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Burlington Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Steering Committee Meeting
Fourth Month 21st 2007
Woolman Memorial Mount Holly New Jersey

Friends of the Burlington Quarter Steering Committee gathered for fellowship at half past nine in the morning of Fourth Month 21 st 2007 at the Woolman Memorial in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

Present were: Fran Campbell (Mt. Holly and Coordinator of Quarter), Jada Jackson (Trenton), Harold Jernigan (Little Egg Harbor), Tad LaFountain (Princeton and Clerk of Quarter), Margery Larrabee (Mount Holly), Louis LeFevre (Trenton), Gary Nisley (Little /egg Harbor), Bill Robbins (Mount Holly and Treasurer of Quarter), Frank Smith (Rancocas), Charlotte Spillane (Little Egg Harbor), Jack Walz (Mount Holly and presiding in absence of Steering Committee Clerk, Allan White (Princeton), Susan White (Princeton and recording.) Maurie Stevenson (Crosswicks), had been present earlier to leave some materials about the Mansfield Meetinghouse project, but was not able to stay due to family illness.

Minute No. 1. Opening Minute. Burlington Quarter Steering Committee met at Woolman Memorial Fourth Month 21 st 2007 near the stated hour of ten in the morning and settled into opening worship with 13 Friends present. Clerk was Jack Walz, recording Susan White

Minute No. 2. Financial Matters . Friends considered several financial matters:

Minute No. 2.A. Proposed Quarter Budget . Bill Robbins, Treasurer of Quarter, presented the “Proposed Budget: Income and Expenses, and Covenants” for 2007-2008 for Burlington Quarter. See Appendix . This was created at Quarter Budget Meeting held at Mansfield April 7. All Monthly Meetings were represented except Barnegat and Trenton . Steering Committee reviewed the proposed budget, and approved taking it forward to Quarterly Meeting.

Minute No. 2.B. Treasurer's Report. Bill also presented the Treasurer's Report prepared by our outgoing Treasurer Frank Smith. Friends noted that Frank used his background as a business person to take solid and responsible care of our finances for 14 years.

Treasurer's Report as of March 17, 2007 found General Fund $20,856.17. Outstanding bills at present total $23,177.50 for the following items: John Woolman Memorial $2,000, Young Young Friends $800, Tri-Quarter $500, Covenant payment to Yearly Meeting for 3 rd Quarter $4,625. School Fund has at present $19,143.45. Shrewsbury Fund has $1,172.49. Mansfield Property Account has at present Checking $810.84, Savings $1,123.98, Stock Portfolio $19,274.69. Income still out is Third Quarter Covenants of $16,795.75. Friends Assistance Fund as of February 28 2007 has Checking $5,111.31 and Savings $56,236.

Minute No. 2.C. Accounts Reconciled. Tad LaFountain reported that at last Steering Committee, he was asked to review the books of our Quarter, and he has done so. He found all accounts reconciled.

Minute No. 2.D. Set Up Overall Structure . In additional discussion about various financial matters of our Quarter, Tad, our Clerk of Quarter, reported a sense of discomfort with our finances being in several different centers. We do not seem to be able as a Quarter to look at an overall picture of our finances. Some funds such as the Friends Assistance Fund are managed by a special committee. However, this and other funds are finally the property of our Quarter, and their income and expenditures are reported to our Quarter. He offered that in order that our stewardship of resources could be better informed, it could be a useful to have an accountant among our members to look at our finances and put them into an overall structure.

Treasurer concurred that it would be useful to have such a structure set up. It would be a lot to deal with if someone is not coming to this from an accounting background.

Friends then approved asking Treasurer and Clerk of Quarter to work on the idea of finding an accounting professional in our membership to look over our finances , and perhaps bringing back to us a proposal for using such a person to put our finances into an overall structure. They agreed to do so, and will report back to us at upcoming meetings.

Minute No. 2.E. Financial Software . A software program could help us in the ongoing administration of our accounts, but to use such a program effectively, we need first to have an overall structure set up. Once that is done, a possible software program is “Quick Books.” Philadelphia Yearly Meeting teaches the use of this program to Treasurers of Quarter and Monthly Meetings.

Minute No. 3. Coordinator's Report . Fran Campbell reported that her work in the last two months has largely been focused on coordinating grant applications to support Mansfield Meetinghouse renovations and update. Two have been submitted, to Tyson for $25,000, and Bequests for $15,000. An upcoming grant application will be filed with Membership Development for up to $5,000 for signs for Mansfield , and later applications will be made to D'Olier and to Meetinghouse of FGC.

Fran has also worked on Quarter Link publication, kept up usual duties in office and with Monthly Meetings, and attended both a Regional Staff meeting at Arch Street and the Quarter Treasurer Meeting on April 7 at Mansfield .

Minute No. 5. Mansfield Meetinghouse. Frank Smith responded to a question raised at a previous meeting of whether Mansfield Meetinghouse is covered for liability. He noted that Mansfield is covered for Liability under the policy of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, and has the same coverage as every other Meetinghouse in our Yearly Meeting. Mansfield Meetinghouse is covered under its own policy with the name: “Burlington Quarterly Meeting Trustees – Mansfield Property .“ A tree at Mansfield need to be removed, with cost to be determined.

Clerk asked how the Mansfield Meetinghouse would be used in the future. The Budget Meeting for our Quarter was held there. Bill Robbins reported that the meeting was comfortable so long as we took our own chairs, as those Friends did. Coordinator reported a sense of energy and excitement in meeting at Mansfield . Treasurer offered that it would be good to meet there when possible. A Friend offered the experience having a strong sense at Mansfield that there is indeed a “people waiting to be gathered.”

Friends minuted our sense that we will wait until the building is in good order before scheduling most meetings there. Grant language will be explored so we can bring to a future meeting comments on a vision for Mansfield .

Minute No. 6. Yearly Meeting Matters. A Friend reported that recent contributions to Yearly Meeting Annual Fund have been considerable, and filled in about half of the projected shortfall in the next year's Yearly Meeting budget. Also, if all Designated Funds and Restricted Funds begin to pay their administrative costs, the shortfall will also be covered entirely.

A Friend offered her sense that a budget analysis could help us better understand our use of resources.

A Friend noted from Yearly Meeting in session was focused largely on financial matters. He offered that the shortfall in Yearly Meeting at present comes not from a problem with expenses, but rather from a problem with income. At present, covenant brings in about $100 per person of membership of our Yearly Meeting, or two dollars per person per week. If additional income at a rate of one more dollar per week came from members, we would not as a Yearly Meeting community spend a disproportionate amount of time worrying about small issues of budget. This reduces the uplifting nature that our work could have. Friends expressed appreciation for this clear statement about our financial situation. Could this Friend bring back to us a written statement as to his sense of how we could, to use his language “Break Out of Undue Focus on the Budgetary Process.”

A Friend offered that Yearly Meeting in session twenty years ago was the highlight of his Spiritual life each year. Today, with a great focus on budget this is not his experience.

Another Friend lifted up that sometimes we spend overmuch time on a topic in order to avoid some other topic. We talk about finances at great length, and we don't spend time talking about issues in our Spiritual life together. Our way as Friends could feed the Spiritual hunger that seekers bring to us

Clerk of Quarter offered that we have spent this entire Meeting dealing with financial matters, pushing aside any other concerns. We need to break free of this cycle. The Meetings of Burlington Quarter, one of the smaller Quarters in our Yearly Meeting, already give at the suggested higher level of about three dollars per person per week. Could Burlington Quarter lead by example and offer that all Meetings in our Yearly Meeting go to a higher level of support?

Minute No. 7. Reflections on Quarterly Meeting . Clerk of Quarter offered that the Quarter should support our Monthly Meetings, and the Yearly Meeting structure should support the Quarter and Monthly Meetings. He proposed that at Sixth Month Quarterly Meeting we focus on the Spiritual nature of our Quarter. Structure of this meeting would be Worship first, then Business which must be transacted. Following would then be a Meeting for Worship where we could all share where and how we want to go forward. He proposed that the Meeting be Spirit led rather than clerk led.

Clerk would like Sixth Month Meeting to be an “Advance,” as different from the Retreat participated in by some organizations. We need to have a sense of purpose and mission. Could we have a bold and audacious vision for what we can do and be as Friends? The spiritual and the temporal can exist together for the benefit of both.

Clerk also lifted up the following:

Minute No. 8 Announcements.

Minute No. 9. Minutes and Closing. Minutes of today's meeting were considered, revised, and approved. After a period of silent worship, with 13 Friends present, meeting rose near one o'clock to meet again Fifth Month 19th, 2007, according to Divine Will.

Susan White, Recording Clerk.

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Appendix: Proposed Budget for Quarter

BURLINGTON QUARTERLY MEETING
PROPOSED BUDGET: INCOME, EXPENSES AND COVENANTS
July 2007 - June 2008

INCOME:

Quarter Covenants from Monthly Meetings $30,636, ($74 per 414 members)
Edward B. Jones Trust $50
Insurance Dividend $40
Bucks County Insurance Dividend $120
Mansfield Stock Dividend, $1,100
Contributions to Mansfield $1,000
Total Proposed Income $32,946

EXPENSES:

Coordinator's Expenses (Paid to PYM) $19,000
Insurance $650
Contribution to John Woolman Memorial Association $2,000
Tri-Quarter Gathering $500
Young-Young Friends $800
Contributions / Assistance $250
Safe Deposit Box $45
Mansfield Meetinghouse Utilities and Insurance $4,700
Mansfield Meetinghouse Debt Reduction $5,000

TOTAL PROPOSED EXPENSES $32,945

COVENANTS