January 2021 Meeting Minutes

GRASS VALLEY FRIENDS MEETING

>>  Draft   << MINUTES & RECORD

Meeting for Worship on the Occasion of Business

01/09/2021

We met virtually. 

Present:  Anita & Don, Co-Clerks; Chamba; Doug & Dorothy; Judy & Reed;  Dianne; Crystal; & fosten, Acting Recording Clerk

The Meeting opened with silent worship.  

Clerk’s Remarks included

• Remember to express your opinions & allow the process to find truth.
• Even statements presented with hate & anger can still contain truth.
• We leave room for spirit to come through, releasing our thoughts, judgements, opinions and becoming silent inside and out.   We can hand our issues to Spirit/God/Jesus, and then settle into any sensations or messages coming through.

LAST MONTH’S ACTION ITEMS

• The Nominating Committee will be discerning the way forward to replace the roles Amy is serving in so that there is adequate time for training.  If you are interested in being considered for any of the following roles(for the 2021-22 slate), please let the Nominating Committee (Doug Hamm and Pat Phillips) know.
  • Managing our Zoom meetings
  • Recording Clerk
  • Managing the email tree
  • Managing the Facebook account, including weekly posting and event management
• Our Library is closed.   Do not return or remove any Library items for now.  Dianne Marshall and the Stewardship Committee are managing the packing and storing of materials from the Library and Meetinghouse.    Many books are now in boxes.   Storage space, more strong boxes, & volunteers are wanted.   Please contact Dianne (or another member of Stewardship Committee) if you can help.   We will also be removing & storing tables, chairs, piano, items from our closet, etc.   See Stewardship Committee report below.

REPRESENTATIVE and OFFICER  REPORTS

Pacific Yearly Meeting (PacYM):    Invitation to a Threshing Session about Hiring a Part-Time Administration Person for Pacific Yearly Meeting:

On Saturday, February 6th from 3pm to 4:30pm via Zoom PacYM will hold a Threshing session to explore a paid, part time Administrative Position to serve the Yearly Meeting as was brought up at the 2020 Annual Session.   Contact Don McCormick for more information.

Treasurer’s Quarterly Report, 1-10-2021

>>> summary  =  pretty good . . . (with downs & ups) <<<

THANK YOU for your contributions.    The contributions received were light for October, worse in November.   Then the Stewardship Committee’s  Appeal Letter helped build a  wonderful December.

Wonderful because yes, substantial money was received.   But even better was the variety of people donating.   Twenty-four households contributed financially in December, a pleasant surprise.   Thanks go to Dianne & Mary for the appeal letter as well as to those who were able to respond.

 In our General Fund, in the last  three months, we spent $959 for rent & newsletter costs while we received $3,583 in contributions.     This means that we may have enough money to pay half of our PYM Dues (which total $3,332) in January.   Our Sharing fund & our Placer County Worship Group fund have changed a bit in the first quarter.   The other Restricted Funds are unchanged.   Thank you for your help.   All gifts, both in service to the Meeting & financial are deeply appreciated.

Fosten Wilson, Treasurer

Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR):  Judy Hamilton has mailed off another batch of used postage stamps to RSWR which will help fund their activities.   More information at https://www.rswr.org/stamp-program

Interfaith Nevada County:  Dianne Marshall:   The Grass Valley Friends Meeting is glad to be hosting InterFaith Nevada County’s (INC) first meeting of the new year, Tuesday, January 19, 2021, from 10:00a.m. to 12:30p.m.   Don McCormick will share with us   Clearness Committees,   a Quaker practice that has been honed since the 1660’s.   All INC members have received Parker J. Palmer’s   The Clearness Committee: A Communal Approach to Discernment to read this prior to the meeting. Zoom “Breakout Rooms” will be used during the Clearness Committees presentation to allow everyone an opportunity to practice this Quaker practice. 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

SPIRIT/WITNESS:     Judy Hamilton:    In supporting our Meeting, we formed a committee of support for one of our members and continue to reach out to those in need or others we don’t see much on Zoom.

Our Waking Up To Race is going strong.  We have changed the format somewhat and now in addition to worship sharing, we are experimenting with engaging in discussion using a technique known as barn raising (thanks to Don Mc.).  We are continuing to read How to Be an Anti-Racist.

Our committee description is complete and enclosed. Apparently other Meetings are interested in how we consolidated our committees.  Gordon Bishop, who was involved in this from start to finish, will write up this process for a possible article in Western Friend.

We are aware that our Meeting House will be impacted in SFC’s renovation plans. Within our Meeting this is primarily being addressed in the Stewardship Committee, but we are being kept informed as it progresses.

We also continue to discern on how best to acknowledge the Nisenan and their land upon where we worship.

We are also continuing to discern the responsibilities of and need for the GVFM various representatives to other organizations. 

Spiritual Life programs are as follows:

January 24th-Faithfulness Groups-Don

February 28th-Children’s Program-Dorothy

March 28th – Possible bible study-Dorothy

April 25th-? Easter program???

Finally we propose the 3rd Sunday in February, (February 21st) as a listening session in preparation for the State of the Meeting report.

STEWARDSHIP:  Dianne Marshall:  Minutes from meeting on January 7, 2021

Present: Mary Starr, clerk, Gordon Starr, recorder, Dianne Marshall, Reed Hamilton,

                Fosten Wilson, Hailey (?)

SFC Meeting House status.  Extensive interior remodeling will begin fairly soon and have a major effect on Meeting’s library, furniture, closet materials and kitchen supplies.

We think it best to move out of the building during construction. Question is when, where to and what to move.  Dianne has made a packing list for packing up the library.  The closet and kitchen are easier.  The benches present a problem: “Methodist” benches are ours.  Others are big, heavy and ownership unclear, they may not have to be moved.

Storage possibilities: Storage container. Reed will research cost and availability. Use the Fern House? Doug will research.

 Ideas for work teams: two person (couple) for each area, masked and physically distanced.   This might work best on multiple days.

The idea of moving Meeting into town was discussed.   When the Meeting House is finished it may be rented to other groups more often.   Option ideas include Jewish Community Center, and either Banner or South Auburn Grange.   This needs to be brought to Meeting for Business.   Marty has expressed the strong hope that we stay. She says SFC is a Quaker institution and having Meeting there provides a needed Quaker presence.

Finance report. Fosten reported that after a very sparse November, donations for December were wonderful! Over $2,000 came in with an increased use of the donate button on the Meeting web site.   

Dianne has written and printed the annual Appeal Letter and had questions about the three different lists of names and which one to use to send out the letter. There is the Google email group with 155 contacts, the Newsletter email list, and the directory list with 35 names. Gordon will contact Amy for clarity.

Check signers. Currently, the approved check signers are Fosten, Chamba and Don Kewman. Clearly we need to find other people. We will ask Meeting for Business to approve co-clerks Don and Anita, Stewardship clerk Mary, as well as Fosten to be the current approved check signers.

Action Items:

Reed will research container costs and availability

Doug will check with Marty on the status of Fern House for Meeting storage.

Gordon will clarify the use of various email lists.

Addendum: Reed has reported he found a container company who would both deliver and pick up a container for $178. and $60 a month rent. We will need approval from Meeting for Business for these funds.

Doug contacted Marty about using the Fern House for storage and she said that wouldn’t work because they had plans to rent it when Covid restrictions were lifted.   She said while there was not a start date for the renovations yet, the first thing to do would be to empty the Meeting House.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

Chamba offered clarification that the benches were built by the Head of Woolman School, for that school, before Amy & Chamba arrived.   Then, our Meetinghouse was elsewhere on the campus.   They were built by & belong to Sierra Friends Center.

Dianne asked if sending the Appeal Letter out in the newsletter was appropriate.  The response was yes, at her discression. 

After discernment, Minute 01-2021-1 & Minute 01-2021-2, both below, were approved.

Minute 01-2021-1:   Grass Valley Friends Meeting agrees to the expenditure of as-much-as $420 for use of a storage container until the Meeting House is renovated by Sierra Friends Center.

Minute 01-2021-2:   Grass Valley Friends Meeting approves updating the authorized signatures on our bank account.   The new authorized signatures will be our Co-Clerks, Don & Anita McCormick; the Clerk of our Stewardship Committee, Mary Starr; & Treasurer, Fosten Wilson.   

It was clarified that a storage container may not be required but Minute 01-2021-1 allows that spending if Stewardship Committee finds it necessary.   Regarding bank signatures, Chamba Cook & Don Kewman have both moved out of the area.

WELCOME:  Don McCormick: January 2021

The Welcome Committee continues to ensure that is a Greeter/Opener for Meeting for Worship on Sunday.   This person welcomes everyone to Meeting, confirms the participants and teachers for the Children’s Program, opens the Children’s Program breakout room, and then settles everyone into worship.   We are also helping to facilitate after-Meeting fellowship.

We are also focused on increasing the visibility of Grass Valley Friends Meeting through various publicity and outreach activities.   We are in the local newspaper every month in the Religious section, we post regularly on Facebook, and create Facebook events as needed.   Birthing the Christ Within, the December Spiritual Life event, was posted on Facebook and also was sent to Western Friend.   Don McCormick will be doing a presentation on Clearness Committees to the Interfaith community this month, and we will also report that on Facebook and in the newsletter.    

We have discussed reviewing our songbook for inclusion.   Amy will be reaching out to Woolman camp staff for their revisions of Quaker songs to reflect more gender and racial inclusivity.    

We have also had a goal to have a logo that reflects our commitment to inclusion and diversity.   Hailey Wilson has created a logo and we are working on refining it in order to bring it to Meeting for Business in February.  

We have also been working to transfer Meeting files to the Grass Valley Friends Meeting google drive.   Amy will be reaching out the clerks of committees to make sure everyone has access.    

Respectfully submitted,     Amy Cooke, clerk

Seasoning Minutes for the February Meeting for Business:

Approved Minute 01-2021-2 will not be implemented until after the letter to our bank involving changing authorized signatures is presented at our February Meeting for Business.   The letter is being drafted by our Treasurer. 

ACTION ITEMS 

• Storage space, more strong boxes, & volunteers are wanted.   Please contact Dianne (or another member of Stewardship Committee) if you can help.

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

• College Park Quarterly Meeting, January 16 (Saturday, one day).   Reweaving The Ties That Bind (Held Virtually via Zoom) Our faith calls us to be bound together in love, tied together with our families, with our neighbors, with our Quaker communities, with all people near and far, with all of creation.
• PYM Directory: Please fill out the online forms to be added to the PYM directory. There are separate forms for adults and for those under 18.   This will aid in coordinating communications across the Yearly Meeting. Nancy Anderson is coordinating this in our Meeting.  Need the link?  Email Nancy at ntowhee (at)gmail.com.
• PYM will hold a Threshing Session to explore a paid, part time Administrative Position to serve the Yearly Meeting as was brought up at the 2020 Annual Session.    Saturday, February 6th from 3pm to 4:30pm via Zoom
• Google Drive: We have set up a Google Drive for all the Meeting’s files. Please let Amy  know if you would like to set up a time to talk about how to move your committee files into the drive, Amy is happy to help! Good for storing info you want future committee members to remember.
• If you use FB, follow the GVFriends website. Or join it. If you share a post from it, your friends will see it and may show up. It helps our visibility.
• State of the Meeting report Listening session, third Sunday of February. After worship.  
• Book Group. The book is Persuade, Don’t Preach: Restoring Civility across the Political Divide, which is by Karen Tibbals. Julie Harlow wants to know how many people in our meeting would be interested. Tibbals approach is based on the work of Rob Willer (a Stanford sociologist) and Matthew Feinberg (a professor from my field–Organizational Behavior), and on Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind.  
• It’s easy to give to Grass Valley Friends Meeting!   Go to gvfriends.org and click on the Give button.   This takes you to a secure site for donations. Please consider making your contribution monthly.   Your contribution covers Pacific Yearly Meeting dues and ensures that our activities as a Meeting are sustained.   Thank you

This draft RECORD AND MINUTES will be corrected before approval in February.        

If you are giving a report to GVFM, please send the actual report to the recording clerk at  amylisette@gmail.com  THE FRIDAY  BEFORE MEETING FOR BUSINESS.          

GVFM Newsletter Reminder: Please have items into Diane Marshall  by Tuesday at 10 am.  

The Meeting closed with silent worship.    

Respectfully recorded by Fosten Wilson,  acting recording clerk.    

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