SUMMER 200414 Third-month 2004
alem Quarterly Meeting met 14 Third Month 2004, at Woodstown Meetinghouse. After a brief period of silent worship, Gloria Horvay convened the meeting. She welcomed all and reviewed the agenda.
The minutes of the Twelfth Month Quarterly Meeting were reviewed and approved as printed.
Meeting approved a minute of gratitude to Woodstown Monthly Meeting for their efforts in acting as host and providing lunch, to the Friends School at Mullica Hill for beautiful music, and to Lucy Duncan for insightful storytelling. Gloria will write letters of thanks to Lucy Duncan and to Friends School.
On behalf of the Nominating Committee, Peggy Warner reported that the full roster of committee assignments would be in the summer newsletter. Meeting approved the nominations of George Crispin and Sue Price-Redfern to Trustees, George Houghton to Auditors, and Patti Burns as liaison to Friends School, Mullica Hill. Approval was also made of Sophy Iwanaga to the PYM Nominating committee, contingent upon her agreement. Appointments to the Friends Home committee were approved.
Mario Cavallini, clerk of the Worship and Ministry Committee, presented a report on the activities of some of the monthly meetings in the quarter, the extended worship hosted by Seaville MM, and the requested clearness committee. The report was accepted.
The report from the Trustees was presented and accepted. It included a minute of appreciation for retiring committee clerk George Crispin; the status of the LAC meetinghouse’s placement on the Register of Historic Buildings due to the efforts of Torrey Reade; and the appropriateness of memorializing a benefactor on the memorial walk.
Frank Lenik, clerk, presented a report from the Steering Committee. They met in February and discussed several issues regarding the Quarter coordinator’s position, cost of the health insurance, the need for a new computer, and the annual job evaluation. They also discussed the programming for the March and June Quarterly Meetings. The report was accepted.
The third-quarter budget report was accepted as presented by Sue Price-Redfern, clerk of the Finance Committee. Sue also presented the proposed 2004-2005 budget. Last-minute figures regarding health insurance costs were only received the day prior to Quarterly Meeting and may change, for the slightly better, by July. Sue noted that this is the first time in eight years that the budget is not balanced. The causes of this are the rising and often unpredictable costs of health insurance and the sudden one-time increases that monthly meetings have made in their Philadelphia Yearly Meeting covenants to help cover shortfalls at that level. We may need to ask the monthly meetings for additional money or use reserves that we have been building. The 2004–2005 budget proposal was approved conditionally, with the revised budget to be presented at the April Steering committee meeting. This will allow Sue and the finance committee the opportunity to be firmer on their figures. It was noted that a long-term fix would be needed for the budget. Meeting acknowledged appreciation for Sue and all the effort that she makes on our behalf.
Patti Burns, the new liaison from Friends School, Mullica Hill, announced two upcoming activities there: the annual fundraising auction scheduled on 4/23 at Adelphia in Deptford, and Alumni Weekend, the third weekend in May. She reported on the need for scholarship recipients in this area and mentioned there were perhaps more scholarships available than Friends realized. She encouraged Friends to not assume that the tuition at Mullica Hill was out of reach. She reported that the gravest issues facing the school’s Board of Trustees were balancing the budget, deteriorating buildings, and declining enrollment. Meeting welcomed Patti to her new position and thanked her for her report.
Patti’s report brought forth a discussion regarding the opportunities that are and are not available in the areas of scholarships for Friends to attend Friend’s schools. Friends offered concerns that we as a Quarter could/should do more to finance opportunities for families that need assistance. Concerns were also expressed about the lack of Quaker children in Quaker schools. Phil Anthony pointed out that statistically, the current percentage of Quaker enrollment at Friends School is 4.5 per cent, but that if every available Quaker child in PYM were to be enrolled, the percentage in all our Friends’ schools would only rise to 20 per cent. It was also noted that there seem to be fewer children in our Monthly Meetings as well. Friends agreed that these were topics to hold in the Light and consider ways that we could improve the situation.
A report was presented and accepted from the Education Fund Committee. We have $8,000 designated and have disbursed $7,250 to a total of fourteen students. There are four elementary school students receiving a total of $1,200, seven secondary school students receiving a total of $4,150, and three college students receiving $1,900. There is an outstanding debt for a $4,000 grant made ten years ago. Contact has been made and a verbal agreement was reached, but the debt remains.
Friends discussed a solicitation from Friends School for an ad in the program for the annual auction. Previously, the Quarter has placed a full-page ad at a cost of $285. Under our current budgetary constraints, and given that this is not a budgeted expense, there was financial concern accompanying the desire to place an ad. There was no time to solicit funds from monthly meetings, as copy deadline was the next day. Friends pooled their resources and came up with an amount in excess of $185. Coupled with the opinion that the school might give us a break on the price, Patti was to submit the ad. Some Friends expressed an interest in a new design for the ad. New design ideas may be considered for next year; Friends should bring ideas or sketches to Quarterly Meeting next December.
Sondra Ball of Mickleton MM read the proposed minute on the Rowan University Progressive Student Alliance. Some suggestions for revision were made. Sondra will rework the wording and bring the minute to the June Quarterly Meeting.
Meeting was united on the minute entitled “Worship Sharing at PYM Annual Sessions” that originated with Pennsdale MM, Upper Susquehanna Quarter, and was joined with by Mullica Hill MM. Meeting asked that it be sent to the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions Planning Group and a copy to the clerk of PYM as well as Interim Meeting, as Pennsdale originally intended.
Elizabeth Thomas, Woodbury MM, reported that she would like the opportunity to share information with Friends about the Friends World Committee for Consultation, since her travels on behalf of FWCC were supported in part by Salem Quarterly Meeting. It was suggested that she send a letter offering such a program to the monthly meeting clerks or to religious education committee clerks; set up a table of information at June Quarterly Meeting; write an article for the newsletter; or offer a program to the Quarter on a Friday or Saturday night under the sponsorship of a committee. She was referred to the Steering Committee for oversight; she and Phil Anthony are to work out some details.
Several announcements were made regarding Yearly Meeting and other activities around the Quarter. Meeting was closed with silent worship.
Rebecca Shapiro
Assistant ClerkRETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Saturday, June 05, 2004 at 11:30 PM
