BULLS-HEAD OSWEGO MONTHLY MEETING FOR BUSINESS
JUNE 13, 2010
Present: Mary Cadbury, Caroline Webster, Bob West, Nettie West, Julia Giordano, Val Suter,
Kathie Scanlon, Leif Anderson, Vonn New
2010-36. MONTHLY MEETING FOR JULY: Friends approve scheduling our next Monthly
Meeting for Business on the second Sunday in July at the regular time, with the assistant clerk
acting as clerk for the day. Val Suter will act as recording clerk.
2010-37. NAMING COMMITTEE REPORT: Friends approve Janet Carter for the class of 2013
for the Nominating committee.
2010-38. PEACE & SOCIAL ACTION REPORT: Caroline Webster has returned from her travels
in El Salvador and will bring an endorsed travel minute.
The committee has written the following letter to the editors of local newspapers encouraging
readers to consider supporting alternatives to ongoing troop involvement in Afghanistan.
To the Editor;
We need to get out of Afghanistan.
By this summer there will be 100,000 U.S. troops there and our use
of private military contractors nearly doubles that number. Despite
General McChrystal’s commitment to prevent civilian deaths, the fact
is that increasing numbers of bystanders are being killed. According
to the Afghan Interior Ministry, 173 civilians died in the last month - in a
country which has suffered 30 years of violence.
There is a growing but still minority body of public opinion seeking a
timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops. Consider finding out how your
representatives stand on this issue. You can make a toll free call to
the Congressional switchboard and be connected to your Members of
Congress 1-888 543-5234.
More information on Afghanistan is available from the American Friends
Service Committee (http://www.afsc.org) which has long worked there.
Could you, your church, or civic group support more of what is so
compellingly described in the book “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg
Mortenson & David O. Relin? If you’ve read it, no doubt your heart
lifted as a school for girls was built. Why? Because an American with
determination also had the humility to listen to the people whose lives
were affected. Surely there is a lesson to be learned here.
Sincerely yours,
Vonn New, clerk
Peace & Social Action Committee,
Bulls Head-Oswego Meeting, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Friends accept the report.
2010-39. HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE: Hospitality committee suggests some experimental
changes for providing refreshments for the summer. For the next month, through the next Monthly
Meeting, Friends will not sign up for hospitality but all will bring food as they wish. Mary Cadbury
volunteers to clean up for this month. Julia Giordano will come in early 6/20 to set up. Hospitality
will report at the July Monthly Meeting as to how the changes have been working and possible next
steps.
2010-40. Friends approve Ministry & Counsel’s recommendation for a certificate of Sojourning
Membership (attached) for Christopher Sammond to Poplar Ridge Monthly Meeting for three years
from 6/2010.
2010-41. Ministry & Counsel has tried for several months to get information about Elliott
McEldowney and his participation in our meeting. Because we have been unable to learn any
more about Elliott’s life, Friends approve, that the December minute stand. Minute # 2009-63
Word is received of the death of our member Elliott McEldowney on Oct. 10, 2009.
REPORT FROM MINISTRY & COUNSEL
Meeting Etiquette – Several members responded to M & C’s questions
regarding the rise of Meeting.
a. In sensitivity to varying individual needs in rising from deep worship, it
is our intent to use quiet, non-disruptive behaviors to signal the transition
between worship and after-thoughts.
b. We heard concerns about the significant disruption caused by late
arrivers and ask Friends to strive to arrive early, or at least on time. We
remind Friends of this sentence from Advice # 1, “Meeting for worship
is fundamental for us, and we should be diligent and punctual in our
attendance.”
c. Based upon Friends’ thoughts regarding our vocal ministry and our after-
thoughts, we intend to have a pot luck program in the fall focused on the
vocal ministry.
SUPPORT OF FRIENDS: We report on our concern for support of our
members and our intentions to try some new approaches. The M & C
minute addressing these is:
SUPPORT OF MEMBERS: We have awakened to the
fact that our Meeting is being called to minister more
intentionally to each other. There are many who are
caregivers, those who are going through difficult times,
or might be overwhelmed in various ways. We recognize
that all of us at different times are in need of support and
that nearly all of us find it difficult to ask for support. We
consider various ways to address this. Vonn & Carol
have initiated a ministry of soup, as described in the
newsletter. The Share the Care book has a ‘wish list’
of things people might need. Such a list might be used
to help people identify their own needs, as well as ways
to help others. We can use this list as a starting point
for creating a list for ourselves. Kathie will get a copy of
the list, and Val will make a poster, send a copy to the
newsletter and email to f/Friends. Val will forward this
minute to Barbara Spring from ARCH.
MEETING LIST: We are slowly making contact with people whose names
appear on our mailing list as attenders, but who do not attend, to ask about
their wishes with respect to the Bulls Head mailing list. At our next meeting
of M&C we will continue with our discernment regarding individuals who
appear to be members in name only.
CELL PHONE THEFT: With regard to the person who stole the Meeting’s
cell phone, members of Ministry and Counsel along with Bill Leicht and
Tom Angell have engaged in an exhaustive process of discernment and
information gathering. From the Sheriff’s Department and from the Tom
and Janet Angell family we have learned a great deal about this person,
his family, the kinds of calls made to the Sheriff, and some of the many
caring overtures made by the Tom and Janet Angell family to family of the
person who committed the theft. We have also learned a great deal about
the resources, philosophy, and practices of the Restorative Justice program
of the Dutchess Mediation Center, and the Dutchess County Office of
Probation.
Ultimately, we achieved clearness to press charges and ask the District
Attorney to recommend that we invite the person to be involved in the
Restorative Justice process. If the person and his family agree to engage
in the Restorative Justice process, Kathie & Bill will discern as part of that
process our next steps: whether we will drop the charges or leave them
in place. In her capacity as an officer of the Meeting, Valerie Suter signed
a deposition and returned it to the Sheriff’s Department on Monday June
7. Detective Stelmach told her that he would be in touch. Kathie Scanlon
added that Detective Stelmach is working with the family of the person who
committed the theft in order to proceed in the most caring and effective
manner.
2010-42. REPORT FROM MINISTRY & COUNSEL With some discussion Friends
consider these items and accept the report of M&C. The clerk of the Meeting is directed
to draft a letter expressing the Meeting’s appreciation of the help, support and guidance
we have received from the Angell family.
The Monthly Meeting for Business closed with silent worship reflection, to meet again on
July 11, 2010.
CERTI FI CATE OF SOJOURNI NG M EM BERSHI P
6/13/2010
Poplar Ridge Monthly Meeting,
1868 Poplar Ridge Road
Poplar Ridge, NY 13026
Dear Friends,
This CERTIFICATE OF SOJOURNING MEMBERSHIP has been requested by
a member of this monthly meeting who now resides in your area. We have given
consideration to this request, and, no obstruction appearing, we recommend Christopher
Sammond to your Christian care for a period of three years beginning in June, 2010
through June 2013, and remain with love your friends.
Certificate 6/13/2010 by the Bulls Head - Oswego Monthly Meeting,
1323 Bulls Head Road
Clinton Corners, NY 12514
_______________________________________
Karen Snare, clerk
