Illinois Yearly Meeting

Theme: Creating Faithful Actions in Our Changing World

149th Annual Sessions

Sixth Month 21-25, 2023

ILYM Campus, McNabb, Illinois

Advance Documents

Index

Proposed Agenda for Meeting for Business 3

Epistle and Exercises Committees 5

Treasurers Report 6

Stewards Report (combined with MP&E Report) 14

Committee Reports

Development 9

Environmental Concerns 10

Finance 10

Proposed Budget 11

Handbook 14

Maintenance, Planning and Envisioning & Stewards 14

Ministry and Advancement 16

Naming 16

Nominating 17

Peace Resources 19

Personnel 19

Publications and Distribution 20

Racial Equity and Education 21

Representatives Reports

Friends Committee on National Legislation 22

Friends General Conference 23

Secondary Schools 24

Friends World Committee for Consultation 25

In addition to these Advance Documents, there are three red Sessions binders on the front table in the display area for Friends to read which contain the minutes of each business session (added each day), supplementary and late-arriving reports, State of Society reports from the monthly meetings, memorials, and minutes from the Continuing Committee which meets in the Fall and Spring between Annual Sessions. There is also a folder containing Epistles from other yearly meetings. These documents can also be found online in the “Front Table Folders (Additional Documents)” at ilym.org/2023AnnualSessions.

Please consider the reports in this document as preliminary. Changes may be made before approval. Reports as approved will be printed in the Minute Book for these Annual Sessions.

PRESIDING CLERK: Kent Busse (57th Street)

ASSISTANT CLERK: Kevin Brubaker (Northside)

RECORDING CLERK: David Shiner (Evanston)

READING CLERK: Pam Kuhn (Lake Forest)

Illinois Yearly Meeting

5615 S. Woodlawn Ave.

Chicago, IL 60637-1622

www.ilym.org AdminCoor☺ilym.org 773-288-3066

Proposed Agenda for

Illinois Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions

Sixth Month 21 to 25, 2023

Sixth Month 21 (WE)

Field Secretary

Treasurer (p. 6)

Finance Committee / Budget (p. 10/11)

Development (p. 9)

Naming (p. 16)

Nominating (p. 17)

Sixth Month 22 (TH)

Ministry & Advancement (p. 16)

Friends General Conference (p. 23)

Racial Equity and Education (p. 21)

Peace Resources (p. 19)

Publications and Distribution (p. 20)

Handbook (p. 14)

Sixth Month 23 (FR)

Youth Oversight

Children’s Religious Education

Maintenance, Planning & Envisioning/Stewards (p. 14)

Personnel (p. 19)

Secondary Schools (p. 24)

Friends World Committee for Consultation (p. 25)

Friends Committee on National Legislation (p. 22)

Sixth Month 24 (SA)

Budget second reading

Nominating updating

Environmental Concerns (p. 10)

Quaker Earthcare Witness

Finalizing details left incomplete by prior reports

Participant (from the floor discussion)

envisioning of our future

Sixth Month 25 (SU)

Exercises & Epistles

Reviews & Acknowledgments

Upcoming Dates:

Fall Continuing Committee, hosted by Northside Friends Meeting, October 21, 2023

2024 Annual Sessions, ILYM Campus, McNabb, IL, June 19-23, 2024

FGC Gathering

2023: Monmouth, Oregon July 2 – 8, 2023,

2024: Haverford College, PA around June 30 – July 6, 2024

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Epistle & Exercises Committee Descriptions

Epistle Committee

The Epistle Committee is charged with writing a letter to all yearly meetings around the world expressing the perceived concerns and sentiments of the Annual Sessions. The Epistle is Illinois Yearly Meeting’s message about what we feel God is calling us to do. It is our way of telling the rest of the Quaker world about our search. It is NOT a description of what happened at Illinois Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions. Members of the Epistle Committee should reflect on the spiritual life of the yearly meeting throughout the year in preparation for writing the Epistle at next year’s Annual Sessions. The Epistle, finalized at the Annual Sessions, should reflect the committee’s continuing interaction with one another and monthly meetings throughout the year. The Epistle should reflect the critical issues being confronted by the monthly meetings of Illinois Yearly Meeting.

To best accomplish this, the epistle committee shall consist of three persons brought forward by the Nominating Committee and approved by the Yearly Meeting at the first or second day of Annual Sessions. The Reading Clerk is an ex officio member of the committee. One or two Friends may be asked to serve a second year for continuity. Every effort should be made to have a Young Friend or an Adult Young Friend on the committee. The Epistle should be prepared for review by the Presiding Clerk and approved by the Yearly Meeting before the end of Annual Sessions.

Exercises Committee

Consisting of two or three people appointed at the beginning of Annual Sessions, the Exercises Committee usually includes one new attender and one who has attended before. A Young Friends is also encouraged to participate. The committee is charged with writing a report which attempts to reflect the spirit of the Meeting that prevailed at Annual Session as well as briefly recounting the principal activities that occurred. This report is to be given to the Administrative Coordinator and the Publications and Distribution Committee after the close of Annual Sessions so that it can be included in the Minute Book.

(From the ILYM Handbook, Rev. Fall 2010)

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1. Treasurers Report

Illinois Yearly Meeting - Statement of Financial Position/Balance Sheet

Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2022 (as of 5/16/2023)

Illinois Yearly Meeting – Income Statement

1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 as of 16 May 2023

No cash flow in 3 CCH Accessible Add. or 4 Payroll Reserves

Illinois Yearly Meeting – Constituent Meeting Contributions

7/1/2021-6/30/2022

Contribution as of 5/16/2023

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2. Stewards Report

Combined with the Maintenance, Planning and Envisioning Committee report, p.14

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3. Development Committee Report

The Development Committee has undertaken two important matters during the current year. The first was the standard maintenance of the support section of the yearly meeting web pages. A few necessary improvements are expected to be made before the Annual Session. The second involved the annual appeal for individual contributions to the ILYM Annual Budget. The appeal letter was sent. The cost was low because email was used whenever feasible.

Pone other task of the committee is consultation with the Finance Committee regarding the amount of individual donations that would be appropriate for including in the annual budget. The “Individual Contributions” line has been part of the annual budget for more than six years and was initially required because a balanced budget would not have been possible without such contributions. Over the years, the amount specified for expected contributions has always been received.

This year looks as if this will not happen. The 2022-2023 budgeted income included expected income of $42,000 in individual contributions. As of 5/9/2023 the amount received is only $28,730. To be sure, there has already been about $400 in larger than expected registration fees and there is one contribution of $2,000 that is in the process of being completed. However, we have not yet met our goal.

Of course, the full story must include the fact that certain expenses have not been made because positions were not filled. Also, there are always significant contributions made during June—the last month of the ILYM fiscal year. The Finance Committee Report will further discuss these matters.

The Development Committee only considers the feasibility of receiving the necessary individual contributions. The Development Committee did express some concern about whether the next annual budget should ask for $42,000 in individual contributions.

The Finance Committee will recommend that the Annual Session approve a budget for the next fiscal year. The Individual Contribution amount in that budget is expected to be $39,750. The Development Committee intends to work to successfully raise the budgeted amount.

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4. Environmental Concerns Committee Report

The ECC has not met on-line or in-person since Continuing Committee. A small contingent met at the pollinator garden at the May 13 Workday. Some of the outer fringe of prairie dropseed grasses had died but we brought five additional plants to replace them. Many more of the blazing stars and white indigo plants survived than we expected. None of the shooting stars survived which is not surprising as this is a difficult plant to grow. We weeded invading grass and abundant old field goldenrods to allow the more desirable plant species to grow. One of two willow survived and bloomed. The two roses behind the Leopold benches and the little bluestem grasses survived. We planted blue wild indigo, rattlesnake master, downy phlox, cylindric blazing star, a few prairie sedges, butterfly weed, blue-eyed grass, and prairie violet. We were pleased with the garden in it’s second year, but more planting needs to be done. Be sure to check out the garden by siting on a Leopold bench during Annual Sessions.

The burr oak that we planted last year has been damaged by rabbits or something else. If still alive, we will plant a fence around it at Annual Sessions to protect it. Otherwise, we will buy another plant and protect it.

The fence row along the west edge of the campus is a mixed bag. At least three addition red cedars have died, but two still remain alive and perhaps will replace the one that fell at the northwest corner of Clear Creek House. Another Osage orange tree had also died. We trimmed the remaining Osage oranges to aid the mower and ensure they grow as single stem trees. Blood was drawn from encounters with the branch spines.

We also discovered poison hemlock plants behind the barn and one in the grass just northwest of the barn. Thankfully, Margie had brought Neil Mesner’s hemlock eradicator tool which was used to sever the taproots of the plants (See the photograph of the tool). Thanks Neil for making such a useful tool—no herbicides needed. Neil had single handedly removed most of the poison hemlock from the campus in the 2000’s.

The ECC will meet at annual sessions at 4 p.m. Friday afternoon in the dining tent near the prairie pollinator garden.

Report prepared by Noel Pavlovic

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5. Finance Committee Report

ILYM Treasurers and Finance Committee has been adapting to our changing needs.

ILYM Insurance premium increased significantly due to cost increase in the construction industry. Representatives from Stewards and Finance, as well as the Treasurers met with the ILYM rep from Church Mutual to better understand our policy and the options we have. We feel they have accurately assessed the value of our site and our policy meets our needs. We agreed to increase the deductible to $2,500 (and use our reserves to cover) and increase our liability insurance from $1M to $2M (as risks come with higher costs). This netted us a $990 savings starting March 2023.

Finance did raise the suggested payment for attending sessions +$5/day to cover the increased expenses Wil was seeing from vendors who supply us for Annual Sessions.

Since so much of the Yearly Meeting activity comes after Advance Documents, it is hard to predict how we will land the fiscal year.

It seems, as if Income although lower than Budget will be close to covering Expenses. We are grateful for the support of meetings & individuals and the work of the Development Committee (and the frugality of those who spend on behalf of the yearly meeting).

The cash held at First State Bank in McNabb and the income received has been sufficient to meet our needs, we have not needed to make any withdrawls from Friends Fiduciary.

We have received special requests from our reps to FGC & FWCC to support their capital campaigns (above our annual contribution). We understand that these two groups rely almost completely on contributions from Quakers as their mission is to support Quakers. After seasoning those requests, Finance recommends that we support both Campaigns (FGC: $7.000 & FWCC: $5.000) using the yearly meeting’s unrestricted reserves (Special Gifts Fund) as this is not an on-going expense.

The Finance Committee is grateful to the support that our Treasurers, Dawn Crimson & Ted Kuhn.

• Looking forward, we expect our needs to be greater in 2023/2024 and our Proposed Budget reflects that (our budgeted expenses are +7%).

• The Federal Cost of Living adjustment, that we use to guide us to increase our staff salaries, is +8.7%. Staff expenses are almost 1/2 our budget.

• We have added money to cover a retainer for a local “caretaker” at the request of MP&E.

• We will have a full year of higher insurance premiums.

• We expect suppliers to continue to raise prices to cover their increased costs (for site and sessions).

Our main sources of income are gifts from meetings and individuals. To cover our expected needs, we are once again asking for both meetings and individuals to give generously .Our ask from monthly Meetings is +6% above our budget in 2022/2023 (and likely a higher %increase vs actual). For those meetings that use the guidance for making their gift to the yearly meeting, it translates to $290/adult resident member. Our ask of Individual Contributions is 11.5% above last year (and our projection for this year).

Respectfully Submitted, Valerie Lester, Clerk Finance Committee

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Proposed Budget

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6. Handbook Committee Report

At 2022 Annual Sessions, we discerned where to distribute the money that had been held in the Peace Tax Fund. The Peace Tax Fund is under the care of the Peace Resources Committee. It is unclear to the Handbook Committee if the Peace Tax is: active but currently not holding any funds; dormant; or laid down. [2022, Minute 24, 25]

Harassment Review Committee: The Handbook Committee recommends some minor changes to better reflect the make up of the Harassment Review Committee. Under membership add “or a designee” after Presiding Clerk. In the main body, change “a month before the Annual Sessions” to “prior to” Annual Sessions. Members … will be announced “at the beginning of the yearly meeting sessions” rather than in the advance documents.

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7. Maintenance, Planning and Envisioning Committee & Stewards Report

Prepared 17 May 2023 for Annual Sessions on June 21-25, 2023. The committee members are Carol Bartles, Mark Robinson, Marie White, Dennis McQueen, Trevor Brandt, Casey Kashnig, Margie Haworth, Christina Schulz, Noel Pavlovic, Dick Ashdown, and the Stewards: Chip Rorem, Grayce Mesner, Beth Carpenter, and Chris Goode. Our committee met at last year’s Annual Sessions and three times via zoom during the past year.

Workday: We held two campus workdays on October 1, 2022 and May 13, 2023. We had over twenty people at both and accomplished several tasks including repairs to the MH ramp and HS Bunkhouse floors, painting at the repaired meetinghouse (MH) rear doors and stair walls to the dining room, installation of new LED lighting and hand washing sink at the dining room, MH kitchen clean up, removal of lattice at the Clear Creek House (CCH), cutting up three recently downed trees, and removal of sticks and logs to the burn pile, and cleanup after a recent wind storm. Thank you to all who helped care for our property. Getting these kinds of tasks done on our own saves money and gives us a real sense of satisfaction while caring for our beloved property.

Maintenance Update: Contractor Dean Tieman repaired the damaged MH window, and also the rear doors rather than installing new ones. Ducts were cleaned at CCH for about $300. The MH roof was re-shingled in the fall at a cost of $22,180 and the CCH roof was re-sheathed and re-shingled this spring at a cost of $24,252 by contractor Art Hejka. Our insurance settlement was $43,710, so the total roof work was about $1,725 more than our settlement and deductible. The roofs at the Penn House and Foxhole were also near the end of their lives and had both replaced while they were on site for a total of $2,500. He also replaced some missing metal trim at the CCH for $850. While they were working at the CCH a tree fell scratching the siding knocking off metal corner trim pieces, and damaging a long piece of gutter on the west side of the house. He is trying to obtain a replacement gutter with guard and will install it when he does at an additional cost. In an inspection this spring we discovered that the CCH has cellulose insulation installed between the attic floor joists. We had removed the falling insulation at the attic rafters as part of the roof work. We were anticipating having to re-insulate the rafters this fall with closed cell foam insulation but that may not be necessary. We intend to investigate the existing condition of floor and wall insulation with infrared cameras to see if that should be improved in the future.

Caretaker: We discussed the hows, whats, and ifs of having a Campus Caretaker again. We believe that it might be better to hire a person, or property management business from our local community on a very part-time and as-needed basis to meet our limited needs rather than have a live-in caretaker in the CCH. Over the next year we anticipate those needs to be doing things like occasional property condition checks to make sure all is in good order, and to meet contractors and other similar types of tasks. We estimate that about 50 hours might be needed at a rate of $25/hour for a total of about $1,250 and have discussed adding this to our budget with the Finance Committee. Friends are invited to share their thoughts about future caretaking needs and possible solutions with the committee clerk, a Steward, or any other member, and also welcome suggestions for local people who might fill this role in the coming year.

Future Maintenance Plan: Val Lester’s husband Geof Greer is a retired house inspector, and he and Chris Goode made a campus visit this spring to do a walk-around inspection that is a start to creating a usable maintenance plan so that we can better predict upcoming maintenance and associated expenses in order to be better prepared and less surprised moving forward. It was already helpful in identifying the CCH attic floor insulation and the poor roof conditions at the Foxhole and the Penn House. It also identified some serious rot in the perimeter beams at the HS Bunkhouse. This partly explains the sagging that prevents doors and windows from properly operating and closing. There have also been animal intrusions through the floor from above and below. A few years ago Chip Rorem and Chris Goode met with an engineer who prepared some sketches for how we might install some additional steel work to better support the floor joists, but we haven’t obtained an estimate to do that work, and it does not fully address these newer concerns. How and what to do with the high school bunkhouse will be an upcoming concern for our committee.

Maintenance Manual: We have several tasks that are regularly required monthly, seasonally, or annually. Christina Schulz will work with Chris Goode and other committee members to develop a calendar/manual to list and schedule these tasks with descriptions and any contractors.

Sustainable Electrical Service: We have researched purchasing green electricity for our three meters at the CCH, MH and campground and have found no good way to do this. We use a trivial amount of electricity and our recommendation is that we could purchase Renewable Energy Credits (REC’s) in addition to paying our normal electrical bill. We will investigate the appropriate amount for our energy usage and make a recommendation for what type to purchase.

Insurance: Church Mutual has changed their insurance policy this spring to better reflect developing issues common to religious institutions and keep up with costs and claims. This has increased our annual insurance costs. A group of Friends met via Zoom with Jamie Witte from Church Mutual about these changes. In discussions with the Finance Committee we plan to increase our liability coverage from one to two million dollars and increase our deductible from $1,000 to $2,500 which will somewhat reduce that cost increase without much additional risk.

Respectfully Submitted: Christopher Goode, MP&E Clerk and Steward

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8. Ministry and Advancement Committee Report

There were two individuals who applied to be the Field Secretary. A subcommittee which included the clerk of Personnel Committee interviewed the candidates. During the discernment around the candidates it became clear the yearly meeting would be best served by the two sharing the position. These individuals have complementary gifts, and we were being called to take a different approach. When each was called and asked to consider sharing the position they enthusiastically agreed to do it. The recommendation of the Interview Committee was taken to the full Ministry and Advancement Committee which was in unity with having Co-Field Secretaries. Ministry and Advancement Committee recommends after Brad Laird’s term of service ends at the end of June following 2023 Annual Sessions, Mark McGinnis and Marcia Nelson be appointed the Field Secretaries for the next 3 years.

Mark and Marcia know each other well having been part of Fox Valley Monthly Meeting. Their service provides the unique opportunity to draw on their differing experiences and perspectives to benefit the yearly meeting. They have already met and made a plan to carry out the position during this year. They will be available for phone consultations, visits to meetings beginning in September, facilitate quarterly Zoom meetings with monthly meeting clerks. They will have a joint support committee in addition to the support they receive from the Ministry and Advancement committee. For this year, Marcia will serve on the Sexual Harassment Review Committee. They will divide the allotted hours equally and will both be employees of the yearly meeting.

During this year ministry and advancement hosted a workshop offered by Jackie Stillwell of Right Sharing of World Resources. We have each month held an all yearly meeting worship on the 10th. This seems to be well received and we plan to continue it. We are in discernment about other offerings and encourage friends to watch the regular announcements from the yearly meeting for new opportunities. The committee members continue to visit with monthly meetings and are looking forward to your State of Society Reports.

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Naming Committee Report

Marcia Nelson and Fariba Murray formed the naming committee. We were tasked with naming a friend to replace Sharon Haworth who was rolling off of the nominating committee as well as naming one of the committee members to be the convener. Brad Laird has accepted to join the nominating committee and Meredith George will be the new convener.

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9. Nominating Committee Report

(names in bold are new appointments)

Presiding Clerk: Kevin Brubaker (clerks 2024, 2025; assists 2026)

Assistant Clerk: Kent Busse (assists 2024)

Recording Clerk: Peter Lasersohn (records 2024, 2025; assists 2026)

Assistant Recording Clerk: David Shiner (assists 2024)

Reading Clerk: Pam Kuhn (2024)

Co-Treasurers: Ted Kuhn (2024), Dawn Crimson (2025)

Stewards: Chris Goode (2025), Grayce Mesner (2026), Beth Carpenter (2027), Chip Rorem (2027)

Among Friends Editor: ______________

Records Librarian: Brent Eckert

2023 Epistle Committee: Pam Kuhn, _________, _________.

Standing Committees:

Children’s Religious Education Clerk: Dale Gardner

2024: Dale Gardner, Coco Colin

2025: Anna Watson, Katherine Young, Quinn Parks

2026: Bobbi Trist

Development Clerk: Frank Young

2024: Frank Young, Marcy Herman

2025: Kay Drake

2026: Alex Lippitt

Environmental Concerns Clerk: Noel Pavlovic

2024: Sarah Pavlovic, Noel Pavlovic, Chris Goode, Fariba Murray

2026: David Wixom, Nancy Halliday, Adrian Fisher, Phyllis Reynolds

Finance Clerk: Val Lester

2024: Judy Jager, Ashlee Miller-Berry, Val Lester

2025: Cynthia Harris

Handbook Clerk: Pam Kuhn

2024: Pam Kuhn, Sue Styer, Julia Pantoga

Maintenance, Planning, & Envisioning Clerk: Chris Goode

2024: Chris Goode, Dennis McQueen

2025: Christina Schultz, Trevor Brandt, Margie Haworth-Davis

2026: Dianne Dennis, Carol Bartles, Marie White, Noel Pavlovic

Ministry & Advancement Clerk: Janice Domanik

2024: David Wixom

2025: Sarah Pavlovic, Virginia Schelbert, Steve Tamari

2026: Janice Domanik, Mark McGinnis, Erin Taylor

Peace Resources Clerk: Mark McGinnis

2024: Mark McGinnis, Dan Stevens

2025: Jan Mullen, Dave Moorman

2026: Sarz Maxwell, Barry Feldman

Personnel Clerk: Colleen Reardon

2026: Kate Gunnell, Sharon Haworth, Colleen Reardon

Ex-officio: Mike Dennis (Youth Oversight), Val Lester (Finance), Dale Gardner (Children’s RE), Sean West (Publications), Chris Goode (M&P), Janice Dominik (M&A)

Publications Clerk: Sean West

2024: Sean West

Ex-officio: Wil Brant (AC)

Racial Equity and Education

2024: Janice Domanik, Meredith George

2025: Beth Burbank, Steven David Flowers

2026: Allison Boyaris, Daniel Lakemacher

Youth Oversight Clerk: Mike Dennis

2024: Allison Boyaris, Mike Dennis, Daniel Lakemacher

2026: ______________

Appointments to Wider Quaker & Other Organizations:

AFSC

2024: Frank Young

2025: Steve Tamari

2026: Fariba Murray, ___________

FCNL

2024: Kevin Brubaker

2025: Fariba Murray

2026: Garnet Fay, David Wixom, Dale Gardner

FGC Central Committee

2025: Janice Domanik, Lilith Swygert

2026: Trevor Brandt

FLGBTQC

2026: Jad Tamari

Friends Peace Teams

2026: Andrea Kintree

Friends Secondary School Liaisons:

Olney

2025: Grayce Mesner

Scattergood

2025: Alex Lippitt

FWCC

2025: Julia Pantoga

2026: David Shiner, Pam Kuhn

NRCAT

2024: ____________

QEW

2026: Sarah Pavlovic

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10. Peace Resources Committee Report

The Peace Resources Committee meets via Zoom once a month. It has been a productive year for the PRC. The committee is active with peace, justice, and social concerns issues. Our current activities include:

• Reviewed Friends’ activities supporting Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Lands

• Hosted a Pretrial Fairness Teach-In.

• Hosting a Prison Ministry Panel Discussion

• Redefined our Handbook Description

• Planned a Junior ROTC and Recruitment Workshop geared towards Young Friends, to take place during Annual Session.

• Laid down the mantle of the Peace Tax Fund

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11. Personnel Committee Report

At the request of Ministry and Advancement, the clerk of the Personnel Committee joined the interview team for the new Field Secretary. The report from M & A will provide more information about the new Field Secretaries.

Many meetings were held among those on the Personnel Committee, those committees who supervise staff, those who approve contracts from independent contractors, and representatives from the Finance Committee. The focus of these meetings has been on the role of the Coordinator of Religious Education as an independent contractor, the development of a contract, and the relationship of others who assist with the children’s religious education program at Annual Sessions.

Most recently questions have come up about background checks for those who are paid to work with children or who volunteer to do so. While these individuals do need a background check, questions have been raised about how recent the background check needs to be and whether one from another organization can be used. These issues will be delved into more deeply at the next Personnel Committee Meeting.

Submitted by Colleen Reardon, Clerk of Personnel Committee

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12. Publications and Distribution Committee Report

Publications and website are up to day. Only one meeting who was on QuakerCloud has moved to the ILYM server.

Spanish Language Outreach Resources: There has been no information received to develop a list of Spanish language links or resources for the proposed Spanish language outreach resource web page. This project will be dropped if there is a continued lack of interest in providing information for it.

The Spanish translation of the ILYM Faith and Practice is somewhat stalled due to not finding an editor. The process that the Publications Committee developed, and had been reported at Fall 2022 Continuing Committee was to develop it much like the English ILYM F&P. It will be worked on chapter-by-chapter, being prioritized by chapters that standing alone would be most helpful for outreach/education purposes. The process for each chapter would be to have a translator translate a chapter, an editor review and edit the translated text, Wil will format the text for electronic (and eventual print) publication, either the translator or editor will proofread the formatted text, then it will be made available for public viewing on the website. Some chapters might be printed as self-standing pamphlets (a short run, low cost print job that would be within the annual Publications Committee budget). Once the entire F&P has gone through the translation process, discernment will be made on the physical printing of the Spanish edition of the ILYM Faith and Practice as well as funding for the printing. Currently it appears that there is a translator translating the entirety of the book. The proposed plan of doing it chapter by chapter would have allow for concerns between the translator and editor to be caught and corrected for later chapters. This current process might end up taking longer if there are specific concepts that need be retranslated—translating the Quaker sense of some words/concepts can sometimes be tricky and not always a direct translation.

Among Friends Handbook description: The current Handbook description of Among Friends is not in accordance to current practice. Following is the proposed revision:

Among Friends is the official publication of Illinois Yearly Meeting. It has been published electronically on the website and print versions mailed to all monthly meetings for distribution to members and attenders. Its purpose is to facilitate communication among all members and attenders of Illinois Yearly Meeting and to maintain our connections with one another throughout the year. Contents have included reports about monthly meeting programs and events, communications from yearly meeting committees and monthly meetings, information about Annual Sessions, and reflective pieces written by individuals. The editor serves ex-officio on the Publications and Distribution Committee.

Committee Revision: The nature of publications has been changing over the past few decade. The Publications and Distribution Committee was initiated when print was the sole medium for distributing yearly meeting items. More recently the committee description was expanded to include website oversight, since by default this oversight fell on the committee. In recent years there has been a difficulty in finding people to serve on the committee due to lack of identified things for potential committee members to do. Also in recent years there has been a growth in the yearly meeting for technological things, like Zoom meetings, A/V set up at business meetings, monthly meeting’s websites being hosted on the IYLYM server host, and interests in an ILYM social media presence. However there has not been a structure or a committee to oversee and facilitate these thing, which sometimes fell on the Publications and Distribution Committee.

To provide better oversight and facilitation of these new areas as well as to provide things for potential committee members to do, the Publications and Distribution Committee is proposing a revision to the committee to now be the Publications and Technology Committee. This revision reflects the movement of committee and gathers some things that are seeming to not be under any committee, though sometimes asked of the Publications and Distribution Committee.

Draft of new revised committee description:

Publications and Technology Committee

The Publications and Technology Committee consists of a clerk and other members who oversee the production and distribution of ILYM publications and the technology needs of the yearly meeting. Ex-officio members are Among Friends editor and the Administrative Coordinator.

The committee publishes and distributes to the member meetings the following documents:

1. The Minute Book which includes the minutes of the Annual Session and related documents, all of the Monthly Meetings’ State of Society Reports, the report of membership tabulation, a list of Illinois Yearly Meeting Meetings, and the appointments to Illinois Yearly Meeting committees.

2. The Jonathan Plummer Lecture.

3. Among Friends, the official yearly meeting publication

4. Such other writings, lectures, publications or presentations that are of special value to the yearly meeting.

The committee also maintains and implements a publications style sheet.

The committee oversees and cares for the technology needs of the yearly meeting. This includes:

1. The website and the host server, including other apps installed on the host server

2. Virtual meetings, currently via Zoom

3. Hybrid business meeting equipment and training to setup and use

4. Social media presence, currently including the ILYM Facebook Group and ILYM Social Network.

5. Working with other committees and staff with other electronic communications, such as the ILYM Announcements emails and website pages.

6. Working with monthly meeting who desire to have their websites hosted on the ILYM host server.

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16. Racial Equity and Education Committee Report

The committee believes working to expand and improve racial relationships by openly addressing and healing conflict in our monthly meetings and yearly meeting is essential. We are committed to helping meetings foster healthier racial relationships. As we do this work it is important to remember that we will make mistakes. We need to apologize and learn from our mistakes. We are all works in progress.

This year the committee united with Northside Meeting in encouraging participation in a CROAR workshop for individuals in ILYM. Those who attended were enthusiastic about the experience and want to share learnings with the yearly meeting. The committee is working on ways to help ILYM friends move forward in learning the societal impact of racism encouraging examination and modification of behavior.

We have offered and continue to offer a monthly opportunity to gather and discuss issues around race during the Zoom Anti-racism Café. It is open to everyone and some have been devoted to answering questions brought by participants while others have focused on a specific topic, request for assistance or query. The format varies as the group gathering changes.

The committee continues to challenge itself by sharing materials found by members. We watched the film Dakota 38 and as a result offer it as a workshop during these annual sessions. We understand it is important the workshop be open to all even those who cannot be present for all three days. As a result individuals may join the second or third day if they have previously watched the film. The film can be viewed free on the web at: www.smoothfeather.com/dakota38.

A member brought to the committee’s attention the Dixon Mounds Museum in Illinois where there are many Indigenous individuals’ remains or artifacts that have not been returned to their tribes. More complete information is available at: www.propublica.org/article/repatriation-nagpra-museums-dickson-mounds-museum?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign= major investigations &utm_content=feature

There are plans for Paula Palmer to offer her Zoom workshop on Indian Boarding Schools during the fall. She wanted to share it with ILYM during Annual Sessions via Zoom. Unfortunately, it was not possible with the limited internet service.

We gather together each month on Zoom sharing and learning together. The committee members support each other doing work within our monthly meetings. We will share information about opportunities for participation in this work.

Janice Domanik

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17. AFSC Representatives Report

Two of the four representatives to the AFSC Corporation attended (remotely) the Corporation Meeting in April. The ILYM representatives contribute to AFSC in several ways. One (with spouse) serves on the Capital Campaign Committee. Another has worked with various Service Committee projects in previous years. One previous representative retired this past year after service as Clerk of the Friends Relations Committee.

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18. FCNL Representatives Report

FCNL has been weathering recent times well. Though the organization strives to be bipartisan, relief reigned at November Annual Meeting in the wake of marginal losses/gains in the midterm elections. But FCNL goal of avoiding divisive issues among Friends has been challenged with the Dobbs decision. For the first time, the group is considering taking a stand on abortion. An extraordinary discernment process has been sent out to Quaker Monthly Meetings and organizations to help direct our lobbying.

This year has had changes. FCNL has gone through leadership transitions with the departure of beloved staff Diane Randall and Jim Cassion. As the organization grows, diversity goals remain important as well as advocacy programs that draw in younger people. The recently merged William Penn House has become Friends Place and is open to hosting friends and groups. As everyone else, FCNL struggles with the challenge of hybrid meetings, including the November Annual Meeting. Yet the organization has also taken advantage of hybrid opportunities to be more geographically inclusive and use technology to bring more weekly and monthly activities for its activists.

FCNL finances suffered losses in the recent stock market downturns, but since the organization had been running some surpluses and had carefully planned for possible reverses, no program cuts have been necessary so far. Though donations overall remain encouraging, FCNL still needs more support for the non-deductible lobbying support of its 501(c)4 organization. The FCNL Education Fund, whose contributions are deductible and that supports education and Friends Place, gets the majority of FCNL donations.

Finally, FCNL has an evolving discussion about the Legislative Priorities. Currently there are 13 general categories and we wonder if that is too many, or which ones in that list may be prioritized over others. With any changes we seek to show greater clarity to our witness.

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19. FGC Representatives Report

This year for the first time since 2019 the annual Gathering of Friends will be in person in Monmouth, Oregon at Western Oregon University. Individuals who cannot travel to Oregon can register to view the evening plenaries and the Bible half hour on Zoom. In 2024, the annual gathering will be at Haverford College near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. FGC spent a year having listening sessions about the gathering in order to determine if there were different ways to provide opportunities for people to come together for worship, workshops and fellowship. In the years to come FGC will be experimenting with different types of gatherings. Some may be small, focused on youth and young adults, located in specific geographic regions or at times other than during the summer. This is in an effort to finds ways to make the offerings more affordable.

This year there has been the collection of stories of people’s experience of FGC. Over and over we hear that people have developed deep friendships, learned clerking skills, been supported by FGC’s quarterly calls for yearly meeting clerks, gained a community by being together with young adult Quakers or learned more by participating in an e-retreat. The stories tell the impact of the work that is being done by the committees of FGC.

While the gathering is usually considered the FGC program, it is actually one of many. The Ministry on Racism Program has times for Friends of Color for worship, worship sharing, or fellowship each week. There are fall and spring retreats as well as a pre-gathering retreat for Friends of Color. The latter is to provide an orientation to the gathering spaces and form a supportive community. The program provides a weekly evening or day worship sharing for white friends working on racism. It provides a reduced rate for registration at the White Privilege Conference. The spiritual Deepening Program provides several e-retreats each year. The program is also willing to arrange for an e-retreat to be offered for a meeting community. There is an e-retreat library available on the FGC website. Members of the governing board (Central Committee) attend other yearly meetings through the yearly meeting visitor program. Their work is to bring back to other yearly meeting representatives things which are creative and may be useful to other meetings. They try to learn how FGC can support yearly and monthly meetings. During the past several years Sparklers working group (religious education) assisted the Friends Peace Teams by identifying books to be used in Rwanda to teach peaceful solutions and to assist with literacy.

This year FGC moves into the public phase of a campaign. The money will be used to create an endowment for the Gathering in order to assist families wishing to participate. It will provide support for Ministry on Racism Program, Religious Education and Spiritual Deepening, Young Adult and Youth Ministries. It will be to support our work to connect meetings and communicate with them. The stories we have heard from Friends show us how important the work provided has been. If you have stories to share about your experience with FGC programs, please be sure to share them with me. I want to hear the ways we can assist meetings.

Janice Domanik

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20. Secondary Schools Representatives Report

Olney

Olney has been a Quaker high school for 184 years, in rural eastern Ohio near Barnesville with a 350 acre farm, which is used as a learning tool as well as supplying much of the food needed to feed students and faculty. 2022 marked the 8th year they have been USDA certified organic.

The Head of School, Christian Acemah, was a graduate of Olney and has many opportunities to hear what other alumni say about their time spent there. He says, “Their stories bring Olney’s value to life. From learning to live in a multicultural community to working with a group on complex calculus problem sets, alums say the same thing: Olney gave us a firm foundation for life.” “Our Spirit-infused academic, athletic, office work, farm-to-table, and communal activities provide unparalleled opportunities for students to discover and rediscover themselves, others, and the world.”

This year they have students from Afghanistan, China, Denmark, Ethiopia, Germany, South Africa, Spain, and Uganda, as well as from Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Thanks to donors as well as grants and major gifts in early 2023 some much needed renovations will be taking place this year. There will be the renovation of the 2nd floor bathroom in the Guindon (boys) Dorm. New flooring will be put in the main building’s kitchen and storage room. Energy-conserving replacement windows are to be installed in the Towe Ranch faculty house. The failing retaining wall supporting the bicycle shed and parking lot will be replaced.

Increased funding from the Haverford-Measey Trust will result in more student financial aid. They have already increased their 9th grade class count by three, bringing the total up to five for this second semester.

Do you have a child or grandchild who would fit into this environment or know of some other family that does? Or can you help financially to enable this school with Quaker testimonies to continue? Contact olneyfriends.org, call 740-425-3655, or send mail to 61830 Sandy Ridge Rd, Barnesville, OH 43713.

Scattergood

The mission of Scattergood Friends School and Farm (SFS) is to challenge students with a college preparatory curriculum, farm experiences, a shared work program, and community living in the spirit of Quaker faith. As a middle to high-school program, the school is unique in the Midwest with boarding and day students, largely nourished by a certified organic farm on campus. With their teachers, students utilize the school, farm, pond and prairie as living laboratories for study and experimentation.

In its 132nd year, SFS remained rich and vibrant with 28 high school students, mostly boarding, and 12 students in the Middle School Day program. Dedicated staff combine with new and returning students as lively and joyous stewards of Friends’ testimonies.

• Scattergood Friends School will graduate nine seniors accepted into respected colleges, some going on into enriching gap years before attending college.

• 5 international high school students are part of the student body.

• SFS integrates the middle school and high school for a 7-year education including shared projects and classes, and upper school mentors for all middle school students.

• Under the capable Directorship of Head of School John Zimmerman, the theater program had another great year with productions such as Pippin this spring.

• Students participated in several trips including Mexico and NYM (Northern Yearly Meeting)’s Camp Woodbrooke in Wisconsin.

• Students also volunteered at a local homeless shelter.

• Now in its third year the revitalized “Camp Scattergood” summer program continues with forty students in five week sessions. Counselors in training positions are offered for 7th and 8th graders.

• School finances were enriched by a large bequest, and by substantially increased funding from the Measey Foundation in Philadelphia. This permits the school to increase financial aid, optimally staff the school, and increase salaries and benefits.

• The State of Iowa has passed legislation to fund school vouchers to private schools. SFS is participating up to a point permitting significant savings for qualifying students who want to come to Scattergood, but doing so in a way that minimizes the damage to public schools. The program will be monitored carefully and may be restricted or dropped if the program compromises SFS integrity.

• SFS is preparing to launch a capital campaign to address facilities needs and bring dorms into compliance with modern regulations and standards.

• Regular recertification of the school by ISACS (the Independent Schools Association of the Central States) is underway.

• Scattergood will hold an arts reunion August 3–6, 2023.

• Mark Quee received public recognition for his work and leadership of the farm from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University.

Scattergood looks forward to future shared youth events with ILYM. Unfortunately, the 2023 event had to be canceled because of an outbreak of COVID on campus. The campus COVID protocols were activated with no further cases on campus.

Graduation will be held as scheduled on June 4th.

The school remains resilient, sustainable and looks forward to Camp Scattergood, the Arts Reunion, the 2023–2024 academic year, and a great harvest.

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21. FWCC Representatives Report

Representatives: Pam Kuhn, Julia Pantoga, David Shiner

It has been an eventful year for the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), Section of the Americas. For the first time in four years, the Section of the Americas was able to do what FWCC does best: gathering Friends from different branches and different continents for worship and fellowship. On March 23-26, 2023 at beautiful Haw River State Park near Greensboro, North Carolina and over Zoom, more than two hundred Friends from Alaska to the Andes worshiped, shared their spiritual journeys, and conducted business together. It was a time of deep and rich fellowship.

The theme of the Section meeting, Becoming the Quakers the World Needs, evoked deep listening to each other and to the environment, as well as a commitment to increase the Section’s activity and impact. We approved a new program of consultations and intervisitations, which will allow the Section of the Americas to serve Friends by addressing topics of interest, both in person and virtually. Several other exciting ideas for enriching current programs and introducing new ones have been developed, to be funded by a global campaign introduced at the Section meeting. The new programs include development of an interactive map and directory of Quakers throughout the world, enhanced and much-needed training for interpreters, and an increase in funding for travel and technology to reflect the needs of the post-pandemic Quaker world, among others.

Some of the funds from the global campaign will be used to assist with expenses for the next World Plenary Meeting, which will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2024. It will be a hybrid event, with participants attending in person and online. The theme will be Living the spirit of Ubuntu: Responding with hope to God’s call to cherish creation – and one another. Ubuntu refers to the belief that we as human beings are all interdependent, and that every person is worthy of being recognized, respected, and heard. It is a daily practice in several African societies, although terms and languages differ. Thanks to the generosity of ILYM, we will be able to send at least one FWCC representative from our yearly meeting to attend the plenary in person. We are also asking for an additional donation from ILYM to the global campaign, to support both the plenary and the programs mentioned earlier.

World Quaker Day 2023 will take place on Sunday, October 1, also with the theme Living the spirit of Ubuntu: Responding with hope to God’s call to cherish creation – and one another. Information about Ubuntu, including an instructive video, can be found on the FWCC website at fwcc.world/living-the-spirit-of-ubuntu-in-2023/. ILYM Friends should start thinking now about ideas to get your meetings and First Day Schools involved in World Quaker Day on October 1.

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