2019 Minutes of the Annual Sessions of the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends
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2019 Minutes of the Annual Sessions of the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends Three Hundred Fifty-Ninth Year Castleton State College | Castleton, Vermont August 3–8, 2019 901 PLEASANT STREET, WORCESTER, MA 01602 | 508-754-6760 | NEYM.ORg | [email protected] Table of Contents Sessions. 4 2019 New England Yearly Meeting Sessions Schedule. 4 2019 Sessions Coordinators, Officers, Speakers and YM Staff ............................ 5 Minutes ................................................................ 6 Minutes of the Annual Sessions ................................................... 6 Approved Budget ............................................................. 27 Approved Committee Purposes, Procedures, and Composition .................. 38 Approved Nominating Slate ............................................... 40 Annual Reports ..........................................................43 Staff Reports ................................................................ 43 Committee and Board Reports ................................................... 48 Reports of Representatives to Other Quaker Organizations. 64 Memorial Minutes ....................................................... 66 2019 State of Society Report ...............................................87 Epistles ............................................................... 89 2019 Annual Sessions Registration & Information Saturday, August 3–Thursday, August 8 Castleton (Vermont) University Saturday, August 3 Sunday, August 4 Monday, August 5 Tuesday, August 6 Wednesday, August 7 Thursday, August 8 2019 New England Yearly Meeting Sessions Schedule Sessions Yearly Meeting England 2019 New 6:30–7:00 6:30–7:00 Early Morning Worship (See YM News** for locations) 6:45–8:45 6:45–8:45 Breakfast (Huden Dining Hall) 8:30–11:30 8:15–9:00 Registration* 8:30 Bible Half Hour 8:30 Bible Half Hour 9:00 Registration begins* (Fine Arts Center Lobby) with Colin Saxton (Fine Arts Center) transitioning worshipfully (Fine Arts Center Lobby) into 9:00–11:30 Worship and transitioning worshipfully into… … 9:30 Permanent Board Plenary, part 1 9:00–11:30 Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business 9:00–11:00 Meeting for (Stafford Auditorium) & (Pavilion) Worship for Business (Fine Arts Center) Ministry & Counsel – All-Ages Worship 11:00–11:30 Concluding (Jeffords Auditorium) – Bible Half Hour Worship (all ages) – Plenary 11:15–1:45 11:15–1:30 Lunch (Huden 11:15–1:30 Lunch (Huden 11:15–1:30 Lunch (Huden Dining Hall) 11:30–1:00 Lunch and Dining Hall) Dining Hall) Room Key Return 2:30 Registration closes* 12:45 Orientation for first- (Huden Dining Hall) time attenders (Jeffords Auditorium) 1:00–4:45 3:00 Shriners Parade on 1:30–2:30 Anchor Groups 1:15–2:45 Anchor Groups 1:15–2:45 Anchor Groups 1:15–2:45 Anchor Groups 1:00–3:00 Permanent Board Main Street 3:00–5:00 Memorial (Leavenworth/Jeffords) (Leavenworth/Jeffords) (Leavenworth/Jeffords) 4:30–6:00 Registration Meeting (Pavilion) continues* (Fine Arts Center Lobby) 3:00–5:00 Meeting for 3:00–5:00 Meeting for 3:00–5:00 Meeting for Worship for Business (Fine Worship for Business Fine Worship for Business Fine Youth Programs Arts Center) Arts Center) Arts Center) Childcare: Times to be posted Junior High YM, Junior YM, 4:45–6:45 4:45–6:45 Dinner (Huden Dining Hall) Young Friends, Young Opening Celebration Vespers Vespers Vespers Vespers 6:00–10:00 6:45 6:15 Singing for all 6:15 Singing for all 6:15 Singing for all 6:15 Singing for all Adult Friends: See (all ages) (Fine Arts Ctr) ages ages ages ages respective schedules 7:30 Children & youth staff 7:00–9:00 Plenary, part 2 7:00–8:00 Workshops 7:00–8:30 Pete Seeger Sing- 7:00–9:00 Coffee House for Orientation schedules & leave followed by Meeting for 8:00–10:00 Contradance Along with Annie all ages (Fine Arts Ctr) locations check YM 8:00–9:00 Anchor Groups Worship for Business (Pavilion) Patterson and Peter 7:00–8:00 Workshops News** or (Leavenworth) (Fine Arts Center) 8:15–9:30 Workshops Blood-Paterson; all ages 8:15–9:30 Workshops neym.org/sessions/youth 8:30–10:00 Registration (Fine Arts Center) Continues* (Fine Arts Center Lobby) * Registration Hours: Fri, 5–7 p.m. & 8–10 p.m.; Sat, 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m., 4:30–6 p.m., 8:30–10 p.m.; Sun, 8:15–9 a.m., 12:15–1:15 p.m., 4:30–5:30 and 7–9 p.m.; Mon–Wed, 9:30–10:30 a.m., 5–6 pm. | For registration needs outside these hours, please contact the Registrar well in advance at [email protected] or 978-494-6396 to make alternate arrangements. ** Yearly Meeting News | Published Saturday through Wednesday mornings at breakfast and on the web at neym.org/sessions, with information about events at Sessions. Deadlines for submissions: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Drop off materials at the Info Desk, located in the Fine Arts Center Lobby. Announcements, notices and flyers not specifically related to Sessions will not be included in the YM news. Please check with the Info Desk for where to post these items. 2019 Sessions Coordinators, Officers, Speakers and YM Staff Access Needs Coordinator Jana Noyes-Dakota Accounts Manager Frederick Martin* Bible Half-Hour Speaker Colin Saxton Bookstore Sara Burke, John Fuller Children’s Bookstore Jean McCandless and Karen Sargent (managers), Christopher McCandless Clerks Fritz Weiss (presiding), Peter Bishop and Rosemary Zimmerman (recording), John Humphries and Gina Nortonsmith (reading) Events Coordinator Elizabeth Hacala* Family Neighborhood Coordinators Betsy Kantt and Laura Street Housing Coordinator Kristin Wilson Information Desk Coordinator Chris Jorgenson Office Manager Sara Hubner* Pastoral Care Team Leader Abigail Matchette Registrar Martha Hinshaw Sheldon Sessions Committee Clerk Leslie Manning Sessions Office Assistant Cassie Schifman Shuttle Coordinator Barbara Dakota Special Needs Coordinator Jana Noyes-Dakota Treasurer Shearman Taber Volunteer Coordinator Hannah Zwirner Forsythe YM News Editor Liz Yeats Yearly Meeting Secretary Noah Merrill* 2019 Youth Program Coordinators and Staff Childcare Rebecca Edwards Dave Baxter Coord: Whitney Mikkelson Lisa Forbush-Umholtz Catherine Bock Sheila Brenner Charlotte Gorham Lilly Campbell Darien Brimage June Goodband Emily Edwards Jerry Carson Tyler Green Julian Fisher-Frank Colleen Crowley Amy Lee-Vieira Adam Kohrman Debbie Humphries Laurie Maheu Doug Lippincott Rainer Humphries Theresa Oleksiw Kieto Mahania Holly Lapp Jane Radocchia Young Friends Benigno Sánchez-Eppler Lynn Taber Karen Sánchez-Eppler Jay Vieira Coord: Maggie Nelson* Martha Schwope Asst Coord: Allon Dubler JYM Afternoon Choices Phillip Veatch Tom Antonik Stefan Walker Coords: Cynthia Rankin and Felice Lopez Helen Carpenter Philip Maurer Junior Yearly Meeting Isabelle Lippincott Evan McManamy Coord: Betty Ann Lee Anna Radocchia Junior High Yearly Meeting Carol Baker Wendy Schlotterbeck Brad Bussiere-Nichols Coord: Gretchen Baker-Smith* Young Adult Friends Margy Carpenter Anne Anderson Janet Dawson Buddy Baker-Smith Coord: Emi Link Pamela Drouin Steve Ball 6 Minutes Minutes of the Annual Sessions Saturday Evening 2019-1 Opening and Welcome The presiding clerk, Fritz Weiss (Hanover), opened the meeting with vocal prayer. We often end our meetings with shaking hands, but this year let us begin that way. Let us remember that we are one body, gathered in God’s presence. 2019-2 Clerks’ Table Fritz Weiss introduced the rest of the Yearly Meeting clerks: Rosemary Zimmermann (Bennington) (accompanied by her five year old son, Arthur), Peter Bishop (Northampton), Gina Nortonsmith (Northampton), and John Humphries (Hartford). The clerk introduced the elders for Noticing Patterns of Oppression and Faithfulness who are accompanying the clerks this year: Melissa Foster (Framingham), Polly Attwood (Cambridge), and Eppchez Yes (Northampton). 2019-3 Roll Call We called the roll of meetings by quarter. Each quarter was assigned a color, and as the name of each meeting from the quarter was called, Friends from that meeting waved a coordinating streamer in the air. We noted that Lewiston Monthly Meeting in Falmouth Quarter has been laid down. 2019-4 New Babies, First-Time Attendees, and Visitors We celebrated the new babies among us and welcomed first-time attendees. Throughout the week the follow- ing visitors were introduced and welcomed: Wendy Cooler, Baltimore Yearly Meeting Laura Everett, Massachusetts Council of Churches Carl MacGruder, Strawberry Creek Monthly Meeting, Pacific Yearly Meeting Mica Estrata, Strawberry Creek Monthly Meeting, Pacific Yearly Meeting Gail Thomas, Santa Monica Monthly Meeting, Pacific Yearly Meeting Anne Collins, Stillwater (OK) Monthly Meeting, Quaker Religious Education Collaborative Liz Yeats, Austin Monthly Meeting, South Central Yearly Meeting Dancan Sabwa, East Africa Yearly Meeting North Elaine Emily, Strawberry Creek Monthly Meeting, Pacific Yearly Meeting Lyle Miller, Mennonite, Everence Financial Service Andy Albertini, Director of Development from Ramallah Friends School Sarah Kennedy, Friends Committee on National Legislation Su Penn, Red Cedar Monthly Meeting, Lake Erie Yearly Meeting Ashliegh Dodd (no affiliation given) Melanie Gifford, Adelphi Monthly Meeting, Baltimore Yearly Meeting Meg Boyd Meyer, Stony Run Monthly Meeting, Baltimore Yearly Meeting, former staff of Ramallah Friends School Arthur Boyd, Stony Run Monthly Meeting, Baltimore Yearly Meeting, former staff of Ramallah Friends School Judith Nandikove, Quaker Religious Education Collaborative, Nairobi Yearly Meeting George Lakey, Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting