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+*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
+
+