September 2022 Meeting Minutes
GRASS VALLEY FRIENDS MEETING
Of the Religious Society of Friends of the Truth
College Park Quarterly Meeting, Pacific Yearly Meeting
MINUTES & RECORD
Meeting for Worship on the Occasion of Business
09/18/2022
We met in a hybrid meeting on Zoom and in person.
Present: Dean Olson (clerk), Gordon Starr, Mary Starr, Doug Hamm, Dorothy Henderson, Judy Hamilton, Amy Cooke, fosten wilson, Dianne Marshall, Reed Hamilton
The Meeting opened with silent worship.
Clerks’ Remarks and Query: The poem, The Fellowship, byAmanda Gorman, the current Poet Laureate, was read by the clerk.
Query: What is that one thing today that moves us to be in Meeting for Worship for Business?
Those present spoke out of worship about being part of a group, part of the Children’s Program, in Meeting, to be part of a community where we are known. Music and singing is alive and deepening. Meeting can be uncomfortable, God’s messages can be challenging, the possibility of hearing the still small voice of God is both disturbing and enlivening. Deepening into love for those here, feeling included, being ourselves, being loved. We start in the same place, being real, hearing ministry, being accountable.
Action Items and Seasoning:
-None-
COMMITTEE REPORTS (see reports appended, committee clerk is noted in bold)
NOMINATING: (terms as noted) Dorothy Henderson (fulfilling Pat Phillips term): 2022-2023, Sharon Davisson, continuing: 2021-2023, Judy Hamilton: 2022-2024, Gordon Starr: 2022-2024
Gordon Starr is now the convener.
STEWARDSHIP: Mary Starr (clerk), Pat Phillips, Reed Hamilton, Gordon Starr, Doug Hamm. Dianne Marshall (ex-officio, Newsletter editor), Fosten Wilson (ex-officio, Treasurer), Don McCormick (ex-officio, Librarian).
Gordon Starr gave the report, appended.
Mary Starr brought the Budget forward for the first reading. Several Friends had questions and concerns which were addressed. It was noted that the budget includes funds that will help us to complete our collection of Pendle Hill pamphlets, represented by the total in the Stewardship Committee budget. There is a new fund, the Technology Fund, that will accrue by $250 per year until it reaches $1000, in order to address the needs of the meeting. It was clarified that donations to the Meeting can be designated for the various funds outside of the General Fund (for example, the Sharing Fund); however, line items in the General Fund cannot receive allocated funds outside of the budgeted amounts.
The budget will be brought back in the October meeting for worship for business for approval.
SPIRIT & WITNESS: Amy Cooke, Gordon Bishop, Sharon Davisson, Reed Hamilton, Dorothy Henderson, Dean and Karen Olson (ex-officio Co Clerks)
Amy Cooke gave the report, appended, along with the FCNL organizational report.
WELCOME: Kathy McCreery (clerk), Don McCormick, Pat Phillips, Karen Olson. Hailey Wilson (ex-officio, zoom coordinator), Amy Cooke (ex-officio, Website and Facebook coordinator), Judy Hamilton (ex-officio, email coordinator),
Judy Hamilton gave the report. She also noted that Greeters, tea and coffee, and new name tags are all in the works. Those gathered agreed that it is time to bring back the practice of having tea and coffee after meeting, on a trial basis.
CHILDREN’S PROGRAM: Dorothy Henderson (clerk), Gordon Bishop, Doug Hamm, Judy Hamilton, Dean Olson, Karen Olson, Reed Hamilton, Don McCormick, Anita McCormick.
There was no report, but celebration that Children’s Program has persevered through fire, covid, and construction!
OFFICER REPORTS
- TREASURER: fosten wilson gave the report, see appended report. There were questions after the report, which the Treasurer answered.
- SFC REPRESENTATIVE: Pat Phillips. Dean noted that there are program postings outside the office. There are diverse offerings for the local community – basket making, writing, drawing, etc. It was suggested that the program offerings be published in the newsletter, and this is in the works for the electronic version. It was also reported that the new irrigation system is in process. Fern House and both Quonset huts will be demolished due to fire restrictions. There are plans for tent platforms to be constructed on the former tennis courts. A one way circle drive is also in the planning stages. Potluck dinners on a quarterly basis for Woolman neighbors and community (including Grass Valley Friends Meeting) are also coming.
- INTERFAITH NEVADA COUNTY: Dianne Marshall.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- If you use Facebook, follow the Grass Valley Friends Meeting page, or join the Facebook Grass Valley Friends Meeting group. If you share a post from the page, your friends will see it! It helps our visibility. Follow this link.
- It is 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 our Pacific Yearly Meeting dues and ensures that our activities as a Meeting are sustained. Thank you. Please note: Tithely now allows the user to change the dollar of their gift without making a new donation request.
- Sierra Friends Center has volunteer opportunities available. See www.woolman.org.
- On September 25 there will be a Woolman potluck, please see the newsletter for details.
- College Park Quarterly Meeting: October 14-16 at Sierra Friends Center
- Meeting Retreat: October 21-23 at Gordon and Mary Starr’s. Details to follow.
- October 3rd at 9 am: Olivia Cowan will be on KNCO presenting about her geological collection.
ACTION ITEMS & ITEMS SEASONING
- The 2022-23 Budget will season until the October Meeting for Business.
READING OF THE RECORD AND MINUTES
The record and the minutes were read, corrected and approved.
If you are giving a report to GVFM, please send the actual report to the recording clerk at grassvalleyfriends@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 Amy Cooke, recording clerk.
APPENDICES:
- Spirit and Witness
- Welcome
- Stewardship
————————————————————————-
Spirit and Witness
Amy Cooke, clerk; Reed Hamilton; Dorothy Henderson, Gordon Bishop; recording clerk, Sharon Davisson. Ex officio: Dean Olson, Karen Davidson; co-clerks of Grass Valley Friends Meeting
The committee continues to check in on the several committees of care in our Meeting. There are also three membership committees in process, for David Cowan, Cheryl Hendrikson, and Crystal Scanlon.
We are planning the Spiritual Life programs, and welcome feedback. Thank you to those who participated in the survey.
We are very happy to announce that our annual retreat is coming back! Over the weekend of October 21-23 we will be gathering at Gordon and Mary’s. More details to follow.
We are reporting this month on FCNL as part of the meeting’s practice of Spirit and Witness and Welcome Committee reporting on Quaker Organizations:
Friends Committee on National Legislation
We seek a world free of war and the threat of war. We seek a society with equity and justice for all. We seek a community where every person’s potential may be fulfilled. We seek an earth restored.
Now is the time for citizenship.
Ten years ago, thanks to efforts by immigrant youth and advocacy groups, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was created. This was a hard-won step to secure temporary protections for undocumented immigrants who arrived to the United States as youth. But a decade later, DACA recipients and undocumented communities still live with uncertainty and are vulnerable to government aggression. More must be done.
The 117 th Congress has made legislative commitments to enact permanent protections for immigrants with undocumented status, such as Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) holders, farmworkers, and essential workers. Thanks to our advocacy, congressional leaders are in immigration talks and a pathway to citizenship remains on the mind of lawmakers. We must hold them accountable to deliver permanent protections for our undocumented neighbors.
As we mark ten years of the DACA program this month, we are reminded of our power to create change. Procedural and legislative delay is no longer an option.
Please contact your representatives and encourage them to support our immigrant population who arrived in this country as children, grew up as friends, coworkers and neighbors, and who unquestionably deserve permanent protections.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, 331 Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington DC 20510
Senator Alex Padilla, 255 E. Temple St., Suite 1960, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Representative Doug LaMalfa, 408 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington DC 20510
Stewardship Committee
Minutes from meeting on September 1, 2022
Present: Mary Starr, clerk, Gordon Starr, recorder, Don McCormick, librarian, Fosten Wilson, treasurer, Dianne Marshall, newsletter editor,
Library: Don apologized for dismissing Dianne’s comments and suggestions at our last meeting and found later that he actually agreed with many of them.
He asks for people to submit brief reviews of books from the library they have read.
Treasurer’s report. Fosten reported that outgoing funds for the month totaled $1,070.
Donations totaled $2,476, including two $1K checks. Meeting continues to be in excellent financial shape.
Gordon asked if there had been a “Friendly Audit” lately. Fosten said there has not been since he took over the role of treasurer from Kathy 8 years ago and it would be a good idea to do one. Gordon will (hopefully) find the pamphlet he has on this and get it to Fosten.
Newsletter. Dianne will be away September 12 – 15 so send items for publication early. She noted she tries to prioritize news from close to home when placing them in the newsletter.
New Computer? Mary powered up her sister’s computer to see if it could take the place of Meeting’s current computer which has been sending fault messages. However, Mary found her sister’s computer runs Windows 8 and so cannot run current software. The monitor does fine and will work. Gordon and Mary will research the cost of new computers and software, and have found a good option. Laptop or desktop? Fosten said either would be fine. Desktops do generally cost less. He expressed concern about files being stored on the cloud in a power outage, as most computers do these days.
Next Meeting: October 20, 2022
Welcome Committee
We talked about a new ad for the union. Kathy is reworking the ad with input from the committee.
We are going to do birthdays once a month on the first Sundays starting in September. (Judy)
For World Quaker day (October 2) Don is adding our Friends meeting info to a poster. We will put posters up at Briar Patch (Kathy), SPD GV (Judy), 3 forks (Kathy) Grocery Outlet.
Our next meeting is Sept. 22 at 8:30am.