Fox Valley Friends Meeting for Business, April 11, 2021

FINAL – Approved May 16, 2021

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

Approval of Minutes:  Minutes from the January 10 meeting were read and approved for posting.

Treasurer's Report:  Jim C reported our current funds are $2,479.57.  He paid $390 to Feeding America and $350 to Right-Sharing for World Resources as directed.

New Business.

Preparation for Northern Yearly Meeting Annual Session:

1.  State of Society Report.  We shared our reflections on the questions that had been sent out by the NYM Advancement and Outreach Committee.  Mary will draft our SOS report based on these reflections and send it out via e-mail for approval.  We decided we did not want to prepare a video message, which was an option.

2.  Memorial Minute.  Carol will prepare a Memorial Minute for Hayden to share with NYM.

3.  Anti-racism Committee Report.  The NYM Anti-racism Committee is not preparing a minute for NYM consideration regarding renunciation of the Doctrine of Discovery.  Instead, they are encouraging each Monthly Meeting to adopt their own minute.  We do not feel ready to do that in our meeting yet, but we will continue learning more about the issue for possible future action.

Reports from Coordinators of Work Projects.

Care of Meeting for Worship:  Some of our members would like to begin in-person Meeting for Worship again at the Mauthe Center.  Most of us have been vaccinated.  However, Covid rates are rising right now in Brown County so we have some concern.  We decided to re-visit the issue again at our next Meeting for Business on May 16 with the intent that we will start in-person meetings again after that if it seems safe to do so.

Even after we start in-person meetings, some members prefer to continue with virtual meetings, so we will plan to have blended in-person/Zoom meetings.  We know there are some technical issues with blended meetings that we need to work on.  It is difficult to hear everyone on Zoom that is attending in-person.  We will try several things to solve this problem.  We will sit closer together and closer to the microphone at the Mauthe Center.  Sue F will share information on another microphone we could try and how to make the Zoom microphone work better.  

Mauthe Center:  Reed H will let the Mauthe Center know of our plans for returning.

Potlucks:  There have been no potlucks this winter.  No plans yet for summer.

Communications:  Jim C will work on the Contact List.

Outreach:  GIFT will be hosting another interfaith prayer service on the National Day of Prayer, May 6.  Mary will send out the details on when and where via e-mail as soon as she receives them.

WISDOM/JOSHUA/RUTH:  JOSHUA is laying down their Housing Task Force.  The Prison Reform Task Force is changing their name to the Criminal Justice Task Force to reflect the wider set of issues they are working on.  They are working with the Green Bay Police Dept. on a spiritually-based community response to the increase in gun violence occurring in the city.

Prison Ministry:  There is still no visitation allowed at Green Bay Correctional Institute because of Covid, but they have scheduled a volunteer training for April 22.  Mary and Katie will be attending.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Klos, Clerk