JOURNAL TRANSCRIPT

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Newsletter of New Garden Friends Meeting November 28, 2018

Next Carry-In Meal and Monthly Meeting for Business is Sunday, December 2, 2018

Christmas Honor Cards

Meetings

The sale of the Christmas Honor Cards in support of local non-profits will take place each First Day, through Sunday December 9 (the day of the Alternative Christmas Event). At the rise of meeting, please find us at a table in the entryway by the kitchen We hope to expand our outreach in two ways this year: we'll offer more days of the sale of the cards (for those of you who actually do get your holiday cards sent early), as well as expanding our group of non-profits who will benefit. Call Cathy Hamilton for more information: 336-601-0304 or email: ([email protected]).

Wednesday: November 28 11 a.m. Healing Prayer Group / Friends Home 6 p.m. Choir Rehearsal / Choir Room 6 p.m. High School Young Friends / YF space 7 p.m. Mindfulness Meditation / Meeting Room Sunday: December 2 5 p.m. Young Friends Sunday Night Supper / FH Tuesday: December 4 4 p.m. Ukestra / Brotherhood Room

Birthdays

Alternative Christmas plans

November 28 Janet Mackenzie Leisa Slensby November 29 Ruth Maynard Lillian McCabe November 30 Barbara Leland Robert Mowry

Eat, Chat, and Shop: December 9, from 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. We invite refugees and non-profits to display their valuable work and offer us ways to give to friends and family by buying gifts and honor cards. This then helps refugees support themselves and organizations to help others. Lunch and treats will also be available for purchase. Those participating include, Taste The World Turkish Crafts Ten Thousand Villages Urban Ministry Nana’s Treats Renaissance Cooperative Biz Kids Juana’s Items Gate City Quilt Guild AFSC Quaker House Ecuadorian Crafts

December Events !

The New Garden Friend

December: 2 Carry in Meal / Monthly Meeting at rise of meeting 8 Simple Christmas 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 9 Alternative Christmas 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 10 Cookie Bake 7 p.m. 16 Caroling 4:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. 21 Winter Solstice 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 24 Christmas Eve Service (music at ) 6:30 p.m.

Published weekly by New Garden Friends Meeting 801 New Garden Road Greensboro, N.C. 27410 Phone 336-292-5487 Email [email protected] Website www.ngfm.org

Deadlines

To be considered for publication in the next newsletter, items must be received by noon Monday. Please include your name, phone number and email address. Items for the New Garden Sunday bulletin must be received by noon on Thursday. Question? Call Sharon Burton, 336-292-5487.

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Join us - in the Spirit of Giving

From Charlie White, F&S Clerk

Please join us ... fill a box with non-perishable food items according to this list and bring your box to the Christmas Eve Candlelight Meeting for Worship. 1 - box of cereal 13 - canned beans 2 - peanut butter 14 - box of crackers 3 - stuffing mix 15 - package of rice 4 - boxed potatoes 16 - package of oatmeal 5 - macaroni & cheese 17 - package of pasta 6 - canned fruit 18 - spaghetti sauce 7 - canned tomatoes 19 - chicken noodle soup 8 - canned tuna 20 - tomato soup 9 - dessert mix 21 - can of green beans 10 - jar of applesauce 22 - can of mixed vegetables 11 - canned sweet potatoes 23 - can of carrots 12 - cranberry sauce 24 - can of green beans

This Sunday at Monthly Meeting for Business, I will ask for approval of next year’s budget. I thought it might be useful to share a bit about the Meeting’s finances in preparation for this approval. Our annual budget for general expenditures is approximately $350,000. In addition we spend about $7,500 for college scholarships and we have spent several thousands of dollars on major repairs and special grants over the past year. Our income comes from several sources. Contributions amount to two-thirds of this or about $215,000. We receive almost $75,000 from a bequest each year (20% of our budget) and draw on our investment income for an additional $45,000, or nearly 15% of the budget. We do receive a small amount from building rental and other miscellaneous sources. Our expenses are divided into labor (a little over 50% or $185,000), outreach through other Quaker organizations and our Social Concerns committee (15% or $52,000), facilities and utilities (16% or $55,000), Office (10% or $36,000) and about $18,000 for RE programming and miscellaneous expenses. If you have questions or concerns about our budget, please bring them to Monthly Meeting this week. Charlie White, Clerk of Finance and Stewardship

Brotherhood Class Plans The Brotherhood Class is made up of men and women of New Garden Meeting who are interested in Bible study. Anyone can be a part of this class, and we invite you to come and see if you are interested. In December, the Brotherhood Class is starting a new unit on the gospel of Luke. I find that spending three months on one book of the Bible is rewarding, because it allows time to look closely at the text, and to reflect on the context of the that text in the larger writings of which it is a part. We discuss the text, and share our questions and reactions. There are tensions and complexity in these texts, reflecting and illuminating doubt and faith, the great problems we face in the modern world, and different perspectives on our hope for the future. We just finished a similar three month session on the book of Genesis, and just speaking from my own experience, I found that although I had a fragmentary knowledge of much of this book, it meant a lot to me to put it all together and to see the sweep and scale of this text. We became aware of repeating motifs that give cohesion to this book, and which reflect concerns and needs of the community within which these writings arose. There is again tension and complexity in the book, and we discuss these, drawing both on historical interpretations by Fox and Fell, Woolman and contemporary Quaker authors, as well as on contemporary scholarship. We hope you can join us. Each class can be appreciated on its own, so you may attend as you are able. We sing hymns for the first 15 minutes, and then move to the unit to be discussed for the day. --John Kepchar

A&T Play Saturday, December 1 The Friendship Community Partnership is organizing a group to attend the comedy “Dot” which is about a family whose mother has Alzheimer’s. The play will be presented at the A&T State University Theatre on Saturday, December 1 at 3 p.m. If we get 10 or more folks to go, prices will be under $10. We want to attend the matinee at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Please call CH Holcombe ASAP to sign up (336-288-7555).

Save the Date

Quaker House wants you to save this date: Saturday, September 21, 2019 We are working on exciting projects that will capture and share our unique history of peace advocacy and of our work towards healing the hidden wounds of war over the last half-century. These projects will culminate in a presentation, lunch banquet, and special visitors from our past coming together in Fayetteville. Won’t you plan on joining us? Please let Sara or Charlie White know if you plan to attend this landmark event. We want to have all our friends there. [email protected].

Upcoming Safer Schools Forum

A Safer Schools Forum will take place on Thursday, November 29, from 4-6 p.m. at Koury Convention Center, Four Seasons, 3121 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro.

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DRAFT MINUTES New Garden Friends Meeting - Monthly Meeting for Business November 4, 2018 1. Opening Minute – Tim Lindeman welcomed Friends to the Monthly Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. He opened the meeting with a reading from Saint Francis de Sales, Catholic Bishop of Geneva (1567-1622). A period of silence followed.

In response to a question, Sara White did not know whether a Lunch and Learn is scheduled for November. 4. Finance and Stewardship Committee – Charlie White made the following report for the Finance and Stewardship Committee. We continue to be below budget for contribution income. While I expect contributions to increase over the next two months, we are still about $25,000 short of budget. Expenses are also under budget, by about $10,000. We have received 44 pledges for next year so far with a total of almost $75,000. Last year at this time we had received 64 with a total of almost $118,000. We have begun preparing next year’s budget. I met with the Personnel Committee. They support an across-the-board increase of 2% with a couple of exceptions; no increase for Young Friends Leaders and Coordinator who just began those jobs and childcare to increase form $8.00 to $10.00 per hour. Many committees have submitted their requests, though we have not heard from some of the committees with smaller budgets. Several were able to make reductions in their requests. We are striving to have a budget with no overall increase ready to present at the December Meeting for Business. Tim Lindeman encouraged Friends to turn in pledges if they are so led as this does assist the Finance and Stewardship Committee in planning next year’s budget.

2. Approval of Minutes – The minutes from October 7, 2018, were approved. 3. Social Concerns Committee – Sara White reported recent activity of the Social Concerns Committee. Social Concerns allocated the following at their last meeting: Every Campus a Refuge (family support) $500 Reading Connections, Inc. (job/civic instruction materials) $600 Elon Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic (assist asylum client family) – $618 FaithAction (legal support for refugees) - $500 A request was received for Hunter Elementary School but more information was needed before a grant could be made. Proposed budget for 2019 was: AFSC $4,500 FCNL $4,500 Urban Ministry $2,900 Right Sharing of World Resources $1,000 FaithAction $1,800 Interactive Resource Center $2,000 NC Interfaith Power & Light $1,000 New Garden Friends School $3,000 (reduced by $900 from last year) United Negro College Fund $ 500 Broader Concerns $4,500 (reduced by $100 from last year) Overall, the Social Concerns recommended budget for 2019 is $25,700. The Committee is planning Alternative Christmas for December 9th. Cindy Knul is organizing this effort. The participants were listed in the bulletin for November 4th. Other participants are welcomed. The Committee reviewed the survey completed in 2017. They noted that we are weak in the areas of simplicity and integrity and they are looking for ways to remedy this. The committee also suggested that the Meeting look at Green investing and living with less reliance on fossil fuels. We have been asked by Church World Service to sponsor a refugee family in January. Cindy Knul is working on this. Training for this would be done in December with the family arriving in January. The Social Concerns Committee has agreed to take a family. In reference to the question about Green investing, Jennifer Schaal said our investments are with Friends Fiduciary and this organization vets its investments very well.

5. Nominating Committee – Alan Spiewak reported for the Nominating Committee. He announced that Mary Luckhaus is to succeed Bob Mers as clerk of the Quaker Relations Committee. Bob Mers had continued to serve while the Nominating Committee sought someone to serve as clerk beginning this year. This nomination was approved. Alan Spiewak said the Nominating Committee is continuing to look for someone to represent Quaker House. 6. Quaker Relations – Bob Mers reported for the Quaker Relations Committee which last met on October 29th. Piedmont Friends Fellowship (PFF) Representative Body met at Friendship Friends Meeting on November 3rd. Bill Moore from Raleigh Friends Meeting reported to that group that the PFF/PFYM website on the Quaker Cloud should soon have all of its contents. The Piedmont Friends Fellowship Fall Retreat was held September 7-9 at Seven Springs Lodge and Retreat Center. It was decided to have the Fall Retreat again in September 2019. Jeff Brown, clerk, will consult with Gary Hornsby about possible dates. Lauri Langham of Durham Meeting will be the NCYM-C representative to Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW). NCYM-C would like to host the Spring 2020 QEW annual meeting in North Carolina. Twentyone young Quakers are suing the Federal Government for lack of action on climate change. The Spring Retreat will

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be held Easter weekend – April 19-21, 2019 – at Carolina Friends School. The theme is the 50th anniversary of Quaker House and the 51st anniverary of PFF. The main program will be a panel discussion with former Quaker House Directors and Board members. North Carolina Fellowship of Friends (NCFF) is to meet on November 10th at Springfield Friends Meeting. Committees will meet at 10 a.m. followed by a bring-your-own bag lunch at noon, and then worship and meeting for business at 1 p.m. Piedmont Friends Yearly Meeting will meet November 10th at New Garden Friends Meeting. The Quaker Relations Committee agreed to support Lizzie Biddle’s attendance at the annual meeting of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). This will require $495 from the Blaylock Fund. For clarity, Bob Mers explained that New Garden Meeting does not have an official representative to FCNL. Dorothy Mason serves as our contact person to FCNL. Friends General Conference’s (FGC) annual gathering will be June 30-July 6, 2019 at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. Quaker Relations’ propose budget for next year is as follows: NCFF $12,600; PFF $600; FGC $3,500; Earlham School of Religion (ESR) $300; Friends Center at Guilford College $2,850; Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) $400; New Garden Friends School $200; Friends Journal $200; Quaker House $6,000; NC Friends Historical Society $50 for a total of $26,700. This is a reduction of 3% or $400. The next meeting of the Quaker Relations Committee is November 26, 3:30 p.m.

answer that it is 4% of a million or a million plus. Charlie White spoke about the Sampson Fund which is a 20-year promissory note begun about 11 years ago. We have received about $300,00 at this point and have now began to receive the principal. We will no longer receive this money after 2028. We have been able to use money from the Maintenance Fund to repair our downstairs and refurbish the parsonage. John Farmer commented that the meeting had been doing well in terms of finances yet we struggle each year to make our budget. Cheryl Hopkins thought the Meeting should be educated regarding this discussion. Tim Lindeman asked that the Investments Committee return with more clarity. There was a QuakerSpeak video recently on Friends Fiduciary. Jon Watts, a Guilford graduate, produces these videos. 8. Religious Education – Carolyn Vallejos reported for the Religious Education Committee. Family Camp was a success with over 70 attending. The UNICEF Bake Sale/Intergenerational netted $97 and then we will have what is collected in the UNICEF boxes also to contribute. Schedule for forums and events is as follows: November 11 – Intergenerational; November 18 – Health Screenings with Karen Kane; December 8 – Simple Christmas; December 9 – Alternative Christmas/Intergenerational Forum. 9. Ministry and Counsel – Jo Poole reported from the Meeting on Ministry and Counsel. Regarding the New Ideas Working Group, she said that Charlie Cameron and Molly Haile will be preparing a brief history of the Visioning/New Ideas process for the newsletter. Ministry and Counsel seeks ways to continue that dialogue, in concert with members of the Long Range Planning Committee. Ministry and Counsel is continuing its ongoing project begun last year to reach out to all members and attenders at New Garden. Jo Poole read a memorial minute for Mary Cornelia Knight Harman prepared by Kay Judge. This was approved. Jo Poole reported that Tim Lindeman will be discussing with the House Committee the need to develop a comprehensive security plan for New Garden Friends Meeting.

7. Investments – John Farmer and Dorothy Mason made the following report: John Farmer and Dorothy Mason reported for the Investment Committee. John summarized his review of Friends Fiduciary, our Investment Advisor, as a highly skilled group with deep ethical moorings. John said that the return on the Meeting’s long-term assets over the last three years have averaged 11.45%. John pointed out that since the Meeting takes out only 4 percent per year, that the Meeting had accumulated a significant surplus related to our investments – approximately $150,000. John thought that this surplus should play a role in the Meeting’s financial planning. Dorothy Mason reported on the value of the planned giving program offered by Friends Fiduciary. She said that she was personally interested in this program (as is John), and she hoped that a representative of Friends Fiduciary would come to New Garden sometime in 2019. John and Dorothy would welcome additional members on the Committee. Some discussion ensued following John and Dorothy’s report. Charlie White said that more than half of the meeting’s surplus money is in the Maintenance Fund and the Sampson Fund and both funds have restrictions for use. Cheryl Hopkins asked how much was the 4%; John Farmer

10. Winter Solstice Celebration – Margaret Webb said that Donna Allred is clerking the group working on the Winter Solstice Celebration. 11. Traveling Minute – Tim Lindeman read a traveling minute for John Farmer as he travels to Washington, DC, working for sanctuary concerns. This was approved. 12. Pastor’s Report – Margaret Webb presented the following report.

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Pastor’s Report Monthly Meeting November 4, 2018

and salad and Gertrude Beal provided cupcakes!) and then we had a lengthy time for questions and answers and then a lesson on Quaker business practices. Continuing Education/Spiritual Development: I was unable to meet with my spiritual director this month since she is on medical leave. I will be able to begin meeting with her again in early 2019. I am still in prayerful discernment around the Doctor of Ministry program at Duke Divinity. The worship plan for November is: 4: Bill Rogers brings the message (Homecoming) 11: Outreach as A Quaker (John 4:1-30) 18: Gratitude and Wholeness (Ephesians 5:18-20) 25: How Do We Pray? (The Lord’s Prayer by Parker Palmer)

Pastoral Care: Since my last report to the Monthly Meeting I have made approximately 12 pastoral visits. Along with making visits, I checked in regularly by phone, text or email with those who needed support but who did not need to be visited. My visits were a combination of home visits and scheduled or drop in office visits. Worship Preparation and Leadership: Worship planning was somewhat unusual this past month, because we had a 5th Sunday in September and the first Sunday of October I led an informal worship service at Family Camp and worship here at New Garden was again ‘lightly programmed.’ The Sunday after that Carolyn Vallejos brought the message during worship on October 14th. I brought the message on 10/21 on simplicity and giving. I had planned to bring a message on prayer on 10/28 but instead (at the very last minute) brought a message about mass shootings and our current cultural climate of hate. I continue to work closely with our music staff to make sure that music matches the theme and topic of worship as closely as is possible. Work with Other Staff: We met for a staff meeting on 10/22. Karin and I are working on Christmas programming. I have worked with personnel committee on the staff evaluation process and I was present for the RE evaluation for Karin Heller. I will be meeting with Sharon Burton soon to complete her evaluation. Wider Community Outreach: I attended the second Interfaith Council meeting at Guilford College on 10/3. I had a lovely conversation by phone with Phil Blasely who teaches at Earlham School of Religion, he wanted to know more about the intergenerational programming at New Garden Friends Meeting and how we welcome children during worship. He has invited Karin Heller and me to bring the keynote address and lead the workshops for the pastor’s conference at ESR in 2019. I met with my covenant group of local Quaker pastors on 10/29 and I attended the community rally held at Temple Emanuel on 10/30. In addition, I met with Wess Daniel’s Intro to Quakerism class on 11/1 and talked with them about worship at New Garden and my role as the pastoral minister. Committee Work/Other Work: I attended the Religious Education Committee meeting on 10/14 and also the Young Friends Committee meeting on 10/21. I attended the personnel committee meeting on 10/24 and I attended a specially called RE meeting on 10/28. I helped Karin plan and facilitate Family Camp on 10/5-7. In addition, Karin and I did all of the food planning and preparation for Family Camp. Family Camp was well attended and went very smoothly this year. It was lovely to have so many young friends and children with us this year! I helped plan and lead our first Seekers Supper on 10/18 with 10 persons attending. It was a lovely evening. We shared dinner (Karin and I made lasagna and garlic bread

13. Concern brought forward – Jennifer Schaal brought forward a concern which had come to her attention. There have been some Friends who have expressed frustration with how New Garden Friends Meeting functions. They claim they have trouble figuring out the “hierarchy.” These persons feel that they do not have any power and are not asked to lead activities. They feel that they are not part of the “inner circle.” She suggested to these persons that they speak to those on the Meeting for Ministry and Counsel as that body is responsible for concerns of a spiritual nature. Because the Monthly Meeting is responsible for any other concerns, Jennifer decided to bring the concern here. She is concerned that Friends may feel frustration and then leave. She asked how we as a body can be more open and allow all to express themselves. When asked for a specific example, Jennifer said that people present ideas but then feel shut down. The paths to participation seem complex to these persons. Joyce Mers questioned how those appointed to the Meeting for Ministry and Counsel are selected. It was clarified that the Nominating Committee appoints persons to the Meeting for Ministry and Counsel. Friends are invited every year to reach out to Nominating Committee members and identify personal areas of interest. Then, it is up to the Nominating Committee to identify a Friend’s gifts and talents to fill the committee roster. This is from our handbook about how the Meeting on Ministry and Counsel works: “The Meeting on Ministry and Counsel is composed of 12 individuals nominated by the Nominating Committee and approved by Monthly Meeting. The Nominating Committee should assure that nominees represent a diversity of age, gender and New Garden experience. These appointees serve for a three-year period with four rotating off each year according to length of service. The clerk, assistant clerk and recording clerk are selected for each following year by the outgoing members.” Jennifer Schaal said she wanted to make us aware of this concern and hopes that it will be discussed again. Cathie Holcombe suggested that we use both first and last names when referring to someone at Monthly Meeting. That way any one new to our Meeting could know the person’s name and the committee they represent. Charlie

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Cameron said that the New Ideas Committee will be working with this concern. He suggested that this committee could be a place which receives ideas and thoughts and that the Meeting on Ministry and Counsel can also be a conduit for finding appropriate groups or persons to carry forward any ideas presented. Mary Luckhaus suggested placing the committee list on the bulletin board. Sara White noted that Monthly Meeting for Business is poorly attended and this is a place where concerns may be brought. Dorothy Mason reminded Friends that all committee meetings are open meetings and persons could go to a committee with a concern. [The exception to this is the Meeting for Ministry and Counsel where Friends may meet with the Meeting by a request and then invitation to attend and present a particular concern.] Tim Lindeman suggested that individuals have some responsibility to come forward. 14. Vital Statistics – Stephen Coleman Lassiter and Sarah Aida Gonzales were married on October 21, 2018, in Los Gatos, California. Stephen is the younger son of Nancy and Tom Lassiter. 15. Closing – The meeting closed with a moment of silence to reconvene December 2nd. Gertrude Beal Assistant Recording Clerk

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