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Agate Passage Friends Meeting Meeting for Business February 19, 2006
The Meeting opened with a minute of silence and included a reading from Faith and Practice, page 73, Howard Brinton's thoughts on the Meeting for Business. PRESENT: Judy Brown, Kathryn Keve, Dorothy Rana-Meadows, Jim Rana-Meadows, Diane Carle, Bob Major, Wendy McClure, Barbara Wolf, Lucy Johnson, Millie Royce, Michael Moore THE MINUTES of the JANUARY 15, 2006 MEETING were approved. APRIL MEETING DATE: The next date for Meeting for Business falls on Easter Sunday so it was rescheduled to April 9. APPLICATION for membership: Jessie Page Judy Brown briefly outlined the steps for membership: The applicant writes a letter of application. In the letter, the applicant describes their spiritual journey and how it interacts with the Quaker way. A committee for clearness reviews this letter with the applicant usually at a visit at the applicant's home. In time, the letter is brought to the Meeting for Business. The Meeting will take a minimum of a month to get to know the person. Then the application is brought to Meeting for Business for final consideration. The process can take three months or more. In Quaker experience sometimes the applicant may be counseled to wait longer or be turned down. QUARTERLY MEETINGS Update Lucy J. and Judy B. met with the planning committee for the Fall Quarterly Meeting and enjoyed meeting the other Quakers. The topic will be “Holding People in the Light.” The next planning meeting is March 18 (?) in Bellevue. Please let Judy know if you would like to attend. Our State of the Society report needs to be prepared for approval at our April Meeting for Business. It will be submitted to the Spring Quarterly Meeting and include a summary of events challenges and accomplishments over the past year. Millie Royce agreed to do the first draft which is due at the March Business Meeting. WOMEN SAY NO TO WAR! A vigil sponsored by Bainbridge Women in Black on Wednesday March 8, 2006 to protest the war in Iraq and a possible US attack on Iran. It is part of the CODE PINK sponsored petition against war and also the BI WIB 4th Anniversary. The vigil will be held from 5:15-6:30pm at Winslow Way and Hwy 305. Men are welcome too! US CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS AND ISRAELI REFUSENIKS Evan Welkin is working on encouraging events, public forums, and meetings between these two groups. He noted that May 15 is Conscientious Objector Day. At this time there are no specific plans proposed. The Meeting agreed that if either or both of these groups come to this area, we would like to help support their efforts. MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY Mille Royce noted that the Membership Directory needs to be updated and she and Bob would like to have help as there are people listed who are neither attendees or members, or who have moved on. Judy B. and Kathryn K. said they would review the current list. QUAKERISM 101 Ed Sheridan reported on the work so far to hold six sessions this Spring (March-May) that will cover topics of importance to Friends. After discussion, we agreed that the number of attendees would not be limited. We also considered taking this series to the public and decided that this was an appealing idea so the community could get to know us better, and perhaps attract new members, that we would postpone any public series until Fall. Judy noted that the Pacific Northwest region is rich with knowledgeable Quakers who can contribute to this effort. The suggested format is to hold some of the sessions prior to Sunday Meetings (8:45-9:45am) and others later Sunday afternoon (4-6pm) with a potluck. Ed will follow up with a specific schedule. Topics and possible speakers are: 1. Quaker History (Bill Matchette) 2. Quaker Testimonies 3. The Quaker Approach to Social Action (Asia Bennett) 4. How Quakers Gain Clearness and Consensus (Margaret Sorrel) 5. Quaker Worship and Spirituality 6. Quaker Faith and Practice RETREAT POSTPONED: In light of the Quaker 101 series, it was decided to put off the Retreat previously set for March 11. NEW TREASURER We gratefully approved Michael Moore as the new Treasurer to replace Will Hamm who resigned. TREASURER’S REPORT Seabold Rental Policies were reviewed in detail. Our normal hours for September-April are 9am to noon and for May-August, 10am to noon. Friends who wish to schedule extra time, for example the pre-Meeting Discussion group, can contact Joan Bickerton directly (206) 842-4383, but please let Michael know so he can keep track of rental hours and what we owe. We agreed to reserve Seabold Hall from 9am-12:00pm on Easter and to hold any additional outdoor activities after that time. The December Studio Tour hours for our Meeting are now in the Contract and Kathryn will double check that the Studio Tour is aware of this. Advertising Michael presented the recent history and cost of advertising. DEX rates for 2006 are quite high ($55.60 per month) so we would like to reconsider our options. This was deferred to the next Meeting for Business. Bob Major offered to check on the costs of advertising with the Kitsap Sun in their church section. Several people mentioned they are most likely to check the Yellow Pages to find a Friends Meeting so would like to continue our presence there even if it is fewer lines. Because we have a business phone, we have a listing (not an ad) without additional cost in the Yellow Pages and in the business section of the White Pages. Two general comments were made during Meeting: * To appreciate ourselves and all the contributions we make. (Lorena Bruff) * Not to commit to events or activities if we don’t have resources to support them. (Ed Sheridan) The Meeting ended at 1pm. Kathryn Keve
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