Friends General Conference

Together we nurture the spiritual vitality of Friends
A Monthly Meeting that is part of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

2018 Twelfth Month

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Minutes Details: 

Fox Valley Friends Meeting for Business, December 9, 2018

FINAL – Approved for Posting on February 17, 2019

 

Present:  Carol C, Jim C, Jill H, Reed H, Tina M, Mary K - Clerk

 

Approval of Minutes:  Minutes from the October 14 meeting were approved for posting.

 

Treasurer's Report:  We are waiting for end of year contributions to determine the level of donations we can pay out for 2018.  We would need several hundred more dollars to be able to make donations at the level shown in our 2018 budget.

 

New Business.

 

Holiday Meetings for Worship:  We will have Meetings for Worship at the Mauthe Center at 11 a.m. as usual on December 23 and December 30.  There will not be a Meeting for Worship on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.

 

Reports from Coordinators of Work Projects.

 

Budget and Finance:  Our treasurer will prepare a budget for 2019 after we get the end-of-year information for 2018.  He will present the 2018 report and the 2019 budget at our February Meeting for Business.

 

Ministry and Nurture:  Hayden is still recuperating from his surgery and appreciates visits.  Jim and Carol have been visiting him.

 

First Day School:  Someone will come to get the FDS children when they are ready for the children to join Meeting for Worship (after the sharing circle and before the song at the end of Meeting).  Mary will ask the parents if they would also like to have their children in Meeting for the first five minutes.

 

Care of Meeting for Worship:  Carol is putting together the monthly song list for 2019.  Everyone is encouraged to send her their favorites to be included.  We will try to include more child-friendly songs this year.

 

WISDOM/JOSHUA/RUTH:  Jim C reported that Ned has agreed to be our FVFM representative on the JOSHUA Board.  We accept Ned’s offer and are grateful to have him representing us in this important work.  Bob continues to represent us on the RUTH Board.

 

FCNL:  Bob continues to keep us informed of the monthly legislative priorities of FCNL.  Reed will continue to forward the FCNL information he receives via e-mail to the FVFM group.

 

Mauthe Center:  We currently have library space for all of our books, so we do not need to remove any more books.  Members discussed occasionally giving reviews of books in the library to let others know what is available that could be of value to them.  Reed offered to take the book list and see if it would be easy to post on-line so more people could see what is available.

 

The Mauthe Center is starting a large fundraising effort to create an endowment to pay for operational expenses.  We will hear more about it in the coming year.

 

Monthly Potluck/Discussion:  We will continue reading and discussing NYM Faith and Practice chapters during the coming months.  The winter schedule is as follows:

-January 18 – Peace chapter

-February 15 – Equality chapter

-March 15 – Simplicity chapter

-April 12 – Community chapter

-May 10 – Meeting for Worship

 

Communications:  Mary will be sending out the contact list to get updated.  We thank Francesca for the work she did to improve the map on our Web site.  Now it is correct!  The new pictures of the building are also helpful.

 

Outreach:  We are still looking for a new person to coordinate outreach events for FVFM.

 

Northern Yearly Meeting:  Carol reported that the NYM Clerk contacted her to ask if FVFM would be interested in hosting an NYM Interim Session.  The topic was discussed.  Advantages are the opportunity to easily attend an NYM Interim Session and meet Quakers from across NYM without traveling far, and having a great facility for hosting (the Mauthe Center).  The disadvantages are that Green Bay is on the far edge of NYM which would make it difficult for Minnesota Friends to attend, and we are too small to be able to provide the overnight hosting that would be needed for such a large event.  We agreed that we are not ready to host at this time, but we are grateful that NYM considered us and made the offer and we will keep it in mind as a future opportunity if we grow.

 

Prison Ministry:  Tina M and Mary K are continuing their pastoral visits at Green Bay Correctional Institution with two regular attenders, Carl and John.  We are working on getting copies of the NYM Faith and Practice into the Chapel so they can check them out.  Tina M is continuing participation in the monthly WISDOM group working on reducing solitary confinement.  They are hopeful there will be some movement on this issue when Tony Evers becomes Governor next year.

 

 Respectfully submitted,

Mary Klos, Clerk

With support from Tina M

 

 

 

 

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