As discussed in Adult Discussion on 2/4/24.
Approved in Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business 3/10/24
North Branch Meeting is continuing to rebuild itself on a foundation of Spirit and loving community. Although we are a small group and have lost some members, we are happy to welcome several new attenders as well. And some older members have also now returned to Meeting. Our renewed spirit of community and respect is more welcoming to visitors.
We have revamped our budget to accommodate our decreased income. A budget which many members believe we should have had all along. Although we all like to be generous to local charities that promote Quaker testimonies as individuals, we feel our small Meeting budget should primarily tend to the needs of growing Quakerism and our Meeting and attending to the needs of its members. “It’s not the size of the Meeting but the amount of love and Spirit within the group that counts.” We have been a small but vibrant Meeting for over 60 years.
Our attempts at using Social Media for Outreach have been successful and have resulted in getting our message out. We have had interest shown in Meeting from those efforts.
We depend upon individual members to support Quaker testimonies in their lives. Each member brings something to the table. Our Meditation on the Mountain series has been popular and has introduced several people to Quaker methods of worship and an understanding of appreciation and care of our environment.
We feel our one drawback is not having a Meetinghouse to be a visible presence in the community and somewhere to invite the community. But Wyoming Seminary Lower School continues to kindly allow us to use their facilities on First Days. We are too small a group to consider owning property now, but have a Meetinghouse fund invested in Friends Fiduciary for future generations should Way open.
In short, we are relieved and happy that our Meeting has returned to being a loving and supportive community through Quaker process. We are once again proud to invite the community to worship with us.
