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ANNUAL REPORTS MINUTES New York Yearly Meeting of The 2019 ANNUAL REPORTS and MINUTES from Fall 2018 & Spring 2019 Sessions New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends Prepared in Advance of Summer Sessions July 21–27, 2019, Silver Bay, NY Please use the documents of this booklet through- out Summer Sessions in preparation for business sessions and committee meetings. SAVE THIS BOOKLET if you would like to keep a printed version of the annual committee reports, as these reports will not appear in the printed Yearbook this year. THIS COPY BELONGS TO ......................... NEW YORK YEARLY MEETING (Task Group on) Racism in NYYM ..................................... 94 ANNUAL REPORTS Committee to Revise Faith and Practice ........................... 94 Spiritual Nurture Working Group .......................................95 The documents of this publication were printed in advance of Committee on Sufferings .....................................................95 the 2018–2019 Yearbook for consideration at sessions of New Committee on Worship at Yearly Meeting Sessions .......... 96 York Yearly Meeting in July of 2019. Youth Committee ................................................................ 96 Please note that the budgets and expenditures of many General Services Section committees may be found in the Treasurer’s Report, page 72. General Services Coordinating Committee .........................97 Committees that have their own financial clerks submitted Committee on Aging Concerns ............................................97 financial reports as part of their committee’s advance report. Audit Committee................................................................. 98 Minutes of Yearly Meeting Sessions Communications Committee .............................................. 99 Fall 2018 ................................................................................1 Development Committee .................................................... 99 Spring 2019 ......................................................................... 44 Committee on the Expenditure of the H.H. Mosher Fund 100 Nominating Committee .................................................... 100 Finances Personnel Committee ........................................................ 101 Treasurer’s Report ...............................................................72 Yearly Meeting Staff Reports ............................................. 101 2019 Operating Budget ........................................................79 Administrative Associate .............................................. 101 Reports of Yearly Meeting Committees, Resource ARCH Staff ....................................................................102 People, and Representatives to Affiliated Groups Associate Secretary .......................................................103 Communications Director ............................................104 Committees Outside Coordinating Committee Struc- Digital Communications Director ................................105 ture General Secretary ..........................................................106 Liaison Committee .............................................................. 83 Records Committee ...........................................................108 Priorities Support Working Group ................................ 84 Sessions Committee ...........................................................108 Oakwood Friends School .................................................... 85 Junior Yearly Meeting Committee ................................109 Representatives to Affiliate Groups Supervisory Committee for the General Secretary ........... 110 Lindley Murray Fund, Trustees ......................................... 110 Friends General Conference ............................................... 85 Trustees, New York Yearly Meeting .................................. 110 Friends United Meeting ...................................................... 86 Friends World Committee for Consultation Committee ....87 Witness Section Witness Coordinating Committee ..................................... 112 Meetings for Discernment Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), Inc. ..................... 112 Meetings for Discernment Steering Committee ................ 88 American Friends Service Committee Corporation .......... 115 Ministry Section Barrington Dunbar Fund for Black Development ............ 116 Black Concerns Committee ................................................117 Ministry Coordinating Committee ..................................... 90 Bolivian Quaker Education Fund ...................................... 118 Committee on Conflict Transformation ..............................91 Conscientious Objection to Paying for War Ministry and Pastoral Care Committee ...............................91 Working Group ............................................................. 118 Powell House Co-Executive Directors ................................ 93 Earthcare Working Group ................................................. 119 Elsie K. Powell House, Inc. ................................................. 93 ii iii Witness Section (cont’d) NEW YORK YEARLY MEETING European American Quakers Working FALL SESSIONS to End Racism Working Group .................................... 121 November 10–11, 2018 Friends Committee on National Legislation representatives ..............................................................122 Friends Peace Teams representatives ...............................123 Holiday Inn, Rochester, NY Indian Affairs Committee ..................................................125 Saturday, November 10, 2018; 10 a.m. National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund Jeffrey Aaron (New Brunswick), Clerk & Peace Tax ..................................................................127 Elaine Learnard (Conscience Bay), Assistant Clerk National Religious Campaign against Torture .................. 127 Karen Reixach (Ithaca), Recording Clerk New Jersey Council of Churches .......................................128 Robin Mallison Alpern (Amawalk), Reading Clerk New York State Council of Churches .................................129 Prisons Committee ............................................................129 2018-11-01. The meeting centered in worship. The clerk Right Sharing of World Resources .................................... 131 welcomed Friends and reflected on how we embody the “beloved William Penn House .......................................................... 131 community” and the challenges and opportunities we face both World Ministries Committee ............................................. 131 externally and internally. His full remarks are attached below; see page 16. He introduced the individuals at the clerks table. 2018-11-02. Kathy Slattery (Orchard Park), clerk of Farming- ton-Scipio Regional Meeting, welcomed Friends to this large and diverse region. She invited Friends to a spacious place. She thanked the host committee and the Rochester Meeting for their loving support in our work of discernment. 2018-11-03. The reading clerk read the roll of regions, monthly meetings, and worship groups. Friends stood as their meetings were called. All regions were represented. 2018-11-04. Madeline Schmitt (Rochester) acknowledged that the land where we are meeting is home to the Onondowagagh and Haudenesaunee confederacy. Her remarks are attached (see page 18). 2018-11-05. The clerk noted that the agenda this morning addresses items from the General Services Coordinating Committee. He announced that the second reading of the by-laws has been laid over to Spring Sessions at the request of Trustees, who are working on clarifying the language. 2018-11-06. The clerk introduced Bridget Bower, clerk of General Services Coordinating Committee, who brought forward the business of the section. iv 1 2018-11-07. Laura Cisar (New Brunswick), NYYM treasurer, ing budget, investments and other funds clearly laid out in a who reviewed the financial status of the Yearly Meeting as of consolidated statement. In addition, the budget process begins October 31, 2018 (view online at nyym.org/sites/default/files/ in January with a draft budget developed by Summer Sessions. TreasurersReport-2018-10.pdf. The end-of-2018 report is on Nonetheless, time constraints have complicated the process page 72). With 83% of the year completed, 68% of income has this year. been received and 78% of expenses have been incurred. Current This proposed operating budget was created in light of the budget shortfall is $73,564. Last year at the end of October minuted approval by gathered Friends at Summer Sessions NYYM had a surplus of roughly $2000. The year-end projec- 2018 for the hiring of the new Young Adult and Children Secre- tion suggests that NYYM will need to go into operating reserve tary and the instructions to Financial Services of the need to (more or less $37,000). She offered clarifications to questions create a budget to accommodate this new position at a net cost from the body. of $50,000. We also desire to expand outreach. And everywhere else, NYYM is continuing to do business as usual. 2018-11-08. Douglas Way (New Brunswick) of the Pay as Led To fund these increased expenditures will require significant Working Group described how the registration system will be increases in income. implemented for Summer Session 2019. He noted that this new If the budget is not approved at Fall Sessions, there is a process will handle the financial aspects of registration under process whereby in effect,
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