MEETING FOR WORSHIP WITH ATTENTION TO BUSINESS, First month, seventh day, 2007

The meeting began with silence and a reflective thought.

The Ministry and Counsel (formerly Ministry and Oversight) committee report was heard and accepted.

The treasurer’s report was heard. Penn Valley Meeting struggled financially in 2006, but ended with a strong December and has managed to meet its obligations. The report was accepted.

The finance committee presented the proposed budget for 2007. The committee proposed some changes, which were discussed. Penn Valley Meeting will continue to contribute to Westport Cooperative Services. The interest from the building fund will be earmarked for the property reinvestment fund (formerly known as the property reserve). Penn Valley refers the matter of having an appraisal for the meeting house to the house upkeep committee; if they recommend that we do this, Friends can earmark personal contributions for this. The budget for communications was changed to $600. Penn Valley Meeting will add a contribution to Camp Woodbrooke to the budget. The report was accepted.

The Peace and Social Concerns report was heard. Penn Valley discussed the draft of a minute on the hanging of Saddam Hussein, and approved it. The writing of a letter on this subject to the newspaper is referred to the clerk.

Here is the letter:

Penn Valley Meeting of the Society of Friends (Quakers) composed and agreed on a statement on the hanging death of Saddam Hussein. While the statement was written for our own archives, we would like to share it with the wider community:

“In accordance with Friends’ historical opposition to the death penalty, Penn Valley Meeting Friends agree that, while Saddam Hussein was clearly guilty of monstrous crimes, his execution was carried out more as an act of vengeance than as one of justice. The choice to hang him on the festival of Eid-al-Adha, a day of sacrifice, made this event appear especially brutal.”

— Karin McAdams, clerk, Penn Valley Meeting of Friends

The Peace and Social Concerns report was approved.

The clerk noted that committees, and the meeting as a whole, work best when the committees report to the meeting. Members and attenders please be more faithful about this.

The meeting ended with silence.