*Meeting for Sufferings*

7 July and 6 October 2018

Henry S. Thompson, SE Scotland AM representative

All the papers for the meetings are available online at

  https://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-july-2018-agenda--papers-package
  http://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-october-2018-calling-letter-agenda--papers-package2

The minutes and other follow-up material are available from

  https://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-july-2018-follow-up-package
  http://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-october-2018-follow-up-package

*7 July*

This was the first meeting of a new triennium, lots of new appointees,
somewhere between one-third to one-half, I would guess.

As a result, not much actual business was done.

One fact mentioned almost in passing that was a surprise to me, at
least: Britain Yearly Meeting has 179 paid employees at last count

In an otherwise business-as-usual report from BYM Trustees, the
process of strategic planning I reported on from the April meeting has
continued, and its goal has been distilled to a remarkable one-liner:

 "a vision of a simple church supported by a simple charity to
  reinvigorate Quakerism"

BYM is now _three_ things: 1) a body of members, organised into local,
                              area, (general) and yearly meetings (a church);
                           2) a registered charity;
                           3) an event.

There is a "Quaker Youth Worker" pilot project just launched in
Bristol and Sheffield ...

*Revising our Book of Discipline*

Meeting for Sufferings has asked Central Nominations Committee to
bring forward names to serve on a Book of Discipline Revision Committee

It's too late to put your name forward for consideration to serve on
on this, but you _can_ submit material for consideration, via

  https://forms.quaker.org.uk/qfp-idea/

*AM Trustees asked to report on sustainability*

Minute 17 records our agreement that Area Meeting trustees be
encouraged to report on sustainability actions in their annual report.

Guidelines for this have been prepared by Quaker Stewardship Committee
and members of BYM Sustainability Group have indicated they would be
happy to supply help and support on request.

---------------

*6 October*

*Sufferings place in the governance of the Society*

Exactly what does Sufferings _do_?

At what level do we exercise "the general care of matters affecting
Britain Yearly Meeting and, in the intervals between Yearly Meetings,
the making of decisions and the issuing of statements in the name of
Britain Yearly Meeting" (QF&P 7.02)

That view _predates_ the creation of BYM Trustees:

  "The law may assume that authority for determining action passes to
   the trustees and the meeting may choose to do this. However, under
   Gospel Order, the ultimate authority will still lie with the
   gathered meeting.

  Yearly Meeting, 2005 (QF&P 15.03)

Is it only "discernment in the religious sense" which comes to
Sufferings?

Trustees _are_ individually and as a group legally obliged to see that
all our work conforms to our "charitable object": "furtherance of the
religious and charitable purposes of the Religious Society of
Friends". (QF&P 15.13)

There are four "aspects of the charitable object" (i.e. the
"charitable purposes"), listed in 8.03 of QF&P:
  https://qfp.quaker.org.uk/passage/8-03/


*Trustees report*

Simplifying and removing some restrictions on the process of launching
and managing legacy-funded projects.

Three strategic priorities, to bridge the planning gap between _Our
Faith in the Future_ and the Operational Plan: "thriving Quaker
communities, a sustainable peaceful world and simple structure and
practice"

*Diversity*

We (BYM) now have a Inclusion and Diversity Co-ordinator, her name is
Edwina Peart.

Responses to the request for input from Area Meetings:
  * Doing well on age (but see immediately below), gender and sexual orientation
  * Not so well on race, class and <18 ages

What questions are good to ask a newcomer after meeting?
  * Don't ask questions, say a little about yourself, and then leave some space...
  * Asking questions often unintentionally reveals mistaken assumptions
    which can lead to awkward silences...

*BYM investments and occupied Palestine*

We do not currently have any investments in any companies known to be
"profiting from the occupation of Palestine".

Trustees have asked MfS to advise on whether we should explicitly make
divestment a policy.

There is an excellent review of the background to this in the papers.

Recognising the difficulties in identifying such companies...

MfS advised Trustees to go ahead and "exclude from its investments
companies profiting from the occupation of Palestine, and to amend the
BYM Investment Policy accordingly."

*Sustainability*

After the non-closure of the Sustainability Working Group (see my
notes from 2018-04-07, a plan of action on supporting
Sustainability in BYM has come back to MfS.

Short summary: It's complicated :-(
Longer summary: see the minutes linked above

*Young Adult Friends*

MfS have agreed an experiment to appoint 4 YAFs to MfS for the
remainder of this triennium.  Interested YAFs should contact the
Engaging Young Adult Quakers project Steering Group:

  Haifa Rashed
  Co-clerk
  Kellie Turner
  Co-clerk
  Naomi Major
  Secretary to EYAF SG
  youngadults@quaker.org.uk