September 17, 2006, 8:30 AM
Westtown Meeting House

Members of Westtown Monthly Meeting gathered for Meeting for Business after a lovely breakfast prepared by the members fo Pastoral Care and Concerns Committee.

Names of members and extended family needing lifting up were shared with members.

Announcements:

• The Clerk highlighted a few of the announcements on the list he has compiled of announcements he has received. This list is posted on the meeting bulletin board. The Clerk has placed all the announcements in a black notebook which he will bring to meeting each week. If you see a notice you want to photocopy.
• Religious Council of West Chester will sponsor an ecumenical service on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Alan will be the co-clerk of the Council.

Correspondence:

• From Durham Monthly Meeting: Formally transferring membership from Durham to Westtown Monthly Meeting of John, Lizzy, and Jeff Baird. With the transfer having taken place, it has been our custom to entertain new members. We need to check with John for a good date. Have a shared common meal (covered dish) or a cake at the rise of the Meeting depending on the Baird’s schedule. The Meeting approved. The Meeting will provide a cake.
• From the My Lai Peace Project: with an offer to give a slide show presentation in late October, early November. He is traveling under the care of Madison Monthly Meeting of Friends. Clerk is looking for direction with how to proceed. Peace and Social Concerns Committee will look into this next Sunday and decide how to proceed with thought for the children/students of Westtown School. If we decide to do this, we should look into inviting other Meetings in the Quarter. Kevin will share the information with Judy Asselin and Peter will coordinate with Quarter if appropriate.
• Clerk has several letters, epistles, and reports from residential yearly meeting. These have been placed in the same black notebook mentioned earlier. The Clerk has also made a list of all these and placed the list on the Meeting Bulletin Board. The Clerk will be happy to provide copies to interested members.
• CQM Minute on the Iraq War was shared. This Minute was read by the Quarter. ADD TEXT OF MINUTE ELECTRONICALLY/LATER. The Quarter could not reach unity with all parts of the minute and referred it out to member meetings and will take it up again in October. Is there an action we should take on this as individuals or as a meeting? The Quarter is suggesting folks use this minute to contact members of Congress with out concerns. Could we dedicate some portion of our time at our October Business Meeting to the War of Iraq, how we can best carry out our witness, support the Quarter and prepare for PYM called meeting on the War. FCNL has written a letter asking for Congressmen opposing establishing a permanent military base in Iraq.
• Could we unite in support of the Lancaster Minute on US military withdrawal from Iraq. The Clerk reread the minute. He will send it out to members. Some members voiced support with the principle but were uncomfortable with some of the terms and wanted to chew on it. Most problematic was the presence of the date of December as a withdrawal date for US troops. Is the time frame of “Now” better.
• A minute expresses our intention around a policy. We have not been asked to actually write policy. Just as some Quakers used to ask for an immediate end to slavery knowing that slave owners weren’t going to free their slaves the next day. The reality of what might happen as a result of our minute should not drive our statement of our beliefs and intentions.
• The Clerk reread the minute with new language around the date. “Immediately” and “Now”. The Meeting united with the new language (as well as changing the meeting name to Westtown Monthly Meeting) and adopted the minute. The next MM will decide how best to take action. The clerk will send the Minute out via email for us to share with our Congressmen.

Old Business:

• Coffee Hosts and Committee and Greeter date sign-ups. Please sign up!!! The Clerk will post the lists on the bulletin board for us to see and sign up.
• Paula Kline shared the Peace and Social Concerns program for the six to nine months and asked us to consider whether or not we should have first orientation meeting once three groups were formed.
• Worship And Ministry was hoping that next Monthly Meeting Business could set aside time for orientation. But if we also have the welcoming lunch we could be at the Meeting until after 2:00.
• In two weeks is our day for Committee Day Meetings and could this be our kick off/orientation. Could we begin together and then break into small groups? Could we worship and meet separate from the students? Can we use some of the time on the 15th for committees and for the Peace Testimony, is this too much agenda?
• Friends decided to use the First Sunday time for orientation of committees. On October 1st the three standing committees will meet as whole group in Meeting House and then we will break into the three committees to do brief orientation and take up business of the committees from 9:00AM to 10:20.
   
• Nominating Committee:
  • Will take all those who have not selected a committee and assign them to a committee based on the members individual gifts and interests. This work will be completed before October 1st. Still in search for an Assistant Clerk for MM. Laurie Worth has agreed to serve as Recording Clerk. Nominating Committee is asking how to proceed with replenishing its own members. Nominating should replenish without a naming committee. Members should consider whether or not their gifts would best serve on this committee. In this new era we should proceed with humility and gratitude for the gifts from God that enable each of us to carry out the Meeting’s work. And with recognition that in the past the corporate wisdom was the place for naming and calling out gifts. From time to time clerks of any of the committees should feel free to approach the other committee clerks for help in finding new members.
     
• We are still looking for a Newsletter person. Tom Haviland has agreed to help with the technical end only. Still in search of a content editorial person.
• Worship and Ministry reported on starting off teaching of children and folding into work of and ministry of the meeting. W&M has started this project and will continue through the first three months, including the Advent Garden.
• By the first Sunday, Committee Meetings will have a draft of the Meeting Handbook to share with all members, so that we can have a big picture of how the meeting works. It is Hoped that next Monthly Meeting we can spend a few minutes looking into the question, what do we as adults need to be fed spiritually?
• In order that we can begin our committee work together we will have our kick off to October 8th and have the business meeting on the 15th.
• Marriage of Britt Suttell and Whitney Hoffman. The Marriage was held with all solemnity and powerful ministry. The spirit was very present. Joy was palpable. The flowers in the Meeting House are all from the wedding.
  
• CQM : Report from CQM July 23, 2006. Met at Concord MM. The business mostly focused on the minute from Lancaster MM on Iraq War. Retired to Mary Clendenin’s home for tubing on the Brandywine. Around 40 folks present at meeting and 50 for tubing. The next CQM will be held 10/23/2006 at Goshen MM. Someone from FCNL is coming to speak. Peter is looking for someone else to go in his stead to Quarterly Meeting. Beth Lawn, our staff person has grown in a wonderful Quakerly way into her role. Rebecca and Mitch will take Peter’s place in Ocotober.
• Report from the Treasurer was made in letter form as Branin could not be present. Any questions, call Branin or hold for next month.

New Business:

• Space in the Meeting House Basement. The Day Care wants to claim the whole closet? The Board members will meet with the new Director and discuss space needs of both the meeting and the day care. The Meeting should have the use of one of the closets without encumbrance. Tom Haviland will meet with the new Director.
• Lucille Koenig is wondering about the role of the Library within the new Meeting Structure. What is the function of the Library? Can we take this up? Is this the work of which committee? Worship and Ministry? Lucille wants to be a part of the new energy.
• Peter brings greetings from Max Yeh and Tom Kasemeyer

After a period of silent worship, the Meeting adjourned until rightly ordered to meet again.

Respectfully submitted,

Margaret Haviland
Recording Clerk