May 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
05/15/2022
We met in a hybrid meeting on Zoom and in person.
Present: Dean Olson(co-clerk), Amy Cooke, Chamba Cooke, Gordon Starr, Mary Starr, Judy Hamilton, Dianne Marshall, Cheryl Hendrikson, Olivia Cowen
The Meeting opened with silent worship.
Clerks’ Remarks and Query
What are we grateful for?
- Grateful to be part of this meeting, thanks to Zoom, and for the ministry today.
- An embarrassment of riches – home, financial security, health, healthy family, meeting, supportive friends
- The sunshine, the warmth
- Grateful that – in the face of the enormity of our work to heal the world – the things we do work toward the solution
- Grateful for a new neighborhood, surrounded by community
- Health, this community
- Grateful for the community of Quakers all over the world
- Filled with gratitude for the connections of this place, no place I’d rather be in heaven.
Action Items and Seasoning:
- The nominating slate will be brought back at the Fifth Month Meeting for Business.
- The mask and vaccine mandates for Meeting will continue to be explored and feedback gathered, to be brought back to the Fifth Month Meeting for Business.
COMMITTEE REPORTS (see reports appended, committee clerk is noted in bold)
NOMINATING: Doug Hamm, Patrica Phillips, Karen Olson, Don McCormick and Pat Phillips
MINUTE 2022.05.01: Grass Valley Friends Meeting approves the 2022-23 Nominating Slate as attached to these minutes.
The committee brings forward the following names to season until Sixth Month:
- Doug Hamm for Pacific Yearly Meeting representative
- Doug Hamm for College Park Quarterly Meeting representative
- Reed Hamilton and Sharon Davisson for the Spirit and Witness Committee.
- Dean Olson for mail clerk.
STEWARDSHIP: Mary Starr, Gordon Starr, Reed Hamilton, Pat Phillips, Doug Hamm, Fosten Wilson (Treasurer, Ex-officio) Dianne Marshall (ex officio as Librarian and Newsletter Editor), Hailey Wilson, Reed Hamilton
Gordon Starr gave the report. The Treasurer reported that $1459.00 came in over the last month. It was noted that monthly donations on Tithely are very helpful as those help us regulate our income.
SPIRIT & WITNESS: Gordon Starr, Judy Hamilton, Gordon Bishop, Dorothy Henderson, Dean and Karen Olson (ex-officio Co Clerks), Judy Hamilton
Judy Hamilton gave the report, attached.
The Naming Committee brought forth the following names for Nominating, with terms:
Dorothy Henderson (fulfilling Pat Phillips term): 2022-2023
Sharon Davisson, continuing: 2021-2023
Judy Hamilton and Gordon Starr: 2022-2024
These names will now season until the 6th month Meeting for Business.
Minute 2022.05.02: Grass Valley Friends Meeting accepts the recommendations for an updated Covid policy. We acknowledge that this policy is based on current circumstances and may change in the future. We acknowledge each person’s choices in a spirit of acceptance and love.
- Masking is optional
- Immunizations are no longer required
- We will resume coffee hour and potluck
- We will ask anyone who feels ill to attend Meeting via the Zoom option.
- We will provide extra serving utensils to avoid touching food.
- Folks are welcome to continue masking or bring their own food to potlucks, if they feel nervous about sharing.
WELCOME: Karen Olson, Kathy McCreery, ex officio Website/Facebook Coordinator (Amy Cooke), ex officio Zoom coordinator (Hailey Wilson and Stuart Smith), ex officio Email Coordinator (Judy Hamilton), Don McCormick, Pat Phillips.
CHILDREN’S PROGRAM: Karen Olson, Judy Hamilton, Dorothy Henderson, Gordon Bishop, Anita McCormick, Doug Hamm, Don McCormick
OFFICER REPORTS
- TREASURER see Stewardship Report
- SFC REPRESENTATIVE: Summer Camp is coming! Chris Benfield is no longer the Maintenance Supervisor and this position is currently open.
- INTERFAITH NEVADA COUNTY: Interfaith Nevada County is planning on a Community Sing for Peace on June 12th 2:30 – 4:30, Union Square on Mill Street.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Marguerite Blickenstaff’s Memorial: at the Nevada Theater, May 28th at 10 am.
- Deborah Aufdenspring’s Memorial: June 11, 1 pm, Hybrid, additional details forthcoming.
- Julia Reynolds memorial will be at 11 a.m. on June 18th at Trabucco Ranch
- Bob Barns’ memorial will be held on July 16, 2022. It will be held on Zoom. Additional details will be forthcoming.
- 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.
- 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 Cooke, who is currently one of the amis-residents at the Centre Quaker Congenies in France, invited us to the Bicentennial Celebration of the Quakers in 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. 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.
ACTION ITEMS & ITEMS SEASONING
- Nominating Committee Slate, 2022-2024
- Additions to the 2022-23 Meeting Slate
- Doug Hamm for Pacific Yearly Meeting representative
- Doug Hamm for College Park Quarterly Meeting representative
- Reed Hamilton and Sharon Davisson for the Spirit and Witness Committee.
- Dean Olson for mail clerk.
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 Report
- Children’s Program Report
- Welcome Committee Report: Report on a Quaker Organization: FWCC
- Stewardship Committee Report
- Nominating Committee: SLATE
- Treasurer’s Report
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Spirit and Witness Report
May 2020 Spirit and Witness Report
We met on Saturday, May 7th with all members present.
We have established a Committee for Membership for Crystal Scanlon. Two visiting Committees will
meet with both David Cowen and Cheryl Hendrickson regarding their transfer of membership.
Four memorials are coming up. Deborah Aufdenspring’s will be a hybrid with the in person portion occurring at the Meeting House. Kathy McCreery is coordinating the in person meeting and Amy Cooke will be handling Zoom invitations and the Zoom portion. The date is June 11th at 1PM
Marguerite Blickenstaff’s family will hold a Memorial Service on May 28th, at 10 am at the Nevada
Theater in downtown Nevada City. Bob Barns’ Memorial Meeting will be held sometime in July (the
family has recently experienced another loss so this is in a holding pattern at the moment). The memorial
for Julia Reynolds is being organized by her family and will be held on July 18 at the Trabucco Ranch off
Bitney Springs Road. The time of this has not been finalized.
Naming Committee brought forth the following names for Nominating: Dorothy Henderson (for 1 year)
and Judy Hamilton and Gordon Starr (terms would be for 2 years) . Sharon Davisson continues on
Nominating for 1 more year.
Covid Policy: About 12-14 people responded to the survey we send out. Most were in favor of
unmasking. Many were ready to start having coffee hour and potlucks. Rarely did anyone weigh in on
the immunization requirement. Spirit and Witness would like to bring these changes of our current Covid
policy to Meeting for Business: Masking is optional
Immunizations are no longer required
We will resume coffee hour and potluck before Meeting
for
Business
We will ask anyone who feels ill to attend Meeting via the Zoom option. We will provide extra serving
utensils to avoid touching food. Folks are welcome to continue masking or bring their own food to
potlucks, if they feel nervous about sharing.
Buddy program: We are finding difficulties with this, partly because of the name “Buddy” (maybe liason
would be more appropriate) and also because we are a small Meeting and the relationships being
encouraged may give the wrong message to people when committee members are no longer on Spirit and
Witness and therefore no longer acting as buddies. In addition, not all members of Spirit and Witness have
been able to participate in the program so there has been uneven contact with people in the meeting. Since
new people will join Spirit and Witness in a few months, we have decided to let the new committee
members work on a new ideas of how this program might continue.
WU(TR) Dorothy shared how Waking Up to Race has morphed into Waking Up. Waking Up has asked
Spirit and Witness to hold them as they transition from a book group to moving into further education and
action.
Spiritual Life programs are held on the fourth Sunday
May: Nisenan- Judy Hamilton and Dorothy Henderson
June: Doctrine of Discovery- Dianne Marshall
July: Evaluation of the year’s Spiritual Life programs? What would we like more of?
August: Spiritual Biography- Don McCormick
Children’s Program Report
Welcome Committee
Stewardship Committee
Nominating:
PROPOSED GVFM SLATE FOR 2022-2023
COMMITTEES:
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).
Welcoming: 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),
Spirit/Witness: Gordon Bishop, Amy Cooke, Dorothy Henderson. Dean & Karen Olson (ex-officio, co-clerks)
Children’s Program: Dorothy Henderson (clerk), Gordon Bishop, Doug Hamm, Judy Hamilton, Dean Olson, Karen Olson, Reed Hamilton, Don McCormick, Anita McCormick.
For the former category of representatives please see organizational restructuring at the bottom of this document.
Co-Clerks: Dean and Karen Olson
Recording Clerk: Amy Cooke
Newsletter Editor: Dianne Marshall
Newsletter Distributor: Pat Phillips
Email Coordinator: Judy Hamilton
Treasurer: Fosten Wilson
Zoom Coordinator: Hailey Wilson
Website/Facebook Coordinator: Amy Cooke
Librarian: Don McCormick
Recorder: Stuart Smith
Directory Clerk: Nancy Anderson
Mail Clerk: Dean Olson
Interfaith Nevada County: Dianne Marshall
Sierra Friends Center Rep: Pat Phillips
PYM rep: Don McCormick
CPQM rep: Doug Hamm
Please note: Most organizations no longer have representatives from GVFM. They are held in two committees, Welcome and Spirit and Witness.. To refresh everyone’s memory, here is a description of the system that has been in operation since July, 2021.
Welcome Committee holds the “connect with Quakers” organizations: Ben Lomond Quaker Center (BLQC), College Park Quarterly Meeting (CPQM), Friends General Conference (FGC), Friends World Committee on Consultation (FWCC), Pacific Yearly Meeting (Pac YM), and Sierra Friends Center (SFC).
Spirit and Witness holds the “Faith and Practice” organizations: American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Friends Committee for Legislation (FCNL/FCL-CA), Interfaith of Nevada County, Quaker United Nations Organization (QUNO), and Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) The Nisenan have been added to Spirit and Witness.
Each month, a member of one of the two committees prepares a report on one of their committee’s organizations based on the queries below. The committees alternate months, with odd months going to one committee and even months the other one. That gives many people the opportunity to “discover” Quaker organizations, and to hear from different people so that we all get to hear from each other. The reports are structured around the following queries:
What is this organization’s mission statement?
What are their current activities or plans?
What is exciting?
Are there any concerns?
How can Friends get involved if they feel inspired?
Is anyone in our meeting particularly involved? How?
Four organizations continue to have a representative (PYM, CPQM, SFC, and Interfaith) who will report to the meeting as needed. However, these organizations will also be included in the once-a-year report to business meeting from either Welcome (PYM, CPQM, SFC) or Spirit and Witness (Interfaith).
The following organizations are officially omitted from the Nominating Slate of Representatives:
1. American Friends Service Committee – AFSC
2. Ben Lomond Quaker Center – BLQC
3. Friends Committee for National Legislation – FCNL
4. Friends Committee for Legislation, California -FCL-CA
5. Friends General Conference – FGC
6. Friends World Committee for Consultation – FWCC
7. Quaker United Nations Organization – QUNO
8. Right Sharing of World Resources – RSWR
Fosten Wilson, Treasurer
Grass Valley Friends Meeting
new email = fwkm at protonmail dot com