The Meeting opened with silence followed by a reading about Worship from IMYM Faith & Practice. Attending were: Lisa Lister, Ann Grant Martin, Jeremy Nelson, Sarah Callbeck, Holly Grasso, Julia Roten-Valdez, Bill Durland, Genie Durland, Sue Lauther, Molly Wingate, Carlton Gamer.
Minutes from the Fifth Month were approved.
Meeting House Committee Report: Next Saturday, June 25th at 9:00 a.m. we will do cleaning and yard work. After the rise of Meeting is not working. All are welcome to come weed, plant or mow in the yard. Report accepted.
The yard sale will be postponed. Date is to be determined..
Ministry and Oversight Committee Report: Members met, discussed friendly calls and a need to offer Quaker 101 which will be taught by the Durlands in late November to run through the winter. Do any others feel called to assist the Durlands? Report accepted (See Appendix A).
Finance Committee Report: Cash flow report was distributed and reviewed. Quaker disbursements were decided as follows: $50 to ; $50 to Ecumenical Services.
The Meeting discussed modifying our Articles of Incorporation in order to meet Friends General Conference's requirements for refinancing our mortgage through them. In order for the refinance to happen, the Meeting needs to designate in the Articles of Incorporation what will happen to the meetinghouse should the Meeting be laid down at some point in the future. There was a broader discussion about the appropriateness of the use of the legal system for Meeting business. The proposed wording for the modification was approved with three members standing aside. The following wording was approved as an addition to our existing Articles of Incorporation:
Distribution of Assets Upon Dissolution
In the event of a dissolution of the Corporation, the Board of Directors shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all liabilities of the Corporation, dispose of all the assets of the Corporation exclusively for the purposes of the Corporation in such manner, or to such organization or organizations, organized and operated exclusively for charitable purposes, as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Any assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the District Court of El Paso County, Colorado, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said court shall determine, which are organized and operated for such purposes.
Peace and Justice Committee Report: The Colorado Care draft minute will be allowed to season and the committee will return next month with a recommendation. Report accepted.
Report: We currently have a family with children in 3rd and 6th grades visiting from this summer. Adults re urged to step in as needed if no designated teacher is present.
Nominating Committee: Sarah withdraws her request to be replaced on the IMYM Nominating Committee. We are in need of a volunteer for the IMYM Representative Committee as Genie must retire after six years. That committee will be deliberating site moving issues. A description of the job can be found on IMYM's web site.
Announcements included: Ann Grant-Martin will obtain and plant zeriscape plants; the Meeting appreciates the new cabinet from Phil and Lisa; the old cabinets were donated to the Re-Store; there is a training and dinner with the help of FCNL on educating the legislature on decreasing sentences for non-violent crime the week on June 27th at Grace Episcopal Church. Molly is the new IMYM clerk; Genie was the clerk of this year's Epistle committee; our Meeting was very well represented at IMYM (See Appendix B for the text for the IMYM Epistle).
The Meeting closed in silence.
Respectfully submitted,
Recording clerk
A. Ministry and Oversight Committee Minutes, May 17, 2016
Present were Carlton Gamer and Ann Grant Martin, Clerk
We met at Carlton's house and opened with Spiritual Silence.
After a brief check-in we revisited the idea that it might be time for another class, Quakerism 101. If there is sufficient interest this might be offered in the fall.
We reviewed several Friendly calls that had been made.
Our next meeting will be July 5, 2016, 11:00 at Carlton Gamer's home.
In the Light,
Ann Grant Martin, Clerk of Ministry and Oversight
A. Epistle from Intermountain Yearly Meeting, 2016
To Friends Everywhere:
Greetings from Intermountain Yearly Meeting Friends. IMYM gathered once again, around 300 strong, June 6-12, 2016 at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico. The vast geographic scope of IMYM means that connections and fellowship among Friends of the intermountain west has enormous significance. One Friend observed that when Young Friends arrive and see each other for the first time in a year, they literally leap into one another’s arms. Most adult Friends are somewhat less demonstrative but that does not mean they are less enthusiastic about renewing bonds with one another. We had visitors from FGC, AFSC, FCNL, Right Sharing of World Resources and Earlham School of Religion, as well as Mexico, El Salvador and a variety of Monthly Meetings from other parts of the country.
In attendance were both young and old; the youngest being one year old and among our elders, 91-year-old Marian Hoge, an early founder of our Yearly Meeting. And yet our love and regard for one another go beyond our individual ties. We are a true Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in our attention to the important business that comes before us each year and to the theme we have chosen and the Keynote presentation we receive about that theme.
Callid Keefe-Perry, Quaker minister from Fresh Pond Monthly Meeting in Massachusetts spoke to us on Nurturing Spiritual Gifts and Ministry in our Meetings. "SIPAG" was his acronym for the definition of Ministry. SI-PA-GA means;
Sustained-Intention
Prayerful-Attention
Guided-Action
He suggested that in our spiritual endeavors we -alive in the dashes." He came before us with immense creativity and originality, presenting his message with humor and startling metaphors. He engaged us with his words, moving us toward one another with participatory exercises, and sending us back to our Monthly Meetings with an inspired definition of our purpose in community and in worship for the conduct of our business: a meeting is "a community gathering of individuals willing to enter into a committed relationship with one another and with God."
Early days programming reflected the ways in which that commitment becomes manifest in our locales and in our world. Programs included stewardship in finance, Upcycling, Peru (site of this year's FWCC Section of the Americas Conference), a play using historic Quaker figures in dialogue with one another, immigration, the creation of Soul-collages and their interpretation, and other topics. Of particular interest was the Pay as Led program of New England Yearly Meeting presented in a workshop. These programs added to our commitment to action and witness, as did the many informal conversations during meals and the quiet, reflective time in worship sharing on the vast Ghost Ranch landscape.
As part of our business, we considered several Minutes, one supporting a U.N. resolution proposing a Humanitarian Pledge for the Prohibition and Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. The economies of the four states that compose IMYM "Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona" are dependent to an alarming extent on the nuclear weapons industry. Another Minute was proposed on supporting continued federal funding for Planned Parenthood health care services. We heard an inspiring report on Mountain Friends Camp, presented by several of the young Friends who have experienced the camp. Mountain Friends Camp is a Yearly Meeting initiative with growing significance to our youth and future growth. We had some heavy decisions to undertake for future yearly meetings, that we addressed as part of "our committed relationship with one another" and to witness in the world.
Our Senior Young Friends have been deeply concerned about today's issues of gender and sexual equality. They were led to organize an educational listening session called "Sharing Our Truth." Friends of all ages attended as Young Friends found a safe place to share their experiences about and within the LGBTQ community. Friends spoke as led across a wide spectrum of identities and ages providing a powerful witness that we hope will be continued in Monthly Meetings and beyond.
Singing introduced several of our business sessions, and one evening there was a well-attended sing-along and campfire with marshmallows! Although Ghost Ranch cut staffing for the cantina, Friends showed entrepreneurial initiative and brought ice cream and snacks to sell at the cantina to support Mountain Friends Camp. The ages didn't matter, as the enthusiastic community formed as naturally as breathing. And, of course, the Friday night dance powered by our own IMYM contra dance band. As always, Yearly Meeting social time was capped off by the annual Creativity Night on Saturday night. Skits, poetry reading, musical offerings and much more demonstrated our abundance of creativity and brought us together in laughter and applause.
Worship sharing groups met for four mornings as well as Senior Young Friends-led intergenerational worship sharing groups after lunch daily. Friends reported these to create meaningful connections among the IMYM community. Departed Friends were remembered and celebrated in a Meeting for the reading of Memorial Minutes.
Emotions are running high concerning the possibility of leaving Ghost Ranch due to a variety of considerations. Many of us have become very attached to the beautiful natural landscape, but we recognize that a yearly meeting is much more than it's setting. We recognized that our Meetings for Worship for Business and our spiritual fellowship and mutual care are our reality as a Yearly Meeting and we trust the Spirit to lead us through these decisions to come down in the place just right, in the words of a favorite old song.
With love and Light,
Sarah Keeney, Presiding Clerk
Intermountain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends