DQM 2022-01-30

Dover Quarterly Meeting

held on Zoom

30 January 2022

Present:

• Concord: Mark Barker, Sara Smith, Kathi Connor and regrets from Heidi Babb
• Dover: Jeremiah Dickenson, Beth Collea, Maggie Fogarty, Kristi, Wendy B.
• Gonic: Candace Cole McRae, Ginni
• Exeter:
• NE Evangelical: Sychellus Njibwakale, regrets from Niva Muchuma
• North Sandwich: Susan Wiley,  regrets from Lee Ann Stevens
• Souhegan:
• Weare: Marian Baker, regrets from Dick and Ann Ludders
• West Epping:
• Visitors: Kathleen Wooten, Lawrence;  Janet Hough and Jnana Hodson ,Cobscook

Condolences were expressed to Candace for the recent loss of her sister.

01/22  Previous minutes were approved with gratitude to Beth and Marian.

02/22  Treasurer’s report- 

We will discuss about uses of the restricted funds for “poor ministers in the service of the Lord” at our next meeting.

Meetings who have not contributed recently are encouraged to consider if you might be able to support the QM.

The treasurers report was accepted with gratitude.

03/22  Update from Marian Baker, one of our Recorded Ministers

(see report attached). Marian shared an update on her travels in ministry in Kenya, and Uganda..  Highlights were delivering the graduation gowns from Dover QM Friends and others and attending the FTC graduation, break throughs in uplifting Busoga, Uganda Friends,

a retreat of Kenyan women pastors at FTC that ended with a first ever zoom conference with Bolivian women pastors (via Zoom), teams of Kenyans who visited Uganda and Tanzania Womens Conferences, and the first Africa Quaker Archives Workshop at FTC.

(see report attached).

Question arose about whether some of the restricted funds could be used . This will be discussed next month.

Question arose about sharing with Kenyans on line, now they have been imporoving their connections during Covid.

04/22  NH AFSC Discussion -  Maggie, program director of NH AFSC was asked to share about the recent issue over AFSC restructuring.

AFSC for decades has been moving toward a more centralized top down model of management, in a way that hinders some local programs from running their programs. In the last year,the restructuring plan has been escalating centralizing of power.  Staff have tried to solve the issues

Through proper internal channels. The leadership is not listening well to local staff, local supporters, and stakeholders. Urgently needed local programs are not getting funding.  .  Management is not communicating with local groups of Friends.

        Last month, one staff member joined with former staff and Quakers to speak up and  was fired for doing so.

A form hosted by west coast  Friends was publically announced. Then Dover  MM hosted an

event. There is need for a way to solve the issue.

       Maggie expressed appreciation for  Beth Collea and Mark Barker and Candace for their support.

      One clerk of a small meeting was shocked not to have heard about this issue sooner.

NH AFSC is agile, able to respond more quickly to needs than the national body . Should we send all our donations to NH AFSC instead of to the national body?

Can AFSC improve its connection to Friends, and be run on Quaker methods, or should it drop the name of Friends in its Title?   

 On mutual topics such as immigrant justice, they hired a new coordinator after local AFSC staff requested it, but no funding was offered to the coordinator.

 The central leadership is more in tune with where international funding is available and get good publicity.

FWCC asks Friends for their priorities for their organization and is run in a Quaker fashion , but AFSC is worldwide in scope and not limited to political lobbying only.

We need to be aware of shifts in our organization that lead to more top down leadership.

Should we  reach out to board members and AFSC corporation members including those who represent NEYM asking  them to help halt the restructuring?

Friends work on ministry, finding ways to enable  people who are inspired into the work to sharpen the prophetic edge of our ministry. 

Let us help each other speak our truth.

We need AFSC staff to help us in our domestic violence around us all. Bring forth your vital vision and let us respond and help. How do we walk in our world right now?

Look for ways,  as Quakers, to stand with others in our neighborhoods who can best do the work (e.g. using those with experience as refugees  to work on immigration issues)

After long sharing, we wrote the following Action Minute concerning AFSC

Dover Minute concerning AFSC

Dover Quarterly Meeting  expresses its deep concern over the current situation in AFSC.  It seems work at reorganizing is proceeding without fully acknowledging ongoing lack of unity as to its purpose or the process being followed. Harm is being done to staff at different levels, and to stakeholders.  We need to speak the truth and halt until there is participation by Quakers..

We urge the AFSC board to stop further movement toward structural change  and to reengage with all  stake holders, local as well as national until unity grounded in the movement of the Spirit can be found.

The clerk was directed to send this minute  to our NEYM AFSC reps. ( Scott Rhodewalt, Peter Woodrow, and Becky Steele).  Also it should be sent to Sara Hubner to go into this week’s NEYM newsletter, sharing this is what Dover is working on  and to ask others  in NEYM to help on the issue.

05/22  All NH Gathering- 26 February, 2021

Marian shared plans for an All NH Gathering that has the purpose of finding out from each other, as NH Friends, what we are all doing concerning our relationship with Indigenous peoples in our area.  Sara shared some about the history of All NH Gatherings.

Although the suggested date of 26^th February is the time of local school vacations and conflicts with  the annual meeting of NH Council of Churches, the date seemed better than any date in March. Candace, as an indigenous person, gave us several very helpful corrections to the flyer, that will be done before distributing.  A final planning meeting will be held on 2^nd of February to finish the planning details of the event. 

06/22  Update on NEYM Right Relationship with Indigenous Peoples Taskforce.

Sara reported that the official letter will be mailed out soon. The committee has worked slowly, and learning a lot. They do not want to just send out the written apology and feel their work is done. It is an ongoing project. They are expecting each meeting that has begun a relationship with local Indigenous people to humbly follow the guidance of the indigenous people: e.g. Let their new friends know the letter is coming. Ask how they want to receive the letter.  Have a ceremony in their style?  Exchange meaningful gifts to the local Indians?

There is a land management bill coming up in the NH legislature soon.

07/22  Next Quarterly Meeting will be held on May 29^th 2022.

Marian Baker,

Recording Clerk

Dover Quarterly Meeting of Friends

New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, Religious Society of Friends

℅ LeeAnn M Stevens, Treasurer, 400 Webster St, Manchester, NH 03104

Respectfully submitted,

s/ LeeAnn M Stevens

Treasurer, submitted 2022-01-29

**Restricted Funds are the “Mary G. Morrell and Horatio S. Morrell Trust Funds.  Such funds are dedicated to help ‘poor...ministers… in the service of the Lord.’” (In the 1^st Month 2000 Dover Quarterly Meeting for Business minute, the treasurer was directed to maintain the $1000.00 of the Restricted Funds as “principal” in keeping with restrictions on the funds, with the remainder available for use by the Quarter.)  In 7^th month 2017, it was agreed that interest earned on the H.S. Morrell Trust Fund will be accumulated and available as allowed by the Fund.