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PENN VALLEY FRIENDS MEETING Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business Fourth Month, Sixth Day, 2003 Clerk Terry Matz opened the meeting, and Recording Clerk Karin McAdams shared the following reflective thought: A meeting that stays grounded in the shared belief in the working of the Spirit, that stays grounded in the belief that Friends are intended to be God-led, has turned loose a tremendous amount of creative energy. This energy grows, I believe, in direct proportion to the diminution of fear, the fear that causes us to deny our gifts, that causes us to say, "I could never do that, I'm not good enough." Indeed there are limits to our capabilities, but all too often it is our fear of failure, our fear that we cannot make it turn out "right," that causes us to deny our gifts. I believe there is no sin in failure. Sin is in turning our backs on the possibility of our being a channel for the Spirit to work. We are not called to be perfect; we are called to be present. That creative energy in our meeting also grows with the diminution of the fear of conflict. When the issue ceases being whether you are right or I am right, we can stop being afraid about who is going to win and who is going to lose. Our energy is freed to seek together, and we know that, as we engage fully and impersonally around our different perspectives, there is a possibility that a third, higher way will open. Arlene Kelly, Strengthening our Meetings as Caring Communities REPORT OF THE ARCHIVES COMMITTEE - Reva Griffith
Membership/Archives Committee Meeting Present: Marc Robinson, Pat Miller, Reva Griffith Reva reported on her receipt of a list of the current archives of Penn Valley Meeting at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-UMKC. She will make copies for Marc, Pat and the clerk of the meeting. Pat and Marc also have copies of the rules governing the use of the collection. Reva will make sure that the clerk also has a copy of those rules. Anyone wishing to review the information there would also need to look at the rules before doing so. The committee reviewed the contents of the archives here at the meetinghouse. The designated space for the ARCHIVES is on the right hand shelves of the cedar closet in the library. Material in the archives includes:
Another project we would like to pursue is to get as many individual photos of present members and attenders as we are able. For the project we would need: a)a volunteer photographer; b)funding for film. MINUTE - Friends approved the report with a great deal of gratitude for Reva’s continuing work. Ted Hain volunteered to photograph Friends for the scrapbook; purchase of film for that purpose was approved. TREASURER’S REPORT - Ginger Kenney Ginger told of a special request from FCNL for funds for renovation and handicap accessibility for their very old building. Friends are invited to contribute to this effort. MINUTE - Friends approved contributing $200 from the Property Reserve Fund for the FCNL building fund. All are encouraged to contribute earmarked funds as well. REPORT OF THE LIBRARY COMMITTEE - Marc Robinson MINUTE - Friends agreed to renew the subscription to Friends Journal. REPORT OF THE MINISTRY AND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE - Nancy Blair Moon MINISTRY AND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MINUTES 3/10/03 The committee met at Minta Kenney’s house. Present were Minta, Ginger Kenney, Reva and John Griffith, Nancy Moon, Karin McAdams, Marc Robinson and Pat Miller. At the committee’s request, Reva and John attended the meeting to tell the story of Lydia and Ann’s marriage and the Meeting’s process for creating a minute on marriage and one on gay and lesbian people within the Meeting. Some of the highlights were: the description of Lydia and Ann’s clearness committee, in which they wished their marriage to be considered just like any other one; the attempt to create a minute on marriage, which did encounter resistance until the few who opposed chose to stand aside; the opening up of this issue in Iowa Yearly Meeting; and the present stand of the yearly meeting, which reflects continued difference of opinion and the decision to let each monthly meeting decide for itself. The committee looked at the original minutes and decided that it would make sense to discuss them one more time and then bring them to the Meeting at large. The wording of the last Ministry and Oversight report concerning people moving around during Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business was discussed. We decided to let the wording stand but to include discussion of this concern in an upcoming Quaker Education program. There was very little support for a change in the length of the social hour. The clearness committee for membership for Leesa Whitson has met; however, it needs to present its report to Ministry and Oversight, which will make its recommendation at the next Meeting for Business. The committee approved purchase of a new loose leaf notebook to replace the existing guest book. A Friend brought up the possibility of having an electronically-adaptable letterhead for the Meeting. The next query discussion will be on March 16. Pat will read the query, and Nancy will take minutes. The next committee meeting will be at Ginger’s on April 14. Respectfully submitted, Karin McAdams MINUTE - Friends approved the Ministry and Oversight Committee report. REPORT OF THE PEACE AND SOCIAL CONCERNS COMMITTEE - Marc Robinson MINUTE - The Peace and Social Concerns Committee report was accepted, including approval for updated wording on the statement on Iraq. Friends agreed that the statement should be re-sent to the Kansas City Star. There was expressed appreciation for the committee’s work and Marc’s revision. REPORT OF THE PROGRAM COMMITTEE - from Jim Kenney MINUTE - Friends approved the Program Committee report with some apparent enthusiasm for upcoming programs. REPORT OF THE QUAKER EDUCATION COMMITTEE - Kevin Chafin Report of the Quaker Education Committee Fourth Month 2003 The committee held a meeting on March 09, 2003 The topic for April (presented on May 11) is ‘Quakers and minorities’ with Nancy and Karin. The topic for May is a ‘workshop on clerking’ with Terry Matz and Nancy Moon. Upcoming topics may include The history of the Disciplines, Quaker Decorum, Worship, and Decision-making. We agreed that the ‘Attenders meeting’ was upon us too quickly and that we would like to rework the framework. We decided to offer the meetings as a four week series in June. The classes would be held in homes of longer term Quakers in the meeting. All would be welcome. Topics that will likely be included in the time include
Report prepared by Kevin Chafin MINUTE - Friends approved the Quaker Education Committee report. MINUTE - Karin McAdams’ request for a traveling minute was approved. The meeting closed with a few moments of silence. Respectfully submitted, Karin McAdams Recording Clerk |