323nd Annual Sessions
March
27-30, 2003
Arch Street Meeting House, Philadelphia
Sixth-day evening
Third Month 28, 2003
The following list was generated out of the body of the Meeting in response
to these queries: How can Friends across the YM be effectively involved
in conversations about the setting of priorities for PYM and the right
use of resources in times of economic challenge?
What are the obstacles which interfere
with Monthly Meetings feeling engaged with Yearly Meeting level
decisions?
- Tend not to talk enough to other friends.
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Busyness doesn't allow enough time
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Stronger effort to offer nurturing support to enable
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It is just not possible for Yearly Meeting and Monthly Meetings to meet face-to-face;
when Monthly Meetings get together, they become Yearly Meeting
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Clerks don't understand value of Yearly Meeting
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Geographical distance
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Monthly Meeting only one to deal with local issues
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Monthly Meeting membership clearness emphasizing joys of Yearly Meeting activity?
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New friends not honored or recognized
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Monthly Meeting clerk overwhelmed by the mail from Yearly Meeting. Priority
flags?
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Short time for weighty matters
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Busy clerk didn't get budget survey done
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Lots of Monthly Meeting members don't seem to care
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Larger meetings often wrapped up in their own projects
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Monthly Meeting not offering good membership info to Yearly Meeting
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QM staff handles Monthly Meeting needs without "Yearly Meeting "
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Monthly Meeting members not coming to Monthly Meeting MfB
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Interim Meeting Reps (and QM attenders) hard to both attend and give good
feedback to Monthly Meeting
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Yearly Meeting structure too complex not sure to understand how to approach
- Lack of clarity regarding purpose of Yearly Meeting
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Size of Yearly Meeting reduce?
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Training and direct relationship with Monthly Meeting /QM clerks
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Not linking enough with retirement communities
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Not enough young(er) friends here
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No agreement on tactics for Yearly Meeting communication
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Communication through Yearly Meeting news
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Monthly Meeting Needs to know how spiritual enriching Yearly Meeting can be
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Timeliness of action requests from Yearly Meeting
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Identification of Monthly Meeting members serving at Yearly Meeting level
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Urban orientation of Yearly Meeting alienates rural friends
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Yearly Meeting decline in commitment to peace and social concerns
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More leading to the Inward Teacher..continuing convincement
Concrete examples of actions that can respond to obstacles
- Continue Residential Yearly Meetings
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Yearly Meeting might consider communicating via email to members
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Do away with excessive "careful" wording and return to "simple
(direct) speech"!
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when mailing goes out, ID items for information vs. action, with timeline attached
to latter
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instead of addressing so much mail to clerk, track committee clerks and route
subject-specific info to them
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Yearly Meeting programmatic staff to quarters
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Handbook of all Quaker orgs, etc. out to members
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Create more opportunities for Friends to interact make sure Yearly Meeting staff/reps
available to go to Monthly Meetings, get them engaged with decisions
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Create Monthly Meeting visitors' prog modeled on FGC visitation, matching up
visitors with meetings
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Hold committee meetings outside city, at times not necessarily suited just
to urban employees ("staff")
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Visual displays about Yearly Meeting activities that could circulate to Monthly
Meetings
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Make Yearly Meeting activities more spiritually enriching for participants
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12-minute video on Yearly Meeting
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special tags for new members /new attenders at Yearly Meeting
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Increase use of PYM website, make it more interactive
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Ground Yearly Meeting decisions in the spirit, and clearly communicate that discernment
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Create periodic opportunities to brief Monthly Meeting clerks on Yearly Meeting
structure-maybe once every 2 yrs
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Invite young people-high school, middle school-to participate in Interim Meeting
Monthly Meeting actions:
Monthly Meetings should support regional coordinator programs
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Monthly Meeting Nominating Committees should consider who's best suited to serve
at Yearly Meeting level
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Time on every Monthly Meeting agenda for Interim Cttee rep to report
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Encourage Monthly Meetings to send Yearly Meeting updated contact information
for officers & committees
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When attending Yearly Meeting -connected activities, invite someone else from
Monthly Meeting who hasn't been to come too; carpool
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Invite "communication expediter" to help clerk peruse Yearly Meeting
communications
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Monthly Meeting newsletter editors helped by monthly emails fr Joan Broadfield;
Thom Jeavons could do same w/ Monthly Meeting clerks
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Take complexity out of Monthly Meeting communications to Yearly Meeting
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New members of Monthly Meeting should be made aware they're joining Yearly Meeting
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Simplify Yearly Meeting structure!
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Inviting newbies to come as ushers, servers, other volunteers
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Monthly Meetings to increase covenant funds to eliminate combined appeal
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Have staffed information table every Sunday
Concrete next steps that need to be taken to develop ideas or implement them:
- Examine good business and communication practices in outside world
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New website in the works; much of above will soon be available
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Planned meetings for standing committees to work on communication issues; whole
of Yearly Meeting invited to attend (including one Sat 5/17)
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Worship! Get Monthly Meetings to hold Yearly Meeting in the Light; see what emerges
from reflections
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Interim Meeting might reconsider treatment of minutes from Monthly Meetings and
QMs (clarity of expectations needed)
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Post these lists on website
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Action/informational/appeal designations on correspondence
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Monthly Meetings can use list of obstacles attributed to them as subject of worship
sharing on how to resolve them
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We attenders should let folks know obstacle lists are coming and need action
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Look inward; accept share of responsibility in this; take on tasks. Take advantage
of capacities of all at these sessions, in our meetings
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Keep in mind those Friends that don't have access to Internet and related forms
of communication. PYM News in print still a vital resource.
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Monthly Meetings can choose one program/aspect of Yearly Meeting to hold in prayer/uplift
work of
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Name the deeper issues involved beneath this list-what are spiritual underpinnings
of above?
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Some 4 Monthly Meetings aren't represented at all here, or in Yearly Meeting
activities generally-concerted effort needed to reach out to them
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You and I are George!
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Promote clarity and unity about Monthly Meeting /QM/Yearly Meeting relationships.
Where is the ultimate seat of authority? Do we have shared understandings
of our structure & decision-making patterns? We're members of all these
levels at the same time - how does the individual Friend relate to each?
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Keep in mind valuable learnings of Structure Evaluation group
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Monthly Meetings should all do budget survey
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If Monthly Meetings overwhelmed by the entirety of Yearly Meeting , discuss what
part of Yearly Meeting 's work it is led to connect with
Copyright © 2003,
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Last modified:
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM
