Minutes for Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business

Colorado Springs Friends Meeting

Nineteenth day of the tenth month

In Attendance: Jeremy Nelson, Bill Werling, Sarah Callbeck, Molly Wingate, Bill Durland, Genie Durland and Nancy Andrew

  1. Meeting opened with silence at 11:23 followed by the following reading from Faith and Practice: The vitality of our meeting depends upon many and varied gifts of those who take part in their activities. When each member and attender participates actively, the whole meeting is enriched. The Holy Spirit moves through us as we speak in meeting, care for one another, teach First Day school, work on committees, and testify to our lives in the Light. Each one of us has a responsibility for the financial support of the monthly meeting as well as for participation in the structure and the function of its programs.
    When deciding whether to accept a service to which one is nominated, Friends are advised to understand the responsibilities required, to feel a leading to go forward, and to be willing to grow into the task. A meeting functions best when its members take their service to it seriously. Nominations are neither to be accepted, nor to be refused casually (p. 122).

    Giving is not buying. God asks us to give because it is good for us, not because it is good for the person or cause to whom we give it. (p. 121)

  2. Acceptance of minutes:

    Ninth month: approved

  3. Committee Reports:

    1. Ministry and Oversight Committee - Bill Durland presented his proposed new language for our meetings informational flyer.
      It was determined that M&O had not reviewed the new language. Molly asked that M&O review the language and then forward it to [Lisa Lister][LisaLister]. We discussed sending the changes out to everyone once it has been reviewed by M&O and the Clerk.

    2. Meeting House Committee - Molly indicated that the committee is pursuing several bids for priorities that they have identified. There was discussion between Molly and Sarah about the appropriate funding source for updating the electrical in the meeting house. No final decision was made, but Molly did emphasize the time sensitive need for the electrical being updated.

    3. First Day School - Molly reported that John Gallagher has been teaching about Lucretia Mott out of prepared curriculum. She further reported that the instruction is fairly straightforward and additional assistance instructing would be greatly appreciated.

    4. Finance Committee - the minutes and financial reports were accepted with many thanks. Sarah Callbeck indicated that donations increased in September, but she expressed concern about the current status of the reserve funds. She asked that the meeting hold in the light the additional need for funds to increase our reserve funds

      Balances Reported (end of September)

      • Checking: $430.68

      • Savings: $7974.45

      • Building Fund: $9348.50

    5. Library - The library committee report was accepted. Nancy Andrew reported that all of the Quaker books in the library have been catalogued. She is using LibraryThing.com as the software to organize our library collection. You can now search for books in our collection online (log in information shared with those that request it from Nancy). There was discussion about the need to determine what the focus or emphasis will be for the library. It was determined that this will be discussed in November. There was also additional discussion about where to house the collection in the meeting house and the possibility of eventually building permanent bookshelves.

    6. Nominating Committee: Nominating committee will be gearing up year-end requirements for new committee members.

    7. Peace and Justice Committee: Genie proposed that we support the New Sanctuary Movement. It was the sense of the meeting that we would as a minimum that we could make the New Sanctuary community a part of the life of our congregation (by keeping them in our prayers) and then respond to our abilities if additional requests were made to the meeting. It was decided that the information on the movement would be forwarded to Lisa Lister for consideration and submitting the paperwork.

  4. Old Business

    None were addressed

  5. New Business

    Our Western Friend subscription is expiring. It was determined that we would renew the subscription.

  6. Announcements

    • Soup and Sharing at 6 PM Sunday, Nov. 9 at the home of [Lisa Lister][LisaLister] Phil Friesen at 815 Acadia Place. The plan is to share with each other our thoughts on: Why am I a Quaker/ Why do I come to Meeting, and What has Quakerism contributed to our Community, and other fundamental queries. If those who attend conclude, after this session, that it would be well to offer a two-evening Introduction to Quaker origins, values, processes and practices, delving deeper into who we are, who we were and where we are going, we will do it at a later date. At this point we need expressions of interest.

    • Josh Ruebner will speak about Middle East peace on Monday, November 3 7 pm in the Worner Center WES Room at Colorado College.

    • Friends are welcome to use the meetinghouse during the week and to open it for Sunday worship. The key to the building is always available in the lock box on the ladies' room door. We have created a one-sheet set of directions for opening and closing the building. It is attached. Call Molly, Ann Daugherty, [Bill WerlingBillWerling, Peter Le Var or the Durlands for the code to open the lock box.

    • Please put events at the meetinghouse on the paper calendar on the bulletin board and let Molly Wingate and Ann Martin know. Molly will make sure the building is heated, if needed. Ann is the calendar keeper, and she will enter it on Google calendar so the event will be listed on our website. You can subscribe to get reminders and updates automatically.

Meeting was closed with silence at 12:42

Submitted by Bill Werling, Recording Clerk