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Agate Passage Worship
Group September 16, 2001 PRESENT; Ed and Diana Sheridan, Lee Watson, Bob and Millie Royce, Candace Steele, Ed and Nancy Dodson, Jim and Dorothy Rana-Meadows, Norman Down, Elizabeth Zwick, Anne Rodman, Michael Moore, Deborah Anderson, Terry and Iver Macdougal, Gayle Henry, Lorena Bruff, Judith Brown, Carol Erickson The meeting was started by the clerk with a quotation from a pamphlet by Thomas S. Brown of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and the query contained in it: "In what ways can I prepare myself to put aside the heat and tumult of the day’s anxieties and to enter into the quietness of our Meeting for Business?" Following which there were a few moments of silent reflection. 1. The minutes of the July Meeting for business were reviewed and the following corrections made. Michael Moore’s name was left off the list of attenders. The three keys to the Meeting Hall are held by Lee Watson , Deborah Anderson, and Michael Moore. Keys to the mailbox for Worship Group are held by Michael Moore and Deborah Anderson. The minutes were approved as corrected. 2. Bob Royce has agreed to edit the newsletter and to be our first Web Clerk. He is in the process of developing the website which will contain basic information about the group and location of meetings. The address of this website is http://www.quaker.org/agate-passage/index.htm 3. Treasurer’s Report: Nancy Dodson reported that all current bills have been paid and there is an overall total balance in our account of $1,688.45 as of 9/14/01. 4. Ministry and Oversight committee: Judy Brown, Lisa Down, Bob Major, and Diana Sheridan. Judy Brown presented a revised greeting statement for the group, based on the previous comments and discussion in our last business meeting. With minor revisions, the statement was approved as presented and the final draft will be completed by Judy and included in the website. A future Worship Group Discussion was proposed on the topic "By what path have we arrived at the Society of Friends?". The members present a9reed on the date of October 7th, 10:30 to 1:00, following a shortened Meeting for Worship. Members will be notified by e-mail. Nancy Dodson pointed out that a telephone tree would also be helpful for sharing some types of information. Lee Watson stated that the new directory will be out very soon with phone numbers and e-mail addresses of members and attenders. 5. Discussion of Becoming a Meeting: Following our threshing session on this subject, Judy and Gayle had attended a business meeting at University Friends Meeting. At this meeting the Port Townsend Worship Group, which is also under the guidance of University Friends Meeting, presented their request to become a Preparative Meeting. This is normally the next step toward becoming a Monthly Meeting. The Yearly Meeting is the group which has final approval on formalizing Monthly Meeting status. The members generally agreed that we were ready to accept the responsibility of becoming a Monthly Meeting as most of the functions of such a group have already been established within our Worship Group. Although the group has waxed and waned over the years since the ‘70’s when first initiated, the present level of attendance and number of members suggests that we are ready for this next step of becoming a Monthly Meeting. The reservations of some centered around a possible loss of intimacy and closeness present in the small group and the possible encumbrance of unwanted obligations to a larger, more institutionalized group. Those expressing such reservations were willing to go ahead with becoming a Monthly Meeting in the hope that these fears would not prove valid, Judy proposed writing a letter to the Ministry and Oversight Committee of the University Meeting stating that we already consider ourselves a Preparative Meeting and wish to become a Monthly Meeting. She will attempt to include a sense of the meeting on this subject, including the reservations brought up. She will bring a draft of this letter for the next Meeting for Worship for business in November. 6. The Education Committee of Lee Watson, Norm Down and Elizabeth Zwick will meet in the near future to consider a proactive plan for our children and young attenders. 7 Peace and Social Concerns: Ed Stated that the group meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Poulsbohemian Coffee Shop in Poulsbo. The main focus of the group will be on prisons with other topics such as education coming under this umbrella. He and Nancy have volunteered to present within the schools the curriculum Teaching Tolerance which is provided free by the Southern Poverty Law Center. He would hike the meeting’s informal support for doing this although it will not be presented as coming under the auspices of Friends. He has received very positive responses from those he has approached on this project. The meeting agreed that this appeared to be a worthwhile project. 8. Schedule of Future Meetings: The first three Sundays of each month we meet at Seabold Meeting Hall October 7th, 10:30-1:00. Worship Group Discussion on topic: "How did you come to the Society of Friends" following a shortened meeting for worship. Seabold Meeting Hall October 28th, 10:00. Gayle Henry’s house, 6830 Kaleetan, Suquamish Shores, (360) 697-5747. November 18th, 11:30-1:00, Meeting for Worship for Business, following worship, Seabold Meeting Hall. November 25th, 10:00, Ed and Diana Sheridan, 9702 Sands Ave. NE, Bainbridge Island, (206) 842-4562. Lorena Bruff, Recording Clerk
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