2023 July Stewards Minutes

Minutes – Stewards meeting of July 2, 2023

Present: Marjory Bankson, Peter Bankson, Ken Burton (moderator), Cynthia Dahlin, Joan Dodge, Elizabeth Gelfeld, Judy Lantz, David Lloyd (meditation), Sandra Miller, John Morris, Trish Nemore (recorder), Keith Seat, Vincent Shepherd, Margreta Silverstone, Jacqie Wallen, Glen Yakushiji.

Absent: Brenda Seat, Deborah Sokolove

Guests:  Marta Brenden, Anita Jackson, Liz Gould-Leger

Meditation: Dave offered words of peace from Isaiah, Matthew, Ronald Reagan, Henri Nouwen, the Dalai Lama, Jimi Hendrix, Albert Einstein, MLK, Jr., and Dag Hammarskjold

Housekeeping: Stewards will next meet via zoom Sunday, August 6 at 5:30 pm

Moderator – Peter Bankson

Recorder — John Morris

Meditation – Sandra Miller

Carroll Cafe update:  Sandra.  Three concerts are booked for 2023-2024 season:  Phil Wiggins October 12; Ruthie and the Wranglers January 12 and Ocean Celtic April 12.  October 2024 is still open.  No food or beverages will be served.  The Carroll Cafe team – Sandra, Glen, Margreta, Doug Dodge, and Denise Leclair – does not anticipate needing volunteers.  All past volunteers are no longer available.

FOG update:  Marjory.  The mid-year report is attached with these minutes.  Marjory reported on the expenditure of our 2022 surplus:  $7,000 of $14,000 allotted has been sent to Adelphi Friends Meeting, the fiscal agent for the support of Nicaraguans deported to the US last winter/spring.  $3,000 of the $11,000 allotted for the Capital Area Food Bank has been sent.  FOG decided not to send all the funds at one time; the remainders will be sent in the future.

In-Person Stewards meetings:  Peter and Joan. An updated paper of considerations is attached with these minutes.  Peter started off the discussion suggesting that we consider remaining on zoom for a little longer, citing bad air from construction and parking challenges, among other issues.  Lively conversation ensued raising questions about how in-person would actually work.  While all Stewards have attended in-person worship, Margreta is currently in WA til mid-September and Anita, who faithfully attends the business portion of the meeting, is living permanently in NC.  Questions raised included whether we’d meet in evening or after worship on Sundays, whether there would be a shared meal, as in the past, when that meal would be (before meeting or mid-meeting), whether a simpler-than-Sunday-morning hybrid could work.  Resolution:  We will meet on zoom for August and September.  SLT will design an in-person meeting for October as a trial, after which we will evaluate the experience.

Pastoral Concerns – the meeting is closed to visitors at this point.

One Steward sharing:  Trish

Soul Talk

Trish Nemore

July 11, 2023