Wellsboro Monthly Meeting

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Wellsboro Monthly Meeting
Meeting for Worship for Business
Minutes 7th month 6, 2007


Attending: Robby England, Beth Higginson, Bryn Hammarstrom, Lynne Graham, Sunita Graham

-Friends gathered and settled into worship.

-Minutes from 6th month were not available.

-The treasurer's report was accepted. The current checking account balance is $511.29. Rents for June and July have been paid.

-Robby reported on the last Ministerium meeting.
The Baccalaureate service hosted by the Ministerium was very well attended. Robby donated cookies on behalf of the Meeting. Some of the churches in the Ministerium are supporting a park ministry. Carol Lavange (sp?) is the minister running services at some of the state parks on Sunday mornings. The Meetings name and information is on the flyer being handed out at these services. The budget for next year is set but we could consider supporting this ministry next year. The Meeting is not signed up for a Mid-Week message this year but we look forward to an article about Robby and Lyle's trip to Africa when they return. There will be a Tabernacle Service during 1890 days in Mansfield in the fall. The Ministerium is looking for help with this service. -Meeting approved a $25 contribution to Branin, Beth, Will and Alex's financial aid for attendance at Residential Yearly Meeting.

-Announcements - Residential Yearly Meeting is coming up at the end of 7th month. Camp Onas will be hosting a Young Friends camp. Pendle Hill has workshops available. Oakwood Friends School will be hosting a Young Friends Gathering from several Yearly Meetings in the Fall.

-Meeting took up the question posed by Yearly Meeting - What are we called to do? As proposed by the clerk, Meeting members used a worship sharing format to share ideas and concerns.

Yearly Meeting has limited resources of time, money and people and is seeking to determine the right distribution of these resources. Money doesn't go as far as it used to. Salaries for staff and benefit costs have gone up. PYM now has a mission statement but it is very broad and not very helpful. The reality is we can't afford everything. There is controversy over designated funds. Restricted funds can not be used for purposes other than those they were left for but designated funds could be reassigned by Yearly Meting in session or by Interim Meeting. Many Friends have different concerns and callings with the same underlying faith. We need to not drive people away or appear to value their concerns less. One member read from the Epistles of Saint James a message about the meaning of real religion is to reach out to the loveless and homeless and protect against a Godless world. We also heard from an article by Barbara Brown Taylor, a former Episcopal minister that she had found divine transformation in the church and in the world. The church pours her into the world to give and the affairs of the church will take care of themselves. Spiritual life is the heart of the Meeting and the community, supporting everything and making it stronger. Supporting our children and giving them experience supports the whole life of the community. We need to support our spiritual life if we want a chance to experience Divine transformation and take it out into the world. The Standing Committees of PYM represent the work we do and we need people with passion to take up that work.

Friends appreciated the chance to express these thoughts and concerns.

-Next Meeting for Worship for Business will be 8th month 19 at the rise of worship.

-Friends settled into closing worship.

Respectfully submitted,

Robby England, clerk
Beth Higginson, recording clerk
Meeting for Worship for Business - Sixth Month, Third Day, 2007 (?)


Attending – Robbie England, Phil Krajewski, Bryn Hammarstrom, Lynn Graham (?)

Minutes from the last MFWFB were approved

Treasurer’s report: Previous balance: 736.29
Current balance: 611.29
Contributions: 175.00
Bills Paid: May Rent 100.00
Africa Fund 200.00
Savings balance: 509.44
Meeting house Fund: 253.98
Ertl Fund: 255.46

Trash pickup has been completed

Robbie thanks Meeting for the contribution to his Namibia trip in which he serve as a helper at an orphanage.

The survey “What are we called to do as a community?” will be discussed at a later time. Friends are asked to consider this question.

Bryn will consolidate information about the PYM budget and present it at next MFWFB.

Wellsboro Monthly Meeting
Meeting for Worship for Business
Minutes 4th month 15, 2007


Attending: Robby England, Philip Krajewski, Beth Higginson, Bryn Hammarstrom, Lynne Graham

-Friends gathered and settled into worship.

-Minutes from 3rd month were approved.

-The treasurer's report was accepted. The current checking account balance is $736.

-Meeting approved a donation of $200 for the trip and mission this coming summer to Namibia of Robby and Lyle England. They will be helping to build housing for volunteers and possibly more classrooms for an orphanage run by a friend of Robby's. The orphanage is supported and overseen primarily by a Methodist church in Maryland. The orphanage schools and houses the children on the grounds. Most of the children have been orphaned by HIV. Right now 55 children reside in a facility designed to hold 50. Friends expressed some reservations about the possible evangelical nature of some missions. Robby also shares this concern but has been told that Christianity is a unifying theme in the orphanage, which provides a much needed service. Friends feel comfortable with Robby and his group going on this trip.

-Bryn reminded Friends of the Annual Fund Appeal for Yearly Meeting and brought post cards that Friends signed to send to Senator Arlen Spector to thank him for his support of the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007.

-Prison work/visitation - Arthur Clarke is unable to continue his clemency work because of health problems. His was the only PYM work in this area. Many monthly meeting have Friends involved in prison visitation. Bryn will be contacting Jane Keller from Pennsdale Meeting about having some kind of PYM work in area of restorative justice continue. On the local level Friends have found the groups doing visitation to be overwhelmingly evangelical and have ceased to participate. Many Friends work through the PA Prison Society but there is no group locally.

-Trash pickup will be 4-25 at 8:30am for those who can make it.

-The Ministerium will hold a Baccalaureate Service at Mansfield High School on 6-10 and have asked for cookies to be donated.

-Next Meeting for Worship for Business will be held 5th month 13 at the rise of worship.

-Friends settled into closing worship.

Respectfully submitted,

Robby England, clerk
Beth Higginson, recording clerk

Wellsboro Monthly Meeting
Meeting for Worship for Business
Minutes 3rd month 4, 2007


Attending: Chip Hollister, Philip Krajewski, Beth Higginson, Bryn Hammarstrom, Lynne Graham

-Friends gathered and settled into worship.

-Minutes from 2nd month were approved.

-The treasurer's report was accepted. The current checking account balance is $636.

-A tentative date of 4th month 29 has been set for the next Adult Ed at 9:20am. Same Gender Marriage may be the topic.

-The same-gender-marriage minute approved at PYM in session 7th month 2007 was discussed. "Philadelphia Yearly Meeting accepts and supports the marriage of same gender couples conducted under the care of its member Meeting." PYM recognizes there are various opinions within PYM on this topic and has asked the monthly meetings to respond to the minute. The spirit of our monthly meeting as it currently exists approves this spirit of love and acceptance. Questions that arose included - Should we take a stand on this issue? Do we box ourselves in with a more narrow minute? Doesn't support of same gender relationships agree with our Quaker principles?

Meeting approved the following statement to be forwarded to PYM -
Wellsboro Monthly Meeting approves and endorses the PYM minute on same gender marriage. Wellsboro Monthly Meeting understands that other monthly meetings might not endorse same gender marriages. In past Meetings for Worship for Business Wellsboro Monthly Meeting has not had a minute or statement on same gender marriage because we approach each marriage request on its own merits. Wellsboro Monthly Meeting has spoken as one voice as a monthly meeting opposing the recent legislation making same gender marriages illegal in PA.

Meeting agreed that this would be a good topic for future Adult Ed classes to determine if we would like our own minute.

-Announcements - PYM is taking requests for workshop at residential yearly meeting in July. FGC will be 6/30-7/7, there is much financial aid available for first time attenders.

-Friends settled into closing worship.

Respectfully submitted,
Beth Higginson, recording clerk
Chip Hollister, assistant clerk



Wellsboro Monthly Meeting
Meeting for Worship for Business
Minutes 2nd month 4, 2007


Attending: Robby England, Branin Boyd, Beth Higginson, Bryn Hammarstrom

-Friends gathered and settled into worship.

-Minutes from 1st month were amended and approved.

-The treasurer reported a covenant payment of $1250 was made. This covers all of our commitment for the 06-07 fiscal year and includes the additional $50 we had challenged ourselves to make. The current balance in the checking account is $636.

-The Meeting approved a $200 contribution to USQM. It has been some time since we have made any contribution to USQM.

-A $30 dividend check from our insurance company has gone missing. Meeting approved donating this check back to PYM. Wellsboro Monthly Meeting minutes our decision to donate to PYM our "Guide One Insurance Dividend [FY07]" check issued this past fall [2006] by the PYM finance office. We also minute our intention to similarly donate future dividend checks as may be issued by PYM on behalf of the PYM group insurance policy and we suggest to other Monthly Meetings that they also consider adopting this policy as an easy way to support our Yearly Meeting with much-needed 'extra' funding.

Facts about the 'dividend' payments referenced in the minutes above:
- most [about 2/3] of PYM's MMs insure through this YM group policy;
- because it is a dividend check, based on the previous year's group policy/ performance, it's not 'income' a MM can 'count on': for most of us, it's 'found money';
-PYM finances have been impacted negatively by 'above inflation' increases in many fixed costs; employee health insurance, heating and other energy costs, etc., so PYM could use just such a 'painless' infusion of additional financial support.

Meeting also minuted our intentions to do this regularly and encourage other meetings to also consider this action. We will send this to USQM.

-Meeting approved sending our minutes on the Arch Street Meeting homeless ministry to USQM as suggested by the clerk of Interim Meeting.

-Ministerium - Beth did a reading at the Ministerium's Unity Service. Three Friends attended. The Ministerium is now planning Lenten lunch services. Meeting has been asked to help by providing either desserts or salads when Deb Casey, the Mansfield University chaplain, is the speaker at the Lenten lunch March 8th. Meeting agreed we would provide salads. The Canoe Camp Church will be providing desserts and coffee.

-Food Pantry donations can be left in the baskets at the Canoe Camp Church. They take these donations every 3rd First Day so perishable items can be brought that First Day.

-The next Meeting for Worship for Business will be 3rd month 4, 2007.

-The next Adult Ed class will be 2nd month, 18, 2007. Bryn Hammarstrom will lead a worship sharing discussion on the peace testimonies.

-Friends settled into closing worship.

Respectfully submitted,
Beth Higginson, recording clerk
Robby England, clerk



Wellsboro Monthly Meeting
Meeting for Worship for Business
Minutes 1st month 7, 2007


Attending: Robby England, Branin Boyd, Chip Hollister, Bryn Hammarstrom, Philip Krajewski

-After a period of worshipful silence the Minutes from Meeting for Worship for Business 12th month were read and approved.

-The treasurer reported that we are more solvent than previously and he intends to make a $452 insurance and a $600 PYM covenant payment. The covenant payment is being make as per Meeting policy. It was noted that the fund raising attempt of the previous month was successful.

-Life of the Meeting, a topic that was brought up in 12th month was discussed without any continuation, but noted that it is a concern that requires constant vigilance and input. This is an ongoing, open dialog. We will continue to meet at 10:30am.

-Robby touched on the Mansfield Ministerium meeting, by reiterating his past observances that he feels comfortable with the group and has had a meaningful experience. This past meeting was a joint endeavor with the Wellsboro Ministerium. There will be and ecumenical Unity service at Holy Child Church, 1st month, 21st day, at 3pm. The Food Pantry was discussed and it was noted that we can bring in non-perishable food and put it in the boxes provided by the Canoe Camp Church of Christ. The Mansfield Ministerium meets the 2nd Tuesday at 9:30am at a rotating church venue. Until we formally adopt meeting policy regarding the Mansfield Ministerium Robby has volunteered to continue to attend if he is able.

-There was a minute of appreciation for the stewardship letter sent out by Branin Boyd.

-Bryn Hammarstrom asked that Wellsboro Friends Meeting approve the following minute:
"Wellsboro Monthly Meeting, USQ, PYM expresses its support for homeless persons in Center City, Philadelphia. The Arch Street Meetinghouse is the only Philadelphia meetinghouse owned corporately by PYM and we feel it is important that PYM Friends join others in this urban service/ministry."

After some discussion this minute was approved.

-Bryn also reported on the three candidates for PYM General Secretary - Arthur Larabee, Tom Hoopes and Bruce Haines. Bryn noted that all are competent and qualified.

After announcements, the setting of the next Meeting for Worship for Business as 2nd month, 4th day, 2007 and a period of worshipful silence, Meeting for Worship for Business ended.

Respectfully submitted,
Philip Krajewski, assistant recording clerk
Robby England, clerk

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