CMM 2011-06-26

Minutes of Meeting for Worship for Business

Concord (NH) Monthly Meeting

Religious Society of Friends

6^th Month 26, 2011

Concord (NH) Monthly Meeting gathered in Meeting for Worship for Business at the meetinghouse in Canterbury, NH. Friends present were:  6

The meeting began with a period of silent worship.

6.1  Marriage of Mark Barker and Virginia Aparo:  Sara announced the Clearness Committee for the marriage of Mark and Gini had met and had achieved clearness that the marriage should be proposed for approval by the Meeting.  After some worshipful reflection, it was agreed that the marriage of Mark and Virginia should occur under the care of the Meeting.  The marriage ceremony shall be on July 16^th at the Meeting House.

6.2  Financial Report:  Dave reported on the financial needs to finish the meetinghouse.  There are several items totaling $1,447.00.  See attached.  It was noted that the sign will cost $500 not $400 which brings the total up to $1,547.  There is $767 in the Housing budget.  We need an additional $780 to finish.  There is $1,200 left over in the budget.  This includes the money made at the Rise Up Singing sing along concert of $409, and money not spent in the yearly budget.  Dave also presented the final financial report from our meeting for the year just completed in June.  There is a payment due to the performers at the Rise up Singing of $500 so that the attached budget will show that as surplus until we pay them and the actual surplus is $1,247 not $1,747.  He reported that extra pellets were needed for the wood furnace because we didn’t know how much to budget initially and the furnace was not run as efficiently as it will in the future now that we are experienced in its operation.  The meeting approved using $780 of our surplus for the attached housing needs.

6.3  Housing Committee Report:  Housing Committee is proposing that the committee will be laid down once these items are taken care of.  The rest of the maintenance and landscaping can be taken care by the Property and Landscaping committee.  The meeting is grateful for all the work they have done.  We propose the Housing committee come back when all the items are complete.  If anyone knows of any other items needed, they should let them know soon.

1. Meeting is a member of the group (e.g., American Friends Service Committee, Greater Concord Interfaith Council);
2. organizations in which a Meeting member is involved but is not affiliated with the meeting;
3. a renter unrelated to the Meeting (one-time users – e.g., weddings, local nonprofits, and businesses, etc.).

The committee has discussed policies of no smoking and no alcohol (with the possible exception of “ceremonial” alcohol use, requests to be considered on an as-needed basis.

6.4  African Health Worker Scholarship Fund:  Request that the meeting host a fund for an African Health Worker scholarship (via Jay Smith on a cell phone from Kenya!).  While the fund would initially be used to support the education of one individual, the intention is that it could support other students in the future.  While friends expressed great enthusiasm around the possibility of supporting a deserving individual, a concern was shared that the proposal is not in keeping with appropriate process as there is too close of a relationship between the primary donor and the primary distributor of the funds.  The meeting then discussed the possibility of employing a microfinance model and considered contacting the organization Right Sharing of World Resources [1] for advice.  In light of the complications around the request, the point was made that members of the meeting could work together to sponsor this particular individual without the gifts being channeled through Concord Monthly Meeting.  The meeting tabled this request for seasoning until the next business meeting.  The meeting also requested that Jay Smith write a proposal in advance of the discussion.

Meeting closed with a brief period of silence.

Minutes accepted when signed,

Sara Smith, acting Co-Clerk

David Woolpert and Alisa Barnard, Acting Recording Clerks

—  Prepared by the Housing Committee

Housing Committee Request - 2011-06-26

The figures below indicate $1,447 of additional needs presently identified by the Housing Committee.  They are listed below in two columns.  There ar some items that should have been paid out of the 2010-2011 budget ($447), but invoices were not received in time to include them in the past fiscal year.  The other items identified total $1,000.  Combined totals ($1,447), there is an additional need of $680.

Exact amounts may change slightly as orders are completed.  So the minute we propose is as follows:

The Meeting authorizes the Housing Committee to expend approximately $680 from the Fiscal Year 2010-2011 General Operating Fund surplus in order to complete a variety of small projects and furnishing needs.  In no case may the Committee expend more than the total FY2010-2011 surplus.

As an additional note, the Housing Committee expects to ask the Meeting to lay it down when these items are tended to.  The Committee believes a variety of other needs will arise and that those needs should be handled by the Meeting’s various committees.  Specifically, individuals on the Committee would like to see additional landscaping work done and furnishing purchased such as a large step ladder and a vacuum cleaner.

NB. The Income & Expenses Sheet was created with two decimal points, which were removed for readability, the cents being unimportant to the overall understanding.  This can have the effect of throwing off any given sum by a dollar due to compounded rounding.  —  Prepared by David Woolpert