Annual Report of the Committee of all clerks to the Third Haven Friends Meeting first month ninth day, 2008:

Present: Norval Thompson, Dee Rein, Cathy Thompson, Larny Claggett, John Hawkinson, Susan Claggett, Ann Williams, Frank Zeigler, Molly Burgoyne, Candace Shattuck, Nancy Mullen, Winslow Womack, Paige Bethke, Mark Beck, John Schreiner.

Clerk's Points:

Importance of timing: emphasis made to starting on time and sticking to agenda, its timeline, including a specific adjournment time.

Reaching out: Would like efforts made to reach out to new members, attenders and visitors. More greeters, more consistency with greeters, different faces on the facing bench. More participation in business meeting.

Would like to address, in due course in the coming year, same gender union once again and have efforts towards resolution, unity and atmosphere where all people express opinions and feel heard.

Quakerism 101: Would like to see this course offered again. It was well received and attended. It reached out to newer members and attenders. And, even some who attended missed some sessions and would like to fill in the blanks.

Involvement: Would like to involve members in multiple activities evn those who don't necessarily like meetings. First Day School show and tell to involve more members in those activities. Need brainstorming in committees on how to get people involved.

Afterthoughts: This was brought up as a concern. Some felt afterthoughts were distracting and not helpful. Suggestions made to have the people on the facing bench to instruct all present re: purpose of afterthoughts and purpose of joys and concerns. Clerks should restudy this issue during April meeting. This topic should be discussed by Worship and Ministry at their next meeting.

Committee overlap and redundancy: Sorting out of function and duties of the committees would be helpful for the clerk with a hard look this next year regarding possible combination of committees or changing of functions; or, in some instances, even forming subcommittees or break-out groups for specific issues eg. Burial policy reworking.

Meeting for business: Lack of participation is disturbing. Experimentation with different times, strategies such as shortening one worship session, having business meeting first, or doing it in the common room, &/or with food available (or even beverages in the Meeting houses) should be considered.

Committee Work:

PYM: Norval—This committee helps relay info to the Meeting re interim meeting and PYM functions in order to help monthly Meetings work better.

Overseers: Dee—Mission is to care for members of the Meeting. In charge of clearness committees, taking care of shut-ins, sending greetings to visitors, burials, weddings, answering machine and concerns of members. This is a tall order for one committee; perhaps sub-groups or focus groups might be useful.

Nominating: Paige—Committees are currently understaffed and overworked. Don't have breadth and depth they need. Aging population a problem. Looking into combining work would be helpful.

Scholarship: Mark—They meet for the first time next week. This committee is new and will do the important outreach of furthering Quaker values beyond our walls, supporting students and Quaker institutions as well.

Property and grounds: Larny—Try to keep up the good work. Consider project to plant the lower meadow. Get more people involved. Suggestion made to give people more time to select an activity to their liking with an early sign up sheet for spruce up day.

Hospitality: Cathy and Ann—Each committee will be given a month to do hospitality. Calendar is already filled out. Committee currently reaching out to invole younger members.

First Day School: Susan—25-30 kids on register (w/ 10-20 attending on a given 1st day). Need volunteers always. Currently have steady babysitter for business meeting.

Communications: John—Web site currently up to date. 4 years worth of newsletters and directory accessible. New directory being updated now. [a well crafted, current, complete, and colorful site; worthing of perusal by old time Friends and brand new attenders and visitors alike. Be sure to check out.

Library and outreach: Frank—space for new books and pamphlets have been made. Visitor envelopes currently updated amd were passed out.

Assistant clerk: Candace—currently picks up projects left behind such as the name tags and welcoming new people... as well as guiding and helping the new clerk.

Testamonies and concerns: Nancy—recent crisis due to lack of participation. Will meet again in Feb. revamping recommendations for charitable contributions. Will bring this to business meeting in the near future. Resolution on the Meeting's charitable giving.

Budget and finance: Winslow—extract funds, allocate funds, dispense funds. Treasurer's report will be given next week in business meeting. [individual giving records held confidential, yet Meeting giving patterns and trends are available for scrutiny by all.

Third Haven Friends Monthly Meeting is a member of Southern Quarterly Meeting of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends General Conference of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

Meetings for Worship: Sundays 10:00AM, Wednesdays 5:30PM

Childrens' program: 1st and 3rd Sundays 10:00AM

Meetings for Worship with Attention to Business: 2nd Sunday of the Month following Meeting for Worship (except for the months of July and August)

Contact: 405 S. Washington St., Easton, MD 21601; (410) 822-0293; 3rdhaven@gmail.com; Find Us on Facebook

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