Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of The Religious Society Of Friends |

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Interim Meeting Minutes – Approved
October 10, 2009
9:30 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.
Arch Street Meetinghouse

1. Opening Worship and Welcome

Friends gathered at the appointed hour for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s Interim Meeting session October 11, 2009. The Meeting settled into worship.

Introduction of clerks: out of worship, the Clerk welcomed those in attendance. Friends on the facing bench introduced themselves. Clerk, Thomas Swain (Middletown MM, Concord Quarter); Alternate Clerks Jada Jackson (Trenton MM); John Ellsworth (Gwynedd MM); Dana Kester-McCabe (Wicomico River MM); and Recording Clerk Rich Ailes (Middletown MM, Concord Quarter).

New members: Lane Taylor (Plumstead MM) introduced herself as a new Interim Meeting member.

Staff: Yearly Meeting staff members in attendance introduced themselves: Julian Brelsford (Database Coordinator); Christie Duncan-Tessmer (Associate Secretary for Program and Religious Life); Arthur Larrabee (General Secretary); Wright Horne (Associate Secretary for Advancement and Communications); Jan Hatchard (Development Director); and Beth Lawn (Concord Quarter Coordinator).

2. General Secretary’s Report

Arthur Larrabee rose to present the General Secretary’s report. He asked Christie Duncan-Tessmer to join him. Arthur reminded us of last year’s need to lay down the Peace & Justice coordinator position at PYM. Now a new staff position, an Eco-Justice Organizer, will pick up some of that work. The position has been created with the help of Christie Duncan-Tessmer working off the interest expressed by Friends in eco-justice concerns at Annual Sessions. It is hoped the position will help mobilize Yearly Meeting Friends around the concern and help attract new attenders, much like the Nuclear Weapons Freeze campaign did in the 1980’s.

Arthur announced the imminent retirement in November of Loretta Lucy Miller, administrative assistant to the General Secretary. Loretta joined Arthur where she received the deep appreciation of him and the Meeting. Loretta led us in one of her favorite songs, “Dear Friends”. Arthur also reminded us that Elizabeth Walmsley, Middle School Friends Coordinator, will also be leaving in November. Arthur expressed appreciation for Elizabeth’s work.

Arthur then noted the successful Friends Center Green Renovations Open House, held in November, to which a lot of his energy has been devoted. He then shared with us, as part of his efforts to highlight Friends who experience vitality and growth, a letter he had received from a Quaker family which detailed their satisfaction over the recent closing of Colisimo’s Gun Shop and their appreciation of the support they have received from PYM for the Quaker education of their teenage son.

Jan Hatchard, PYM’s Director of Development then came forward and told us her story of an encounter with God that changed her life. She and her husband had suffered the loss of a business in their early 40’s that was deeply troubling. She was angry with God over this in a Meeting for Worship when she was given a message to prepare to receive a child. Sharing this with her husband, both decided to be open to God’s message. In a short period of time she had taken training in the care of foster children which was followed by a 2 year period where she and her husband provided foster care for an infant in need. Fifteen more times after that they took in foster children with the full support of their Meeting. Jan stood before us declaring herself as a witness to the joy and power that can come to opening ourselves to God’s prompting. Friends then entered a respectful and grateful silence in response to Jan’s story, which touched us deeply.

Arthur then called for other Friends to share their stories of Meeting vitality. One Friend talked about her Meeting’s writer’s group that was flourishing and bringing their work into a local seniors’ residence. Camden MM today in Camden, Delaware, is dedicating their new “green” annex and renovated historic meetinghouse. Wicomico River Friends Meeting in Salisbury, Maryland, will move into their new meetinghouse, a converted rancher, in eleventh month. MM of Friends of Philadelphia (Arch Street) will be implementing Quaker Quest soon. Abington Quarterly Meeting is discussing the hiring of a Quarterly Meeting coordinator after over 30 years of not having had one.

3. Continued Threshing of Core Beliefs

The Clerk then asked the Meeting to continue the threshing session from last Interim Meeting regarding the proposal to develop a brief one page statement of what Quakers in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting believe. The clerk asked those present to consider the following questions: Does this idea still have spirit-led resonance? How should this idea be carried forward? Should a small committee be formed? If so, what would be its charge? How should it be selected? How would it report back? Should this idea be a concern that should be brought before Annual Sessions in March? How do the Monthly Meetings relate to this?

The Clerk then opened the Meeting to members to share more of their thoughts on this idea. Friends responded in a rapid fashion, in such a way that in the middle of the threshing session the clerk reminded us to wait upon the spirit before speaking. By the end of our discussion it seemed the sense of the Meeting was that Friends were united to explore the process of finding out from one another what is at the core of our Quaker life. Many rose to say that their Monthly Meetings are already ahead of us working on a question similar to that which formed the theme of one Monthly Meeting’s First Day School, “So you’re a Quaker – what’s that?” While friends were generally excited about coming to a unifying statement of our faith experience, there were deep concerns raised about creed building and the mistrust and exclusion which that could engender. “Belief is what we fall back on when we lose our faith.” On the other hand, does avoiding such a statement allow us to avoid being faithful to a spirit led life in the outside world.

One Friend, who had served on the Priorities Process Standing Committee, hoped that this could be carried forward using its experience as a model, a way to gather statements from all our members across the whole Yearly Meeting. Another Friend seemed to express the enthusiasm in the threshing session, “It would be so exciting to be on that committee that listens to all the Yearly Meeting members who will come to us with statements of their faith.”

After a brief break, the clerk asked the Meeting if they wish to hold onto this concern. Meeting APPROVED. The clerk suggested that at next Interim Meeting, the Meeting should go through the process of identifying and describing our own statements of our faith experience.

4. PYM Nominating Committee Report

The clerk then asked the Meeting to consider the nomination of Friends to be Elders. Nominating Committee has brought a roster of eight Friends to serve as Elders during sessions of Interim Meeting and Yearly Meeting. This was a part of the Governance recommendations approved at Annual Sessions in eighth month. The clerk asked those present to share any concerns we might have with Friends serving as Elders. “What is our fear of Elders?”

A number of concerns were raised; the possibility of creating a special in-group within the Yearly Meeting who might cause a wider gap between Monthly Meetings and Yearly Meeting; the worry that Elders might criticize inappropriately, who would elder the Elders? Yet there was much support for the positive aspects of an eldering that was done out of love and a desire to deepen a Friend’s or attender’s experience of Meeting for Business and Meeting for Worship. Several Friends rose to tell stories of eldering that had greatly influenced their spiritual lives.

It was pointed out that Annual Sessions had approved for the Nominating Committee to select six Friends as Elders, yet the roster included eight names. Suzanne Day from Nominating Committee explained that is was felt the higher number was needed in order to provide adequate coverage at all the Yearly Meeting and Interim Meeting sessions. The clerk asked the Meeting if it was willing to approve having at least eight Friends serve as elders up from the six which was approved at Annual Sessions. This was APPROVED.

Friends asked about term limits. Suzanne Day explained the expectation was that these Friends could serve up to two consecutive three year terms. For now all eight nominees would be on a three year panel although at a later date, Nominating Committee would shorten the terms of some to stagger the panels to preclude all appointees going off service at the same time.

Another concern of those present was approving Friends for a position which had no job description. The clerk suggested that the Elders themselves create a job description. After a discussion Friends APPROVED with the expectation that a draft would be available for Interim Meeting in January, 2010.

Arthur Larrabee, General Secretary, raised a strong concern about a staff person being nominated to be an elder in the current Nominating Committee report. Julian Brelsford is the database coordinator for PYM and serves as the staff support person to Nominating Committee. Arthur explained that a General Secretary might be put in an uncomfortable position of being eldered by someone whom he/she supervises. Friends labored with this concern for some time understanding its ramifications. There seemed to be equal weight to either side of the arguments being made; concern for the supervisor/supervisee relationship versus the need to have a gifted and younger Friend participate in this service. Julian himself addressed the body of the Meeting, sharing his concern that our God in this Meeting for Worship for Business seemed to have become a “God of Worry”. After some settling the clerk then asked the Meeting if it were willing to approve all eight names in the Nominating Committee report for Elders with the condition that Julian Brelsford’s appointment may be subject to any new staff policy recommendations being developed by the Personnel Services Group that will be reported back to Interim Meeting in January, 2010. This was APPROVED.

Marc Harrison, Alternate Clerk of PYM Nominating Committee presented the rest of the roster on nominees to be approved for other Yearly Meeting positions. These Friends, listed below were APPROVED:

Name Monthly Meeting Quarterly Meeting Term Expires

Committee to Revise Faith and Practice

Martha Bryans Uwchlan Caln

Annette Benert Lehigh Valley Bucks

William G. Smith Moorestown Haddonfield

Joan G. Broadfield Chester Chester

Sandra G. Horne Hockessin Western

Gretchen Castle Doylestown Bucks

Elders at Interim/PYM Sessions

Tom Armstrong Plymouth Abington

Dorothy M. Reichardt Media Chester

Mario Cavallini Mickleton Salem

Dana Houghton Woodstown Salem

Alison Anderson Central Phila Philadelphia

Julian Brelsford Central Phila Philadelphia

Christopher Nicholson Germantown Philadelphia

Jim Morrissey Reading Caln

Friends World Committee for Consultation Section of the Americas

George Rubin Medford Haddonfield 2012

Peace and Concerns Standing Committee

Carole Wicker Makefield Bucks 2012

Financial Stewardship Committee

Beth Georgian Centre Western 2012*

*Reappointment

A request was made for Nominating Committee to bring back a report to Interim Meeting on the status of At-Large Interim Meeting members in light of our appointment of Yearly Meeting Elders. This was APPROVED.

5. Minutes from Interim Meeting September 12, 2009

The clerk then asked the recording clerk to identify the corrections to the minutes from ninth month:

Minute 2a: Introduction: The minutes state “Jada Jackson, Alternate Clerk; John Ellsworth, Assistant Clerk; Kana Kester-McCabe, Assistant Clerk;” The titles for all three should be “Alternate Clerk”

Minute 2b: change to Lynn (not Liz) Conant

Minute 2d: Kathy Reilly is Associate Secretary for Business and Finance

Minute 2d: Christie Duncan-Tessmer is Associate Secretary for Program and Religious Life

Minute 3: (3^rd paragraph) Beth Crossman’s name needs to be changed to Beth Crosman Georgian

Minute 3: (5^th paragraph) the minutes state: “A concern was raised that sufficient packets be made available at Interim Meeting for those who want them but don’t want to print out the e-mailed version.” Suggested minute would be: “A concern was raised that sufficient packets be made available at Interim Meeting for those who want them but don’t want to burden Yearly Meeting with the mailing costs.”

September minutes were APPROVED with these corrections.

6. Announcements

Margaret Mansfield of the Peace & Concerns Standing Committee requested, on behalf of the committee, that Yearly Meeting endorse the International Youth Dialog for Nuclear Disarmament Conference. The conference will be linked via video, held simultaneously in Philadelphia, Mexico City, Moscow, and Santa Barbara on October 26 and 27. Friends APPROVED endorsing the event but asks the Peace & Concerns Standing Committee to pay for any costs associated with the endorsement out of its own budget.