In attendance: Ginger Morgan (clerk), Carlton Gamer, Molly Wingate (recording clerk pro-tem), Joyce Doyle, Barbara Bowen, Julie Roten-Valdez, Sarah Callbeck, Bill Durland, Genie Durland, Nancy Andrew
Ginger Morgan began at 11:20 with the following reading:
Have you ever been moved by an inbreaking of the Light -- awakened by the inflowing love of God? Even a very small experience of something deep and holy can make you want to find the Light again. If you are fortunate enough to have had many of these experiences, or even a few profound ones, you know how much it is worth trying to align your life to keep open a channel to God's Living Presence.
From Expectant Listening: Finding God's Thread of Guidance by Michael Wajda. Pendle Hill Pamphlet 388
Approval of December Minutes with the following addition:
In the Nominating Committee Report: Please add Julie Roten-Valdez on to Meeting Home Committee.
Cash Flow Report and Year End Financial Statements Report All accounts at Wells Fargo are closed! We have an unusually high checking account balance because we are about to pay our yearly assessments to Colorado Regional Meeting and Intermountain Yearly Meeting.
In savings, we currently have our emergency fund as part of the savings accounts. Finance Committee will think about whether we need a separate account for the emergency fund. Sarah presented the Cash Flow Report, the December Balance Sheet, and the Revenue Statement for 2011. She pointed out that the finance committee is establishing reserve accounts for the library and for First Day School so that any money not spent in one year will carrying over and be available the next year.
All reports were accepted with gratitude.
Committee Reports:
> i. The Committee brought a question for the Meeting regarding
> amount and frequency of financial reporting and financial
> business: how often, what, and how much do we address each
> month?
>
> A full discussion ensued. [Sarah](/Friends/SarahCallbeck/)
> provided a list of reports presented in a year. We came to
> clarity that we would like the reports to come to the
> meeting as they have, but to encourage members and
> attenders to review the financial reports in advance and
> bring their questions. That way,
> [Sarah](/Friends/SarahCallbeck/) will be able to limit her
> comments during meeting for business to the bottom lines,
> to unusual financial happenings, and to questions.
>
b. Updated Nominating Committee report:
1. [Nancy Andrew](/Friends/NancyAndrew/) is nominated to be our
meeting's representative to [IMYM Continuing
Committee](/imym/committees/Continuing) June 2012 through
June 2014. Meeting approved.
2. Nominate [Julie Roten-Valdez](/Friends/JulieRoten-Valdez/)
to Meeting Home Committee. Meeting approved.
3. Nominate [Bill Durland](/Friends/BillDurland/) to [Ministry
and Oversight](/committees/M&O/). Meeting approved.
[Ginger](/Friends/GingerMorgan/) will call one more meeting
of [M&O](/committees/M&O/) to assure a smooth transition.
1. Deb Gimpelson's request for Transfer of Membership. She is
attending meeting in New Zealand and is considering
transferring her membership.
[Ginger](/Friends/GingerMorgan/) asked if there were any
concerns. Finding none, [Ginger](/Friends/GingerMorgan/)
will continue the process of transfer with all care and
love.
2. Update on Jennifer Roberts and remembering / honoring
[Tup](/Friends/TupRoberts/). Jennifer reports that her
brothers have had an event to remember
[Tup](/Friends/TupRoberts/). Jennifer is still caught up
with the financial stuff of settling
[Tup](/Friends/TupRoberts/)'s estate, and when she is on the
other side of the finances she will contact us. Friends may
feel moved to have a memorial for
[Tup](/Friends/TupRoberts/) and would be sure to include
Jennifer in any plans.
3. Charge to reconsider whether reinstituting
[Religious Education and Action](/committees/rea) committee
would serve our Meeting. [Bill](/Friends/BillDurland/)
raised the question of whether the REA\_ committee will
oversee adult education and action as well as first day
school. [M&O](/committees/M&O/) might consider this
question, but he would like to hear from the meeting as
well. [Genie](/Friends/GenieDurland/) noted that if we do
reconstitute the REA\_, she would be willing to clerk the
adult education part. We came to the conclusion that we
would ask [M&O](/committees/M&O/) to put together a charge
for REA\_.
There may be those who feel called to serve on [Religious
Education and Action](/committees/rea) Committee or to help
create a charge for the committee with a range of activities
for adult education and conversation. Those interested speak
to [Ginger](/Friends/GingerMorgan/) or
[Genie](/Friends/GenieDurland/).
d. Education Committee: The filmed play continues.
e. Meeting Home no report
f. Library no report
- Old business
a. Follow up from Lessons Learned. The minutes were approved. Ginger suggested that we consider scheduling Soup and Sharing or Potluck Sharing on preparedness and Quaker testimonies as raised by Lessons Learned Meeting regarding acquisition of Meeting Home. She asked, Are there other outcomes from this meeting to discuss as we find our way forward?.
Please add to the minutes of the special meeting that the song at the end of the gathering was [Sweet, Sweet Spirit](..%20_`REA`:%20/committees/rea). We were reminded that we wanted to have some intentional conversations as a meeting about being ready and proceeding in the process of finding a home for the meeting. [Bill Durland](/Friends/BillDurland/) remarked on the value and importance of having a good record of the conversation and thanked [Molly Wingate](/Friends/MollyWingate/) for her work. [Genie Durland](/Friends/GenieDurland/) pointed out that she would like to focus next winter's adult education class on the [testimonies](/testimonies/), and she thought this discussion might help with the question of a meeting house. [Molly Wingate](/Friends/MollyWingate/) asked that we have conversation about renting a space. The more she has thought of it, the better the idea of renting sounds. [Ginger](/Friends/GingerMorgan/) asked if we should have the next potluck on the question of renting. [Bill](/Friends/BillDurland/) asked [Ginger](/Friends/GingerMorgan/) to craft a query for the discussion that includes the idea of growth and being *evangelical and significant in our community*. [Sarah Callbeck](/Friends/SarahCallbeck/) reminded us of the comment that discerning who we are as a meeting and what our identity is will inform what sort of edifice we will inhabit. Just wanting a meeting house is not quite enough to get us in one, and finding out who we are might help us get there. [Genie](/Friends/GenieDurland/) added that getting a place would help us express ourselves and find out who we are. [Joyce Doyle](/Friends/JoyceDoyle/) concurred that there needs to be a clearer sense of a **mission statement** for why we exist, and she is interested in the action of the meeting. She feels we are missing a clear sense of why this particular meeting exists. She is encouraged that she is hearing the words and ideas she has been waiting for. [Bill](/Friends/BillDurland/) pointed out the challenge of talking about what we are before we act. It is easy to have a great and important conversation but have it not result in action. [Genie](/Friends/GenieDurland/) pointed out the challenge of Quakerism inclusiveness and having a specific identity. [Molly](/Friends/MollyWingate/) talked about how her identity as a [Friend](/ReligiousSocietyOfFriends) has been a reflection of what is going on in the world and how she has engaged in it. She commented that the continual unfolding of God's message and direction are central to [Quakerism](/ReligiousSocietyOfFriends) and thus [Quakerism](/ReligiousSocietyOfFriends) changes. [Carlton](/Friends/CarltonGamer/) pointed out that [testimonies](/testimonies/) are the things that we can all agree with and they are a foundation for our identity. He urged us to come to an understanding of who we are individually and have a regular conversation about each of us. He agreed that we can use the [testimonies](/testimonies/) to find the kind of building we want to be in. He talked about us a [Hicksite Friends](/history/Hicksite) and how we differ from the [Friends Church](/locations/FriendsChurch). This question was not adequately addressed in other meetings and lead to a permanent split. [Carlton](/Friends/CarltonGamer/) suggested that we have a series of conversations where one Friend addresses how they became [Quakers](/ReligiousSocietyOfFriends), what being a [Quaker](/ReligiousSocietyOfFriends) means to them, and how their lives reflect their [Quakerism](/ReligiousSocietyOfFriends). We generally agreed that it would be a great to have such discussions. So what steps do we take to ensure this happens. Use the next potluck for one person to tell his/her story or use the potluck for planning? [Ginger](/Friends/GingerMorgan/) pulled us back from the conversation to say that she will hold all these ideas and get back to us about the next potluck. We had silence.
- New Business
a. Member records: The matter of making sure our records about each member are accurate can wait until next meeting.
We closed in silence at 1:15.