November 2023 – Meeting for Worship on the Occasion of Business

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

November 12, 2023

We met in a hybrid meeting on Zoom and in person.

Present:  Dorothy Henderson ( clerk); Gordon Starr (elder to the clerk), 

The Meeting opened with silent worship.

Clerks’ Remarks and Query:  

ITEMS SEASONING or CARRIED OVER (see Committee sections below)

• Scholarship fund: Stewardship Committee will formulate a recommendation to the Meeting and bring it back to the November Meeting.

COMMITTEE REPORTS 

(see reports appended, committee clerk is noted in bold)

Spirit and Witness: Amy Cooke, Stuart Smith, Reed Hamilton, Sharon Davisson, Dean Olson, Dorothy Henderson (ex-officio, GVFM Clerk), Gordon Starr (ex-officio,elder to the clerk).

AFSC Report: Sharon Davisson

Amy Cooke gave the report, appended.

The Fall Clerks Meeting will be held November 15 from 8:30 – 10 am on Zoom. 

Action Item: Letter to the CPFEA

Stewardship: Mary Starr, Pat Phillips, Reed Hamilton, Gordon Starr, Doug Hamm, David Bowman. Dianne Marshall (ex-officio, Newsletter editor), Fosten Wilson (ex-officio, Treasurer), Don McCormick (ex-officio, Librarian), 

Mary Starr gave the report, appended. 

Carried over: Scholarship fund. The Stewardship Committee will formulate a recommendation about the Scholarship Fund and bring it back to the November Meeting.

Welcome Committee: Peter O’Rourke, clerk (ex-officio, Website and Facebook coordinator), Kathy McCreery, Don McCormick, Pat Phillips, Cheryl Hendrickson, Cindy Bliss, Lo Hamm, CJ Patterson, Hailey Wilson (ex-officio, tech support), Judy Hamilton (ex-officio, email coordinator).

Peter O’Rourke, clerk,  gave the report, appended. 

Children’s Program:  Keely McDonald and Doug Hamm, co-clerks, Dorothy Henderson, Gordon Bishop, Judy Hamilton, Dean Olson, Reed Hamilton, Don McCormick, David Cowan, Lo Hamm.

There was no written report given.

Nominating Committee: (terms as noted) Judy Hamilton: 2022-2024, Gordon Starr: 2022-2024,  Dean Olson 2023-2025, Sharon Davisson 2023-2025.

There was no report.

OFFICER  REPORTS and REPRESENTATIVE REPORTS

• Treasurer: fosten wilson.
• Interfaith Nevada County: Dianne Marshall. 
• Sierra Friends Center: Gordon Starr.
• Pacific Yearly Meeting: Doug Hamm.
  • The 2023 Annual Session Wrap-Up page is now  live, where you will find all the epistles, the minutes and reports packet, and other information to close out Annual Session: https://www.pacificyearlymeeting.org/wordpress/2023-annual-session-wrap-up-page/
• College Park Quarterly Meeting: Doug Hamm.

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, and it helps our visibility.  Follow this link.
• The 2023-2024 PacYM General Directory is at last available! It can be found on the Yearly Meeting Website at: pacificyearlymeeting.org > Resources > PacYM General Directory and Database  > Obtaining the Directory

The Directory is available for use by members and attenders of monthly meetings and worship groups within Pacific Yearly Meeting and by Friends serving on Pacific Yearly Meeting committees. It is not to be shared beyond this community. Dorothy, Doug and Don have the password for the PacYM Directory.

• Carl Magruder:  You can follow Carl’s healing journey on the CaringBridge.org website HERE. Friends have also set up a daily Meeting for Healing from 7:30 to 8 am (Pacific) on Zoom here or contact Amy Cooke at amylisette@gmail.com for the link. 

ITEMS SEASONING or CARRIED OVER

• Scholarship fund: Stewardship Committee will formulate a recommendation to the Meeting and bring it back to the November Meeting.

Other: a concern was raised for the possibility that the US would restart conscription (a draft). It was stated that in the past, when conscription was happening, it brought many investigators to Quaker Meeting. Should we look into how we would respond to a restoration of the draft?

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 (outgoing) and Jennifer Smith, recording clerk (incoming).

APPENDICES:

1. Spirit and Witness Committee Report
2. Stewardship Committee report
3. Welcome Committee
4. Treasurer’s Quarterly Report
5. Pacific Yearly Meeting Monthly Report

————————————————————————-

Spirit and Witness Report

Our committee met on November 4, celebrating the health and vitality

of our meeting as we see more people stepping into new roles and new

vitality on every committee. We continue to hold the Woolman land sale

with tenderness, deeply informed by our faith and practice – to listen

tenderly, to put aside our personal opinions, and to hold the process

in worship. We have been asked to write a letter of support on behalf

of the CPFEA board, which we will share with you today.

Frank Lawrence, the legal counsel for CHIRP, has offered to come and

present to the Meeting on November 19. This is the beginning of what

we hope will be a strong relationship with the Nisenan.

Our Spiritual Life offerings for the upcoming months will include an

interactive reading of the haudenosaunee thanksgiving address on

November 26. In this traditional greeting from the traditional Mohawk

and Haudenosaunee religious traditions, all elements of creations are

acknowledged with gratitude. On December 24, Gordon Starr will offer a

session on Birthing the Christ Within. And, starting in January, Amy

has offered to facilitate “Quaker Seminary” during the first six

months of 2024. The title speaks to each of us as ministers, a time

and place where we can learn and deepen into our faith and practice.

Stay tuned!

We will host the Clerks Meeting on Thursday, 16 November at 8 am by

Zoom. We will be checking in with all the committees, reviewing the

job descriptions, talking about Google Drive, and seeing if we want to

explore new goals and initiatives.

We continue to hold those seeking support and discernment in our

meeting through committees of care. Please reach out to any of the

committee members if you would like to form a committee of care or

Witness.

Letter to the CPFEA:

The members and attenders of Grass Valley Friends Meeting (GVFM) are united in holding in the light the College Park Friends Educational Association’s (CPFEA) discernment and deliberation concerning Sierra Friends Center. The land and buildings of Sierra Friends Center and the former John Woolman School, have served as the home of GVFM for over sixty years. During that time we have been blessed by the presence of the staff, students and all those who cared for the Center and school. During that time we have also witnessed the many transitions and struggles of the members of CPFEA as they endeavored to maintain first a Quaker high school and then a Quaker semester school and Quaker Center on this land. We have often labored with them, supporting their efforts.

As members of the Religious Society of the Friends of the Truth, we  understand this moment to be a call for witnessing to that Truth, waiting patiently for it to be revealed. 

We recognize that this time is deeply challenging for many who have cared for and been nurtured by this land, its schools and Center. We offer the current Board our commitment to hold them in the light as they consider the many options being offered and discern a way forward that allows this land to continue to serve its best purpose with integrity and love.

Stewardship Committee

Stewardship Committee

Minutes from meting on November 2, 2023

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

editor, Fosten Wilson, treasurer, Don McCormick, librarian.

Finance. Fosten reported income for the preceding month was $668, while $735 was paid out.

After an extended discussion of how or whether to fund restricted scholarship funds, we came

to the agreement to leave things as they are and to make no recommendation to Meeting for

Business. Left unresolved is what process we use to disperse funds from these accounts. We will

continue to evaluate these questions.

Concerning signing privileges for the Meetings bank account the committee agreed to the

following minute: Fosten Wilson, treasurer, Dorothy Henderson, clerk of Meeting, and Mary

Starr, clerk of Stewardship committee are approved as signers on the Grass Valley Meeting bank

account. This minute will be brought to Meeting for Business for approval.

The committee came to unity concerning getting a Meeting credit card. It would be a credit

card, not a debit card due to security concerns and would have a $500 limit or the lowest amount

allowed by the bank. Does this need Meeting’s approval? We thought not.

Clerks meeting report. Mary brought a request from the Spirit and Witness clerks meeting for a

report on how our committee is doing. We meet regularly once a month, have active participation

from most of our members and most of our meetings take less than an hour to complete. Our

responsibilities include finance, the newsletter, the library and the care of the Meeting House.

There has been no turn over in committee members from year to year. We are doing well.

Annual Appeal Letter. We discussed what information should be included in the letter – i.e.

membership numbers, deaths, financial status, programs presented, as well as problems and how

they were addressed; the spiritual as well as physical condition of the Meeting. We agreed it

should address the coming changes Meeting faces with the sale of Sierra Fiends Center and also

the fact that we did not bring in enough in the previous year to fund more than 30% of our annual

charitable contributions. Dianne will write a first draft.

Web site construction costs. We received an email from Amy Cooke saying that, due to the

complexity of rebuilding the Meeting’s web site, she needed to hire a professional that ended up

costing $1,200, which she has paid for. She acknowledged that she had done this without prior

approval because she felt it was important to get the site up and running as soon as possible. She

has asked the committee if she could get some or all of this cost reimbursed. A number of

questions and concerns were raised. Was the need to get the website up and running so important

that it left no time for consultation? Will there be on-going expenses? The committee looks to

Meeting for guidance on this and will continue in discernment.

SFC is not scheduling any more events and has no staff.

Meeting should be aware of potential changes in our status as SFC explores the sale of the land.

Welcome Committee

November notes:

1) Discussed feedback on the Greeting Checklist process

a. Cindy recently led Greeting process and felt the Checklist was

very helpful

2) Recent potluck held by Judy and Reed went well

a. Dorothy and Doug will be hosting Christmas potluck Dec. 3

3) Discuss starting up Intro to Quaker class 

a. Amy will be creating a Quaker Seminary Course beginning

January 2024 thru June 2024

a) Welcome Committee is “easy with this decision”

4) Discussed items for upcoming Thursday Nov 16th meeting with other

clerks

a. Explore “Camp Out” for next year – Kathy

b. Reinitiate GVFM communication to Union Newspaper – Kathy

c. Explore Physical Facilities checklist – Don

d. Utilize Website and Facebook page to improve outreach – Pete

e. Initiate outreach to other Quaker Groups’ Welcome Committees

to share best practices – Group

5) Next meeting will be Tuesday, December 5

Attendees: Judy, Don, Kathy, Cindy and Pete

Pacific Yearly Meeting Monthly Report 

1. Supporting Palestinians in Gaza

We know that many in our community are concerned about the situation in Israel and Palestine. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has been working in Israel and Palestine since 1948. AFSC is posting articles regularly on its webpage at https://afsc.org/topics/palestinian-rights

We include here a summary of the article “6 ways you can support Palestinians in Gaza”. The full article is attached or you can read it online HERE.

Many people of conscience are looking for ways to support Palestinians in Gaza as violence continues to escalate. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire. Water, food and fuel shortages have impacted all aspects of daily life. 

– Contact your member of Congress and call for an immediate cease-fire.

– Join AFSC online every Friday for updates from AFSC’s staff in Gaza and tips for advocacy. 

– Help bring attention to what’s happening in Gaza; take part in protests; write a letter to the editor. 

– Learn more about Gaza and lift up Palestinian voices. 

– Hold corporations accountable for their role in violating the rights of Palestinians in Gaza. 

– Join AFSC in working to dismantle Israeli apartheid. 

– Donate to AFSC’s emergency relief in Gaza.

2. Pacific Yearly Meeting General Directory

The 2023-2024 PacYM General Directory is at last available! It can be found on the Yearly Meeting Website at: pacificyearlymeeting.org > Resources > PacYM General Directory and Database  > Obtaining the Directory

The Directory is available for use by members and attenders of monthly meetings and worship groups within Pacific Yearly Meeting and by Friends serving on Pacific Yearly Meeting committees. It is not to be shared beyond this community.

For Grass Valley Friends: Dorothy, Doug and Don have the password for the PacYM Directory.

3. Western Young Friends New Year’s Gathering

The New Year’s Gathering will be happening up in Oregon this year. Many Young Adult Friends 18+ will carpool their way up to Southern Oregon for 5 days of fellowship in Quaker reflection and joyful sharing. 

For more information visit newyearsgathering.org or reach out to your CA coordinator Max Paris maxwellparis14@gmail.com. 

4. The 1619 Project, focusing on the History of Slavery in the US

The Social and Environmental Action Committee of Berkeley Friends Meeting is presenting a series on The 1619 Project, focusing on the History of Slavery in the US. Theresa Cox and Sharon Shen developed the series, being held online via Zoom on Wednesdays December 13th and January 10th 7:00-8:30 pm (Pacific). 

For more information about this event, please contact Genie at gstowers835@gmail.com, or for information about the PacYM White Antiracist Allies affinity group, please contact Deborah at deborahmarks@gmail.com 

5. IT Administrator wanted

Do you have advanced IT skills and a bit of time each month, or know someone who does? Pacific Yearly Meeting is seeking an IT Administrator to help maintain the technical aspects of our online environment, including our website and document storage. This is a contract position offering $60/hour for up to 6 hours/month. More information is available here. Those interested in the position should send a resume to the Communications Committee at communicationsclerk@pacificyearlymeeting.org.

6. Quaker Earthcare Witness

We are happy to relay Quaker Earthcare Witness’ announcement that their new Executive Director after their amazing leader, Shelley Tannenbaum, retires, will be another member of Pacific Yearly Meeting, Keith Runyan. 

7. RepCom 2024

Please save the dates for the 2024 meeting of the PacYM Representative Committee (RepCom), which will again be held virtually on the last Saturday of February and the first Saturday of March 2024 (February 24 and March 2). 

Meeting representatives to PacYM, as well as Yearly Meeting Officers and Clerks of Committees and Subcommittees are asked to attend RepCom, and all interested Friends in our community are invited and welcome to attend. 

Thank you

 – Heather and Bronwen