March 2022 Meeting Minutes
GRASS VALLEY FRIENDS MEETING
Of the Religious Society of Friends of the Truth
College Park Quarterly Meeting, Pacific Yearly Meeting
GRASS VALLEY FRIENDS MEETING
Approved MINUTES & RECORD
Meeting for Worship on the Occasion of Business
03/13/2022
We met as a hybrid Meeting, in-person and on Zoom.
Present: Dean Olson (co-clerk), Heather Reed, Dianne Marshall, Matt Davis, Mihai, Reed Hamilton, Judy Hamilton, Kathy McCreery, Cheryl Hendrickson, Dorothy Henderson, Doug Hamm & fosten wilson.
The Meeting opened with silent worship.
Action Items and Seasoning for April:
- Representative for SFC: delegated to the Stewardship Committee for further discernment.
- Spirit & Witness to advise on vaccination & mask requirements
- Correct & approve the Draft Minutes & Record from 3-13-2022.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
SPIRIT & WITNESS: Judy Hamilton read the report (attached below). The report includes “we
feel it is time to announce that we are now a HYBRID meeting.” After discussion the following Minute was approved.
Minute 2022.03.01: Grass Valley Friends Meeting has for several months tested & now implements a hybrid Meeting for Worship, combining both in-person gatherings in our Meeting House and participants on Zoom. And our Childrens’ Program is in-person.
STEWARDSHIP: The full Stewardship Committee Report is safe-at-home but unavailable today.
Dianne reported that our library has reopened, after a two year pandemic closure, and a lot of volunteer work. Reminder notes have gone out asking for return of overdue books.
Fosten gave a summary of February finances. We spent a bit more than the contributions received in February but not enough difference to be a problem.
WELCOME: Kathy advised that the committee will put notices in the Grass Valley Union that we are now meeting for worship in-person and via Zoom. She has gathered more of the signed waiver forms that Sierra Friends Center requires.
CHILDREN’S PROGRAM: There were four children and two adults today!! Dorothy advised that more adults have volunteered, allowing for a Children’s Program on each Sunday.
Meeting In-person & with Zoom: A spontaneous discussion happened, ranging from “so beautiful to meet in-person” to “seeing more of the faces on Zoom builds community”. Heather Reed commented that since some of us live in Santa Rosa, France, & other distant places . . . Zoom really helps. Matt Davis reported that he would prefer to be in-person but is on Zoom because of the vaccination & mask requirement. Is this our requirement? Sierra Friends Center’s? Nevada County Health Department’s? And when might this change? Spirit & Witness Committee will report back on this in April.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
>> Paul Hartsough is recovering from a serious stroke. Hold him in your heart. He is home now but can not communicate well. For updates, search for his name at “www.caringbridge.org”.
>> Chamba invited us to the Annual Assembly at Congenies, France at the end of October.
- Nancy Anderson needs support with Tristan on Mondays 4pm – 8 pm. Please contact her if you can help.
- 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’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 our Pacific Yearly Meeting dues and ensures that our activities as a Meeting are sustained. Thank you.
- Tithely now allows the user to change the dollar of their gift without making a new donation request.
- Interfaith Nevada County will be taking part in the March for Peace and Social Justice on May 22, 2022, with some modifications pending. See the newsletter!
- Sierra Friends Center has volunteer opportunities available. Dean volunteered & reports it was well organized & fun, a lot of fun! See www.woolman.org.
The Meeting closed with silent worship.
Respectfully submitted, fosten wilson, acting recording clerk.
APPENDICES:
- Spirit and Witness
————————————————————————-
March 2022 Spirit and Witness
Report
Gordon Starr reported on the most recent meeting with SFC to work out how the costs of
the computer/hybrid equipment would be shared. Since we were unable to use most of the
equipment bought from Quietech, we came to an agreement that we would spit the costs of the
equipment we will be using and the cost of Quietech’s services. This came to about $160. It was
agreed that the hybrid set-up is working fairly well now (with only an occasional glitch) so we
feel it is time to announce that we are now a HYBRID meeting. Dean, as clerk, will continue to
clerk M4B on Zoom so as to better keep track of folks who want to speak. Others in the Meeting
house will walk to the mic to be recognized. This does present a problem for the Children’s
Program as it will not be hybrid. For the time being, we have a teacher and adult helper on the
first, third, and fourth Sunday. Currently we will not be having a children’s program on the
second Sunday.
We have no new committees of care and the current ones are going well. We hold Paul
Hartsough in the light as he has recently had a major stroke.
The Quaker Buddy program is having good results although many of us are finding the
task of calling our “buddies” daunting. When we have made contact, folks are quite appreciative
and seem to want continued contact. While we were going to only give it a 2 month trial, we
have decided to continue for at least another month or two.
We have Spiritual Life programs thru August (when we will take a break). They are as
follows: March– Quakers in France- Amy (and Chamba?) Cooke
April— Forgiveness- Gordon Starr
May—Nisenan-Judy Hamilton and Dorothy Henderson
June—Doctrine of Discovery- Dianne Marshall
July- Recap of the last year’s program- Spirit and Witness
SFC has asked that we give a program (or two) about Quakerism and Quaker value. Both
Dorothy and Amy have done this in the past at the start of Woolman’s semester, so Dorothy will
contact Shannon Boling of SFC.
Gordon Starr discussed starting a Friendly 8 type group in order that new attenders can
meet others. We did not come to any conclusion on when this would start or what format it
would take.
We ended early(!) with silent worship.