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getting started on input to QiS-CG
author Henry S. Thompson <ht@inf.ed.ac.uk>
date Tue, 26 Mar 2024 21:43:18 +0000
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children 97ced423ec4c
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304:57652a738b1a 340:aa9bb951af40
1 A bit of history, to set the scene.
2
3 The General Meeting for Scotland (GM) mailing list were told
4 (2023-11-17), in regard to
5
6 "(1) The possibility of merging our existing 6 charities into a
7 single body, Quakers in Scotland.
8
9 "(2) How we might organise all our concerns and worship more
10 effectively as a single charity."
11
12 that
13
14 "The first step for (1) is to agree a governing document to replace
15 the six comparable documents that apply to our existing charities."
16
17 and
18
19 "Friends will hear more requests soon to join in important
20 discussions relating to (2)."
21
22 I've searched my inbox without success for any request to "join in
23 important discussions relating to (2)" until, possibly, the invitation
24 from QiS-CG (2024-03-11) to two "information and discussion sessions
25 on progress with work towards having a single body and charity for
26 Quakers in Scotland".
27
28 However the cover letter from QiS (2024-01-06) sent to SESAM Trustees
29 says
30
31 "The Options for Scotland group [proposes] that we form a single
32 charity and that we form a single body. The idea of a single body
33 clearly needs more work to discern what this might look like. It
34 will take time. That idea is not part of what we are asking you
35 about here."
36
37 In fact the document laid before us in the special Area Meeting on
38 15 January (Draft of 2023 12 29c.docx) had a lot to say about the
39 body. Or did it? As I read it at the time it did't clearly
40 distinguish between the charity and the body, using the phrase
41 "Quakers in Scotland" in what I found to be confusing ways.
42
43 A new draft (Draft of 2024 03 21.docx) has just been made available,
44 with only modest changes from the earlier draft. I'll take it as
45 definitive with respect to what we will have before us on 6 April.
46 It hasn't changed much, if anything, of what I've found that makes me
47 uneasy about agreeing to adopt it.
48
49 More background: What do we already have as models for how charities
50 and their trustees work. I'm reasonably familiar with two examples,
51 which guide my thinking in this matter.
52
53 1. The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain, and Britain
54 Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers),
55 Charity number: 1127633
56
57 The governing document for the latter charity
58 (https://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/bym-governing-document-revised-min34-bym2014)
59 begins with the following definitions:
60
61 *Definitions*
62
63 a. The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain refers to
64 the church in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and
65 the Isle of Man, including all its local meetings for worship and
66 its constituent meetings for church affairs as well as all their
67 work [referred to below as *the Society*].
68
69 b. Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
70 (Quakers) [*Britain Yearly Meeting*] refers to the centrally held
71 and managed policy, property, employment and work of the charity
72 constituted by this document.
73
74 c. Yearly Meeting in session [*Yearly Meeting*] refers to the annual
75 assembly that is open to all members of the Society.
76
77 d. Area Meetings are the main local meetings for church affairs and
78 these are the level of the Society at which individual membership
79 is held. Each Area Meeting is a separate charitable entity and
80 may be registered as such with the Charity Commission.
81
82 e. _Quaker faith & practice_ is the current edition of the Book of
83 Christian discipline of the Religious Society of Friends
84 (Quakers) in Britain
85
86 f. Meeting for Sufferings is the standing representative body of the Society.
87
88 g. The term Friend refers to a member of the Society.
89
90 * Highlighting added
91
92 Note that there are two clearly distinguished entities, "the church"
93 and "the charity". The charity is governed by the above referenced
94 governing document, the church by the Red Book.
95
96 Subsequent articles make clear that the Society, embodied in Yearly
97 Meeting in session and Meeting for Sufferings, is responsible for
98 amending the governing document, appointing Britain Yearly Meeting
99 trustees, approving their terms of reference and appointing their
100 clerks and treasurer.
101
102 2. Area meetings in Scotland governing documents
103
104 * North of Scotland Quaker Trust is evidently distinct from NSAM, but
105 I haven't found a governing document.
106
107 * The governing document for the Religious Society of Friends
108 (Quakers) [in Britain] East Scotland Area Meeting (abbreviated as
109 East Scotland Area Meeting) does not make any overt distinction
110 between the charity and the church, although the phrases "(East
111 Scotland) Area Meeting in session" clearly refer to the church, and
112 in "3. Object The object of East Scotland Area Meeting" it is
113 evidently the charity.
114
115 This sentence is of note: "If at a meeting of East Scotland Area
116 Meeting the members decide that it is necessary or advisable to
117 dissolve the Area Meeting or to amalgamate with another Area
118 Meeting _and this is agreed by Meeting for Sufferings_, the
119 trustees shall have the power to realise any assets held by or on
120 behalf of the Area Meeting." [Emphasis added]
121
122 * The governing document for the Religious Society of Friends
123 (Quakers) in Britain: South East Scotland Area Meeting [referred to
124 below as South East Scotland Area Meeting or the area meeting and
125 formerly known as South East Scotland Monthly Meeting] likewise
126 does not make any overt distinction between the church and the
127 charity, to my embarassment. "Subject to the matters set out below
128 the resources of the area meeting shall be administered in
129 accordance with this governing document by the trustees..." is
130 clearly talking about the charity, whereas "Amendments to this
131 governing document shall be agreed by South East Scotland Area
132 Meeting in session and recorded by minute of the area meeting."
133 it's the church. The dissolution clause is the same as for East
134 Scotland above.
135
136 * I can't find a governing document for whatever charity is
137 associated with West of Scotland
138
139 * Dundee Friends Property Trust
140
141 * General Meeting for Scotland
142
143 Registering officers
144 Prison visitors