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***draft agenda for sept 21 business meeting pending approval***
Agenda: the Monthly Meeting for Business, sept 2025
1. Nia Statement & Kings Country Clerk Filing Status
status of filing with kings co clerk, cost $100
2. Working draft of Faith and Practice
Friends have discerned that racial and ethnic unity is needed to decolonise faith and practice in the religious society of friends
the Monthly Meeting walks in service of this starting with faith and practice seeks to make plain what we are doing and how way has opened before us to do it
F & P is not prescriptive but descriptive
faith section = nia statement + STEPUP testimony (BFP 24-29) •
practice=annual calendar, weekly meeting structure, ministry & advisory groups, clearness committee, letters of discernment for Friends concerns (religious gathering days, affirmations, peaceful demonstration, STEPUP testimony adherence 6x )
3. Orphans' minute (Sankofa Friends Advisory Group)
Marriage, Meeting, and Caregiving are the business of one’s faith community. Sankofa Friends Advisory Group is established with the explicit purpose of supporting the Spirit-led life and business of attenders, friends of-Friends and Convinced Friends who hold no membership; Friends recognize those who have experienced the call to peace-work as Convinced Friends in the eyes of the meeting and will extend support commensurate with their needs and our abilities.
we minute that part of the Business of this meeting is discernment toward futurity in faith and practice. to treat this appropriately, we center the west african principle of ‘sankofa’ from the akan people of ghana: literal translation of the word and the symbol is “it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind.”
the implication is that the quest is based on critical examination, and intelligent and patient investigation. we have discerned that quaker practice is well suited to take on such a quest with appropriate care and rigor.
sankofa advisory group is to discern what is to be done in the service of
decolonising faith and practice in the religious society of Friends (what messages arise that have we forgotten?)
stewardship is our collective work and responsibility; part of this work is
receiving others into the community and maintaining spaces in which to be received. the advisory group is to 'go back and get' what way has opened to take with us, and to respectfully leave behind that which Spirit guided us to. as with many customs, the prophetic voice must reach a high volume before Friends take notice and we minute that this work is the culmination of many years work by other Friends.
in keeping with our nia for the Monthly Meeting, we minute that our
ministry is expressly concerned with those whom, whatever the reason, lack access to spiritual support in seeking their inward light. a Clearness Committee is suggested for discernment of how we may address these issues presently noticed in community
we welcome nominations (including yourself!) to this advisory group with gratitude.
4. marriage minute: marriage is a human right. access to marriage in the manner appropriate to one's faith & community with legal recognition thereof is part and parcel to that right. Friends have discerned a need for access to affordable, faith-appropriate weddings for friends who are not willing or able to seek this in their home communities. does a standing advisory group for commitments fall within our capacity?
5. affirming a spirit-led life minute
we joyfully honor the moving of the inward spirit by seeking to move in concert with worldly movements which honor the same. we gather to draw from the well of spirit, and quaking today requires that time be set aside for that gathering to occur.
Friends have long recognized that all days are equally holy and that to walk the path of friendship is to live out each day in full reverence of the inward Guide
part of the life of this spirit is gathering in community with other Friends to conduct the spiritual and metaphysical business of life, which modern social and economic conditions makes difficult. in recognition of this, Friends have discerned that time must be set aside to gather with full attention to the life of the Spirit in all.
the Monthly Meeting recognizes three days set aside for in-person
meetings for business (4x annually), one day for the gathering, and one day EACH for travel to and from the gathering, at the equinoxes and solstices of the solar year.
in keeping with early American custom of the 'week of sundays', Friends
have further discerned that last 6 days of the calendar year and the first day of the next are set aside for the gathering of family and Friends in the spirit of unity as taught by Sister Makinya Sibeko-Kouate.
6. E3 minute
s.p.i.c.e.s has been used as a useful acronym for quaker testimony. In the present time of unrest and spiritual awakening, we discern that it is not sufficient in carrying forth the message of Friends and making clear what it is to seek a life in the manner of Friends.
in recognizing that the ‘E’ testimony is a command to honor that of the Divine in all and that knowledge is a key part of nurturing that ability, we minute that seeking and facilitating spiritual education is part of the path of Friendship. we affirm that Friends STEP UP to the task of discerning what quaker testimony demands of us and that our education ministry respond to the needs we have seen.
S - stewardship or collective work and responsibility (as in ujima)
T - Truth should be honored in our words and deeds
E - eternal Light in every body
P - peace through cooperative economics
U - unity in community
P - plain as in ‘make it plain!’
recognizing that knowledge is a public good, we minute our support the NYC Mesh project for free and low-cost public internet access.
friends education coalition: STEP UP approach to stewarding the planet and our natural resources
7. Committees and Nominations: advisory groups are established and minuted with the purpose of being descriptive of what Friends and friends are doing, not prescriptive of what we should or must do. This prescription comes from spirit alone; we describe our work so that those whom spirit has called to the same work may find and easily understand our custom. Nominations are the work of the Business meeting or may be an ad hoc committee as need arises.
No status is conferred on clerks or conveners which differentiates them
from Friends and attenders of a committee
‘of-record’ indicates accountability for seeing that minutes are recorded
and sent to the appropriate parties and committee tasks are seen to.
No permanent nominations committee will be established with the Monthly Meeting understanding that the work of Friends calls upon a range of skills and experience—where need has arisen, an ad hoc committee will be created by the Business meeting or by the committee appropriate to the situation at hand.
8. Business Timing minute: Business meeting will be held in-person 4 times annually, with other meetings taking place remotely or by correspondence as necessary and appropriate. These in-person meetings will be potluck gatherings. If an agenda item requires greater than 15-20 minutes of discussion in business meeting, an ad hoc clearness committee may be called upon for discernment before returning it to a later business meeting.
9. Membership Minute: Friends have discerned a need for a decolonial approach to faith and practice among Quakers. In particular, much labor has been undertaken to understand the role of Friends in colonization and the early United States. Membership is presently not in keeping with the testimony of equality--this meeting declines to use the term member. Membership is descriptive, not prescriptive yet in many meetings it functions to create a double standard of Friendship in which attenders, friends, and Convinced Friends are neither encouraged to participate in the business of Friends nor cared for in spirit.
attenders are friends of Friends and friends of Friends have been called into community with us that we should call them Friends (sur. 49:13).
Is it necessary to introduce ‘active’ or ‘of-record’ designations?
10. Clearness Committee for Spanish-speaking communications
minute of support for mil mundos—should we offer them an advisory group?
What is our relationship with panamerican Friends & junta mensuales?
the Monthly Meeting is founded in a largely-hispanophone city and commits to making material accessible in Spanish for all events, pamphlets, and meeting minutes.
Minute of support of Emma Madani's school (name/location in Bolivia???)
the united states is the second-largest spanish speaking country in the world—what is the responsibility of north american Friends in such a circumstance? is it appropriate for Friends in north america to seek fluency and basic literacy in Spanish as an educational standard?
11. Communications Advisory Group minute
Campus/Off-Campus ministry @ CUNY & quaker schools
Peace-building workshops (draft, peaceful demonstration, tax withholding, multiscalar violence)
Friendly Neighborhood tiktoker internship??? (this may be a later thing) this is the peace and social action committee bc communications is how these things are accomplished.
peacenik papers can be the difference between arrest/imprisonment and
freedom (draft legal form letter explaining ST2P mandate of demonstration) but these rich kids don't know that????
12. Rainbow Connection Minute and advisory group
Spiritual care for queer friends of color at all phases
Clearness committee for life transitions
13. Travel and Recording minutes for Public Friend John Choe of Flushing Queens
Public Friend John Choe has served the community of Flushing Queens for over two decades as a environmentalist, transit safety advocate, and community leader. He is a founding member of the flushing interfaith council and established the annual Unity Walk in Queens. For this record service the Monthly Meeting records his gift of Public Ministry in service of Flushing Monthly Meeting and Quakers of Queens, NY, often referred to as pastor john.
Travel Minute for JC: ...
14. Minute: CC for social media and internet terminology guidelines
what are the 'Friendly' tags
to what extent is TT/YT the printing press and...
is a standing advisory group for intergenerational communications needed?
yes, the Monthly Meeting will have a tumblr and rotating content features
friends are invited to discernment for this
15. Minute of support for 1st generation college and graduate students
Recognizing the difficulties of navigating higher education in the Americas, Monthly Meeting seeks to support first gen students from their first day of school through career & vocational support, campus-based spiritual care, and peace-building workshops.
16. Minute of support for online and outer-borough weekly meetings (worship groups)
recognizing the ongoing need for support for NYC-based Friends who are not presently affiliated with a meeting, where need and spirit arise, Friends are invited to the Monthly Meeting for support for establishing a weekly meeting, holding a meeting with a concern for ujima (collective-work-and-responsibility/stewardship), or a clearness committee for any purpose.
in seeking to support Friends appropriately, we minute that weekly meetings and worship groups hold equal weight and status in matters of Business
Weekly Meeting is the name given to any short or long-term weekly meeting regardless of the form Spirit takes in that gathering. a worship group by any other name still meets weekly.
17. Love, Literacy, and Kujichagulia for all minute (needs discernment)
recognizing that knowledge is power and that education has been and
remains the religious work of Friends, we minute that language is an inheritance which cannot be recovered once lost. Literacy is deeply entwined with communication and cultural reproduction.
for this reason, Friends work in service of spiritual deepening should be in support of literacy for young people taking part.
Greetings to Friends Everywhere,
Black, Brown, Indigenous and People of Colour Friends from many Yearly Meetings gathered on 31 May 2025 for our first time together. Thirty one of us came with hope, joy, and some wariness. We are from diverse backgrounds and locations including theUS, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, Philippines, Zimbabwe, the UK and the Kingdom ofHawai’i. We came from Baltimore Yearly Meeting, Britain Yearly Meeting, Canadian Yearly Meeting, Intermountain Yearly Meeting, the Nairobi Yearly Meeting, New York Yearly Meeting, Pacific Yearly Meeting, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, Sierra-Cascades Yearly Meeting, Southern Africa Yearly Meeting, and Southern Appalachia Yearly Meeting and Association. We may be the first worldwide online Meeting between Quakers who are Black, Brown, Indigenous and People of Colour (BBIPOC), initiated by a grassroots group of Friends of Colour. Many are involved in anti oppression/decolonization, racial justice, reparations, and community empowerment work through Quaker and other organizations.
In break-out groups and in our broader meeting, we approached key themes, whichincluded: addressing white supremacy, supporting marginalized communities,environmental justice, and personal growth/healing. We exchanged ideas about future initiatives, including organizing regional meetings, gatherings and having, someday, a BBIPOC Yearly Meeting. We emphasized theimportance of recognizing indigenous traditions and building inclusive Quaker communities. We touched on the visceral nature of Quakerism and the importance of grounding ourselves in somatic experiences. We voiced feelings about the global resonance of challenges faced by Quakers of colour, the need to recognize existing community efforts, and the importance of considering diverse perspectives from different regions. Our faith came to the fore when our conversations shifted to a more worship-like format, with participants reflecting on ancestors, gratitude, and the concept of "truthability" in sustaining harmonious relationships.
A Friend emphasized the need for people of colour to come together and build their own Quaker communities rather than relying on white European people, cultures and structures. Another Friend highlighted the importance of personal growth and sustaining momentum in this work. A Friend from Kenya extended invites to the group to a gathering in Ghana in October to strengthen relationships and discuss decolonization.
There was a suggestion about ways in which we could learn about decolonization efforts in different regions, including Africa, Asia, and Spanish-speaking areas, to better understand diverse perspectives
Indigenous Peace Traditions and Diplomacy
An indigenous Canadian Friend shared a story about Papunhunk, a prominent Munsee Lenape leader and diplomat who interacted with anglo-american Quaker missionaries in the 18th century. The story highlights the sophisticated peace traditions of indigenous peoples that predated Quaker pacifism. We learned about an interaction between Papunhank and Quaker missionary John Woolman, where Woolman recognized the spiritual depth of the indigenous community.
We left physically tired but spiritually invigorated - looking forward to our next meeting, sitting with the joy and contentment of newly acquainted f/Friendship. Hopeful that the shoots of our new bonds will grow to become strong trees that give leaves of shelter and grow deep and connected roots.
We went our separate ways, listening to birdsong and on the screen was a picture of trees, the sky, shining sun. We felt the dawn of what is to come.
In hope, in peace, in joy, in Friendship,
Gloria Simon-Gould-Clerk
Tomi Nagai-Rothe, Assist. Clerk
Epistle Sub-Committee: SY Boland, Diego Navarro, Marghuerita Remi-Judah