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Meeting for Worship With Attention to Business
Fifth month, Sixth day, 2001
The meeting was opened by Jim Kenney, Clerk, and Karin McAdams, Recording Clerk, with a message and a few moments of silence.
Friends, keep your meetings in the power of God, and in his wisdom (by which all things were made) and in the love of God, that by that ye may order all to his glory. And when Friends have finished their business, sit down and continue awhile quietly and wait upon the Lord to feel him. And go not beyond the Power, but keep in the Power by which God Almighty may be felt among you.
- George Fox, 1658
There are 17 members and attenders present.
REPORT OF THE FIRST DAY SCHOOL COMMITTEE
The First Day School Committee met with a member of Ministry and Oversight and decided to have a threshing session with the two committees and the Meeting at large, on First Day at program time, May 13. We will discuss the Meeting’s commitment to the First Day School.
MINUTE
We heard the First Day School Committee report, presented by Carol Morris and summarized above, and approved it.
TREASURER'S REPORT
[The Treasurer's report was given by Ginger Kenney. It is available on request from the clerk of the Meeting.]
MINUTE
The treasurer’s report was received with appreciation and approved.
REPORT OF THE PEACE AND SOCIAL CONCERNS COMMITTEE
Minute on Capital Punishment
[Written as revised but without references or bibliography]
The Penn Valley Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends declares its
opposition to the death penalty. We view the practice of capital punishment as state-sanctioned homicide. We join the Friends Committee to Abolish the Death Penalty, the American Friends Service Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, the American Bar Association, the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation, the State of Illinois, the State of Iowa, and the cities of Philadelphia, San Francisco, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh in calling for a nationwide moratorium on the execution of capital crimes prisoners.
There are critical moral issues surrounding the death penalty obscured by the emotional and political rhetoric of its proponents. When we pause to consider these issues, we find it is difficult to justify the death penalty as a deterrent to violent crime. In fact, states where the death penalty has been abolished have lower murder rates. Furthermore, the healing value of capital execution is a myth; the families of murder victims rarely achieve closure from their perpetrator’s execution. The state-sanctioned killing of criminals is a practice based on the fleeting value of vengeance, not healing; it cannot erase the crime or the pain caused by it.
The defense of people charged with capital crimes is fraught with discrimination. People who are poor and/or under-educated are under-represented by their state appointed attorneys; roughly 90% of the prisoners on death row today can’t afford their own representation. The Government Accounting Office has determined that definite racial disparities exist in the charging, sentencing and imposition of the death penalty. The American Bar Association refers to the administration of the death penalty as a “haphazard maze of unfair practices with no internal consistency.” And the Supreme Court has tragically reduced the rights of death row prisoners to appeal their convictions, even in the presence of compelling evidence. Innocent people are convicted and executed.
We declare our fundamental opposition to violence in all forms, state-sanctioned or otherwise. It is hypocrisy in the name of justice to take a life in response to a life taken. The time and money required to prosecute capital crimes would be better spent on early intervention with individuals at risk of committing violent crimes. And where intervention has failed, a greater emphasis should be places on rehabilitating convicted violent offenders and reconciling them with the communities where their crimes were committed. In cases where rehabilitation is not possible, a sentence of life without parole is a more humane alternative to execution. We will oppose the death penalty and state-sanction homicide while we wait for the United States to join the growing number of nations that have abandoned this practice.
MINUTE
We heard David Rommel’s presentation of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee monthly report. David also read the text of a minute summarizing the Meeting’s discussion of capital punishment. Friends offered several changes in wording, requested a reference on a quotation, and asked for a bibliography to back up statements in the minute. This will be available on the Meeting web site. We approved the report and minute with strong support for David’s work and that of the committee.
REPORT FROM THE MINISTRY AND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE - Fourth Month
Attending were Karin McAdams, Jim Kenney, Dan Pearson, Pat Miller, Marc Robinson, and Cathy Gardner.
Shanna Smith came to the meeting to tell us her progress toward the Doula class, and to discuss our contribuiton toward its funding. She was pleased to say that a friend had provided $150, and felt that our meeting's $50.00 plus the additional $75.00 from individual Friends would make the remaining $50.00 possible. She will try to raise the remaining $50.00, and will only borrow it from the meeting if she is unsuccessful elsewhere. Shanna expressed her appreciation for our assistance, and told us with great enthusiasm all about recent classes and attending her first birth.
A discussion ensued to consider outreach to Friends that we have not seen for a while. Members volunteered to write notes or call.
First day school's needs were considered. Attendance is uncertain from one week to the next, and it has been difficult to staff. Dedicated people have provided leadership for a while, usually with the resulting burnout from lack of assistance. No decisions on how M&O can assist were reached, as this will not be easily resolved and will need ongoing thought.
Weekly first day sign-up duties are going unfilled, and most jobs are filled on a week to week basis. All attendees will try to think of ways to help the meeting find volunteers with leadings to participate in weekly tasks.
MINUTE
Cathy Gardner presented the report of the Ministry and Oversight Committee; Friends approved.
REPORT FROM THE HOUSE UPKEEP COMMITTEE
The House Upkeep Committee recently met and discussed the following concerns:
- The garage needs some repair of rotting boards. Rick Yarnell has agreed to take care of this project.
- Rich has also agreed to purchase the tiles for the fireplace on the second floor (already agreed to by the Meeting) so that project may proceed
- With permission of the Meeting, new bench cushions for six of the benches will be purchased. Brenda’s mother in Western Kansas has agreed to do the sewing. Cost to the Meeting: fabric and padding. The project would be completed in June.
- Brenda agreed to get estimates for two possible future projects/expenditures: a new front door, and possibly having the wood floors sanded and refinished. Meeting might be asked to consider these projects at a later date, after the committee has discussed them further.
- Would the Meeting have any objection to the House Upkeep Committee asking AFSC to move the bulletin board on their office door to a wall inside the office?
[Note: items 4 and 5 were not addressed by the Meeting and therefore were not acted upon.]
MINUTE
John Griffith read Brenda Funk’s report from the House Upkeep Committee. Friends expressed warm appreciation for Rick Yarnell’s work on the upstairs floor and approved the report. There was enthusiastic approval for spending the cost of materials for new bench cushions; Brenda’s mother has offered to make them for us.
MINUTE
Friends were pleased to approve Marc Robinson’s report from the Library Committee and his request to purchase Terry Matz’s new book, The Day Book of Saints. It is very important to include Friends’ published work in our library collection.
PROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT
We received a request from representatives of Ministry and Oversight (subsequently confirmed by the First Day School Committee) for an after-meeting program that would focus on the issues of First Day School and child care in the Meeting. Both committees expressed that there were urgent reasons that this program be held as soon as possible and requested the date of May 13. Barb, Breeze, and Hannah Luetke-Stahlman were originally scheduled to give a program on the School of Americas protest on May 13. Barb graciously offered to relinquish that date in favor of the First Day School program and suggested moving the School of the Americas program to May 27, in place of her presentation on her 17th century Quaker youth project. We have made the changes with the realization that, because the Luetke-Stahlmans are moving, Barb may not be able to reschedule the Quaker youth project presentation. Barb feels a strong obligation to present both of these programs because the Meeting allocated funds to support the projects. She asked us to convey her concern that the Meeting understand that Meeting priorities may prevent her from fulfilling the obligation. We have tentatively rescheduled the 17th century Quaker youth presentation for June 10, pending Barb's confirmation of her availability.
Here is the revised program:
May 6: Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business
May 13: First Day School and Child Care concerns - presented by the First Day School Committee.
May 20: Query & Potluck
May 27: School of the Americas Protest - presented by Barb, Breeze, and Hannah Luetke-Stahlman.
June 3: Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business
June 10: 17th Century Quaker Youth Project - presented by Barb Luetke-Stahlman (pending confirmation from Barb)
June 17: Query & Potluck
June 24: Farewell for the Luetke-Stahlmans
The Program Committee requests that any committee that wishes to present or lead an after-meeting program assign a member of their committee as a contact person for the Program Committee. This committee member would then contact Amy or Terry directly about setting up the after-meeting program and would serve as a resource for questions about the program. This request is made in order to ensure clear communication with the committee leading the program.
MINUTE
Amy Zeh-Rommel read the recently revised Program Committee report, with Meeting schedules for May and June. Friends noted their appreciation for Barb Luetke-Stahlman’s flexibility in changing scheduling. Friends approved the report.
ITEM
Terry Matz has been submitting our web site to different search engines and found that on any major search engine, we would have to be listed under "Christian Denominations." The sense of the Meeting was to find this acceptable, with awareness of our diversity of beliefs. Friends expressed gratitude for Terry’s work on this project.
NOTE - committee reports to Iowa Yearly Meeting will be due soon, and Friends are also asked to notify the clerk if they are planning to attend Iowa Yearly Meeting in August.
This concludes our Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, planning to meet the Third day of the Sixth month, 2001.
The meeting closed with a brief period of silence.
Respectfully submitted,
Karin McAdams
Recording Clerk
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