BULLSHEAD OSWEGO MONTHLY MEETING
JANUARY 9, 2010
Meeting began at 12.40 with a brief period of silent worship.
Present: Leif Anderson, Nancy Angell, Mary Foster Cadbury, Julia Giordano,
Vonn New, John Perry, Sybil Perry, Denise Sherman, Karen Snare, Bob West
and Nettie West.
1. MEMBERSHIP: Friends receive a letter of transfer from Uwchlan Monthly
Meeting for Robert Connelly, Virginia Connelly and Candace Connelly.
This transfer comes with the approval of Ministry & Counsel. Friends
accept the transfer.
2. NOMINATING COMMITTEE: Nettie West reports as follows for the
Nominating Committee: Val Suter has accepted service as treasurer for
the year 2011. Nancy Angell has agreed to serve as assistant treasurer.
Virginia Connelly has agreed to serve as a member of Ministry & Counsel
in the class of 2013. Friends approve these nominations.
3. TRUSTEES REPORT: Trustees submit the following report:
I have consulted with the other members of Trustees about the advisability of discontinuing our
electrical service at Oswego Meeting House. We are all in agreement that discontinuing the
electrical service is a sound idea, so this message conveys our recommendation to the Monthly
Meeting that we do so.
We note that, in recent years, the only consumption of electricity at the site was to provide power
to a vacuum cleaner in preparation for the annual meeting for worship, and that Jonathan Boice
has an electrical generator that we can use to provide power as needed in the future.
Bob Suter
Friends approve the recommendation.
4. FINANCE COMMITTEE: John Perry submitted the following report for the
Finance Committee.
Minutes of Bulls Head Finance Committee – January 2, 2011
The meeting was held in the gathering room after rise of meeting. In attendance: John
Perry, Nancy Angell, Valerie Suter, and Mary Williams.
The meeting began with silent worship.
1. Val Suter reported that contributions are significantly lower for 2010 than at any time
in the past several years. Depending on the amount of the cash flow in the checking
account, we may need to transfer funds from the general reserve to cover the deficit.
2. In recognition of this financial situation, the committee agreed to recommend an
austerity budget. The budget eliminates discretionary expenses and contributions.
The Yearly Meeting amount was reduced from $12,000 in 2010 and has already
been committed to the Yearly Meeting budget. We do not recommend reducing
this further for 2011.
The fire department is an offering in recognition of our tax exempt status and we
recommend continuing this contribution.
Assuming the trustees stop the electric at Oswego Meeting, there is a $300 saving
in utilities.
3. Even with the austerity budget, if contributions do not increase in 2011, we will need
to use our general reserve to cover expenses. We may find ourselves with a decimated
general reserve fund as we start 2012.
4. We recommend that the Meeting form an ad-hoc committee to explore ways of raising
additional funds. We feel it would be best to form this committee from volunteers rather
than from the Nominating committee process.
5. Although the expense of maintaining Oswego is not part of the operating budget, the
expense has strained our maintenance reserves and may require additional repair and
maintenance in the future. The Oakwood option is unlikely to happen as Oakwood is
struggling with the capital campaign that would have funded the move. We recommend
that the Meeting reactivate the Oswego committee to consider the sale of the property as
a way to build up our reserves and minimize our maintenance expenses.
The meeting ended with a period of silent worship.
Friends approve the recommended austerity budget with changes to the
following budget lines:
Ministry & Counsel
$200
Publications
50
Religious Education
50
Friends ask trustees to initiate a process by which the Meeting can discuss the
future of the Oswego Meeting House, including its possible sale. Trustees are
further asked to be able to present to the Meeting all the relevant practical (legal,
financial, etc) ramifications that are part of the ownership of the Meeting House.
The trustees recommendation to form an ad hoc committee to raise additional
funds sparks a discussion of the larger issue of the long-standing problem
(shared by many Meetings) of dwindling numbers. We recognize that our
financial concerns are only a symptom of many larger and deeper issues.
Friends comment with some distress of about the diminished visibility of Friends,
lack of outreach, as well as feelings on the part of some that Bulls Head MM
could be more welcoming to newcomers. A suggestion is made to conduct a
year long Meeting-wide effort to address these concerns, but there is not unity
at this time as to how to proceed. We agree to lay over further discussion to the
next Monthly Meeting. Friends are encouraged to hold these concerns in the
light and be prepared for a prayerful consideration at the next Monthly Meeting of
how we are led to move forward in addressing these concerns.
Meeting closes at 2.25 with a brief period of silent worship, to reconvene on
February 13, 2011.
