Metamorphosis February 2011
Meeting for Worship Sundays at 10 AM at Explorations Academy, 1701 Ellis Street, Bellingham
Phone 360-734-0244 Mailing Address P.O. Box 30144 Bellingham, 98228-2144 Website BellinghamFriends.org
Co-Clerks: Mimi Freshley, (933-4566) and Susan Richardson (733-5477), Ministry and Counsel Members: Mimi Freshley, Alice Robb (366-6005), Dorrie Jordan and Howard Harris (733-9071), Childrens Program Clerk, Jessica Bee (393-4249)
Metamorphosis Editor: Sharon Trent (714-6141) Sharon_trent@comcast.net
Query for February
How does your awareness of the Light in all people empower you to create healthy and loving relationships? Does it help you accept the burdens, as well as the gifts, of relationships?
Enlivened by the Mystery, page 78, Edited by Kathy Hyzy
Calendar
Schedule
Feb 20 SPICES – Community (Virginia)
Feb 27 State of Society (Doris)
March 6 Potluck
March 13 M4W4B
March 20 Spices (Sustainability- Judy Meyer and Susan)
Saturday, March 26th – Interfaith Auction (see article)
March 27 FEC Seeds of Violence/Seeds of Hope (Virginia)
April 3 potluck
April 10 M4W4B
April 17 Quarterly (no second hour)
April 24 (Easter)
May 15 Spices Equality
May 22 all day spiritual story telling retreat (with Lopez) Kathy Hyzy at Quaker Cove
May 29 (memorial day weekend)
Query from the Earth Care Committee
Do we strive to adopt attitudes and behaviors that increase our
awareness of our interconnections with all things?
Suggested reading for those interested in earth care: Frank Forenicich’s Change Your Body, Change the World; Reflections on Health and the Human Predicament. This author has also written books on the importance of play and movement.
Interfaith Coalition
“Roots Run Deep in the Garden of Hope” is the theme of this year’s Interfaith Coalition dinner auction. Bellingham Friends are donating individual items and services for the silent auction, so please contact representative Sharon Trent (714-6141) to arrange pick-up of anything you wish to contribute. So far the items include a Bible on tape, a Pysanky Egg tree and lessons in the technique and … The Coalition provides housing for families who are homeless and health care for all. The date is Saturday, March 26th. Tickets cost $40, which includes a sit-down dinner. The fun begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Lakeway Inn & Conference Center in Bellingham. Call our office at 734-3983 to purchase your tickets.
Draft Minutes for Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business – February 13, 2010
Clerk: Mimi Freshley; Recording Clerk: Betty McMahon
Present: Doris Ferm, Kirstin McLewin, Sharon Trent, Jeanine Hart-Horner, Virginia Herrick, Susan Richardson, Joanne Cowan, Howard Harris, Tom Hall, Lorina Hall, Don Goldstein
Our Meeting for Business began with opening silence at 11:35 am.
Our History – Howard Harris
There are more Quakers in Africa than there are in Europe and the United States, combined. Missionaries settled in Africa around W. Kenya. They created a station amongst the 12 tribes of Luhya (all speaking the same language with different dialects). In 1928, the chief of these tribes converted to Quakerism, and the remainder of the Luhya joined him. In the early 1030′s, Dr. Ryan Michener visited Africa from Kansas. He didn’t like the discrimination he observed, returned to Kansas, and reported on the situation. A couple of years later, the Quaker program was turned over to Africa, becoming the East Africa Yearly Meeting. These people didn’t worship a particular God before becoming Quakers, which facilitated the conversion. Quakers of Africa focused on education and physical health.
Agenda Review – After reviewing, the agenda was approved.
Approval of Minutes – Corrections
Last month’s Nomination Committee report read:
Nominating Committee asks Friends to accept for seasoning the nomination of Lorina Hall to M&C. Alice is continuing her sabbatical from M&C through spring, so Lorina will be filling out her term, and then continuing on for a new term through spring of 2013, and we are very grateful to her for stepping in early to help ensure more continuity on M&C.
What it SHOULD read is:
Nominating Committee asks Friends to accept for seasoning the nomination of Lorina Hall to M&C. Alice is continuing her sabbatical from M&C through spring, so Lorina will be filling out her term, and then continuing on for a new term through spring of 2013. Susan Richardson will continue clerking the committee through spring. We are very grateful to Lorina for coming on the committee early to help ensure more continuity on M&C, as most members of the committee are slated to rotate off in the spring.
The February 2 SPICES presentation should read February 20. It was suggested that the acronym, SPICES, could use more explanation. Minutes were approved as corrected.
Committee Reports
Ministry and Counsel – Susan Richardson
We met February 8, 2011 and welcomed Lorina Hall to the committee, pending seasoning.
State of the Committee/Meeting – Doris Ferm has offered to write the report and Joanne Cowan will help. We reviewed how our meeting and committee are functioning and will forward these thoughts to Doris prior to the second hour.
Outreach/Welcoming proposals (Howard and Don, guest) – Don reported that the Outreach subcommittee didn’t think the existing guest book gathers enough information. After discussion and reflection, the committee decided to continue with the same guest book but provide additional means to ask more information. The group has developed a new attender card. M+C suggested changing the newsletter sign up to indicate it is sent out by email but could be mailed if necessary. M+C decided that it doesn’t need to be approved as it is procedural, and the Outreach subcommittee can just present it, but we welcome comments. The committee is developing a list of who does what (at its first draft). There is a need to amend the care of Meeting guidelines to mention this new attender card as well as the guest book. Outreach is working on an insert for the greeting brochure, mentioning literature on tables. Howard has written an introduction to Quakerism, which the committee intends to make available. We received a draft job description from Outreach and Welcoming Group. We approve, with the exception of “reporting to annual retreat of M+C,” as we don’t always have a retreat. Outreach and Welcoming Group will discuss and then bring back to M4B for approval.
Spices session in May is on Equality, which Howard and Alice will co-facilitate. Outreach: Allen and Don wanted to do a presentation on FGC but will probably just put some information in February’s newsletter. This is due to there being no second hour slots available when both Don and Allen can attend that will still fit into the March time frame that the Yearly Meeting requests for feedback. Virginia’s second hour from FEC – Seeds of Violence /Seeds of Hope needed to be rescheduled (because of snow) to March 27.
Schedule
Feb 20 SPICES – Community (Virginia)
Feb 27 State of Society (Doris)
March 6 Potluck
March 13 M4W4B
March 20 Spices (Sustainability- Judy Meyer and Susan)
March 27 FEC Seeds of Violence/Seeds of Hope (Virginia)
April 3 potluck
April 10 M4W4B
April 17 Quarterly (no second hour)
April 24 (Easter)
May 15 Spices Equality
May 22 all day spiritual story telling retreat (with Lopez) Kathy Hyzy at Quaker Cove
May 29 (memorial day weekend)
Special potluck for Janine February, 24 at Doris’ at 6:30pm.
Query – is from the book, Enlivened by the Mystery, page 78 – “How does your awareness of the Light in all people empower you to create healthy and loving relationships? Does it help you accept the burdens, as well as the gifts, of relationships?” Dorrie will read the query.
Transportation for Margie: Dorrie will coordinate March, and Mimi will coordinate for April.
Janine Bruton will be visiting Bellingham on February 23 and 24. Doris will host an event to meet with her Thurs Feb
End of life issues – Lorina points out that there is an excellent book of resources available in our library. Check with Margi.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday March 2nd at Howard’s, at 7 pm (Mimi away).
Nomination Committee – Virginia Herrick
1. Action: (Three minutes) Nominating Committee asks Friends for final approval of Lorina Hall’s nomination to Ministry and Counsel. To clarify, last month this nomination was brought forward to be seasoned immediately, because Alice has not been active on the committee, so the committee has been operating with one-too-few members. Several members are slated to rotate off in the spring, so M&C wanted a new member to come on now, and Lorina agreed to do this. Hence, her nomination is for the current period, plus the new term, spring 2011-2013. She is NOT replacing Alice as clerk of M&C. Susan, as co-clerk of Meeting, has stepped up to fulfill that responsibility in Alice’s absence, and will continue to do so until a new M&C clerk is nominated, along with the rest of the slate. Meeting approved Lorina’s nomination.
2. Action: (One minute) Nominating Committee asks Friends for final approval of the nomination last month of Thomas Solenberger (the younger) to Earth care committee. Meeting approved Tom’s nomination.
3. Action: (One minute) Nominating Committee asks Friends for final approval of the nomination last month of John Hatten as Webmaster, a member of Communications committee. Meeting approved.
4. Information: (Two minutes) Nominations process is in full swing, and we want to thank Friends so much for your patience with the process, and for your willingness to serve the Meeting. We have the most incredible community of gifted — and giving — Friends. Participating as a committee member or clerk or representative is one of the best ways to enjoy our community. If you have an interest in any position that you have not been approached about, please let us know! We will provide job descriptions for any committee, to anyone who is interested. Also, if anyone has an interest in a committee, we encourage you to talk to the current clerk of that committee, and find out about its work. If you’re not sure who the clerk is for the committee that interests you, ask a member of Nominating Committee, and we’ll put you in touch. Virginia can be reached at 671-2454 or vherrick@q.com, Judy at 713-816-3009 or jdhopkinson@gmail.com, Sharon at 714-6141 or sharon_trent@comcast.net.
The full slate of Nominations will come to M4W4B next month, for a month of seasoning. The new nominations will be up for final approval in April.
5. Information: 5 minutes. Friends, please consider applying for the generous Sponsorship available through our Meeting to attend Friends General Conference Annual Gathering. This sponsorship can cover all or part of the cost of the gathering, including transportation costs, and there are also scholarships available through FGC itself. The Sponsored Attender has various responsibilities as well as benefits. Please contact a member of Nominating Committee for further information. The deadline for applications to Nominating Committee is March 1, 2011, and our committee will nominate for this position next month, along with the rest of the slate.
6. Our contribution to State of Society report: (Three minutes)
In addition to its usual work of matching Friends who are well-suited and inspired to do the work of the Meeting with the positions available, Nominating Committee also exercised another, less frequently called-for role this year. Nominating Committee looked at our committee structure in response to concerns that arose at last summer’s retreat. After discernment with Ministry and Counsel and other concerned Friends, Nominating Committee recommended the creation of an Outreach and Welcoming subcommittee of Ministry and Counsel. This recommendation was adopted by the Meeting, and the new Outreach and Welcoming Group subcommittee has been meeting for the past several months.
We are looking for Friends to fill Friends Earth care committee and Hospitality Committee. Meanwhile, If any attender can arrive 30 minutes early or remain 15 beyond Meeting to assist with hospitality tasks, this would be appreciated.
Outreach – Don Goldstein
As mentioned in the second paragraph of the Ministry & Counsel Report, new attender cards have been prepared. There will be a specific protocol to follow up with these cards. The intent is to welcome new attenders help with their transition to our Meeting.
Friends Earth care – Doris Ferm
The committee prepared a State of the Committee report listing the year’s activities and changes.
On alternate months, instead of an Eco suggestion , a query will be proposed, most of them from NPYM environmental Minute of 1998. This month’s query: “Do we strive to adopt attitudes and behaviors that increase our awareness of our interconnections with all things?”
We discussed a DVD about the idea of a joint soup supper with P & SC sometime in February, and we also discussed a possible birding trip in March. All are invited.
We also talked about the importance of music in the motivation of young people to be involved. Tom will look into the possibility of forming a group of students and of enlisting the Flobots band.
The date of the soup supper will be inserted later.
Quaker Earth care Witness – Doris Ferm
How do Friends feel about having a representative from NPYM to QEW? We may be the only Meeting @ NPYM that has a Friends Earth care Committee however, doing so would provide much public support and a great experience. Friends agreed to have an affiliation between NPYM and QEW. QEW needs its members to be successful.
FCWPP – Tom Hall
The House 2011 Supplementary Operating Budget (HB 1086) for the current fiscal year passed the House and is now in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. It includes partial or time-limited funding for the Disability Lifeline, Apple Health for Kids, and Community Health Clinics. Basic Health is terminated after April 30, 2011. Take Charge family planning is fully funded through the end of the biennium.
Companion Restorative Justice bills are planned to be submitted in the House (by Rep. Roger Goodman) and in the Senate (by Sen. Nick Harper). The bills would apply to juvenile offenders only and would codify that restorative justice is a legal option for diversion in defined circumstances. FCWPP is seeking hearings in the House Early Learning & Human Serviced Committee (chaired by Rep. Ruth Kagi) and the Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee (chaired by Sen. James Hargrove). Both Committees have a number of members who have supported FCWPP issues in the past.
SB 5236: Review of 3-strikers for possible release to community custody after 15 years, sponsored by Sen. Adam Kline. Hearing held 1/19 in Senate Judiciary Committee (chaired by Kline). Strong questioning of witnesses by some on Committee. No opportunity for oral testimony by FCWPP and many others prepared to testify in favor but strong support by all but one of those few who could testify. Given makeup of Committee, it should be voted out favorably.
HB 1020: Resume 50% earned-release time for nonviolent offenders, sponsored by Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson. Hearing held 1/25 in House Public Safety Committee. Oral testimony by FCWPP and others. Considerable questioning of bill supporters. Committee makeup has changed and expanded from last year; it’s hard to predict the fate of this bill.
HB 1320/SB 5238: Washington Investment Trust, sponsored (in the House) by Rep. Bob Hasegawa. Set up state institution to hold state funds and lend to small business, farmers, students and others. Hearings held 1/25 in House Business and Finance Committee and Senate Financial Institutions Committee. Oral testimony by FCWPP in both hearings. Strong support provided by former executives of the State Bank of North Dakota, which has run successfully since about 1920. Opposed by the Washington State Treasurer, who claims that the Trust would be unconstitutional, that the current concentration bank that handles state funds now does a better and much less expensive job that the proposed state bank would do, and that self insurance would be risky. We are looking into these claims.
Treasurer’s Report – Don Goldstein
Hospitality
Meeting offers its support to this committee while it resolves its current situation.
Interfaith Coalition – Sharon Trent
The March 26, 2011 auction needs goods and activities donated. Activities (yard work) tends to bring in more money than objects.
Member Concerns
People who are hard of hearing, may want to sit together so a speaker can project his/her voice in a specific direction.
Meeting for business closed at 1:35 pm.
Submitted by Betty McMahon, Recording Secretary