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Burlington Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Steering Committee
Minutes of Meeting
Tenth Month 15th 2005

Minute No. 1. Worship and Opening Exercises

The Steering Committee of Burlington Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends held its regular Meeting for Worship for Business on the morning of Tenth Month 15 th , at the Woolman Memorial in Mt. Holly , New Jersey . Clerk was Pat Fowler, recording clerk Susan White.

Other members of the Burlington Quarter Steering Committee present were: Jada Jackson ( Trenton ), Harold Jernigan (Little Egg Harbor and clerk of Quarter), Gary Nisley (Little Egg Harbor), Maurie Stevenson (Crosswicks), Jack Walz ( Mt. Holly ), Allan White ( Princeton .)

Other Friends present were Os Cresson ( Mt. Holly ), Fran Campbell ( Mt. Holly and Burlington Regional Coordinator) and Charlotte Mood (Little Egg Harbor.)

A period of fellowship began at 9:30 a.m., and opening worship near the appointed hour of 10 a.m. . Jack Walz noted that this afternoon will be the Annual Woolman Memorial Lecture at Medford Leas. Also, the Woolman Association is 90 years old, and is celebrating with a fund-raising cookbook now for sale, Food for Friends .

Minute No. 2. Minutes of Seventh Month Steering Committee Meeting.

Minutes of Seventh Month Steering Committee Meeting were considered and approved as written.

Minute No. 3. Mansfield Update .

Maurie Stevenson reported that, on Fifth Day of this week, after final corrections, we received a Certificate of Occupancy for the new addition at Mansfield Meetinghouse. This contains the kitchen and facilities. Electrical work in the older structure will go forward now. While Maurie is on vacation during the month of November, Frank Smith will take over Mansfield work. Rita Varley of Yearly Meeting Library has visited the Mansfield Meetinghouse, and expressed enthusiasm for the space being created there for a branch of our Yearly Meeting Library. She has until next spring to move the part of the Yearly Meeting library that will come to Mansfield from its present home in Friends Center at 1515 Cherry Street Philadelphia .

Minute No. 4. Clerks Correspondence.

4.A Theresa Fitzgibbon of Trenton Meeting sent a letter asking Burlington Quarter for financial support. She wishes to participate in a re-enactment of the “Salt Walk” originally undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 to protest a salt tax. In March and April of 2005, there was in India an ” International Walk for Peace, Justice and Freedom - 75th Anniversary Reenactment of Mahatma Gandhi's Salt March.” Next year there will be another walk, and Theresa wishes to participate, and is asking us for funds.

We are unclear at present as to whether we have funds available to support her, and will consider this matter further at our Eleventh Month Steering Committee Meeting. However, her Letter of Support from Trenton Meeting was joined on behalf of the Quarter by Friends of the Steering Committee. Friends of Burlington Quarter Steering Committee also approved joining in a Travel Minute on her behalf. The Quarter clerk will complete this minute based on Trenton 's Letter of Support.

4.B . A Travel Minute was read from Mt Holly Monthly Meeting for Margery Larrabee traveling in religious ministry to other Monthly Meetings and Yearly Meetings. Her ministry was described in detail in the minute of Tenth Month 9, 2005. Friends of Burlington Quarter Steering Committee warmly joined in the Travel Minute for Marjorie Larrabee.

Minute No. 5. Coordinators Report.

Fran Campbell distributed a written summary of her work since last Steering Committee Meeting. Some 80 people attended TriQuarter Gathering, including a lot of children.

One highlight of Fran's recent work was reported by Jada Jackson for Trenton Meeting. She expressed gratitude on the part of Trenton Meeting for Fran's work in facilitation of their annual Strategic Plan review. Jada offered that many Meetings are considering strategic plans, and Trenton expressed a hope that Fran can work with other Meeting in this process. Fran reported being lifted up by the process, and is willing to help other Meetings as way opens.

Minute No. 6 Arch Street Future

Fran reminded Friends of the Tenth Month 22 nd open meeting on the future of the Arch Street Meetinghouse. Friends of the Steering Committee expressed support for participation by as many interested Friends as possible so that our concern will be known. At last Interim Meeting there was near an hour's discord on the secrecy of the Arch Street Future planning process. A Friend asked if we know the real deficit at Arch Street . This is not clear, but we are working to understand more about this question.

Minute No. 7. Recording Clerk of the Quarter

Os Cresson is resigning as recording clerk of the Quarter as of the end of Twelfth Month coming. Friends minuted their warm appreciation for Os's service as our recording clerk, and hoped that he will continue to be part of our fellowship.

Os suggested workshops for recording clerks. Friends considered various options. Might we offer a recording clerk's workshop in our own Quarter? Or at the Tri-Quarter Level? Could we use Mansfield as a site for such a workshop? We will consider these options again in the future.

Could Fran investigate whether a recording clerk's workshop might be offered at Residential Yearly Meeting next year? Could she also ask Pendle Hill if they would be interested in offering a recording clerk's workshop, perhaps along with the clerking workshop led by Arthur Larabee. Friends approved.

Minute No. 8. Sexual Misconduct Task Force

In his last month's regular email to Monthly Meeting clerks, Clerk of Quarter asked each to consider appointing a representative to the task force seeking to establish a policy on sexual harassment for our Quarter. Jada asked that if not all Meetings are represented on the task force, should they go forward? Friends present affirmed that they should. Mt. Holly Meeting has suggested having a different name: “Child Care Policy.”

Minute No. 9. Web Page.

Friends minuted approval of Burlington Quarter's new web page. It is important to keep information up to date. Corrections to the Calender page for Visitations were noted. Only Little Egg Harbor, Princeton, and Trenton among our Monthly Meetings have created individual style and information for their pages. Clerk of Quarter will query other Monthly Meetings which have only a generic web page, and ask if they might like to have the Quarter's web clerk help them by making fuller pages for their Meetings.

Minute No. 10. Relationship with Yearly Meeting

Friends expressed grave concerns about the present governance of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, lifting up the following examples:

10.A. Work at Yearly Meeting in session. The presiding clerk of Yearly Meeting has stated her intention to structure next Third Month session of Yearly Meeting as a conference program rather than a business session. Friends at last session of Yearly Meeting stated a strong leading that Yearly Meeting is a business session.

10.B. Advisory Committee. Ten years ago we re-formed our Yearly Meeting structure, to make decisions and initiatives move up from Monthly Meetings, through the Quarters, to the Yearly Meeting. Now the General Secretary has created anew a hierarchical structure, with himself as head. This would be fine for a Cardinal in the Catholic Church or a Bishop in the Methodist Church – but not as a paid staff member for the Society of Friends. His “Advisory Committee” makes key decisions such as budgetary allocations for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, and is not responsible to Interim Meeting or any other body within the Yearly Meeting. The former “Administrative Council” has changed from an executive committee into a group that calls itself the “leadership of PYM..”

In this, we are sliding back into a previous untenable pattern for a Quaker organization. In the 1960s, Lynn and Joe Valesquie came to Yearly Meeting at Westfield . Lynn brought up that the Advisory Committee was too small to be making decisions for the Society of Friends, and Representative Meeting was enlarged to be Interim Meeting, with responsibility for a broad-based governance of our Yearly Meeting.

10.C. Committee on the Quarters. The Yearly Meeting Ad Hoc Committee on Quarterly Meetings was appointed to suggest ways for the Yearly Meeting to rightly consider the role of the Quarters. Rather, its function has been defined as considering the Burlington Quarter Minute on Quarters.

10.D. Possible Actions . Might we have a discussion of the roles and responsibility of the General Secretary? Also of the roles and responsibilities of paid staff in general? Could Term Limits be set? Who could address these concerns? Might the Worship and Ministry Committee of the Yearly Meeting deal with this? Is it time simply to ask the General Secretary to resign?

10. E. Minute on Yearly Meeting Governance . The Burlington Minute on Yearly Meeting Governance, addressing these concerns, was ill received at the Yearly Meeting level.

Minute No. 11. Future Meetings and Closing.

At November's Burlington Quarter Steering Committee meeting, Jada will report on her peace witness in Nevada . Also, at Quarterly Meeting before last, Friends approved forming a Worship and Ministry Committee for Burlington Quarter. Clerks of Monthly Meetings were asked to appoint representatives to this body. In November, the Quarter Nominating Committee will consider these appointments.

After a period of silent worship, Friends rose near noon, to meet again, God willing, Eleventh Month 19 th , 2005.

Susan White, Recording Clerk

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Appendix A. Travel Minute for Margery Mears Larrabee

Mount Holly Friends Meeting
81 High Street
Mount Holly NJ 08060

Dear Friends,

We recommend to your loving care and attention our beloved Friend Margery Mears Larrabee as she travels in religious service to monthly meetings in various yearly meetings and other gatherings.

Margery has a deep and compelling desire to be an instrument for awakening ourselves to God's longing for us and the seed of longing planted in us that longs for God. Although her ministry is all of a piece, it expresses itself in different modes, such as teaching, facilitating, consulting and leading workshops and retreats. Margery's ministry is manifest in a variety of themes, such as discovering our gifts, centered in feeling and communication, the power of affirmation and appreciation. Spirit-led listening and Spirit-led eldering are primary themes.

One of the main structures she presents for channeling the Spirit is through the Spiritual Friendship Formation Program. Two booklets have been published which tell of this program and the spirit behind it. Since 1984 Margery has been actively involved in the facilitating of these programs, helping to adapt the program to the needs of the monthly meeting and the individuals in it.

In preparation for offering spiritual guidance and nurture, Margery has studied at the Shalem Retreat and Study Center , the School of the Spirit, the Servant Leadership School and the Francis House of Prayer. This study and work, combined with being a certified diplomat in social work, creates an interest in the natural integration of spirituality and psychology.

We trust that you will benefit from sharing Margery's insights and active faith. We send you our loving greetings and commend her to your care and hospitality.

In faith,

Karen Robbins, Clerk

Approved by Mount Holly Monthly Meeting
October 9, 2005
The duration of this minute is through June 2007.