Minutes: Witness Coordinating Committee, 2015-11-15

New York Yearly Meeting

Minutes, Witness Coordinating Committee

Present:  Jens Braun, Patricia Chernoff, Tim Connolly, Steven Davison, Frederick Dettmer, Mary Eagleson (Clerk), Julie M. Finch, Elizabeth Gordon, Naomi Paz Greenberg, Robert Kazmayer (Sunfire, Recording clerk), Diane Keefe, Jill McLellan, Judy Meikle, Enoch Nixon, Andy von Salis, Ellen Sleeter, Helen Garay Toppins, Susan Weisfield, Susan Wolf, Pamela Wood.

11/15/2014

2014-11-01. Meeting opened with silent worship.

2014-11-02. Fred Dettmer presented the report from the Sharing Fund Financial Subcommittee (attached).  All recommendations were approved.

2014-11-03. Naomi Pas Greenburg was appointed as our representative to Steering Committee on Meetings for Discernment

2014-11-04. Mary Eagleson will look at whether there is a member of Session Committee who might serve as liaison to Witness Coordinating Committee.

2014-11-05. Sunfire spoke of the need for liaison with committees on content for the website.  Steve Davison gave a more amplified report – on the social witness pages – which includes pages where content has not yet been developed.  Mary summarized the request that there be a decision on who will give this support. Susan Wolf and Judy Meikle offered to serve as an editorial review committee for Steve and Sunfire until January, when this arrangement will be reviewed.  Sue Weisfeld will Naomi Paz Greenberg will serve as a backup if needed between January and Spring Sessions.

2014-11-06. Minutes approved up to this point

2014-11-07. There was a report on our sponsorship of the White Privilege Conference. WCC approves the NYYM becoming a sponsors in 2016.  WCC approves a $3,000 expenditure in addition to $1500 from Black Concerns.

2014-11-08. Friends approved our response to the New York State Council of Churches, to be given to Jeff Hitchcock – with addition of names to be turned given to Juy Meikle  

2014-11-09. The minute on solitary confinement will be laid over to Spring sessions to allow for further work on the text.

2014-11-10. Mary Eagleson strongly urged committee members present to submit budgets by early December and to write up advance reports in January of 2015 for each committee for the calendar year 2014.

2014-11-11. Mary noted that interim grants were approved by the Finance Subcommittee for a bus from Farminton-Scipio to come to the Climate March and from Powell House for youth to participate the the Climate March.  A thank-you document prepared by the Powell House Youth Directors was circulated among those present.

2014-11-12. The above minutes were approved.

WITNESS COORDINATING COMMITTEE

FINANCE SUB-COMMITTEE

September 24, 2014

Present: Mary Eagleson, Helen Garay Toppins, Sue Weisfeld, Fred Dettmer

The meeting opened with worship.

A. After careful discernment, the Subcommittee makes the following recommendations to Witness Coordinating Committee:

1. Funds from laid down and inactive committees will be transferred to the Witness Activities Fund after the committee has been inactive for one year.

2. The costs of the Sharing Fund appeal activities will be taken out of the Endowment income before allocation of funds to individual committees, etc.

3. A Sharing Fund line – “Witness to the World” – will be established for supporting outside organizations under the care of WCC.

4. The percentage of Sharing Fund monies allocated to the Witness Activities Fund will be increased so as to assure funds are available to support emerging leadings during the course of the year.

5. WCC will approve its Sharing Fund budget for a year at the Coordinating Committees Weekend gathering (normally in late January).  In order to meet this deadline, recipients of Sharing Fund monies need to submit their budget requests within two (2) weeks following Fall Sessions; and the Subcommittee will meet to consider the requests and propose a Sharing Fund budget before the Coordinating Committees Weekend.

6. Applications for grants from the Witness Activities Fund that need to be considered before the next meeting of WCC can be considered and approved by the Finance Subcommittee.

B. The Subcommittee will meet Sunday, December 7^th at Scarsdale Meeting following meeting for worship.

[The minutes were approved.]

Mary Eagleson Frederick Dettmer

WCC Clerk Recording