Agate Passage Preparative Meeting
Meeting for Business
September 15, 2002

Present: Barbara Wolf, Betty Petrus, Kathryn Keve, Deborah Anderson, Michael Moore, Diana Sheridan, Ed Sheridan, Barbara Morrison, Bob Major, Gayle Henry, Judy Brown, Millie Royce.

Silent Inquiry: Do we live in the virtue of that life and power which takes away the occasion of all wars?

Review of last Meeting for Business minutes, July 21 ’02

Meetings for worship: 

9/22, Meeting at Elizabeth Zwick’s home; 

9/29, at Barbara Morrison’s; 

10/6, 10/13, 10/20 at Seabold Hall

10/25 Business Meeting Potluck at 6:00 PM, Friday at Ed and Diana Sheridan’s. Discussion
will include: Concerns and questions brought up by the PNW Visitation Committee regarding
our application for becoming a Monthly Meeting. 

10/27, at Judy Brown’s. 

11/3 at Seabold Hall - Please note this will be a special format. There will be a 30 minute
Worship from 10:00 to 10:30, and this will be followed by a 90 minute (approximate) discussion
centered on Quaker Worship. (see below for the Ministry and Oversight Committee report).

11/10 at Seabold Hall

11/17 at Seabold Hall - November Meeting for Worship for Business follows the regular
Worship Meeting

First Day Education sign-ups for October and November. 

10/6, Diana Sheridan; 

10/13, Millie Royce; 

10/20, Barbara Wolf; 

11/3 No educational program due to special Meeting for Worship

11/10, Judy Brown; 

11/17, Ed Sheridan 

Seabold Hall Keys: We have been asked by Joan Biggerton, Seabold Hall Director, to find out who among our group have keys to the hall. Kathryn, Michael, and Deborah said they have keys at this time. 

Financial Matters:

Barbara Morrison will be the new treasurer, but has not had time since her return to Bainbridge to
work with the records and prepare a report . 
A seventy dollar donation has been requested for brochures for the Women in Black peace testimony
project (to be discussed at the November Meeting for Worship for Business). 
The Iraq Ad: Judy Brown explained how, in the event that donations for the advertisement might have
proved to be tax deductible for donors, early donations had been made out to and deposited in a
special Agate Passage Ad Account, set up by the Meeting at our August potluck meeting. Four days
later Norm was informed by a tax lawyer that donations could be considered political and would
probably not be tax deductible. All contributors to that special account were so informed, and their
contributions were to be withdrawn from the special Agate Passage Ad account, and deposited in
Judy's personal account, along with the contributions that were directly addressed to her. Ample
funds made it possible to have the ad in four newspapers in our area: Seattle P-I, Seattle Times,
Seattle Weekly, and Bremerton Sun. These ads are examples of materials that could be placed in a
future Agate Passage Meeting archive. In the past we've discussed the possibility of having an
Historian for our meeting and to accumulate archives.

Report from Ministry and Oversight: July 17th Committee Meeting

Bob Major, Ed and Diana Sheridan, (Judy Brown and Lisa Down were away) met at Bob Major’s home.
Gayle Henry, Deborah Anderson, and Bob and Millie Royce were Visitors. The discussion was centered
around ways in which we may deepen our understanding and our experience of silent worship and shared vocal ministry, how to offer guidance to new attenders, and where to find examples of traditional Quaker worship. 

A number of the suggestions and questions from this M. and O. discussion were brought to the 9/15 business meeting and carried forward. 

We agreed that a common understanding of traditional Quaker worship is needed, for both present
members of our group, and for new attenders who may have little or no experience of silent worship.
Should we devote a special day to learning and sharing on this topic? What does the silence provide
us? Do we come to worship in genuine expectation? What characterizes a "Gathered Meeting"? We
agreed that printed material, such as Pendle Hill pamphlets, or Faith and Practice, could be helpful
for greater understanding. In the same regard Ed Sheridan recommended an article in the last issue
of Friends Bulletin in which Eden Grace explains how in her ecumenical work she describes the
essence of Quaker worship. Others commented that strict rules on how worship is "supposed to be"
would not be helpful for this kind of dialogue and learning. 

As an outgrowth of this discussion we decided to set aside November 3rd for a special Agate
Passage Friends gathering in which we can share and enlarge our understandings of the nature of
Quaker worship and learn more about each others’ individual needs and experiences. Gayle Henry
will be working with several other friends to work out the design and facilitation for this meeting. 
One suggestion: that at the beginning of the worship hour a Query be read, followed by discussion,
then one-half hour, or longer, of silence. Or, a query might simply be written on a card and placed on
the Meeting’s bulletin board. We noted how reading a Query aloud before worship encourages some
individuals to speak out of the silence. Others prefer to read the Query on their own, rather than
having it read to them. 

We discussed the need for a sign that at ten o’clock can be placed on the door to the hall, stating that
the meeting has begun and asking that any late-comers please wait (until 10:10?) to enter the room
as a group. (A similar procedure is used by University Friends.) For some friends, a late arrival is a
form of disrespect for the worship hour and it breaks the silence. A polite reminder to
discourage lateness would be helpful. Someone will need to be sure the sign is in place at ten
o’clock. Perhaps this could be the person (as yet undetermined) who opens the hall, prepares the
chairs and bulletin board, and provides copies of our small hand-out with its message of Welcome
and notes on Quaker Worship. 

The group felt that during the circle period at the Rise of Meeting, announcements and "unseasoned
spiritual insights" or comments need to be kept very brief, just a "headline", with any further details
posted on the bulletin board. It has been expressed that the experience of the worship hour can
become dulled or diluted by talk in the circle afterward. A suggestion was made that as we rise we
observe a moment of silence together so any persons who wish to leave the circle immediately may
do so. 
The question was discussed as to whether to discontinue meetings in homes on the fourth and fifth
Sundays, have Seabold Hall scheduled regularly, and reserved until 2 p.m. on the day of Meeting for
Business. The group felt that this change would provide scheduling continuity, better accommodate
(parking and seating) our growing numbers, and help avoid confusion for visitors. We agreed that
home hospitality offers a warm, sharing experience that will be missed, unless there can be other
planned social times in homes, for potlucks and discussion groups. It was mentioned that it is often
hard for persons with weekday jobs to attend evening potlucks. The possible change in meeting
location will need further thought and consideration. 

On December 8, the Artists’ Studio Tour will need access to Seabold Hall by 11 a.m. 
We discussed if we should continue to use the "Ministry and Oversight" name for our committee that
looks after matters of worship, ministry, and other matters. The October 25th potluck meeting for
business at Sheridan’s will discuss this further. Fort Townsend Friends have chosen Ministry and
Counsel as the title for their committee, being of the opinion that the term "Oversight" was too
hierarchical. Some in our Meeting are of the opinion that Ministry and Oversight is a traditional
Quaker Committee used by many Meetings, and that it doesn't imply hierarchy but simply
"all-embracing care". Another suggestion was to use "Worship, Care, and Clearness" for the
committee's name. 

The business meeting was closed with a moment of silence.

Respectfully,

Millie Royce, Recorder