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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Clerks Report
Business
-American University Chaplaincy
-Finance & Stewardship: FY25 Budget
-Religious Education
-Nominations
[Anti-Racist Queries to guide our discernment]
Addenda:  Report on Chaplaincy at AU

Friends Meeting of Washington
Minutes - June 9, 2024
Monthly Community Meeting
(Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business)

Query for Worship Sharing:  How do we share responsibility for every child in our Meeting?

In-Person Attenders: 28
Online Attenders: 8
New Attenders: Audrey Peek

Clerk’s Report, June 2024

Upcoming Events        

• Marriage of Michael Wood & Dayna Clark, FMW’s Meeting Room, June 22, 4 pm.
  Michael and Dayna’s wedding under the care of our Meeting.  For more info contact Marriage & Family Relations, Debby Churchman (dchurchm@yahoo.com)

• Jazz & Democracy Concert Fundraiser for WIN at FMW, Thursday, June 27
  6:00 pm - Reception, 7:00 - 8:30 pm.   (Get tickets here.)  Join FMW’s own Bruce Jacobs, his MJP Power Trio for an evening of jazz to support the work of the Washington Interfaith Network.  WIN gives FMW and faith congregations across DC the ability to work together for justice, affordable and green housing, equity and democracy in DC.  Join us to help fund this critical work and an incredible evening of jazz. (Suggested donation $50–but pay less or more as you are able.  We want to fill the Meeting Room!)  For more info and to volunteer, contact Barbara Briggs, (BarbaraHBriggs@gmail.com) or any member of FMW’s Committee on Peace & Social Concerns.

• Friends General Conference (FGC) Summer Gathering, June 30-July 6 - Registration is open!  This year, FGC’s summer gathering will be held nearby, at 

• Haverford College outside Philadelphia.  You can meet Quakers from across the U.S. for shared worship and workshops on Quakerism, spirituality, personal growth and social justice.  Open registration has begun–and workshops fill up fast.  More info and registration.

• Committee of Clerks meeting, Quaker House Living Room & online June 30, 9:00 am
  Planning meeting for all clerks of FMW Committees–held on 5th Sundays.
  Join on Zoom.  For more info contact FMW co-clerks Allen Fawcett (AAFawcett@gmail.com) or Elaine Wilson (ElaineSWils@gmail.com)

• "Friendly 8s" - Sign up!, Assembly Room, June 9, 16, 23, 30.
  Friendly 8s is a Quaker tradition of gathering with the same five to eight Friends for monthly potluck dinners on the same day of the week in six-month cycles. The groups are self organized. Each month, someone “hosts” –sending out email reminders, directions to the chosen location, and helping shape the potluck food and drink to round out a meal. Friendly 8s will begin in July. For the first session, the Monday group will gather in S. Arlington; the Tuesday and Wednesday groups in Takoma Park, and the Thursday group in NW DC. Future locations will depend on group composition. For more information, please contact Debby Churchman (dchurchm@yahoo.com) and Elise Storck (ewstorck@yahoo.com.)

FMW Community Highlights & Kudos

• Quaker Peace Testimony and Palestine:  On Wednesday, June 5 FMW’s Peace and Social Concerns Committee hosted American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) general secretary Joyce Ajlouny who discussed the war in Gaza, AFSC’s work with refugees, and her family’s own experience.  Well over 60 attended in FMW’s Meeting Room, with close to 100, including Friends from Meetings across the country. Joyce asked Quaker meetings to join the interfaith Apartheid-free Pledge, and to endorse FCNL’s ‘A Different Future Is Possible: Quaker Organizations Share a Vision for Peace in Palestine and Israel.’
• Friends with PRIDE:  Friends from FMW and area Meetings joined the annual DC PRIDE block party and March on Saturday, June 8, and will table at the PRIDE festival today.

Tenant Updates- Activities at our Meeting House

• All rental offices are full with 14 nonprofit, professional and small business tenants.  
• Event rental income for this year, and booked for next year are well ahead of where they were a year ago.  See the details in Brian’s Event Rental Report for May 2024.

Business

American University Chaplain Report–Gene Throwe

One friend thanked Gene for their service.

One friend brought up that they had been asked to support a chaplaincy at George Washington University, and asked Gene what we could do to support this outreach.

Gene responded noting how rewarding being a chaplain was, and suggested putting a note in the FMW announcements. They noted we had a chaplain at GW, Josh Wilson, in the past, but that they were no longer available. They noted that they were very happy to speak with the representatives at GW and suggested raising funds for food and supplies.

A member of Ministry and Worship noted that they welcome taking the AU meeting under their care, but noted that there was a formal process and recommended Gene attend a committee meeting of M&W.

Gene responded that there were fewer than 10 Quaker Chaplaincies in the US, and noted that most of them did not have strong formal processes but that they were more than happy to speak to M&W to establish a formal relationship.

One friend thanked Gene for their service and asked that we also consider other universities such as UDC and Howard.

One friend asked to what extent Gene’s meeting was under the care of the meeting currently, and noted some complications and difficulties associated with quakerism at universities. They noted that there was a strong Jewish chaplaincy at Georgetown University, and suggested bringing a Quaker presence to that area. They noted that, in regard to UDC, they were unsure how many students attended in person.

Gene noted that, when he originally began his chaplaincy, the process for starting it on campus only required a letter of recognition from the larger meeting. Gene also noted how important it would be to begin a chaplaincy at Howard university. They noted that American University was originally a United Methodist university, but that their area of worship was open to all.

Friend Joe Izzo noted their experience as a chaplain at two other universities, and noted that it was a heavy commitment. They volunteered to run a workshop on how to run a chaplaincy at a university.

One friend noted that Friend Aaron Johnson had experience working with and within chaplaincy programs and could also likely contribute.

One friend who was an alumnus of Georgetown University noted that Friends General Conference had begun a study on Quaker ministries, and that Gene could now be considered a recorded minister and raised the question of what being a recorded minister means. They noted that if we are going to support Gene in his ministry, we need to commit to supporting Gene in his ministry and also support those that Gene ministers to and that this needs to be a serious commitment. They requested that we support Gene in whatever way we can.

Friends accepted the report with gratitude.

Finance & Stewardship - Jason Terry & Anita Drever

Third review and (hopefully) approval of FMW budget for FY2025 (7/1/2024 - 6/30/2025)
Budget narrative.   FY25 Budget.  April Budget Report from FMW’s accountants (YPTC)

One friend expressed their deep gratitude to everyone involved in the work of establishing the budget.

One friend noted that a new attender had asked about FMW’s request for donations and noted that we should be very proud of our meeting and the work that has been done. They thanked everyone involved for their work.

One friend thanked the committee for the detail in their work. They asked if the net revenue of roughly $56,000 included depreciation or investment income, and noted that if these were included then we instead have a potential net revenue of roughly $350,000 instead.

Jason noted that the prior friend’s consideration was correct.

The prior friend also noted that, since the renovation and over time, FMW’s building had likely grown significantly in value.

Friends approved the budget with gratitude.

Religious Education - Julie Johnson    

Recruiting volunteers to ensure we have a robust RE committee in place for next school year
Religious Education Annual Report.

One friend noted that the work that RE does is very important, and asked the meeting to consider how they could contribute. They noted that the meeting could incorporate Drag Queen Storytelling into our childcare to read stories about diverse families.

One friend noted that it was a lot of work to take on clerkship of a committee. They noted there was a lot of care put into and resources available for RE and the meeting’s children, and also how much joy they get from seeing children engaged at FMW. They noted the importance of finding someone willing to step up to clerk RE, and the importance of coaching being available for that potential clerk and having sufficient transition resources.

Julie noted that, toward the end of the report, they have listed all of the duties of the RE clerk, and that the primary duty of the clerk was coordination.

Friends accepted the report with gratitude.

Nominations–Michael Beer

• Harry Matz, Finance and Stewardship
  Friends approved.

• Audrey Peek, Religious Education.  
  Friends approved.

• Catherine Arjet, Religious Education.
  The clerk of RE noted the strength of Catherine’s background, but noted that in a prior conversation with Catherine they had suggested Catherine hold off on official entry to the committee until the fall. They recommended the nomination be held off temporarily until Catherine feels more comfortable with the role.

The nomination will be held over until the fall.

• William Hardy, Library Records and Handbook
  Friends approved.  

• One friend noted that several potential nominees related to Finance & Stewardship had not yet been brought before meeting for business.

• Merry Pearlstein, Treasurer, for one year beginning July 1st.  
  Friends approved.

• Jason Terry, Assistant Treasurer, for one year beginning July 1st. 
  Friends approved.

Friends approved the minutes.
Friends entered silent worship and the meeting concluded at 2:00 pm.

Upcoming Committee Reports: 

July: Presiding Clerk's Summary of Reports of Reps to Certain Related Organizations

September: Finance & Stewardship, MJS Scholarship, Fundraising TF, Report on BYM Annual Sessions, Hospitality (moved to October?)

October: P&SC, M&W, YAF, Hunger & Homelessness TF

ADDENDA: 

Report on Quaker Chaplaincy at American University-June 2024

I started the chaplaincy at American University in 2013, taking over for our beloved Friend Molly Tully. I conduct a 30 minute Meeting for Worship on Tuesday nights at 8 pm and we chat afterwards. This has helped to develop relationships and allowed me to aid students in need. I have had students struggling with loss in their family and isolation during COVID get the help they need from mental health professionals and administration. Many of the students who come to worship are still in contact with me. 

The Quaker Chaplaincy was on hold from March 2020 through August 2021 due to COVID and the university restrictions on non-students on campus. Starting in August 2021, I was able to go back to campus but was no longer given the names and contact information of students who identify as Quaker, just like all other chaplaincies were not getting the names and contacts for their students. We all have been frustrated. In 2021-2022, I averaged 3 students a week and 2022-2023 I averaged 1 student a week. 

In 2023-2024, onerous paperwork delayed my chaplaincy into mid-September. I thought this was going to be my last year as the Quaker Chaplain at American University. A week before I was to start Meeting for Worship, I heard from a student from 2 years prior that he was back from studying abroad (Kazakhstan!!!) and would be bringing friends. Our first Meeting for Worship had 6 students and more students started coming after that. At one point, 12 students came to Meeting for Worship! During our discussion time, I would provide snacks while we talked. Folks shared what they were up to, any issues they had, or share joys in their lives. Many of them had spectacular travel plans over the winter break!

Starting in January 2024, I continued to average 6-7 students a week and the FMW YAFs asked if they could join us. I readily agreed and we usually had 3-5 YAFs coming each week. In February 2024, I was contacted by a student in the film production department asking if I would be interested in a documentary he was creating about men who knit. He did not know I was a chaplain until I agreed to meet with him right after worship. He has become a regular attendee at Meeting for Worship and joined the YAFs and me on a trip to the National Zoo in early April. During the filming of the documentary, he changed the topic to my spiritual journey, using knitting imagery throughout the film. It is currently being edited so it can be submitted to film festivals for judging. 

This year has energized me to continue my chaplaincy. Although many of my students graduated this May, I know those that are returning in the fall are coming back and the YAFs will join us. I had so many students coming, I felt they should have care packages for finals. I pay for everything for snacks and my banner for the Quaker Chaplaincy so the care packages would have been too costly for me. I made a request to the meeting and was blessed that Friends provided snacks (some homemade which the students LOVED) and money (a little more than $120) to buy additional snacks for the 12 care packages I created. The students wanted me to share their gratitude to Friends Meeting of Washington. They were truly touched by your generosity!

This coming year, I start with around 4 returning students. The staff at Kay Spiritual Life Center at American University are working closely with me to do outreach (within the university’s rules), and I will be attending any opportunities to meet with first-year students during orientation. YAFs are also welcomed to join us Tuesday evenings for worship. I also request that Ministry and Worship consider adding our Meeting for Worship under the care of Friends Meeting of Washington.