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Burlington Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Steering Committee Meeting
First Month 21 st 2006
Woolman Memorial Mount Holly New Jersey .

Present were: Fran Campbell (Mount Holly and Quarter Coordinator), Pat Fowler (Mount Holly – clerk of Steering Committee and presiding), Harold Jernigan (Little Egg Harbor and recording), Joe Jordan (Rancocas), Tad LaFountain (Princeton), Margery Larrabee (Mount Holly), Charlotte Lippincott Mood (Little Egg Harbor), Frank Smith (Rancocas), Cynthia Van saun (Little Egg Harbor), and Jack Walz (Mount Holly), Regrets from Gary Nisley, Maury Stevenson, Allan White, and Susan White.

Minute No. 1. Opening .

Burlington Quarter Steering Committee met at Woolman Memorial First Month 21 st 2006. Before entering into a period of worship, clerk asked Friends to hold in the Light the Quaker hostages in Iraq . After worship, the proposed agenda was considered, amended, and approved.

Minute No. 2. Minutes of Eleventh Month 2005 Steering Committee .

Minutes of Eleventh Month Steering Committee were read and discussed. In reference to Minute 9.1.B, Harold Jernigan asked to have it recorded that he had been present at every Steering Committee meeting and did not recall the purchase of a computer being discussed, otherwise he would have asked for the Treasurer to be consulted and would have reminded Friends that there was a line item in the Yearly Meeting budget for computer support for regional staff. However, he stood aside and the minutes were approved as distributed.

Minute No. 3. Treasurer's Report.

Frank Smith presented the Treasurer's Report showing the balances of $15,418.71 in General Fund, $19,453.41 in School Fund, $3,020.57 in Shrewsbury Fund, and $19,980.87 in Mansfield Account. The market value of the Friends Assistance Fund is $1,061,247, and there is a balance of $43,051.12 in the Checking Account. Treasurer reminded Friends of the deadlines and procedure for scholarship applications for the School Fund. Fran Campbell, Coordinator, raised the question of the criteria for being a “Friends” school After some discussion, it was agreed that any school recognized by the Yearly Meeting Committee on Education would be satisfactory for the Quarter's School Fund. The Treasurer's Report was accepted with gratitude.

Minute No. 4. Mansfield Meetinghouse .

Frank Smith reported for Maury Stevenson on the status of Mansfield . The municipality will not grant a Certificate of Occupancy until a minor alteration is made in the architect's drawing.

Minute No. 5. Procedure for Paying Coordinator's Salary and Expenses .

The Steering Committee approved changing the procedures for the payment of the Coordinator's salary and expenses. Henceforth, salary and expenses will be paid directly by the Yearly Meeting, instead of the Yearly Meeting sending us a check for their portion, and the Quarter's Treasurer then writing the checks. This simplifies the process. The amount of the Quarter's covenant with the Yearly Meeting is not affected.

Minute No. 6. Coordinator's Report .

The Coordinator's Report was distributed and discussed. The next Tri-Quarter Gathering planning meeting is scheduled for Second Month 4 th at Woodbury. The annual meeting of Regional Staff and their Oversight Committees is scheduled for Sixth Month 12th at Plymouth Meeting.

Minute No. 7. Yearly Meeting Governance.

Tad LaFountain spoke in detail about Princeton Monthly Meeting's response to the draft of a proposed minute concerning the governance of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. This was sent by our Quarterly Meeting to the Monthly Meetings in Burlington Quarter for their consideration and discernment. Princeton Meeting spent a lot of time in prayerful discernment of the minute. They strongly support the minute. Furthermore, they even considered withholding their portion of the Quarter's covenant from the Yearly Meeting until the issues raised in the minute are corrected by the Yearly Meeting. They did approve withholding the four percent increase in covenant which had previously been approved by Princeton , which would otherwise take effect Seventh Month of this year, until problems in Yearly Meeting governance are corrected by the Yearly Meeting.

Minute No 8. Nominations.

Pat Fowler has announced that she is being led to step down as clerk of the Steering Committee. A Naming Committee of Joseph Jordan, Margery Larrabee, and Frank Smith was appointed to bring forward the name of a Friend to succeed her. Also, Friends were reminded that Frank Smith has asked to be relieved as Treasurer of the Quarter at the end of this year. The Steering Committee, which acts as the Nominating Committee for the Quarter, has the responsibility of bringing forward the name of another Friend to follow Frank in that post.

Minute No. 8. Closing.

After a period of worship, the meeting of the Steering Committee adjourned, purposing to meet again Second Month 18 th 2006, according to Divine will.

Harold Jernigan, recording clerk for the day