Quaker Community in Southern Africa (SAYM)
Minutes of Mid-Year Representatives’ Meeting
Koinonia, Johannesburg
27 April – 1 May 2017
MinutesMinute 2017/1
FWCC
Thuli Mbete attended two FWCC Africa Section Executive Meetings in July and November 2016, and the FWCC Conference in March/April 2017.
There was a request to SAYM that we might host either the Africa Section Conference in 2020 or the World Conference in 2023.
A subcommittee will be make recommendations to Yearly Meeting. Johannesburg, Pretoria, Lesotho and Zimbabwe will provide names by the end of May and Thuli Mbete will head up the committee.
For discussion and decision at YM.
FWCC is in the process of rewriting the Friends Around the World International Handbook and Directory. It will be available in hard copy and electronically. Thuli Mbete will be updating the SAYM entry.
Minute 2017/2
Handbook
This is in the process of being updated. Betsy Coville requested that a Friend attending the Finance Workshop take detailed notes and write a summary of the workshop for inclusion in the future edition for YM 2018. Ben Schernick offered to take notes.
There should be a reference in the Handbook to the website for the current contact details of Clerks.
Meetings are requested to download their own copies. Hard copies will, however, be available at YM 2018 for those Meetings which do not have download facilities.
Minute 2017/3
Communications
Nancy Fee has asked for better access to copies of The Friend for SAYM and the editor is considering approaching trustees regarding her suggestion for a different rate for developed and developing countries, and possibly finding sponsors for paying for one digital copy for each meeting.
It was recognised that there are different levels of electronic access and that some people prefer not to receive too much email communication. Therefore, Clerks of local meetings may screen communications coming to their meetings to pass on the most pertinent and important.
Email strings and WhatsApp groups to thematically connect Friends across different meetings were discussed and would be developed. Ben Schernick will support the initiative.
MYRM provided Nancy Fee with a Travelling Minute to continue her work in communications and support. Nancy will work on developing this minute.
MYRM expressed appreciation to BYM for sharing their materials on external communications by Quakers and we recognise the need to further develop our own approaches on how we communicate to the wider world. The YM Clerks were requested to explore with BYM the possibility of their external communications advisor to provide support to the Yearly Meeting on this issue.
It was recognised that Meetings need a core set of Quaker and associated documents. It was agreed that Nancy would work with Sam Mugambe on checking what materials meetings currently have, and work towards a list of materials that could be provided for children and adults.
Minute 2017/4
Archiving
The purpose of archiving is to document our history and make it accessible to anyone researching Quaker history; such material should be stored with a recognised archive e.g. Wits, Cory, UCT.
Clerks are to ensure that copies of the minutes and important reports are archived.
Graham Thomas agreed to investigate how electronic material is archived.
Minute 2017/5
Contact Lists
Heath White to prepare a contact information update page to be sent to Clerks and made available on the website for download. Clerks are requested to ensure that every member and attender of a meeting is requested to provide the necessary information in the format required and return it to Heath White either electronically, by fax, or by hard copy by 31 October 2017. Heath will construct updated contact lists which will be made available on the website behind a password.
We should explore ways of eventually enabling meetings to directly update their contact details on the web.
Minute 2017/6
ZFRA
YM Clerks have had correspondence with the Schmids about the Zimbabwe Food Relief Action programme. The Schmids had asked Yearly Meeting to forward names of any appropriate individuals willing and able to take over the programme maintaining the ideals on which they had established it.
If no suitable person is available, they will consider laying it down.
Nancy Fee and Amanda Gibberd to draft additions, adjustments.
Minute 2017/7
Hunger Fund
The first year of the Hunger Fund ended at the end of April 2017 and had been administered successfully in both Zimbabwe and Lesotho Meetings. MYRM decided to continue for another year, but it will be reviewed at YM in January 2018 to allow for a notice period should the fund be discontinued.
Donations had been received from PMM and NAM in addition to the Christine Agar Fund and Compassion Fund contributions.
MYRM recognized that further discussion on alleviating poverty among Friends is necessary, possibly at YM.
Minute 2017/8
South African Council of Churches (SACC)
Tebogo Moteane and Dudu Mtshazo reported positively on the meetings they had attended at SACC and felt there was mutual benefit in once more affiliating ourselves with SACC.
The SACC Membership Committee will meet on 11 May 2017, after which we should know whether our proposed affiliation fee of R3000 + R420 VAT was acceptable to SACC.
They presented hard copies of the report and spoke to it. They also presented the Meeting with the Church in Action (CIA) document. They urged Clerks to study it and discuss implementation with our meetings.
Minute 2017/9
NGO Database
Michael Williams has requested Clerks of local meetings to inform him of Friends who are actively involved in NGOs, e.g. SAFCEI, AVP. MYRM agreed that we add a column to the Contacts Database to capture that information. The Clerk will contact Michael Williams to find out if this would be appropriate.
Minute 2017/10
Logo
Following on discussion from Yearly Meeting, the logo was selected from three options. It is:
Meetings can localize the logo by writing their Meeting name underneath in a sans serif font using upper and lower case, in a minimum of 11-point type. The logo should be used in all official correspondence. All Meetings will be sent a high-resolution image that they can use.
Nancy Fee will draft a paragraph clarifying the official nomenclature of Quakers to be included at the bottom of any letterhead or other official documentation, as appropriate.
Minute 2017/11
Meeting Identity
The logo represents Quakers in Southern Africa. The words ‘Central &’ will no longer be used, and SAYM will be the recognised abbreviation. There will be no change required to any legal documentation.
Local meetings are free to decide whether they want to call themselves Meetings, Community, Religious Society etc. This should not be dictated by Yearly Meeting.
Minute 2017/12
Diversity
After discussion, the meeting agreed on the theme of Diversity for Yearly Meeting and as a theme for communications, e.g. Facebook, SAQN, the website. Local Meetings are requested to reflect on this and come forward with suggestions for discussion at YM. It was suggested that Southern African Quakers could develop their own testimony on diversity. This could constitute a SIG or Summer School session at YM.
Minute 2017/13
Reaching Out
There was general agreement that Quakers are an aging group and we need to attract younger members.
A resource pack should be compiled for Meetings to assist them in planning and undertaking outreach activities, including welcoming and orientating new attenders.
Minute 2017/14
Activism
Our Quaker principles require us to speak out against injustice, taking into consideration whether it is a personal opinion or requires the support of the wider Quaker community.
A resource pack of guidelines and templates of various communications (e.g. letter to the editor, letter to public figures, press statements etc.) is to be developed and made available to Meetings.
MYRM expressed its gratitude to BYM for sharing information developed for external communications.
Minute 2017/15 – Finance
MYRM acknowledged the depth of our Quaker responsibilities as Members of the Yearly Meeting, and legal obligations as Trustees or Directors on a Board.
Yearly Meeting oversees and supports Trustees, who oversee and support Boards of Directors, who oversee and support Management.
As part of good Quaker stewardship and right ordering, all Friends have an ethical responsibility to be well informed, speak up, and ask questions. “All of us are each other’s keepers!”
Office bearers should avoid conflicts of interest, for example any treasurer cannot also serve on the Financial Oversight Committee. During the discussions, valuable insights emerged about the roles, responsibilities and requirements for being a trustee. Details are to be included in the Handbook.
Furthermore, Quakers in oversight positions should have the courage to speak truth to each other.
The Meeting felt that those carrying financial responsibilities should be held in the light by all meetings.
Minute 2017/16 – Finance
A Trust is a legal persona. Each Trust has a purpose, spelled out in the ‘Trust Deed and Objectives’, yet it is possible to expand such a purpose in accordance with the original spirit of the trust. Annual reporting to government is necessary and Trusts are currently audited by an external financial firm.
In contrast, SAYM is a Public Benefit Organisation, which does not pay taxes and its accounts are not required to be audited, although it would be good practice to do so.
The Meeting agreed that future SAYM Accounts should be audited.
Minute 2017/17
A succession strategy for Colin Glen, as accountant and key person for the overall financial administration, urgently needs to be developed. The successor should be someone with a professional accounting background. If such a person is not available from among Friends, then it should be someone from outside. Local Meetings were asked to identify possible candidates from within their meetings and forward the names to YM Clerks and Financial Oversight Committee (FOC).
Minute 2017/18
SAYM Treasurer should be ex-officio member of the Quaker Funds Committee.
Minute 2017/19
An overview of all Quaker-linked projects and funds in Southern Africa should be drawn up and include the relationships between them and various Quaker Meetings. During this exercise, it needs to be clarified which of these projects are directly or indirectly “under the care of the Meeting” and what this means for YM in each case.
Minute 2017/20
All legal documents, such as trust documents and title deeds, should be lodged securely and accessibly with the SAYM Treasurer, and local Meetings need to retain copies. The Record of Properties document included in the Agenda Pack will be reworked and sent to all Meeting Clerks for completion and return to the FOC and the SAYM Treasurer. In the event of a Meeting not owning property, a ‘null return’ should be submitted.
Minute 2017/21
Rob Thomson’s report on Ethical Investment was profoundly appreciated.
Discussions on investment led to agreement that funds should be more ethically invested. However, more clarity on ethical guidelines is needed to help find a balance between ethical investment and return on investment.
The report, both online and in hardcopy, will be shared with all local Meetings right after MYRM. Local Meetings are asked to discuss the report and make proposals about ethical guidelines.
Meetings should respond to Rob Thomson and FOC by 31 August 2017. FOC will prepare a specific proposal for the Yearly Meeting Agenda Pack before 1 November 2017, so that YM can take a decision in January 2018.
Minute 2017/22
The meeting felt it is not necessary to hire a ‘professional trustee’. We ourselves need training (e.g. through Woodbrooke) on these issues to take on these roles responsibly.
Minute 2017/23
The FOC felt the need for professional, qualified financial and legal support to carry out their tasks. The meeting asked Monthly Meetings to look for suitable skills within local Meetings and report back by end of August 2017.
The FOC may engage a consultant on specific issues as needed. Costs are to be cleared with the SAYM Clerks.
This issue is to be reported on at YM.
PLANNING FOR YM
Minute 2017/24
MYRM agreed on Boundary Agreements for YM and suggested rewording a number of them.
MYRM thanked Nancy for agreeing to deliver the Richard Gush Lecture for 2018.
A number of names were suggested for the Richard Gush Lecture at Easter 2019:
· Karen Armstrong
· Geoff Davies
· Jim McCloy
· Ann Phiri
· Rosemary van Wyk Smith
· Terry Waite
· Janneke Weidema
Preference was expressed for Quakers and those who have close links to Southern Africa.
Minute 2017/25
Young Friends
Young Friends, faced with the complexities of arranging a Work Camp, decided rather to set up inter-visitation between Young Friends from different meetings. The pilot would work on the following terms:
· A host meeting would identify a family/families willing to offer accommodation;
· The host family/families would indicate how many they can accommodate and stipulate dates that would suit them;
· An open invitation would be extended via the Clerks’ Google Group;
· Places would be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Young Friends would indicate their interest to their Meeting Clerks who would then respond to the Clerk of the host meeting and CC the Young Friends Elders;
· Young Friends would have the responsibility to find out their travel costs and fill in an ECTF application for support, which would require a minute from their meeting;
· The money could be disbursed directly to Young Friends or through the Clerk;
· Young Friends would book their own tickets and liaise with the host meeting to arrange arrivals, etc.;
· The host Meeting would be responsible for arranging activities during the visit.
JMM will be requested to act as host meeting for the pilot inter-visitation.
Minute 2017/26
YM Activities for YF
Suggestions for YM activities for Young Friends included the following:
· AVP taster;
· Quaker spirituality and testimonies;
· Discussion groups using Quaker resources;
· Discussion on climate change leading to climate action;
· “Managing your money” game;
· Interpersonal relationships and gender (Thuli Mbete);
· Addiction (Graham Thomas);
· Activities from Peace Clubs’ curricula;
· Khosi’s Geneva experience;