FMW Newsletter, 2.2016
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Friends Meeting of Washington
Monthly Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
January 2016
Are meetings for worship held in expectant waiting for Divine guidance? Are Friends encouraged to share spiritual insights? Are special gifts of ministry recognized and encouraged?
Do you come to meeting with heart and mind prepared? Are you careful not to disturb the spirit of the meeting by late arrival or in other ways?
Advices
Waiting upon the Holy Spirit in silent expectation and prayer is the basis of our meeting for worship. Vocal ministry should arise out of a sense of being inwardly moved to share a message aloud. Sometimes a message is not ripe yet, or comes clearly but is meant only for the person receiving it, not for the group. Some Friends are led to speak frequently, and others only rarely; yet the timid or brief message of one who seldom speaks may be as moving and helpful as that of a more practiced speaker. The experienced speaker should be watchful not to speak too often or at undue length. No Friend should come to meeting for worship with an intention to speak or not to speak.
The most satisfactory vocal ministry arises out of a leading that is felt in the silence so strongly that it cannot be ignored. It should be delivered with as few words as possible, yet as many as necessary. Vocal prayer offered on behalf of the gathered meeting can also bring us into closer harmony with God. – BYM Faith and Practice
Voices
We recognize a variety of ministries. In our worship these include those who speak under the guidance of the Spirit, and those who receive and uphold the work of the Spirit in silence and prayer. We also recognize as ministry service on our many committees, hospitality and childcare, the care of finance and premises, and many other tasks. We value those whose ministry is not in an appointed task but is in teaching, counselling, listening, prayer, enabling the service of others, or other service in the meeting or the world.
The purpose of all our ministry is to lead us and other people into closer communion with God and to enable us to carry out those tasks which the Spirit lays upon us. – London Yearly Meeting, 1986
2016/1-1
Meeting for Business opened at 12:15 pm with 26 persons present. Friends welcomed Margaret Benefiel and Ken Haase from Beacon Hill Meeting. Ken is a member of the Friend United Meeting General Board.
Clerk’s Report
2016/1-1
The Ministry and Worship Committee and the clerks have been continuing with seeking information on pastoral counseling with expertise on bullying.
Jim Clay, Director of School for Friends, will be offering parenting classes at FMW starting in February. More information will be provided at a later date.
The Memorial Meeting for Joan Gildemeister was held Saturday January 9th in good order. Friends remembered Joan fondly and expressed how much she would be missed.
Major items
Capital Campaign Taskforce
2016/1-2
Neil Froemming reported that the architects are done and are ready to apply for permits with construction beginning in the summer. Neil reported, however, the estimated cost is now well over $3 million. Friends were informed that the Taskforce was still working to find reductions in cost and how to undertake the renovation in light of the additional costs of imposed by regulations and circumstances.
The Trustees and Capital Campaign Taskforce plan on coming to Meeting for Business in the spring with a list of cost-saving information, financial information about the cost and other information about how the Meeting can undertake a lower cost project while providing access to all parts of the campus and better manage stormwater.
Nominating
2016/1-3
Todd Harvey, clerk of Nomination Committee, presented the resignation of Todd Harvey from the Capital Campaign Committee.
The Meeting ACCEPTED the resignation.
Todd Harvey brought forth the following nomination:
Justin Connor (Member) for Trustees until 2021
The Meeting APPROVED the nomination.
Todd Harvey brought forth the following nominations that were held over from last Meeting for Business due to the need for waivers for non-members to serve in certain capacities.
Mohamad Tim Connor
-Marriage & Family Relations, clerk
-second presentation, non-member waiver
Mike Duvall
-Peace & Social Concerns, clerk
-second presentation, non-member waiver
Emily Schmeidler
-Personal Aid, clerk
-second presentation, non-member waiver
Brian Lutenegger
-Property, co-clerk
-second presentation, non-member waiver
Diane White
-Marriage & Family Relations
-second presentation, non-member waiver
Bill Strein
-Personnel
-second presentation, non-member waiver
Chris Wickham
-Records & Handbook
-second presentation, non-member waiver
The Meeting APPROVED the nominations.
A member of Membership committee challenged the committee to seek the membership of active participants of the Meeting.
A Friend asked that since the waivers resulted in committees meeting without clerks and should we not bring these names in November so that does not happen in the future?
Recorder
2016/1-4 Dan Dozier read the Recorder’s report, a copy of which is attached. He noted that we had a net zero change in members in 2015.
Records & Handbook
2016/1-5 Beth Cogswell, clerk of Records & Handbook Committee reported the following alteration in the Handbook as directed by the Meeting: Section 8Committee of Clerks, sentence two now reads:
The Committee may co-opt other members.
She noted that the committee continues to work with the Ministry & Worship Committee and the Nominating Committee to bring a final proposal to Meeting for Business for the charge of the “Anti-Harassment Task Force.”
2016/1-6
A Friend noted that some of the photos downstairs are missing and individuals have felt concerned that photos have been removed. Another Friend has agreed to help take photos of people for the board. Another Friend noted that the Teen and Tweens are working on this project as part of their ministry to the meeting.
Milestones
2016/1-7
A draft Memorial Minute for Joan Gildemeister was presented. The Minute will be held over for further seasoning.
The Meeting APPROVED the minutes.
The meeting closed after Silence at 1:15 pm with 27 Friends present to reconvene on February 14, 2016 as way opens.
ATTACHMENTS
By year to year count these are the figures for the Meeting’s membership as of December 31, 2015.
The figures: According to our database, there are 303 members and 67 associate members, for a total of 370 members. There are 202 members listed as residents, and 101 listed as nonresidents.
Changes in 2015:
On the plus side, we gained 5 new adult members and 2 associate members. Total gains equals 7.
On the minus side, 3 members died, 3transferred out, and 1 resigned. Total losses equal 7.
Our database continues to tell us that we have 8 Sojourners, a number which hasn’t changed for a while.
(this ends the Minutes & Reports for the January Meeting for Business)
UPCOMING EVENTS – FEBRUARY 2016
Feb. 3: Come to the Meeting House at 5:30 to help prepare sandwiches to take to our vulnerable neighbors on the street with the Grate Patrol.
Feb. 6: Come to So Others Might Eat to prepare breakfast for our vulnerable neighbors. SOME is located at 71 O Street, NW. There is a small parking lot next to the building. All are welcome.
Feb. 6: Special Called Interim Meeting, Baltimore Yearly Meeting The ad-hoc General Secretary Search Committee has developed a new job description which has been reviewed by the HOPE Committee and has been approved by Supervisory. We will be holding a called Interim Meeting for the purpose of approving the General Secretary job description on February 6th at Friends Meeting of Washington from 2 to 4 pm. A simple meal will be served beforehand. Child care is available (on request made by no later than January 29).
Feb. 12-14: Young Friends Conference, Sandy Spring Friends School. For information, check the Young Friends website (https://bym-rsforg.presencehost.net/what_we_do/yfs/yfcon.html) or contact Jocelyn Dowling. (301-774-7663)
Feb. 12-14: Washington Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology is coming up on President's Day Weekend, Feb. 12-14, 2016. Plenary speaker is Bonnie Damron. She will guide us in exploring Penelope, a Workshop on the Archetype of a Destiny Fulfilled. We will meet at the Claggett Center. For more information and to register, contact Stephen McDonnell at stephen@stephenmcdonnell.com To register by phone, call Walter Brown at 202.882.1764.
You can register directly by going here: http://fcrp.quaker.org/wfcrp-plenary-2016.html
Feb. 13: Friends Wilderness Center will be the venue for sharing poetry around the fire, followed later in the day by stargazing, both led by more experienced people who will make the events interesting and fun. Details are still being worked out. If you need directions or have questions, please contact Sheila Bach (snbach@earthlink.net, 304-728-4820). The website is www.friendswilderness.org
Feb. 21: Empty Bowl to Fight Hunger, 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Sandy Spring Friends School would like to invite you to participate in our Empty Bowl endeavor to fight hunger. The dinner will be from 4:00-7:00 pm in Westview Dining Hall at Sandy Spring Friends School. At that dinner, participants (and you are of course invited!), will be welcome to choose a favorite bowl, share a simple meal, and then take the bowl home as a reminder that 15+ million American children go to bed daily without dinner. All funds gathered that night will be sent to Feeding America to help fund their Backpack program supporting children in food-insecure families. For more information about the Empty Bowl project at SSFS, please read more about it online here: http://www.ssfs.org/data/files/gallery/ContentGallery/EmptyBowlProject_2016.pdf
THINKING ABOUT RACE - "A Hard Look at How We See Race"
Research "shows subconscious connections in people's minds between black faces and crime, and how those links may pervert justice; law enforcement officers across the country are taking note." This article describes research by Jennifer Eberhardt, PhD, a professor at Stanford University, reactions to it, and its impact on providing training within law enforcement. Lorie Fridell, who was head of research for a law enforcement policy group in Washington, D.C., stated:
"Key to the training's appeal is that it treats bias as a common human condition to be recognized and managed, rather than as a deeply offensive personal sin, an approach that makes cops less defensive. 'They understand that it is a real issue with which they need to deal, but not because the profession is made up of ill-intentioned individuals with explicit biases (e.g., racists), but because the profession is comprised of humans.'"
From "A Hard Look at How We See Race," by Sam Scott, published in Utne Reader, Winter 2015 (originally published in the September/October 2015 issue of Stanford Magazine)
http://www.utne.com/politics/social-psychology-racial-disparity-zm0z15wzdeh.
This column is prepared by the BYM Working Group on Racism (WGR) and sent to the designated liaisons at each Monthly and Preparative Meeting for publication in their newsletter or other means of dissemination. The WGR meets most months on the third Saturday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Locations vary to allow access to more Friends. Our next meeting will be at Bethesda Friends Meeting on February 20. If you would like to attend, on a regular or a drop-in basis, contact clerk David Etheridge, david.etheridge@verizon.net.
Last month our beloved Clerk, Meg Greene, traveled with her work to a city in Burkina Faso with the delightful name of Ouagadougou. Or that was the plan, anyway. Then a small group of Al-Queda adherents began an attack on a hotel in that city which is frequented by foreigners. The attack left nearly 30 people dead and twice that many injured.
Hearing this frightening news, Jean Capps went looking for Meg via the internet, and received this response:
Thank you Jean - I really appreciate this! The Hotel Splendid is near the airport so the army locked down the airport and flights were prevented from landing, including mine. Everyone spent the night on the floor of the airport. I was lying near sick 6-month old TRIPLETS. We are all waiting for information now; hoping to fly out this morning. It has been very stressful but I feel lucky.
Thank you again,
Meg
She did manage to get a flight to Paris, and spent another 24 hours trying to get back to D.C She wrote on Facebook
Hello friends - greetings from Paris, where I arrived last night from Burkina Faso. I'm feeling quite heartbroken after a wonderful work experience with my burkinabe colleagues and others who represent the deeply tolerant, welcoming, hard-working and committed character of the place. Thanks so many of you for checking up on me. I attach a picture of the old mosque in Bobo-Dioulasso that I had the good fortune to visit earlier this week. Hugs to all, Meg
SO glad she’s safe!
One of the enormous pleasures of my job is the occasional, surprisingly deep conversations that happen when nonprofits come by to rent space for their events. I had one recently with a woman whose group is organizing an all-day financial fair for the general public—workshops on debt relief, savings, investing, and budgeting. I asked if they planned to include a workshop on philanthropy (the answer to which is No), and then we launched into a long discussion of tithing. She’s Jewish, and she and her husband continue to tithe, despite his recent job loss. But she also believes that what people do for a living, if it’s in service, should count as part of the tithe.
That led me to reflect on how many Friends in the Meeting give with their work. We’re the congregation of dot orgs and dot govs, it seems—so many lives of service. Is this hardwired into the Quaker character? Is it our deep-seated longing for justice, or the nagging belief that our lives are supposed to be reducing the causes of war rather than contributing to them? Whatever it comes from, I am so grateful for all of you and all that you do.
- Debby
Two feet of snow... ...and its removal
Greyson, with shovel Osa, with tutu
Isa, with Legos Michael North, who opened Meeting at the blizzard's end