Frederick Friends Meeting

Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business

Ninth Month 2018

 

Opening Worship

In attendance were Polly Heninger (Homewood), Ellen Lerner, Annette Breiling, Nick Funkhouser, Chris Fowler, Michele Hartley, Julie Odland, Julie Kuntz, David Kuntz, Karen Lockett, Greg Tobin

Presiding Clerk – Kathy Funkhouser

Recording Clerk – Betsy Tobin

 

2018-09-01     Quarterly financial report– Greg Tobin

Accepted- Full report is attached

 

As of 8/24/18 our total income was $40,306, with expenses at $48,226. As of 8/31/18 we had approximately $8,750 in our checking account and approximately $106,000 in long-term savings. The $12,031 spent on the mini-split air conditioner was not in the budget for this year, funds from both our checking account and long-term savings were used to cover the expense. 

There were clarifying questions regarding how we deal with deficits as well as suggestions for other fundraising options.

Meeting minutes its appreciation for the work of the Committee.

2018-09-02     Report from Annual Session– Julie Odland

Accepted - Report is attached

2018-09-03     Report from Quarterly Meeting– Betsy Tobin

Accepted- Report is attached

2018-09-04     Property Committee Annual Report– Debra McCoy and Nick Funkhouser

Accepted– Full report is attached

            Meeting minutes its great appreciation for the immense scope of the work of Property Committee.

 

October 13, 2018 is the next work day. We need your help, bring your gloves. 

Property Committee is responsible for the maintenance of Bush Creek Cemetery. Uncovering the grave markers is a spiritual experience. There was a clarifying question regarding the relationship between Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) and Frederick Friends Meeting (FFM) regarding Bush Creek Cemetery. BYM initially paid FFM for the upkeep, but it has been spirit led for many years. BYM greatly appreciates FFM’s caretaking.

There was a clarifying question regarding the electric car charging station at FFM. Property Committee determined there were issues involved with making this a public charging station. It is currently for the use of FFM members and attenders only.

2018-09-05     Peace and Social Concerns– Annette Breiling

Meeting minutes its appreciation for the Members of Peace and Social Concerns for their dedicated work.

Two issues that have come before Peace and Social Concerns recently have been:

1)    The treatment of undocumented immigrants crossing the border,

2)    A concern to avoid nuclear war.

Related to these two issues are two upcoming community programs for which co-sponsorship from Frederick Friends Meeting is requested.

 

1)    The treatment of undocumented immigrants crossing the border– Annette Breiling

 

I am a member of a community group RISE (Resources for Immigrant Support and Empowerment) which is working to support the immigrant community in Frederick and western Maryland. We want to promote community awareness by holding a program the third week in October that features a 24 minute documentary, “Locked in a Box.” I have been working with Mary Ann Ford, a fellow RISE member and former FFM member, to seek co-sponsors from the faith community, including FFM, ERUCC, Centennial Methodist Church, Asbury UMC, UUCF, and Unity. There would be no cost to sponsorship, only spiritual support. There is a possibility that we would ask FFM to host the event at our Meeting House, although we are currently looking at larger venues. The documentary can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/146727430  

Request – Is FFM willing to co-sponsor this program?

Approved

Request – Is FFM willing to co-host this program?

Approved, with the understanding that our space will probably be too small and that the work would be done, primarily, by members of P&SC and other volunteers.

 

2)    A concern to avoid nuclear war– Annette Breiling

 

            Nuclear Weapons Conference. The organizers of the Back from the Brink movement, which was endorsed by FMM in June, are planning a conference on November 17 at Goucher College - ”Two Minutes to Midnight: What We Can Do to Prevent Nuclear War.” 

Request - Is FMM willing to be listed as a co-sponsor along with the following: Anne Arundel Peace Action, Peace Action Montgomery, Maryland United for Peace and Justice, National Lawyers’ Guild/MD, Prince George’s Peace and Justice Coalition, Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, Baltimore Peace Action, Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee, Howard County Peace Action, Bethesda Friends Meeting, Baltimore Nonviolence Center?

Approved

Closing Worship

The minutes were approved during the course of the Meeting. Our next Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business will be October 14, 2018 at 9AM.

  

Attachment 1

Frederick Friends Meeting – Financial Report for the end of the second quarter of 2018 (9/9/18)

            At the mid-year point, Meeting financial analysis shows that expenses have exceeded income by $1925. Assessment towards the end of August shows that the deficit has climbed to $7,920.  The major driver in these negative numbers has been the $12,031 expense for the mini-split system. We withdrew $6,000 in the 2ndquarter to make the initial 50% payment, but did not withdraw additional funds to cover the second payment because of sufficient funds in our checking account.  Although contributions were about $3000 under budget on 6/30 and $4,000 under on 8/24 (line 2), these numbers are mitigated by reduced spending primarily in M&C scholarships (line 31) and Property – other (line 44). We have about $106,000 in long-term savings. The growth in the stock market has continued to allow our funds to increase in value. On Aug 31, we had $8,750 in our checking account (line 64).

            We had budgeted $32,310 in member/attender contributions for the year and, as of the end of August, about half of this amount has been donated. We thank Friends for their continuing support and encourage everyone to consider making financial contributions. SF is planning the 3rdannual fundraising service auction for a Sunday afternoon in October. Stay tuned for the date. Next month, we will begin the process of drafting the 2019 budget. 

 

 

Note: $6,000 was withdrawn from the PaxWorld Funds account for the first payment on the mini-split system of heat and air conditioning. Additional funds were not withdrawn for the second payment.

The numbers shown in Lines 62-64 are accurate except for the August 31 total for Friends Fiduciary which is an estimate.

Attachment 2

2018 BYM Annual Sessions Report

Approximately 25 individuals (~15 adults; ~10 children) from the Frederick Friends community participated in at least some of the 347th Annual Session of Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM), July 30 – August 5, on the campus of Hood College in Frederick. This year’s theme was “Radical Listening, Rooted in Love.” Participants sang, played, helped, ate, worshipped, “committeed,” listened, discussed, laughed, and conducted the business of the yearly meeting. We deepened friendships and made meaningful new connections. Families expressed gratitude that children from birth through 8th grade could attend Annual Session at no charge again this year.

Respectfully submitted

Julie Odland

 

Attachment 3

Warrington Quarterly Meeting 19 August 2018

Pipe Creek Friends Meeting

Report to Frederick Friends Meeting September 8, 2018

Betsy Tobin and Helen Tasker represented Frederick at the Quarterly Meeting.  Chris Fowler, also a member of Frederick Friends Meeting, presided as Clerk of the Quarter.

• All meetings in the Quarter were represented. After opening worship as we began our business session, we shared our reports, shared suggestions for certain issues, and announced upcoming events.  Of particular note: Carlisle Meeting will host a Quaker 101 class in late September.
• We responded to queries that had been set forth at the last meeting.  Today we focused on two. The Clerk facilitated thoughts that rose out of worship in response to the query “What is Worship itself about?”  After some sharing we also noted that even though we shared our own responses, meeting for worship is a corporate activity. 
• The Clerk asked about our thoughts regarding the “joys and concerns” and “afterthoughts” portion that ends many meetings for worship. Much was shared particularly around the concern about the timing of these: before or after ‘breaking meeting’ with a handshake. 
• We postponed discussing the other two topics – The role of Ministry, and the role of Silence. 
• Finally, we discussed the upcoming Quarterly meeting in November.  The proposed workshop with Steve Davidson (author of the Pendle Hill pamphlet The Gathered Meeting) was discussed. After much discussion it was decided that The meeting with Steve would be at Frederick Meeting on Saturday, November 17, from 10-2 with Shepherdstown holding the Quarterly meeting on Sunday, November 18th.

Respectfully submitted,

Helen Tasker and Betsy Tobin

 

Attachment 4

 

Property Committee Annual Report, September 9, 2018

 

The Property Committee is charged by Frederick Monthly Meeting with:

• overseeing ongoing Meeting House maintenance, remodeling, and/or repair projects
• maintaining safety and security systems in the Meeting House and ensuring compliance with city and state safety codes
• overseeing yard and grounds maintenance, lawn mowing, and snow removal
• scheduling the use of the Meeting House by external groups as well as overseeing the longer-term relationships between Meeting and its tenants
• overseeing the upkeep of the Bush Creek Cemetery on behalf of Baltimore Yearly Meeting
• providing a means for keeping the Meeting House clean and usable  for the activities of Meeting

 

Property Committee members: Deborah McCoy, Bob Hanson, Lisa Fowler, Mike Netzer, Nick Funkhouser, Anne Rill.  Housekeeping Coordinator- Jason Laird.   Tenant Liaison- Lisa Fowler. Calendar Coordinator- Katie Bliss. 

 

Committee process:  Meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month. Since January 2018, the committee has been without a clerk but is working together as a property team. To that end, the committee has a group email (ffmpropertycommittee@googlegroups.com ) which can be used to contact all members so that jobs and concerns can be divvied up. This new organizational plans seems to be working for us so far. 

 

Work with Trustees.   Trustees met with property committee to discuss upcoming big projects, especially the consideration of air conditioning for the Meeting Room, and to review the easement agreement for the back parking lot. 

 

Building maintenance, remodeling, and repair; yard and grounds maintenance; security and safety systems compliance

 

 Work Days. We facilitated two annual volunteer Work Days in October and June. Meeting volunteers worked inside and outside of the Meeting House. Lunch was served both days. 

 

Maintenance/Repair Tasks Completed by Contractors

• Snow removal 
• Lawn mowing 
• Installation of new mini-split air conditioning units in Meeting Room, office, and front First Day School Room
• Boiler annual maintenance visit and repair
  • Housekeeping by the Maid Brigade
  • Fire alarm maintenance and 24/7 monitoring Inspection and retagging of fire extinguishers
  • Replacement of hallway tile floor in our (larger) second floor commercial rental space
  • Painting of hallways and bathrooms

 

 

Maintenance /Repair Tasks completed by Property Committee and Volunteers.

 

We would like to thank everyone who helped to complete the following tasks:

• Yard work and interior cleaning and repairs done during work days in October and June
• Repair/replacement of shutters on south side of building
• Installation of door handles at emergency exits, second floor
• Replacement of kitchen faucet
• Repair of gutter/roof flashing 
• Replacement of incandescent lights in Meeting Room valance with LED bulbs
• Housekeeping by meeting volunteers
• Gathering of contractor bids
• Touch-up of front door sign 
• Replacement of batteries in emergency exit signs
• Cleaning of gutters
• Office light fixture replacement

 

When making decisions about maintenance, repair, or remodeling projects in the Meeting House, property committee always considers ways to reduce our use of fossil fuels, how to be as “green” as possible in our choices of products, and how to encourage our Meeting community to do the same. Here are some examples of what we’ve done this past year:

 

• Continue to provide a 120V electric cord for the use of our members and attenders with electric vehicles
• Facilitated, with our Peace and Social Concerns Committee, a workshop on Measuring our Carbon Footprints, which was well attended and well received
• At the direction of Meeting for Business, researched and presented information on installing air conditioning/heating using a mini-split system in the Meeting Room. This system was approved at MFB in May and installed this summer. 
• Explored the possibility of signing up to be a part  of a solar power array through a new local community group. The group did not ultimately generate enough interest and has been temporarily suspended. Meeting continues to pay for wind power. 

 

 

Scheduling Use of Meeting House by External Groups, Overseeing Relationships with Tenants

The Meeting continues to be approached by outside groups who wish to make use of our building, both on an ongoing and a one-time basis. In the past twelve months, Frederick Monthly Meeting has hosted or provided space for:

• Healthcare is a Human Right Maryland
• BYM Young Friends Executive Committee
  • Campers attending BYM Annual Sessions
• Edgar Cayce Search for God Study Group
• Frederick Peace and Justice Network
• BYM Supervisory committee
• Making Violence Obsolete
• New Horizons Small Zones of Peace
• Compassion and Choices
• Beloved Community mini-potlucks
• Frederick Pride
• BYM Hope Committee
• Campers from Catoctin Quaker camp

 

Tenants    

Property Committee represents Meeting as landlord for three rental spaces in our building, one residential and two commercial. Our tenant liaison, Lisa Fowler, communicates with tenants regarding their leases, any visits from contractors or groups using the Meeting House that may affect them, and any problems or concerns that may arise.

• The third-floor apartment lease was renewed January 1, 2018.  The second-floor apartment/office lease  was renewed July 1, 2018. The lease for our second-floor smaller office will renew in November. 
• David Hunter continues his agreement with Property Committee to use three parking spaces in the back parking lot for BYM camp vehicles. 

 

 

The Upkeep of Bush Creek Cemetery

 At the request of Baltimore Yearly Meeting, Frederick Friends have been caretakers of Bush Creek Cemetery since at least 1991. Nick Funkhouser has been overseeing, supervising, and doing  this work on our behalf since this arrangement began, with the help of other attenders or members. This past year he was joined by Don Garrett, Hank Rupprecht and Bob Walsh for two work days at the cemetery.

 

Keeping the Meeting House Clean and Usable for the Activities of Meeting

 The Housekeeping Coordinator  schedules with a local professional cleaning service, recruits volunteers within Meeting to clean the Meeting House on a regular basis, and purchases supplies. This position comes under the purview of Property Committee but has its own budget.

 

Jason Laird is our current our housekeeping coordinator. He schedules monthly cleaning visits with a local professional cleaning company, fills in the gaps with Meeting volunteers and has set up an online sign-up program to help with this process. Jason has been in this position for close to three years and plans to step down at the end of 2018. We are grateful for Jason’s service in this role.

 

Remainder of 2018

• Budget for 2019
• Boiler Maintenance 
• Cleaning of Meeting Room floor
• Fall Work Day on October 13
• Update committee contact list and systems guides
  • Painting of metal front porch roof
  • Caulk windows where needed
  • Paint office

 

 Future projects

• Carpet cleaning
• Assess removal of carpets in downstairs hallway and refinish or install wood flooring
• Use or remove pavers from back of building
• Obtain bids for replacement of boiler
• Improve accessibility of building
• Consider sound enhancement/noise reduction in Meeting Room

 

The Property Committee always has plenty of tasks and assignments to keep us busy as we remain mindful of our responsibility to help provide a clean, safe, nurturing physical space for our Meeting community. As always, we continue to depend on the kind willingness of Meeting members/attenders to volunteer their time and expertise at our annual work days, cemetery clean-ups, housekeeping, and special projects.

 

Respectfully submitted on September 1, 2018,

Deborah McCoy for Property Committee