Tag: building use

January 2020 Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business

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Mohawk Valley Friends Meeting

Sunday, January 5th, 2020

Present: Isabelle Haines, clerk; Ami Corleto-Bales; Elisabeth Prenot; Mark Hemendiger; Mary Ellen Blakey; Liseli Haines; Buffy Curtis; and David Corleto-Bales, recording clerk.

The business meeting began with a gathered silence.

There was an acknowledgement of the original Haudenosaunee ownership of the land where the meeting house sits.

The minutes from the December 1st, 2019 business meeting were read and approved with some corrections.

The treasurer’s report prepared by Alex Haines-Stephan was done in absentia. The money owed to the Peaceweek account, (that was borrowed to pay for the annual Clinton High School peace scholarship) will be paid back after the meeting can cover the last month’s expenses. 

    a. Checking account, $352.97

    b. Savings account, $2,886.59

    c. Peaceweek, $3,265.89

    Expenses-

    a. NYSEG, $19.05

    b. Mirabito Propane for pre-pay, $100.00

    c. Yearly Meeting Covenant Donation, $800.00

    Donations-

    a. $638.41

     Outstanding annual expenses-

     a. Peace Prize, $500, (to be returned to the account).

Building and Grounds Report. Friends were told that the meeting house was used by the Oneida women one time in December, which was the only time the meeting house was used for an event other than Quaker-related.

First Day School Committee. The committee needs to meet. The meeting will be scheduled, but no date has been set yet. Friends were informed that First Day School has had programmed instruction on roughly three out of every four weeks in the last few months, which is up from approximately one week a month a year ago.

Vision Statement. The vision statements are still being worked on and measurable goals identified. Isabelle Haines read the vision statements to remind the meeting of what they were.

Advocacy Team. Friends were informed that the Authorization of Military Force specific for Iraq was not repealed, however, the vote was closer than in the past.

The New York Yearly Meeting asked for a description of our “state of the meeting” and sent us the following query to be discussed: “How has the life and spirit been fresh and visibly at work in your meeting in the last year?”  The meeting will discuss the query as worship sharing during the next potluck lunch, which was moved to the fourth Sunday of January, (January 26th) because some members of the meeting will be attending quarterly sessions on the third Sunday of the month, January 19th. 

Quarterly Meeting. Will be at the Poolville Community Center in Poolville on Sunday, January 19th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The agenda and schedule was e-mailed to the meeting.

Clergy Roundtable DIscussion on Anti-Semitism. Will be held at the Jewish Community Center in Utica on Tuesday, January 7th with Rep. Anthony Brindisi.

The next MVFM Business Meeting will be on Sunday, February 2nd.

 The meeting ended in a gathered silence.

Approved: February 2, 2020

December 2019 Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business

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December 1, 2019

Present: Isabelle Haines, clerk, Liseli Haines, Alexander Haines-Stephan, Ami Corleto-Bales, Mary Ellen Blakey, Mark Hemendiger, and David Corleto-Bales, recording clerk.

The business meeting began with a gathered silence.

There was an acknowledgement of the original Haudenosaunee ownership of the land where the meeting house sits.

The minutes from the Sunday, November 3rd business meeting were read and approved.

The treasurer’s report was given by Alexander Haines-Stephan. The breakdown of the meeting’s finances are as follows:

     a) Checking account, 633.62

  b) Savings account, 2785.99

     c) Peaceweek, 3,265.19

      Expenses:

     a) NYSEG, 28.67

     b) Mirabito Propane pre-pay, 100.00

     Donations: 320.00

The outstanding annual expenses for the rest of the year are as follows:

     a) Mirabito, 100.00

     b) NYSEG, 40.00

     c) Covenant Donation, 800.00

     d) Peace Prize, 500.00

           Total: $1,440. The $500 was borrowed from the Peaceweek account and was approved to be used for the annual Peace Prize only once.

           The treasurer presented the proposed 2020 budget which was for $4,400, and it was approved and will be attached. It has not yet been decided how much of the covenant donation the meeting will be able to contribute this year.

A building and grounds committee report was given by Mark Hemendiger. He reported that the meeting house was used four times in November, other than for meeting for worship.Three of the four times were not Quaker related, and one was.

An advocacy team report was submitted by Mary Ellen Blakey, and is as follows:

     “The Advocacy Team: Mary Ellen Blakey and J.B. Riffle from Mohawk Valley FriendsMeeting, and John Bailey and Sue McVaugh from Hamilton monthly Meeting. –  Four members of the Mohawk Valley Advocacy Team traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the FCNL’s (Friends Committee on National Legislation) Advocacy Team Summit and Public Policy Institute from November 13th through 15th. We met with an increasing number of advocacy team members, (100+) from across the country on Wednesday afternoon. New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand addressed the group and presented legislation recently introduced in the Senate to further specify conditions in the War Powers Act in light of the repeals of the 2001 and 2001 AUMF, (Authorization for Use of Military Force). The AUMFs gave the president the power to enter another country and use military force if deemed a “threat.”  This legislation has been invoked 30 times by three presidents in the past 18 years. We currently have [become involved] action in 17 countries.

     On Thursday, November 14th, the team met with Connor Jeffers, military affairs staffer, and Rep. Anthony Brindisi to thank him for his support of the repeal of the 2001 and 2002 AUMF. We asked him to contact other representatives on the House committee reviewing the NDAA–National Defense Authorization Act–to ensure that the 2002 Iraq AUMF remain attached to the bill. 

      On Friday we met with Senator Gillibrand’s staffer along with 39 other FCNL lobbyists from New York. Our team member Sue McVaugh was able to procure a copy of Gillibrand’s bill and we delivered it to Connor Jeffers. We were unable to meet with Sen. Schumer’s Washington staffer. 

       There were 400 Quakers lobbying Congress during the event.”

The Clearness Committee of November 21st for Ami Corleto-Bales recommended, with joy, that she be enrolled as a member of the meeting, and that her son, Samuel, be enrolled in the meeting as an associate member.

1.5.2019.1 Friends approved membership for Ami Corleto-Bales.

1.5.2019.2 Friends approved associate membership for Samuel Corleto-Bales. 

The Vision Statement Ad Hoc committee reported that they are making progress but are not ready to present anything at this time.

The Christmas potluck and carol singing will be Sunday, December 15th.

The next meeting for business was set for Sunday, January 5th, 2020.

     The meeting ended in a gathered silence.

Approved January 5, 2020