Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends met for the conduct of business on Sunday, May 17, 2026, with ten people in attendance at the Meetinghouse and two by Zoom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Meeting Opening<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Clerk, Nancy Marstaller, opened the meeting by reading a wonderful letter from Emily Provance, a traveling Friend from 15th Street Meeting in New York City. Please see attachment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Approval of Minutes of April 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Meeting approved the minutes of the April meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. <\/strong>Ministry and Counsel \u2014 Renee Cote<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/strong>Please see report. Note that the book discussion group suggested there be additional sessions scheduled. Also note that there is a change in the message-giver\/unprogrammed meeting schedule for July: Unprogrammed worship July 5 and programmed worship July 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regarding the proposal for Shelley Randall to receive a denominational endorsement, such an endorsement certifies people to be pastoral counselors, and serves as a kind of licensure for pastoral work in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meeting approved proceeding with a denominational endorsement for Shelley Randall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Linda Muller, Joyce Gibson, and Wendy Schlotterbeck agreed to serve on a clearness committee for Shelley. Following the work of the clearness committee, the next and final step will be to present Meeting approval to Falmouth Quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4<\/strong>. Finance \u2014 Doug Bennett<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Please see report. A quarter of the way through the year, we have received a third of our budgeted income. Expenses are just slightly more than a quarter of expenses budgeted putting us in a good position for this quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unexpected revenue outside of regular operations include special donations and gifts received for specific purposes. The largest expense outside of the operating budget is the payment to the law firm guiding the resolution of the Eileen Babcock estate. The Meeting will recoup these expenses when the suit is settled. The Meeting voiced its appreciation for Doug in recognition of his perseverance in tackling this issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The finance committee requests approval for an additional $20,000 to cover projected legal fees, adding to $10,000 approved in both July 21, 2024 and September 21, 2025, for a total of $40,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meeting approved these additional funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Falmouth Quarterly Meeting Representatives\u2019 Report<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Quarterly Meeting minutes are posted on DMM website. Sarah Sprogell gave a summary of the presentations and discussions that took place during the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day of Listening: NEYM all day \u2014 on zoom or up in Hanover NH. Saturday June 20. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Report from Wabanaki Elder Program<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Please see report from Shirley Hager, a member of Vassalboro Quarter, and forwarded to Meeting from Leslie Manning. Very exciting to know that this community is being built and has a good chance of both expansion and longevity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7.<\/strong> Closing Worship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/strong>Noted that this has been a meeting of good news. Meeting noted it\u2019s great appreciation for Clerk Nancy Marstaller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next meeting for business will be June 21st. Clerk ended the meeting with a psalm by Dwight Wilson from his book Modern Psalms for Healers and Activists<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meeting expressed its great thanks to Nancy for clerking a good meeting, and to Kim for the lovely flowers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully Submitted, Ellen Bennett, Recording Clerk\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attachments<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends met for the conduct of business on Sunday, May 17, 2026, with ten people in attendance at the Meetinghouse and two by Zoom. 1. Meeting Opening Clerk, Nancy Marstaller, opened the meeting by reading a … Continue reading With your supreme vim and velocity
You propel us toward healing.
When we are wise enough not to resist,
we retire our selfishness and allow
our beings to shine like polished diamonds
until they make the sun ask You for shades.
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