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
