Executive Committee of Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting
Eighth Month 29, 2020
Meeting via Zoom
1. Opening worship. Friends entered into waiting worship.
2. Roll call. The Recording Clerk called the roll of Yearly Meeting officers, Committee Clerks, Quarterly Clerks, Monthly Meeting representatives, Yearly Meeting staff, and Support Volunteers:
Yearly Meeting officers
Presiding Clerk: Martha Viehmann
Assistant Presiding Clerk: Rachel Ernst-Stahlhut
Recording Clerk: Rex Sprouse
Assistant Recording Clerk: Lisa Cayard
Treasurer: Wilson Palmer
Assistant Treasurer: (office vacant)
Committee Clerks
Auditing: not present
Braddock Fund: not present
Budget & Finance: not present
Children’s: not present
Development: Betsy Neale
Earthcare: not present
Faith & Practice: Rex Sprouse, Paul Buckley
Nominating: Rhonda Pfaltzgraff-Carlson
Peace & Social Concerns: (no Clerk)
Personnel: not present
Records: not present
Religious Nurture & Education: Nikki Coffey Tousley
Yearly Meeting Planning: (represented by Peter Hardy)
Young Adult Friends: not present
Youth Services: Jason Swank
Quarterly Meeting Clerks
Miami: Peter Hardy
Whitewater: Terre Holada
Monthly Meeting representatives
Bloomington: Marcia Ankrom
Campus: not present
Clear Creek: Cathy Habschmidt
Community: Eric Wolff, Deborah Jordan
Dayton: Nikki Coffey Tousley
Eastern Hills: Wilson Palmer
Fall Creek: not present
Fort Wayne: Terre Holada
Lafayette: not present
Lexington: Richard Mitchell
Louisville: not present
Miami: not present
North Meadow: not present
Oxford: Andy Garrison
White Rose: not present
Yellow Springs: not present
Yearly Meeting staff
Administrative Secretary: Deborah Jordan
Youth Secretary: Kaia Jackson
Support volunteers
Website Administrator: Daniel Day
Statistician: Bill Heilbron
Sexual Misconduct Task Force: Betsy Neale
3. Clerks’ Table. The Clerk announced that beginning Ninth Month 27, 2020, Zoom would require a password or a waiting room for all meetings. Our shared Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting Zoom account needs to always use the same password. We will use “200.” The Clerk hopes to schedule another Front Porch conversation and welcomes suggestions for topics. The Clerk shared a response from Joe Lepone, Director of Event Services and Runyan Center at Earlham College, to the effect that Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting’s donation from summer 2020 had lifted the spirits of those at the College. The Administrative Secretary announced that the 2020 Minute Book was now available.
4. Treasurer’s report. Wilson Palmer presented the report, the full text of which is appended to these minutes. Wilson responded to Friends’ questions. Friend accepted the report.
5. Faith and Practice Committee report. Paul Buckley presented the report, the full text of which is attached to these minutes. Paul made some clarifications, and Friends turned to the three action items in the report.
Friends approved using Ingram Spark as our publisher and authorized the Committee to move ahead.
Betsy Neale and Andy Garrison volunteered to serve as reviewers of the text. Reviewers were asked to submit their comments to Faith and Practice Committee no later than Eleventh Month 1, 2020. Friends approved the expenditure of approximately $50 for the printing of hard copies for the reviewers.
Friends approved asking Monthly Meeting representatives to report to Faith and Practice Committee no later than Eleventh Month 1, 2020, the number of paperback and hard bound copies each constituent monthly meeting would like to have printed in the initial printing run.
6. Youth Services Committee report. Jason Swank presented the report, the full text of which is appended to these minutes. Jason discussed some of the challenges Youth Services Committee is facing, and several Friends offered support. On behalf of the Committee, Jason specifically asked that members be added to the Committee, and the Clerk of Nominating Committee agreed to consult with Jason as part of that discernment process. Friends accepted the report.
Friends approved the extension of Kaia Jackson’s contract as Youth Secretary to and including Twelfth Month 31, 2020.
7. Nominating Committee report. Rhonda Pfaltzgraff-Carlson presented the report. Rhonda raised the question whether Nominating Committee should take responsibility for making nominations for Earthcare Committee and Peace and Social Concerns Committee, with the approval of these committees. Nominating Committee was asked to contact both Peace and Social Concerns Committee and Earthcare Committee to ask if those committees would like Nominating Committee to support them by taking responsibility for nominating the members of those committees. Nominating Committee was asked to report on these discussions at the next regularly scheduled Executive Committee meeting. Friends accepted today’s report.
8. Young Adult Friends report. Uta Brewington had submitted a written report in advance, the full text of which is appended to these minutes. Friends accepted the report.
9. Auditing Committee report. Veronica Frost had submitted a written report in advance, the full text of which is appended to these minutes. In light of the necessity to maintain physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Friends agreed that this year Auditing Committee should conduct a no-contact review of financial documents by e-mail in order to verify that the final Treasurer’s report for FY 2019-2020 matches the balances reported by our financial institutions. Friends accepted the report.
10. Youth Secretary report. Kaia Jackson presented the report, highlighting the upcoming survey that will help with discernment of the most effective youth activities for the near future. It was also noted that the Friends meetings in Kentucky (Louisville, Lexington, and Berea (Southern Appalachia Yearly Meeting and Association)) have been engaged in conversation with the Youth Secretary regarding programming for children and youth. Friends accepted the report.
11. Yearly Meeting Planning Committee report. Peter Hardy presented the report, highlighting the Committee’s review of the evaluations of the 2020 annual sessions, which were very positive. Peter reported that roughly the same number of Friends attended in 2020 as in recent years. Peter announced Sixth Month 16-20, 2021 as the dates for next summer’s annual sessions. If the annual sessions are held face-to-face, they will take place at Earlham College. At this time, the Committee was seeking to discern a theme for the 2021 annual sessions. Friends accepted the report.
12. Quarterly Meeting Clerks report. Peter Hardy announced that an online Joint Quarterly Meeting was being planned for Tenth Month 17-18, 2020. Friends accepted the report.
13. Bloomington Friends Meeting’s minute on nuclear weapons. The Clerk referred Friends to Bloomington Friends Meeting’s recent minute on nuclear weapons, the full text of which is appended to these minutes.
14. Spring 2021 retreat. Friends were reminded to keep Third Month 27, 2021 open for the Yearly Meeting’s retreat on Outreach and Weaving a Wider Welcome with Rachel Ernst Stahlhut. This retreat is under the care of Religious Nurture and Education Committee. It is hoped that this retreat will take place at Quaker Hill Conference Center in Richmond, IN.
15. Minute of concern. Friends noted with concern the absence of representatives from several monthly meetings and Yearly Meeting committees. Executive Committee will rely on Religious Nurture and Education Committee to reach out to these monthly meetings. The Presiding Clerk as ex officio member of all Yearly Meeting committees will work with the Assistant Clerk to reach out to these committees. The Clerk hopes to discuss this concern at a future Executive Committee meeting. Friends were asked to hold these Friends in the Light during our closing worship.
16. Closing worship. Friends concluded with a brief period of waiting worship.
Next Meeting: Eleventh Month 7, 2020 (Zoom meeting anticipated)
Appended reports can be found in the PDF of these minutes.
