Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business

Sunday, May 3, 2015 

Wesley Enhanced Living

Friends gathered With Friends at Stapeley Hall at Wesley Enhanced Living for a Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business at 2:30PM on May 3, 2015.

The Meeting opened with silent Worship.

 1.      Welcome and introductions

The Clerk welcomed Friends.     

2.      Minutes of Record

The Minutes of the January 25th Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business were approved with minor changes.

 3.   Quarter Ministries

The Clerk reported back on the Minutes of Religious Service that were endorsed in January and sent to Interim Meeting.  Interim Meeting endorsed the Minute of Religious Service for Viv Hawkins’ service in Releasing Ministries.  Interim Meeting received the minute from the Quarter on the Releasing Ministries Project and asked Hollister and Viv to come back to Interim Meeting in May to provide additional information in response to questions.

     For the minutes of Religious Service for Victoria Greene and Susan Christian, the Yearly Meeting Clerk recommended that Victoria and Susan publish articles about their ministries in PYM today so that Friends can become more familiar with their service and be prepared to consider endorsing them.

 4.      Joe Hohenstein, Clerk of Frankford Friends Meeting, presented a traveling minute for Emma Hohenstein, also from Frankford Monthly Meeting.  Emma is graduating from high school, and as part of her senior project, will be traveling across the country visiting with Friends in many different Meetings and taking photos.  The minute is as follows:

We, the members of Frankford Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, send you our warm and loving greetings and our request that you take into your care Ms. Emma Hohenstein as she undertakes the traveling ministry that we will describe below:

Ms. Hohenstein has been an associate member for most of her life. Her traveling ministry is the first step in her spiritual path towards becoming an adult member of the Society of Friends. Emma has already demonstrated a strong understanding of Quaker faith and the gifts that she has brought to our lives include a book describing her personal spiritual journey. The book, Seeking the Light: A Story of Quaker Culture and Homewood Friends Meeting, demonstrates a strong understanding of the historical roots of Quakerism, as well as the contemporary, provides beautiful pictures of Emma’s other meeting in Baltimore, but most importantly reveals a developing soul who, in her own words, is seeking the light.

We have been proud to see Emma grow from a child into a young woman. She has an alive heart, alive mind, and alive eyes. Her current travels are in keeping with her ever curious spirit and her desire to share that spirit with others.

We are asking for your kindness and care for Emma as she passes through the life of your meeting. Any guidance, assistance, or help that you can provide (material or spiritual) will be greatly appreciated. Emma will need lodging, when possible, and a place or community to share in worship. She will be taking photographs (with permission) throughout the trip of as many Quaker worship spaces as she can (be it churches, traditional meeting houses, or simple spaces where Friends come together to pray).

At the conclusion of this journey, she will be compiling her work into her senior thesis at Maryland Institute College of Art. She will also be sharing it with her home meetings. She will share any photos she takes of your meeting and your community with you as well as copies of the final work if requested.

We pray that you will welcome Emma into the light held by your meeting.

Friends approved the minute enthusiastically with minor corrections.  Friends asked Joe to print it out on Frankford Monthly Meeting letterhead for the Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting Clerk to endorse and sign.

 5.      Finance

Edward Rhoads, Treasurer, reported on the year to date income and expenses for 2015 and the proposed budget for 2015-2016.   Friends united in approval of the budget.  The Clerk also distributed the fundraising letter that is ready to be distributed to Friends.

 6.      Program Committee

Margaret Wood, Coordinator for the Quarter reported the topic for the program meeting on June 7:  “Unprogrammed Quakerism – what is essential and what is cultural?”   This is a continuation of work at our February program meeting on “Inclusion”.

 7.      Organizations under our care

Brandi Levine, Executive Director of Historic Fair Hill gave an oral report on the current activities of the organization, including community gardens, Robert Purvis essay contest, an Institutional Honorable Mention from The Pennsylvania Federation of Museums & Historic Sites for Literacy Programming , Astronony Night, Martin Luther King Day of Service and the Reading Buddies program at the Potter Thomas School.   This year’s most exciting accomplishment was the publication of The Adventures of Robert Purvis, a young adult book based on the Purvis biography, But One Race, by Margaret Hope Bacon.  Thee Quarter purchased a copy of the book.  Most recently, a group of 30 arborists volunteered a day at Historic Fair Hill to remove and prune trees, saving the organization thousands of dollars.  Brandi invited Friends to the annual Summer Festival on July 11, where there will be food, entertainment, and activities for children.  Friends heard and accepted this report with much gratitude.

Miriam Fisher Schaefer then presented a minute from Historic Fairhill regarding  endowment funds held by PQM in Friends Fiduciary on behalf of Historic Fair Hill. The Quarter has been holding certain endowment funds but does not manage them in any way.  The income is paid directly to Historic Fairhill in fulfillment of the terms of the donors’ intentions; the Board of Historic Fair Hill  monitors the statements from Friends Fiduciary for accuracy of income distribution and market value.  From time to time, the complexity of the ownership of the fund creates some accounting confusion.  In light of these circumstances, Miriam presented the minute as follows:

“The Quarterly Meeting approves transfer of the Fair Hill Burial Ground endowment fund now held by the Quarterly Meeting to Historic Fair Hill, Inc., and authorizes its clerk and treasurer to take all necessary action to transfer title to the fund on the books of Friends Fiduciary.”

Friends united in approval for this minute.  As a supporting organization to Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting, Historic Fair Hill Inc. will continue to provide its annual statements reviewed by an independent auditor, to the Quarter, along with its written report of activities.

 8.      Other business

The Clerk raised the question of whether the names of those present at Quarter meetings should be listed on versions of minutes posted on the website.   This will be considered at an upcoming Meeting for Business.

 Closing worship

The Meeting closed with silent worship.