November Minutes

Bulls Head-Oswego Monthly Meeting for Business

November 23, 2008

Present: Karen Snare, Elisabeth Prenot, John Perry, Christopher Cadbury, Mary Foster Cadbury, Sybil Perry, Denise Sherman, Nettie West, Robert West, Henry Muller.

Minutes are numbered from the beginning of the calendar year.

The meeting opens in worshipful silence.

2008-49 Karen Snare volunteers and is approved as Clerk for the day.

2008-50 The Clerk was unable to be present and no one volunteered in advance, and no agenda was sent. The Meeting Clerk is asked to get together with Ministry and Counsel to recommend what the procedure should be when our clerk is not to be present.

2008-51 Denise Sherman reports Ministry and Counsel’s thoughts about their work on our “lists.” Ministry and Counsel recommends that the Clerk be responsible for all Meeting communications and that there be just one list. Denise receives feedback from the Meeting, and Ministry and Counsel will consider it further.

2008-52 The Bulls Head retreat was held Oct. 25, and out of that emerged great interest in two directions. 1) People working on Adult Religious Education and 2) those working on Fun.

An ad hoc committee on Fun has formed. Vonn New is the contact for that. If Friends are interested, please phone her at 845-633-0819.

2008-53 The Meeting noted with sadness the passing of our long-time member, Margaret M. Currie on October 10, 2008.

We adjourn to meet at the appointed time for Meeting for Business on December 14^th.

Karen Snare, Clerk for the day

Sybil Perry, Recording Clerk

October Minutes

Bulls Head-Oswego Monthly Meeting for Business

October 12, 2008

Present: Karen Snare, Valerie Suter, John Perry, Christopher Cadbury, Mary Foster Cadbury, Sybil Perry, Denise Sherman, Kathie Scanlon, Nettie West, Robert West.

Minutes are numbered from the beginning of the calendar year.

The meeting opens in worshipful silence.

2008-43 Karen Snare is approved as Clerk for the day.

2008-44 Kathie Scanlon (as nominated last month) is approved to be our liaison to Powell House.

2008-45 The Treasurer’s Report for the third quarter is presented and accepted.

THE REPORT IS ATTACHED.

2008-46 The Memorial Minute for Curt Beck is read and approved with the expectation that Ministry and Counsel will add information about his family.

ATTACHED.

2008-47 We approve the proposed letter of introduction for Christopher Sammond, who often travels outside his capacity as General Secretary of New York Yearly Meeting. We ask our clerk to send it on to Nine Partners Quarterly Meeting for consideration at their November 1st meeting. THE LETTER IS ATTACHED.

2008-48 Kathie Scanlon introduces us to ARCH: Aging Resources, Consultation, and Help, a program of New York Yearly Meeting. Friends feel this could be a Quarterly Meeting program and direct Kathie to bring it to the Clerk of our Quarter.

Our next Bulls Head Meeting for Business will take place on Sunday, November 23rd to avoid conflict with Fall Sessions.


Karen Snare, Clerk for the day
Sybil Perry, Recording Clerk

September Meeting for Business

Bulls Head-Oswego Monthly Meeting for Business

September 14, 2008


Present: Karen Snare, Vonn New, Valerie Suter, Christopher Sammond, John Perry, Sam Adams, Julia Giordano, Christopher Cadbury, Mary Foster Cadbury, Sybil Perry.


Minutes are numbered from the beginning of the calendar year.


The meeting opens in worshipful silence.


The Clerk reads from the Practice and Procedure section of Faith and Practice on the conduct of Meetings for Business.


2008-39 Nominating Committee presents the name of Kathie Scanlon as our Powell House liaison. Friends consider this nomination, which will come up for approval at our next meeting.


2008-40 Ministry and Counsel presents the following minute, which they have revised as they considered Friend’s responses to previous drafts:


In a predominantly heterosexual world, even where society has become more open to various gender differences, barriers remain for non-straight people. On entering a new group, these people must often test the waters to see if they are truly included.


Bulls Head-Oswego Monthly Meeting affirms the traditional testimony of equality of the Religious Society of Friends, and includes in that testimony people who are bisexual, gay, heterosexual, lesbian, or transgendered. In our Meetings for worship we seek that of God in everyone and extend a welcome to all -- individuals and families-- without regard to sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.


Friends unite with the ideal expressed in this proposed minute and we appreciate our months-long process of considering and revising this minute. We are not yet united in approval, and we ask Ministry and Counsel, with appreciation for all their effort, to work with this minute again.


2008-41 We consider our contribution to New York Yearly Meeting. We approve increasing our contribution for the year 2009 from $11,500. to $12,000.

We commend the Yearly Meeting Financial Services Committee for developing this version of the budget in terms of the programs that we support. The Clerk will email copies of this material to the meeting, and we ask our Finance Committee to schedule time after meeting for us to consider this “programmatic” interpretation of the budget.


2008.42 Julia offers to make flat cushions for the small wooden fold-up chairs in the Meeting room. We will think about this and consider it next month.


We adjourn to meet at the appointed time for Meeting for Business on October 12th.


Julia Giordano, Clerk

Sybil Perry, Recording Clerk