BUCKS QUARTERLY MEETING
MEETING FOR BUSINESS
21 FIFTH MONTH
YARDLY MONTHLY MEETING
APPROVED

MINUTES

Clerk:  Bethann Morgan (Buckingham MM)
Recording Clerk:  David Rose (Lehigh Valley MM)

Meeting started with a period of worship at 1:05 PM

Roll Call of Meetings
Bristol: 0, Buckingham: 2, Doylestown: 0, Fallsington: 4, Lehigh Valley: 2, Makefield: 1, Middletown: 5, Newtown: 4, Plumstead: 0, Quakertown: 0, Solebury: 2, Southampton: 2, Wrightstown: 1, Yardley: 5

Minutes of Second Month Quarterly Meeting: Minutes read by David Rose
Minutes approved.

Coordinator’s Report:  Report given by Holly Olson (Middletown MM) and is attached.
Holly reported on her work on and involvement with:

• FGC Traveling Ministries “Inreach/Outreach Workshop”
• Junior Friends Conference
• Quakerism A to Z
• Inreach Brochure for BQM
• Children’s Religious Education Shareshop Event: “Nurturing our Children’s Spiritual Lives: A Multigenerational Shareshop Event”
• Counter Recruitment day at BCCC

It was noted that there is discussion of changing the term “Regional Staff” to “Quarterly Staff”. A member of Support and Outreach mentioned the importance Yearly Meeting places on growth and the role of the Coordinator in that growth.

Chandler Hall Annual Report: 
Report presented by Blake Parry, Outgoing President Chandler Hall Board (Middletown MM)
The report noted the completion of the three-year strategic planning process. A number of initiatives to enhance Chandler Hall’s relationship with the community were highlighted. The report noted the importance of maintaining a full census and asked for help in dispelling the myth that there are never any vacancies. 
Andrea McCabe (Director of Development for Chandler Hall) provided information on some of the services provided:  Respite Care, Clergy Breakfast, and a workshop on dementia. Andrea requested feedback on the usefulness of information provided. They are planning a fundraiser, “Culinary Classics”, to be held on Nov. 10th with twelve local restaurants participating.  Chandler Hall holds a “Bereavement Camp” for children who have experienced a loss that has been helpful in the past. They have extended an invitation to members of the Quarter to attend the June 4th reception for the opening of the Peace Garden. The question was asked if Chandler Hall was operating at a profit. Response is that this past year operation is in the red.  An effort is being made to inform the community of the large number of services available to the community with the hope that there will be more community support for the services that they have to offer. 
In response to a question about types of changes in services that elder care facilities are responding to, it was noted that persons are staying at home longer and therefore the stays at Chandler Hall are shorter. This is especially noticeable in hospice care, which is now much shorter, frequently down to just the last two day of life.  This is a major change from only a few years ago when persons would be in hospice for a period of a few months.  Short stays not only makes it difficult to provide the same level of care  without the time to create a relationship  but it puts a much higher level of stress on staff. 

Treasurer’s Report: Report presented by Judy Kashoff (Buckingham MM) and is attached. 

• Balance Sheet: Most Pledges are in. No problems are anticipated in receiving the rest by June 30.
• Budget Comparison: There were additional contributions of $1,900 this year, with more to come –we expect a total of $3,442 of additional contributions. This includes a bequest from Werner Muller (Southampton MM), the rest were contributions from Meetings meant to help balance the budget, and will probably not be needed to balance the 2006 budget, we propose they be used to help balance the 2007 budget.
• Proposed 2007 Budget: All pledges are in. The gap in the 2007 Budget will be filled with the overage from this year. If the proposed budget is accepted, we should be able to meet PYM request for a 4% increase. Question asked about timing of budget with PYM request for information. It was noted that this year the budget cycle has been changed to provide more time for Meetings to respond.

Budget Approved.
 
BQM Budget and Nominating Committee Report: Presented by Paul Kester (Newtown MM). 
Wally Evans name was presented and approved to serve as Auditor

Bristol Monthly Meeting Annual Report:  Deferred to Eight month

Buckingham Monthly Meeting Annual Report:  Presented by Judy Kashoff. 
The report included information on the various ways that the Meeting is attempting to overcome a continuing budget deficit. A major ongoing concern of the Meeting is it’s involvement with the oversight of Buckingham Friends School.

Discussion about the thinking on the organization of the General Secretary’s Office at PYM:  Discussion presented by Paul Kester.
Transition Project Group has been formed. BQM has good representation on this committee. Thom Jeavons handled many jobs well, but it appears that over time he had too much to do and was simply “burned out”.  Many changes could be made in the organization of PYM to spread out the responsibility.  The Transition Group is conducting hearings around the PYM area to get input.  Two are planned within the BQM area.  For those who cannot attend one of these meetings, it was suggested that Friends get in touch with members through e-mail or standard mail.  It was asked why the Yearly Meeting staff has grown so much since the reunification of the Hicksite and Orthodox Yearly Meetings, when only a few persons were able to run the entire Yearly Meeting.  It was noted that since that time there has been an increase in financial accountability requirements, increasing efforts at outreach, and greater property management needs.  The Coordinator noted that Quakerphernalia has all the information necessary to establish contact with the Transition Group for any Friend that wishes to participate in the discussions about the jobs of the General Secretary.  A Friend suggested that PYM look at Southeastern Yearly Meeting, which has no staff.  But others also noted that PYM provides services that are used by a much broader group of Quakers.  Many felt that the future growth of the Religious Society of Friends is with the growth of Monthly Meetings, and not at the Yearly Meeting level, others feel that the identity provided by the Yearly Meeting and FGC are necessary for the Monthly Meetings to flourish.  Obviously both are needed for a viable religion. Friends were encouraged to view the PYM directory to see the amount of work being done by the staff
. 

Lehigh Valley Annual Report:  Presented by Rick Dow.
The report noted the Meetings care and concern for it’s children, noting that throughout the year, over forty adults are involved in teaching the First Day School program or providing adult supervision.

Oversight Committee Annual Report:  Deferred to Eight Month Quarterly Meeting..

Fallsington Monthly Meeting Annual Report:  Report represented by Will Bowers.
The report noted the Meeting’s involvement with PYM’s “Strengthening Our Meeting Community Program” along with Princeton (NJ) and Camden (DE).  This was described as a two-year journey of reflection to nurture and deepen the vitality of meeting life.

Clerks Report to PYM: Deferred to Eight Month. 

Other Reports:
Paul Kester reported on the Fourth and Arch Street, Meetinghouse property: The PYM Arch Street Futures Planning group has been meeting for a few years to plan how this property can be used to showcase Quakerism. During the past few months, the homeless people sleeping on the property have created a lot of problems with visitors and persons attending meetings there. The response has been to propose enclosing the property, hire a security guard and put up “No Trespassing” signs. This issue is on the agenda for Interim Meeting this week. There have been some misgivings about the approach mentioned.  It was noted that the Yearly Meeting will reinstitute a Working Group on the Homeless. It was also noted that we are not really providing a service by just permitting them to sleep on the porch. The Clerk noted that many present supported providing services to the homeless, rather then just a punitive approach. There was some discussion of the Arch Street parking policies and availability of space to attend meetings at Meetinghouse.
Sam Snipes (Fallsington MM) spoke of the Peace Center in Langhorne and the importance of Friends supporting this effort. 

Meeting closed with a period of worship at 3:10 PM.