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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Clerks Report

Business
-Marriage & Family Relations
-Proposed new Minute on Israel/Palestine
-Handbook Updates and Changes
-Nominating Committee
-Trustees

Upcoming Committee Reports
FMW's Anti-Racist Queries

Addenda 
-Proposed Minute on Israel/Palestine
-Proposed Updates to FMW's Handbook

Friends Meeting of Washington
Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
FMW’s Monthly Community Meeting
Minutes - July 21, 2024

Meeting began at 12:15 with 34 present. Attenders for the first time: E.J. Hardwick, Alesandro Valera, Brian Holland, Hannah Bristol, Marie McGrath, Farhad Deylami Azadi

Query for Worship Sharing: In this overheating world, what is our duty and that of our meeting?  Many suggestions as to what our duty might be as peacemakers and respecters of the planet

Clerk’s Report, July 2024

Upcoming Events 

• Baltimore Yearly Meeting, Hood College, Frederick, MD July 30-August 4
• This is the annual conference of Quaker Meetings in our regions. This years theme: “A testimony to Social Justice: Rise Up and Let your life speak.”  More information, program and registration are here. 
• Friendly Quaker Film Club, Quaker House, July 24, 6 pm - 4th Wednesdays. All are welcome! For more information contact Convener Bill Parker (wparkercra@gmail.com)
• Pendle Hill First Monday Lecture with Robin Mohr of FWCC, online, August 5, 7:30 pm Living the Spirit of Ubuntu: Responding with Hope to God’s Call to Cherish Creation and One Another. Robin Mohr, outgoing Executive Secretary of the Friends World Committee for Consultation-Americas section, will share stories of ubuntu, the African philosophy of interconnectedness, in action.  Free.  Registration required.  Register here.  For more info call: 610-566-4507, ext. 137
• Worship Sharing with a Concern for National & Global Challenges, Quaker House, August 11, 12:15 pm.  Ministry & Worship invites you to a special opportunity for Worship Sharing for those who may be feeling concerns about the election and other national and global challenges. We will consider what our faith and practice has to offer us at this time. All are welcome.  Contacts:  Debby Churchman (dchurchm@yahoo.com), Diane Randall (diane.e.randall@gmail.com).

FMW Community Highlights & Kudos

• Congratulations to Michael Wood and Dayna Clark on their June 22 wedding under the care of our Meeting.
• FMW’s Jazz Fundraiser for WIN on June 27 raised $20,000 plus a $15,000 match to support WIN’s important social justice, climate and equity work!
• FMW’s new Advancement and Outreach Working Group is up and running with co-conveners Malcolm McDermond and EJ Hardwick.

Tenant Updates- Activities at our Meeting House

• All offices are rented.  We are on track to meet our FY 2025 event rentals goals. 
• Event Rental Report - June 2024

Business

Marriage and Family Relations – Martha Solt, co-clerk

-Marriage of Hannah Bristol and Marie McGrath–first presentation. Request for marriage under care of meeting of Marie McGrath and Hannah Bristol. Hannah attended Sidwell, Marie learned of Quakers in her childhood in Pennsylvania. The couple agrees with many Quaker values. They met with a clearness committee of M&FR, who recommended taking this couple under our care. 

This request will lay over until September as is our custom.  At that time an oversight committee will be named.

-Report on Marriage of Michael Wood and Dayna Clark, June 22, 2024. The marriage was  held in good order.

Israel/Palestine: A Different Future is Possible – Peace & Social Concerns

Peace & Social Concerns proposes that FMW sign onto a Quaker statement on Israel/Palestine, Statement has been signed by 8 Quaker organizations. This is a follow up to a statement we signed onto in November. It’s more detailed, and includes action steps. 

One Friend affirmed the work of the 8 Quaker co-signers, their worshipfulness and thoroughness. She notes that it is hard to know what to do as individuals, but we can unite with the larger Quaker community to address this issue.

One Friend said it would be helpful to call for an end of the U.S. giving military arms and assistance  to Israel. The full statement (the one signed by other Quaker organizations)  does include this request. A Friend asks that the FMW statement spell this out specifically.

One Friend asks how we are planning to use this Minute.  The Clerk of P&SC responded, saying that first we need to agree as a Meeting. With this minute, we will be better able to take a more active role in responding to this situation. First step is to affirm the dignity of both sides, and then address the military and economic aspects of this conflict.

Friends approved the minute. P&SC will distribute this widely. It will be sent to FCNL to add to their list of minutes on the issue, for example.

Handbook Updates and Changes – Gene Throwe, Clerk of Library, Records and Handbook

* Summary of Changes to FMW Handbook - July 2024 (See addendum)
* [Updated Handbook - July 2024, PDF w/tracked changes -link inserted post Mtg for Business.  

One Friend is troubled that we are not able to see the actual proposed changes. He asks for these changes to be attached in pdf. 

Presiding Clerk suggests that we trust our committees. A lot of energy and time have gone into making and checking these changes.

One Friend thanked the committee for their hard work. He asks what the process will be going forward. Will this be an annual review, or on an ad hoc basis as needed? Handbook Clerk responds that during Covid he discovered that we were violating our handbook, which says that all business must be done in person. He discovered a number of things that needed updating. He broke it up into smaller bits to send to committees, etc. A one-time, major overhaul of the Handbook was done to reflect the situation today. There will be ad hoc changes suggested, going forward, but we probably won’t need an overhaul for another decade.

A Friend notes that in summary you say sections 9.1, 9.2, 9.4 and 11.3 says they create groups, which have in fact already been approved by MfB.  It would be more accurate to say “describes newly created groups”.  

One Friend asks if the language has been signed off by committee or working group mentioned. The answer is yes.

One Friend says it’s troubling that although we say we trust our committee, but if it’s going to come before the entire body, the body should have access to whatever is being proposed.  He asks that we lay it over for a month and encourage Friends to read the 64 page document and that we offer help in accessing it.

Friends approve laying this over until September, to give Friends a chance to access and study the proposed changes. Friends who have trouble accessing this, please contact Barbara Briggs or Gene Throwe.

Nominating Committee – Michael Beer

Kathy Lipp-Farr for personal aid. Approved.

Barbara B. Vohryzek for Finance and Stewardship  Approved.

Nicholas Saylor for Historian  Approved.  He’s an archivist with the National Archives, and will help us archive files from Swarthmore

Raymond Patch - Advancement & Outreach  Approved.

Clerk thanks the committee, and notes that nominating committee  needs more people. If you are interested, please contact Presiding Clerks.

Trustees – Dante Bucci

Since Trustees decided to shift all FMW investments from the Friends Fiduciary Corporation (FFC) Quaker Growth and Income Fund (QGIF) to the Quaker Index Fund (QIF), Friends noted that this change impacts our FMW budget, because there was an automatic, bi-annual distribution of approx. 4% or 5% from QGIF that F&S could plan for during the budgeting process. Since we are no longer in QGIF, that automatic distribution will no longer occur. To compensate, Trustees minuted the following: 

Trustees, during their annual July meeting, will consider and approve the release of between 3% and 7% of shares from the Ross Trust to the Unrestricted Fund, to serve as a distribution on investment income. 

With this decision, Trustees minuted the following as the first instance of this new policy: 

Trustees, APPROVE, the release of 5% of shares from the Ross Trust to the Unrestricted Fund, pending the approval of Meeting for Business. (about $80,000). 

Trustees asked for approval of these two minutes from Meeting for Business.

One Friend asks if it will be an annual or biannual distribution. This year, it would be only annual.

One Friend asks the purpose to which the money will be spent. It is not assigned, but is money that can be used if needed.

One Friend asks, is this like taking money out of our IRA and putting it into a money market account which will still earn money but be more accessible. The analogy works.

One Friend asks what will happen to the money if we don’t use it. It will stay in the unrestricted fund.

The only difference between what we did before and what we’re proposing now is that the distribution isn’t automatic, so we need to request it and come up with a percentage.

Friends approved having Trustees take an annual distribution from the Friends Fiduciary Fund, and this year taking 5%.

Friend Neil Froemming has a 25 page document re: the Ross Trust.  He invites interested friends to contact him for enlightenment on the topic.

Meeting ended at 1:53 with 25 Friends in attendance
Respectfully submitted,  Debby Churchman, ad hoc Recording Clerk

Upcoming Committee Reports: 

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

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

November: Trustees (including audit report), Search, State of the Staff Report, Report on BYM Interim Meeting

ADDENDA: ATTACHED COMMITTEE REPORTS

Proposed New Minute on Israel/Palestine

Offered by FMW’s Committee for Peace and Social Concerns to FMW’s July 21,2024 Business Meeting

On November 19, 2023, Friends Meeting of Washington adopted the core principles of a joint statement on Israel/Palestine offered by seven Quaker organizations from around the world. The American Friends Service Committee and the Friend Committee on National Legislation were among the signers, and this initial statement called all people of conscience and goodwill to work for a permanent ceasefire, immediate release of all hostages and political prisoners, the adequate provision of urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza, and a just political solution to the underlying conflict based on equality, freedom, and full human rights for all who live between the River and the Sea.

Now, nine months into a massive assault against the civilian population of Gaza backed by the US and other Western governments, the suffering of the Palestinian people continues unabated and the long-term security of Israeli civilians have declined even further. In light of these catastrophic  developments, Friends Meeting of Washington now embraces the April 2024 joint statement by eight major Quaker organizations entitled “A Different Future Is Possible: A Shared Quaker Vision for Peace in Palestine and Israel.”

This updated and more detailed Quaker statement of conscience (again signed by the AFSC and FCNL), is deeply rooted in the Religious Society of Friends’ historic peace and justice witness, Quakers’ long  involvement in Palestine since the founding of the Ramallah Friends School in 1869, and our decades-long effort to support Jewish safety and security in ways that do not oppress the Palestinian people or violate their human rights under international law.

Friends Meeting of Washington specifically endorses this visionary statement’s proposed action steps to “seek peace and pursue it,” which are directed towards Western governments, the Israeli government, and Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups. As a guide to the peace and justice efforts of our own members and attenders, we also embrace the April statement’s call for Quakers everywhere to:

1. Urgently call and fervently work for a permanent ceasefire and amplify our voices in our communities and at the local, state, and national levels.
2. Encourage decision-makers calling for a ceasefire and working for peace.
3. Organize and participate in teach-ins, actions, and protests until a ceasefire and a just and lasting peace are realized.
4. Actively support an end to Israel’s occupation and equal protection and rights for all people living under Israeli control and commit to actions as meetings/churches until this reality is realized.
5. Divest from corporations profiting from militarism, including the occupation of Palestine.
6. Support those in Israel and Palestine who are working for peace.

What we said as a Quaker congregation back in November is still true: “We are called to act in faith and love, with persistence, patience, and courage, as partners and hands of the divine spirit as we pursue the sacred goal of peace, shalom, salaam.”

Addendum:  Updates to Friends Meeting of Washington Handbook

* FMW Handbook - July 2024 w/tracked changes (64 pp)
* Summary of Changes to FMW Handbook - July 2024 (pasted below)

Section 3.1 Designates the presiding clerks to assign people to write memorial minutes for deceased Friends. 

Section 5 Clarifies the duties of the Administrative Secretary, Bookkeeper, Property Manager, Events and Rental Manager, First Day School Teachers, Child Care Coordinator, and Child Care Workers.

Section 7.1 Minor edits concerning proper titles, replacing the Administrative Secretary with the Financial Coordinator as the oversight for the accountants, and replace the Administrative Secretary with a representative from the Property Committee as an ex officio member of the Finance and Stewardship Committee. 

Section 7.5 Clarifies the duties of the Membership Committee. 

Section 7.6 Clarifies the duties of the Ministry and Worship Committee including adding adult religious education and recognizing chaplaincies under the care of the Meeting. 

Section 7.9 Minor edit in confidentiality for Personal Aid Committee. 

Section 7.10 Clarifies the role of the Personnel Committee when a vacancy occurs in the Administrative Secretary position. 

Section 7.12 Renames the committee as the Children and Youth Religious Committee. Clarifies the areas of responsibilities of the committee. Clarifies the responsibilities of the committee clerk. 

Section 8 Deletes phrase about the Personnel Committee as the Search Committee to not create confusion. 

Section 9.1 Creates the Advancement and Outreach Working Group and lists its responsibilities. 

Section 9.2 Creates the Alternatives to Violence-DC Task Force and lists its responsibilities. 

Section 9.4 Creates the Fundraising Task Force and lists its responsibilities. 

Section 11.3 Creates Quaker Spiritual Development Programs and lists the types of programming offered. Deletes the Inquirers Class, Spiritual Friendships/Formation, and Spiritual Journeys Meditation group sections. 

Section 12.3 Clarifies and updates the process for applying for membership. 

Section 12.4 Clarifies and updates the principles of membership. 

Section 12.5 Clarifies and updates the guidelines for discontinuation of members out of communication.