Testimonies and Concerns 2025 Annual Report:
T&C has been busy supporting our meeting information and action items as a response to the tumultuous times in which we find ourselves. The committee operated with no budget and the work of members: Mary Yancy, Beth Mufson, Loraine Claggett and Jonathan William in the beginning of the year and joined by Sheryl Southwick, Molly Brian, Steve Meixner, Thom Sinnott, James Altman and Ellen Shecter.
Our 2024 Giving Guide was updated and distributed at the 11th month 2024 Business Meeting to serve as a guide for those making contributions to nonprofits in keeping with our Quaker testimonies. T&C recommended that THFM dedicate $3,000 set aside in the budget for charitable contributions to the American Friends Service Committee to provide aid and food to the Palestine Refugees .
The year saw two long time projects laid down: the Talbot County Detention Center Library Project, after many, many years of T&C support and the Peace Vigil. The Detention Center Library project grew out of efforts begun by Kristin Hawkinson, before she moved to California, to offer GED training to those detained. The TCD Library was organized by Ralph Young to demonstrate TH’s interest in literacy and was supported by: Ralph and Mary Young, Jeannie Halprin, John and Heidi Schreiner, Molly Brian, Paige Tilghman, Beth Mufson, Beth Thompson, Stephanie French, Amy Kimball, Janet Kemp, and others with assistance from the Talbot County Free Library. The Detention Center informed us of their desire to manage the library, as an internal resource, and we bequeathed all 5,000 books and the software to them. The Peace Vigil was laid down with John Turner’s departure. We remain open to working with a representative should that be of interest to any of our TH community. Peace Vigils continue to be held on Thursdays at 5 pm in front of the Talbot County Court House and several members continue to participate when they are called, including Angus Ford, Mia Brown-Echerd and Jonathan Williams, who provided a poignant and thoughtful testimony on the Peace Vigil that will be attached to announcements.
Worship & Ministries called session, 2nd month, 23, 2025 Concerning the uncertainty in our community due to recently announced federal budget cuts and the overall political unrest, prompted a request to T&C to organize follow up so that Meeting could learn more from those service organizations impacted. T&C’s oversight for Outreach and Witness in the World, prompted the creation of “A Connection Plan for THFM Community”. The proposal was presented to 3rd month business meeting to provide guidance for actions by individual members and/or and Meeting as a whole. The plan identified five organizations in our community with whom we have had relationships that may be in the greatest need: Chesapeake Multi Cultural Resource Center; Neighborhood Service Center; Talbot Interfaith Shelter; Mid Shore Council on Family Violence; and Green Hands (as an environmental impact effort). T&C offered to host these organization for information sharing sessions in our Common Room at the rise of Meeting to provided thoughtful dialogue and suggestions for involvement. We formatted questions to learn more about the status of their organization and what we might contribute that would be useful. Our first session was held on May 18th with approximately 70 members from TH and the wider community on the topic of Immigration. We invited the Multicultural Center, the Immigration Task Force and James Altman, who spoke on the legal defining of the right for a fair trial. We learned the closing of the Snow Hill Detention Center, located in Snow Hill, Md, where many T&C members had donated volunteer hours, was closed, and now those detained by ICE in our area were being transported to a holding facility in Baltimore and then to detention facilities in other states, resulting in hardship. We outlined 2 initiatives for THFM as a result of this presentation:
- We were advised to send a letter of support to the Episcopal Diocese of Easton thanking them for their stand against President Trump's initiative to bring Afrikaner farmers into this country ahead of so many already waiting for asylum. The letter was drafted for consideration at 6th month Business Meeting, approved and sent.
- We agreed to host a letter writing campaign to express our concerns about the current immigration policy but, after further study, we were advised to call 5 Calls Civic Action, a phone application that provides access to elected officials on a list of current topics. Members made their calls independently.
We scheduled subsequent sessions in June and July with the Neighborhood Service Center; For All Seasons (in place of MidShore Council on Family Violence); and Talbot Interfaith Shelter. We worked on sharing information about these organizations and their resources requirements on a Google Doc platform but were not able to further this communication. NSC asked for help on Monday mornings to distribute food and support for their Fuel Fund which had been dramatically reduced. 4 all Seasons was looking for volunteers to assemble back to school backpacks. The TIS had regular contact form T&C members who volunteered by Sarah Sayre.
We also worked on offering a composting initiative from Green Hands to our TH community asking members to bring compost material in lidded containers to add to our compost collection so that we can begin to produce useable compost for the community garden projects of Green Hands. These efforts continue.
The input received from these organizations prompted our T&C member Beth Mufson to serve as chairman and rally us all for a Carriage Shed Sale on October 04 to raise funds for the NSC Fuel Program and the World Central Kitchen. Marion Murphy offered to serve as co-chair but moved to California to be closer to family and Mary Yancey stepped in to support. The sale was a big success in raising over $6,000 in funds and many useful donations were made to the TIS.
We thank Beth Mufson and Mary Yancy for their leadership We were approached in September by Robin Strickoff of the Immigration Task to work on a new project, Humanity for Immigration. The proposal was to work with groups in community to create an information sharing platform for topics on the status of immigrants and immigration policy in our community and to work on improving the path to citizenship nationally. We took this matter to 10th month business meeting to request agreement for Meeting to support T&C and the work on Humanity for Immigrants. T&C member, James Altman included a request from PYM to adopt an initiative to prepare our meeting: “What to do if ICE Shows Up at our Quaker Meeting”; a PYM initiative. Business meeting agreed that T&C should pursue both these interests. James identified Ramon Gras, ESQ. Immigration Attorney in Easton to meet with members from TH on November 04 and to report back to 11th month Business Meeting.
T&C and our Quaker community will benefit this coming year with a renewed interest in reorganizing the Talbot Alliance of Cleric and Laity (TACL) to support many on our Quaker led initiatives as allies with the wider community. The TACL participation is being provided by T&C members Molly Brian and Mary Yancey.
2025 Charitable Recommendation from the committee is $2500 to American Friends Service Committee and $500 to PYM Legal Fund. Updated 2025 Giving Guide will be attached to announcements.