Maury River Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends

Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business Second Month, 24th Day, 2013

Clerk: Peggy Dyson-Cobb

Attending: Mary Barnes, Richard Barnes, Eli Fishpaw, Curt Massey, Keeley Massey, Daphne Raz, Donna Sheffield, Elise Sheffield, Eric Sheffield, Katherine Smith, Mary Stratton, Wil Stratton, Sandra Stuart, Morris Trimmer, Jim Warren, and Judith Wiegand.

Clerk opened meeting by reading a portion of Maury River’s Minute on Right Relationship with Creation. Silent worship followed.

Minutes of First Month 2013 were approved after changes were made.

Committee Clerk Jim Warren read the report for Worship and Ministry. The committee, with four members present, met Second Month, 11th day. Work included a suggesting that the Eleventh Month Meeting for Business, which often occurs on Thanksgiving weekend, be moved to the second First Day in Twelfth Month. The suggestion was approved, as was moving the 2013 Fifth Month Meeting for Business, which occurs on Memorial Day weekend, to the first First Day in Sixth Month. Jim also reported that work goes forward on the Spiritual State of the Meeting report, due April 15 to BYM. No responses have been received from the queries emailed to those unable to attend the Worship-Sharing Second Hour on the Spiritual State of the Meeting (SSoM). Jim then gave the First Reading of the Spiritual State of the Meeting report for 2012. A few minor suggestions were made.

The last items on the W&M report included a request that someone take over Mary Helen Brainard’s position as Maury River’s liaison with the Planning Committee of the annual Blue Ridge Gathering held in the spring in Blacksburg. Clerk Peggy Dyson-Cobb reported that no committee at the recent clerk’s workshop had come forward to assume such responsibility. Wil Stratton volunteered to be the liaison and was accepted with gratitude.

Jim Warren next read the Peace and Justice Report for clerk Kathy Fox. The committee met Second Month, 13th day with four members present. Work included comparing committee charges from Maury River against those suggested in the revised Faith and Practice. The Maury River charges better reflected the committee’s sense of its mission. Work was also done designating the 2013 benevolences. The committee suggests that meeting start afresh with a Threshing Session based on the Faith and Practice model (pg. 40) to be held sometime this spring. The committee suggested the following queries for the threshing session: “What is the relationship of Benevolences to the spiritual life of Maury River? What is the meaning and relevance of each organization (receiving support) to Maury River? And on what basis is each allocation made? A friend suggested that the article on giving in the most recent Interchange could be a valuable aide.

The committee, noting that a “misunderstanding” had occurred between the House and Grounds committee and Peace and Justice, said it had no plan to ask for a Peace and Justice led Second Hour before Friends made a decision about Meeting House construction projects. The committee requested that Friends consider the following statement: “During committee meetings and Monthly Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business, we deliberately and consciously consider Right Relationship with Creation in our decisions.” The committee asked that Friends contact Peace and Justice members with their questions and suggestions. The committee plans to ask meeting to approve the statement during Third Month’s meeting for Business. Many questions were raised, including how the committee imagined this working; some puzzlement was expressed about the language and the intent. A friend suggested that the statement reflected the hope that our actions as individuals and corporately would be aligned with our mission, to be thoughtful, not to be judgmental. A friend suggested that since there had been some sentiment about relocating the Meeting House, did the statement infer that we had finally reached a decision. Clerk said the issue had come up at the recent clerk’s workshop and said Finance and Stewardship had agreed to undertake, with our Trustees, the creation of a long-term plan for the property. Meeting approved this step.

In response to questions about process, a Friend said that newer members and attenders would be helped by knowing the background of the Meetinghouse purchase. This information could help reaching a decision about the appropriateness of reopening the question if there has been a change in membership or the circumstances. Clerk asked Worship and Ministry if they would undertake a Threshing Session on the subject of the Meeting House. The committee agreed. One Friend reminded Friends that human beings were also God’s creation and that it was important for us to be in Right Relationship with one another.

Richard Barnes, as newsletter editor, gave an informal report about the recent Friends General Conference website. The website, which is called Quaker Cloud in reference to its capabilities to store information from monthly meetings, including minutes and committee business, is available for monthly meetings to establish their own websites. Discussion included the observation that MRF had not been good about disseminating information to our own yearly meeting, and that perhaps this was a project for Advancement and Outreach. Clerk, suggesting that it would be helpful to the transition to electronics to have a circle of aides, asked for volunteers. Keeley Massey and Judith Wiegand volunteered to work with Richard, who has volunteered to manage our online information.

No Fellowship Committee report was given, but the committee met Second Month, 10th day.

Finance and Stewardship Clerk Sandra Stuart gave the report for that committee which met Second Month, 11th day. Explaining that all BYM meetings had had their apportionment figures reduced in 2012 because of an unexpected increase in a large meeting’s income, Sandra said the final amount sent by Maury River was $4400. (Correct amount is $4500). $200 is left in the general fund. Camping scholarships are open for application, with $1500 available for that purpose. $1100 has been budgeted for housekeeping and $700 for mowing. The cost of annually filling the kerosene tank would be around $400. The committee agreed that the sense of the meeting is to continue dividing our annual income, which should be $20,000, between the four categories as we did in 2012: Spiritual Life, Building, BYM and Benevolences. Treasurer John White sent to BYM comptroller Margo Lehman, a letter in Twelfth Month outlining our process.

Clerk Daphne Raz gave the House and Grounds report. The committee met Second Month, 20th day with three members present. Work including selecting April 13 for spring work day. In addition to regular maintenance, building projects will again be undertaken, with friends urged to select from a list of work needing to be done.

Sandra Stuart gave the Religious Education report for clerk Mary Helen Brainard. The Junior Young Friends program is doing well. Middle School children now have their own class, which means that more Maury River adults are needed. Though a curriculum plan is in place to help volunteer teachers, friends are encouraged to participate in any way, including creating their own class. John White and Alex White plan to attend BYM’s Junior Young Friends Conference in early March, and John is taking the training later in March to become a FAP (Friendly Adult Presence).

Committee clerk Mary Barnes waived the Care and Counsel report in view of the lateness of the hour.

Clerk closed the meeting with a period of silence.