201cprayer sendoff\u201d late\nin June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Finance Committee: Sarah Sprogell handed out the 4th<\/sup>\nquarter finance report which includes income and operating expenses for 2019.\nShe also circulated a list of Designated Accounts,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saving Accounts, and investments and CD figures. These reports\nwill be attached to the minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarah gave a 2019\nyearend report: We received a bequest of $32,352 in the early part of 2019, and\napproved tithing 10% ($3,235) for our Charity Account, and put the balance into\nour Capital Account ($29,117), based on the long-standing history of the\ngiver\u2019s family having encouraged and supported good stewardship and care of our\nbuildings and property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nIn addition to tithing $3,235 to the Charity Account, the meeting also\napproved moving the balance of the Bailey and Cox Funds, totally about $11,000\nto this account, increasing its balance to $19,000. This increased our ability to support worthy\ncauses brought before the meeting through committees. Through this process we made contributions of\nclose to $3000 in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the above actions were taken, we ended\nthe year with a surplus of $20,590.15<\/p>\n\n\n\n The primary reasons for this\nsurplus are described below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some actions have already been taken in\nresponse to this surplus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\nis with a deep sense of gratitude for the many people who give of themselves so\ngenerously to the care of the meeting, that we find ourselves in a strong\nposition to steward our meeting community spiritually, to provide responsible\ncare for our buildings and property, and to engage with the broader community\nas advocates for \u201can earth restored.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We received these reports with gratitude. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Peace and Social Concerns: Ingrid Chalufour reported that the committee\nheld a forum on January 26th<\/sup> to discuss the U.S. Military carbon\nfootprint and to write letters to our legislators. The meeting was well attended and they were\nencouraged to continue to conduct activities that address our outsized military\nand their contribution to the climate crisis, and to voice our thoughts\nwidely. There were several suggestions\nwhich will guide the committee\u2019s planning for the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The ad-hoc Carbon Footprint Committee brought\ntwo contractors into the meetinghouse to assess our insulation needs and gave\nestimates for work they recommend to lower our fuel use. We have vermiculite insulation in the attic\nto be tested for asbestos; one contractor recommend its removal; the other to\nkeep it in place. The committee will\nbring a proposal to monthly meeting for the best way forward regarding our\ncarbon footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Margaret Wentworth reported that an ad-hoc support committee\n(Margaret Wentworth, Margaret Leitch Copeland, and Sukie Rice) has been formed\nto support Theresa Oleksiw who has felt drawn to work on issues of poverty and\nfood insecurity in Maine and to raise the realities of this issue to law-makers\nwith hopes of increasing the funding for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition\nAssistance Program). Theresa met with\na clearness committee from Portland Friends Meeting to develop a clear picture\nof how to proceed, and they developed plans for the SNAP ReBoot Project that\npersonalizes and addresses food insecurity. \nShe has received grants from Portland Meeting, New England Yearly\nMeeting, and the Lyman Foundation to fund the project through April. She is applying for further grants to complete\nthis project. Because of a two-month\nfunding gap between grants, the support committee recommends that Durham\nMeeting grant her $3000 for these two months, May and June. A full report of this project is\nattached. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. The meeting approved the grant of $3000 from the Charity\nFund for the SNAP ReBoot Project. We\nlook forward to a report from Theresa regarding this project, and a financial\nreport of expenses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 9. Christian\nEducation and Youth Minister: Wendy\nSchlotterbeck is staffing the Young Friends Retreat at Woolman Hill this\nweekend and thus sent a report. Sunday\nSchool classes are going well. The preschool<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elementary age class taught by Tess Hartford averages 3-5\nchildren and is continuing to use Faith and Play and Godly Play stories. Feedback from parents indicate that this\ncurriculum is much appreciated. The\nmiddle\/high school class taught by Wendy Schlottebeck averages 2-3 youth, and\nuses the Quaker Affirmations curriculum from the religious Education\nCollaborative. The Adult class continues\nto meet every Sunday at 9:30. It is\nfacilitated by Martha Hinshaw Sheldon and they are currently reading \u201cWhite\nFragility\u201d by Robin DiAngelo. Martha\nreported having incredible, intense, and lively discussions. \u201cWaking Up White\u201d by Debby Irving was the\nprevious book the class read and discussed. \nThis class averages 3-5 participants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Upcoming\nevents: family game night March 14; Easter breakfast April 12; and Faith and\nPlay\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n Godly Play training on May\n8-10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10: Nancy Marstaller brought a concern regarding the organ\nin the meeting room which unfortunately has not been used for some time; it was\napproved that it be sold or given away to another church. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We closed in gratitude for the present and the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dorothy Hinshaw, Recording Clerk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends convened for the conduct of business on Sunday, February 16, 2020, with 14 people present. Co-Clerk, Susan (Sukie) Rice, opened the meeting with quiet waiting. 1.The January minutes were approved. 2. Sarah Sprogell reported that … Continue reading