Minutes of Meeting for Worship for Business

1 February 2004

Present: Carol Leigh Wehking (co-clerk), Dawn Lepard, Andy Muller, Dick Preston, Christina Edwards, Jean Johnson, Helen Brink, Rick McCutcheon, Luc Peters, Harriet Woodside, Beverly Shepard, Susan Wortman (recording clerk)

Regrets: Mona Callin, Rex Barger, Helen Paulin

1. Meeting opened with open worship.
2. The minutes of January 8, 2004 were read and accepted with some spelling corrections.
3. Matters Arising
   1. Caucus of clerks of committees -- laid over
   2. Request for chaplaincy (Ian)
      We ask M&C to establish a clearness committee in collaboration with Ian, to explore his desire to follow his call to the ministry of chaplaincy.
   3. Information and contact sheet for Meeting House users (Bev)
      Bev and Carol Leigh will work together to recreate this form if necessary, and make a file to keep blank and completed forms, and to make Meeting aware of this process
   4. Donations Policy (Carol Leigh)
      A concern was raised about how donations are to be made to the library. Specifically, some Friends would like books they are considering donating, returned to them, if they are not accepted by the library. We ask the Library Committee to consider this further, and bring a recommendation to a future M4W4B.
4. Reports
   1. Treasurer - Budget for 2004 (Andy)
      Two budgets for 2004 were presented. Alt. A proposed a deficit of nearly $5,000; Alt B proposed a deficit of nearly $1,500. (nb the budget also includes 2004 Final, the budget on which we came to unity, including the following changes)

      We are in unity in accepting Alt B, with the following suggestions:

      a) as Peace Research Institute-Dundas is in the process of changing form, that the $500 budgeted on this line is reallocated to the Canadian Yearly Meeting donation, to bring it up to $5,000 (still $1,000 less than last year's amount)

      b) that the general donations budget line is increased by the amount needed to make the budget balance (approximately $1,500)

      c) that the activities of Canadian Yearly Meeting, Canadian Friends Service Committee and Hamilton Monthly Meeting be more fully articulated to our Meeting, along with the financial outlays they require, in order to stimulate a desire to support these activities financially

      d) that our general donations be monitored over the year, in order that donations may be encouraged, and that if adequate funds are secured, our donations to CYM and CFSC could be increased. We suggest that this be brought to the October M4W4B.

      e) that Conscience Canada be added to the list of charities that Peace and Social Action Committee supports, as a Meeting concern.

   2. Peace and Social Action Committee - recommendations re the DFAIT Ottawa initiative
      The next delegation to Ottawa Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) is intended to be in March. The members of the delegation are currently being determined by PSAC. We suggest that PSAC include consideration of Ray Cunnington and Emily Shepard among others. We will be responding to a government document entitled "The Responsibility to Protect", specifically the section on the responsibility to prevent crises of human suffering.
   3. Trustee's Account Report (Helen B)
      We accepted the HMM Trustee's Account Report, 2003 with thanks to Betty Preston, Trustee.
5. New Business
   1. Peace Centre/Peace Walk (Bev)
      We ask PSAC to consider the St. Laurence Regional Gathering's proposal, supported by CFSC, concerning the War/Peace Museum and the reinstatement of the Mother's Day Walk in Hamilton (see the January HMM newsletter, item An Extended Peace Presence for Canada - Bev Shepard), and to report back to M4W4B.
   2. Use of the Meeting House (Luc)
      We are happy to hear about the proposal for the use of the Meeting House for a Young Friends Retreat to be held on April 16-18. We approve this proposal, pending hearing details of the numbers, the activities and the names of the Friendly Adult Presences by the March M4W4B. Ian was asked, and accepted, to be the contact for the Young Friends Retreat.
   3. Loan Repayment (Dick)
      Dick would like Meeting to be made aware that the loan to Raj Ramanathapillai has been fully repaid.
6. Correspondence
   1. KAIROS (Harriet)
      Next Sunday, February 8, after M4W, there will be a brown bag lunch meeting concerning KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives. There is also a written evaluation of issues related to Friends' membership in KAIROS, for those individuals who have an interest or involvement with KAIROS; these are available from Don.
7. The next M4W4B will be held on Thursday evening, March 4, at 7pm.
8. Meeting closed with open worship.