Minutes for Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business

Colorado Springs Quaker Meeting

September 15th, 2013

Present: Genie Durland, Barbara Bowen, Molly Wingate, Bill Durland, Jeremy Nelson Ann Daugherty, Sarah Callbeck, Nancy Andrew

Meeting started at 11:34

  1. Silence followed by a reading.

  2. Consideration of August Minutes

  3. Clerk's Report: I celebrate the new xeriscape landscaping and the return of Jonathan McPhee to help us with that and also the flood.

  4. Committee Reports:

    1. Finance Committee: Cash Flow Report and other financial reports Went over the cash flow report as submitted by the committee. Furnace is working but needs to be worked.

      Review of Minutes from Committee Meeting, whatever money that comes from the assessments will be set aside and not added to the general funds.

      Report accepted with gratitude.

    2. Ministry and Oversight Committee: Review of Minutes from Committee Meeting No members of the committee were present, Molly, encouraging them to reduce the size of the committee. Genie brought up that nomination committee needs volunteers.

    3. First Day School: no report

    4. Adult Education and Action Committee:

      This fall's Adult Religious Education was laid down. It was scheduled to start on September 23rd and was to discuss modern Quakerism. Only two people confirmed they wanted to attend. Bill talked that instead of doing an eighth month session that the meeting can have a
      special presentations while having a speakers bureau including thinking about another show and tell in October or November.

      Nancy, Bill, and Genie talked about a new structure that fits better with our Meeting's current circumstance and with the new committee. We do have the occasional book group and Molly likes the idea of holding special topic meetings. Ad hoc committee will report at the next Business meeting.

      The occasional book group will read Margaret Bacon's The Back Bench.
      Let Molly know if you want a copy. The hope is for an inter-generational discussion some evening with snacks.

      Bill Durland agreed to clerk new Peace and Social Concerns.

    5. Nominating Committee:

      Meeting members should be aware that as of January, our Meeting will need a new Clerk and a new Recording Clerk. These are two very important jobs and need to be thoughtfully and prayerfully filled. We are such a small meeting that it seems that this kind of most important service is rotated among just a few dedicated Friends. Nominating Committee has no strong leading at this time, to approach any particular member or attender about his or her interest or calling to fill one of these posts. Therefore we are posting this notice on the bulletin board and asking recording clerk to circulate it as a reminder throughout the meeting each month between now and December.

      Nancy Andrew is the new Librarian.

      Genie Durland is Meeting representative to Representative Committee

      In addition to the posts named above, Yearly Meeting is continuing to ask us to appoint someone to IMYM Nominating Committee

    6. Library:

      This is the perfect collection about a computer for the Meeting to catalog meeting with Library Thing, many small churches and organizations use Library Thing. Bill Werling offered to build bookcases with an reclaimed with wood. Sarah said that we have approximately $15.00 for purchasing of new books.

      Library report accepted with gratitude.

    7. Meetinghouse Committee: review report

      Meeting is very appreciative of Lisa and Phil's work with Nancy on adding the new landscaping plants and other work done in front of the meeting house.

      We are going have the furnace checked after the next October 9th. Cleaning Sunday identified the corner with the $770.00 for new projects. Sarah asked about the amount, the plan is the to refinance before the balloon payment is due in 2017. Molly's larger plan is refinance with more money to build the addition in a combined mortgage-construction loan. FGC is a 15 year mortgage.

      We do need more solid numbers for the costs of the addition knowing that could change in a few years.

      Report accepted with gratitude.

  5. Old Business:

    1. Landscaping project continuation. What else do we need? Molly is interested to dropping her land-line phone and maybe transferring the number to the meeting.
  6. New Business:

    Jonathan discovered that the basement flooded with the source of the leak unknown. He requested that he would need help moving the furniture which was accomplished after Meeting of Worship.

    A minute from Boulder Meeting on Syria for us to consider:

    On September 8th, 2013, the Boulder Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) approved the following minute:

    "As Quakers, we oppose any military action throughout the world and at 
    this time, we wish to emphasize our opposition to US military action 
    in Syria.
    
    Military action by the US and other foreign countries will not stop the 
    killing in Syria or bring those responsible for the use of chemical 
    weapons to justice.
    
    Only international organizations such as the United Nations and the 
    International Criminal Court are likely to be effective in establishing
    a negotiated peace agreement in Syria.
    
    Diplomatic engagement with all regional stakeholders is what is called 
    for right now. We support the current diplomatic efforts to
    remove chemical weapons and cessation of their manufacture.
    
    We encourage the US and other nations to commit their resources to 
    relieve the suffering of the millions of refugees who have found it 
    necessary to flee their homes in Syria"
    

    We are sending this minute to President Obama, Colorado Senators Bennett and Udall, and our congressman, and also urge them to eschew military action in Syria, and instead to support diplomatic efforts toward peace. We are also sending the minute to the Boulder Daily Camera and Denver Post. These letters to the editor include the line

    "For further information, please contact the Friends Committee for 
    National Legislation at http://fcnl.org."
    

    Bill Durland and Genie Durland expressed their support for the minute as it is balanced. Jeremy mentioned that the current peace process with the agreement being Russia and the United States be also included in the minute.

  7. Announcements:

    Colorado Regional Meeting at YMCA of the Rockies, October 18-20.
    Registration deadline was September 13 (Friday).

    October 6th for potluck we will have a program about the Summer of Quaking by Calliope and Queztal Gallagher. They will talk about the various Quaker programs they participated in and what they gained, thanks in part to the Meeting's support.

    Please put events at the meetinghouse on the paper calendar on the bulletin board and let Molly Wingate and Bill Werling know. Molly will get the word out, and Bill is the calendar keeper for now. He is looking into using Google Calendar. If you are part of a group or know of a group who would like to use the meeting house, please have them contact Bill Werling at william.werling@gmail.com.

    Ann expressed her gratitude of our current type of government.

Meeting closed with silence at 12:23pm.

Respectfully submitted in the light,

Jeremy Nelson

Recording Clerk