Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
Eleventh Month 4, 2023
Hosted by Louisville Friends
1. Opening Worship: The meeting opened with centering worship at 12:06 pm.
2. Introductions: The clerk reflected on Quaker practice as holding active hope in the face of evil, and cultivating the inward experience of the Divine, which can work through us. He reminded us that the miracle worker is still active, real and not theoretical. The clerk invited Friends to introduce themselves. Carol Wicker, and Diann Herzog from Fall Creek were in attendance. Dinah Duvall brings greetings from 15th St. meeting in New York City.
3. Roll Call: The Recording Clerk reviewed the roll of Yearly Meeting officers and administrators, Committee Clerks, Quarterly and Monthly Meeting Representatives, and Yearly Meeting staff.
Yearly Meeting officers:
Presiding Clerk: Barry Zalph
Assistant Presiding Clerk: Rachel Ernst Stahlhut
Recording Clerk: Cecilia Shore
Assistant Recording Clerk: Lisa Cayard
Treasurer: Wilson Palmer
Assistant Treasurer: Cathy Habschmidt
Committee Clerks:
Budget & Finance: David Garman
Children’s Committee: Susan Hyde
Earthcare: David Duvall
Nominating: absent
Personnel: Dinah Duvall
Religious Nurture & Education: Rex Sprouse
Yearly Meeting Planning: Ben Griffith, Martha Viehmann
Youth Services: David Hyde
Ad hoc Restructuring Committee: Christine Carver
Quarterly Meeting Clerks:
Miami: Nikki Coffey Tousely
Whitewater: Christine Carver
Monthly Meeting representatives:
Bloomington: Rex Sprouse
Campus: absent
Clear Creek: Cathy Habschmidt
Community: Eric Wolff and Lisa Cayard
Dayton: Nikki Coffey Tousley
Eastern Hills: Wilson Palmer
Fall Creek: Daniel Day
Fort Wayne: Mary Anna Feitler
Lafayette: absent
Lexington: Ben Griffith
Louisville: Laurene Scalf
Miami: absent
North Meadow: Dinah Duvall
Oxford: Cecilia Shore
White Rose: absent
Yellow Springs: Carol Simmons
Yearly Meeting staff:
Administrative Assistant: absent
Youth Secretary: Adam Funck
Administrators:
Statistician: absent
Website Administrator: Daniel Day
Records Coordinator: Susan Hyde
Quaker Quill Editor: Cecilia Shore
Publications Coordinator: absent
Registrar: Eric Wolff
4. Miami Quarterly Meeting report—Nikki Coffey Tousley reported that she will serve as clerk, Wilson Palmer as Treasurer, and Deborah Jordan as Recording clerk. The quarter agreed to close its Benevolent Fund and transfer the funds to the Yearly meeting Benevolent Fund. They heard a report from Spring Grove trustees that about $1300 of the $2700 needed to engineer plots has been raised. Friends accepted the report.
5. Whitewater Quarterly Meeting report—Christine Carver. Fifteen Friends met in October. They heard a report from the Ad hoc Restructuring Committee. She suggested that monthly meetings appoint Friends to keep their information on the OVYM website current by sending updates to Susan Lee Barton or Daniel Day. Whitewater Friends agreed to host a joint quarterly meeting next fall, possibly to try out some of the ideas from Restructuring committee. Friends accepted the report.
6. Youth Secretary’s report—Adam Funck. The OVYM youth (from Dayton and Yellow Springs) went to Young’s Jersey Dairy in September. They enjoyed ice cream, visiting with the goats and beating the adults at putt-putt golf. They rejoiced in their fellowship. Friends accepted this report.
7. Ad hoc Restructuring Committee report—Christine Carver. The committee has outlined the functions of Quarterly Meetings and possible reassignments of those. The committee does not make the assumption that quarterly meetings will be laid down. There are complications, e.g., ownership of property. They have met with both Quarters. There is a sense of general openness to a revision or laying down of the current structures, especially in terms of reducing the business aspects of Quarterly meetings. Both Quarters recognize a strong need for fellowship across meetings and see the benefits of a system of bringing other meetings to the different constituent meetings. Martha Viehmann added a suggestion that state of the society reports could be posted at annual sessions. She notes that the yearly meeting presiding clerk is seen as a resource for troubled meetings and this function needs to be taken into consideration. Christine also raised the importance of bringing children and youth into quarterly meetings or inter-meeting settings. Friends accepted the report.
8. Request from FGC regarding 2025 Virtual Gathering—Barry Zalph. Friends General Conference (FGC) Long Range Conference Planning Committee is trying a new structure of having in-person Gatherings on even-numbered years, and virtual Gatherings in odd-numbered years. They have invited OVYM to serve as a co-host for the 2nd month 2025 Virtual Gathering of Friends. Several Friends expressed confusion over what would be involved. Some of our members have served as co-clerks of Gathering and found it rewarding. One Friend expressed the large amount of work that co-hosting such a gathering would involve. The clerk added that FGC will be seeking a number of volunteers, some of whom would be very busy during the week of Gathering, although co-hosts are not responsible for any of the technology aspects. His sense is that this effort would take away volunteer time from the important work we are doing in restructuring our yearly meeting, and reviving our youth program. He also points out that the Long-Range Planning Committee has not yet developed a template for the virtual gathering structure. A Friend reminded us that we currently do not have members on the FGC Central Committee, which suggests we are not ready to do this. The OVYM presiding clerk will reply to FGC that we are not prepared to co-host the 2025 Virtual Gathering. Friends remain open to the possibility of serving in such a role in a later year. Friends approved this decision.
9. Treasurer’s Report—Wilson Palmer. Please see the appended report.
10. Budget & Finance Committee report—David Garman. At the last Executive Committee, the Budget and Finance committee was charged with coming up with a simple process for requesting scholarships for annual sessions. They have a draft of a form to be distributed via the Quill and/or monthly meeting clerks that would include information about the assistance that is already available and would first be submitted to applicants’ monthly meeting and then submitted to the Clerk of Budget and Finance and the Treasurer. The amount of the request would be limited to $250 per person, at least for the initial offering, to be disbursed from the Benevolent fund. They are discussing the use of the Benevolent fund for additional purposes. Friends accepted the report.
11. Nominating Committee report—Rick Boyce. The committee brings forward the name of Carol Simmons as our representative to Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) until 2027, and also as our representative to the World Plenary meeting. Friends approved with gratitude.
12. Planning Committee report—Martha Viehmann and Ben Griffith. Annual sessions will return to Earlham College June 12-16, 2024, with the theme of “Joy”. One plenary speaker will be Rhetta Morgan. At the last Executive Committee meeting, Planning asked to be relieved of COVID planning and technical support for Zoom attendance. Friends approved relieving the committee of COVID policy planning and agreed to put this and teleconferencing at annual sessions on Executive Committee’s agenda for Second Month 2024.
13. Religious Nurture & Education (RNE) Committee report—Rex Sprouse. The clerk of every monthly meeting and each clerk of Ministry and Counsel should have received an invitation to participate in intervisitation. A spring retreat is scheduled for 3rd Month, 15-16 at Quaker Hill (Richmond, IN), with the theme of “Wellsprings of Hope”. There is the option to stay overnight at Quaker Hill. The speaker will be Stephanie Crumley-Effinger. At the last Executive Committee (EC) meeting, RNE was charged with discerning names of Friends to serve on a revitalized Adult Sexual Misconduct Task Force. They were unclear on whether RNE was to appoint the members, or to present names to EC, and whether the task force reports to RNE or directly to the yearly meeting. The clerk suggested that RNE will name the members and an initial convenor, and then the committee will select their own clerk. That group will report to EC or annual sessions. Friends approved this course of action.
14. Report on Fall Creek Meetinghouse—Diann Herzog. Diann Herzog testified to the power of the Spirit and to the hope and faith among Fall Creek Friends in making way for the return of the meetinghouse. She reviewed some of the history of the loss of their deed and the vision that carried the message: “That which is ordained by the Spirit will only be laid down by that Spirit.“ The meeting minutes its gratitude to the Yearly Meeting and Executive Committee for their support in helping reclaim the meetinghouse (appended below). The meeting has added a number of new attenders, and has applied for a grant to restore the meetinghouse. She requested that Friends hold that vision with them. The meeting will host a Friendsgiving Nov. 12 to celebrate. Friends received the report with delight.
15. No news from monthly meetings or announcements were brought forward.
16. The minutes were approved as read and corrected.
17. Closing Worship: The meeting closed with silent worship.
The next meeting will be held February 3, 2024, at noon. Hosts: North Meadow Circle of Friends (Indianapolis)
Minutes recorded by Cecilia Shore
Minute from Fall Creek Meeting
Fall Creek Meeting is grateful for the support of OVYM in helping us reclaim the deed to our Meetinghouse. We appreciate everyone in the yearly meeting who held our Meeting in the Light, made financial contributions, or offered us encouragement. We also appreciate the OVYM executive committee for their assistance. We are so glad to report that the Meetinghouse is ours once again!
