SPRING 2005May we look upon our treasures, and the furniture of
our houses, and the garments in which we array ourselves,
and try whether the seeds of war have nourishment in
these our possessions, or not.
—John Woolman
he final quarter of 2004 was one of trial for many Friends as we watched special groups rend our nation in a public exhibition of how democracy works. Amid this, we continued with our own daily lives, praying for peace, praying for strength and praying for all those in need of help or guidance.
Salem Quarter Steering Committee has continued the work of trying to smooth communication between Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and the quarter. The coordinator has produced a timeline that will be used to facilitate quarter planning and help keep the yearly meeting apprised of what we are doing and when we are doing it. We met with Chris Mahon, clerk of Interim Meeting, and we discussed professional mediation as a way of resolving differences between the yearly meeting and the quarter. Robert Horvay from Mickleton, acting for the Steering Committee as treasurer, met with members of the quarter Finance Committee and Kathy Reilly, director of finance for PYM, to help us resolve questions about the budget and budgeting process.
Salem Quarter Steering Committee gathered a subcommittee, consisting of Sandy Peth, Nora Iwanaga, and the coordinator, to examine the child safety requirements promulgated by our insurance carrier, GuideOne. These have been refined and adopted for the present, with the intention that Salem Quarterly Meeting in session would decide on a plan of action. The Steering Committee recommends that the quarter form a Child Safety Committee whose responsibilities would include the review of the Salem Quarter child safety guidelines. We further recommend that the committee work with an attorney to ensure that the adopted guidelines are in conformity with New Jersey state and local laws. The Child Safety Committee would have the further responsibility of gathering child care providers for the quarter, instituting background checks on those individuals, and maintaining records for the quarter.
This month marks the end of my tenure as the clerk of the Salem Quarter Coordinator Steering Committee. We have named Tom Etherington of Mullica Hill Monthly Meeting as the new clerk. Please hold Tom and the whole committee in the light as they continue the good works of Salem Quarter.
Peace be with you.
Frank Lenik, clerkRETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
Last modified:
Saturday, February 26, 2005 at 08:59 PM
