Minutes of London and Middlesex General Meeting, 23 June 2007
1. Worship and Testimony
In our worship today, we have heard parts of the Testimony from Purley and Sutton Monthly Meeting to the grace of God in the life of our Friend Patricia Sparks.
We forward this Testimony to Britain Yearly Meeting, and we send this minute to Patricia’s family.
2. Testimonies
We receive from Westminster Monthly Meeting their Testimony to the grace of God in the life of our Friend Michael Crewdson. We forward this Testimony to Britain Yearly Meeting.
We receive from Ratcliff and Barking Monthly Meeting their Testimony to the Grace of God in the life of our Friend Dan Regan. We forward this Testimony to Britain Yearly Meeting.
Copies of all three Testimonies received today have been made available to Friends.
3. Trustees of Friends Housing Bursary Trust
On the recommendation of our GM Committee and with the agreement of our Nominations Committee, we extend the appointment as Trustees of the Friends Housing Bursary Trust of the following Friends:
Jean Edwards, of Southwark Lewisham and Bromley MM
Leslie Forster, of Hampstead MM
Judy Herzmark, of Southwark Lewisham and Bromley MM
for a further year from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008.
This extension will allow time for proper consideration of the appropriate means of appointment to the Friends Housing Bursary Trust to be considered and agreed.
Proposals for future methods of appointment to the Friends Housing Bursary Trust will be sent to our Monthly Meetings for consideration and decision.
4. London and Middlesex General Meeting
The Present
a) Laying down of General Meeting
We receive minute 25 of Britain Yearly Meeting 2005, and minute 20 of Britain Yearly Meeting 2007, on the laying down of General Meetings.
We agree to lay down London and Middlesex General Meeting, following the decision of Britain Yearly Meeting. The seven Monthly Meetings in the London area, with Six Weeks Meeting, are now the only authoritative Quaker bodies in this region.
We give thanks today for the history of vitality and fellowship in our General Meeting, and for the inspiration we have received from the lives of London Friends in the past.
b) Finance
We agree to hand back to Six Weeks Meeting, by 31 December 2008, the balance of funds from our General Meeting Account.
c) Archives
Since 1962 the archives and records of London & Middlesex General Meeting and its committees have been deposited with the Library at Friends House, but have remained the property of the General Meeting. With the laying down of the General Meeting, we must make clear and definite arrangements for their future ownership and custody. Accordingly, as the archives are already held by the Library, we give our archives and records to the Library who will keep and care for them on behalf of the Yearly Meeting. We agree to transfer the deposit arrangements into a gift according to the Library's conditions of gift.
Monthly Meetings within the General Meeting will continue with their existing arrangements for the deposit of their records.
The Future
d) Minutes from MMs and PMs
We receive minutes on future Quaker structures in the London region from
Ratcliff and Barking MM, Minute 07.51 of 15 March
Richmond PM, Minute 07/10 of 11 March
e) Moving Forward
As fifty London Quakers, meeting in the light on 23 June 2007, we agree that in the future we would like there to be:
• A shared website
In the short term we therefore agree
• To ask the existing List Group, Alan Phillips, Susan Williams and Margot Lunnon, to produce a printed list for 2008
f) Expenditure on a Website
Given that LMGM is being laid down, it would seem improper to plan a significant piece of work for the next few months. However, we are sufficiently clear about the potential value of a website that will enable both London Friends and the public to be aware of London meetings and Quaker activities. We therefore authorise the continuing committee to spend up to £1,000.00 on an easily maintained and expanded website to do this job.
We are clear that such a website should provide a useful introduction to anyone googling “Quakers in London” and provide links to other Quaker and relevant pages. (e.g. information on transport) We should involve an apparatus which will make it easy for local Quakers to make their own pages, for instance for children and young people’s activities.
We ask Margot Lunnon, Geoffrey Rendle, and Diana Miles to further specify this requirement to the continuing Committee, and to act as a nominations committee to find Quaker webmasters to sustain this activity after 31 December 2007.
g) Nominations
We lay down our Nominations Committee, thanking them for their work. We thank Peter Ede for his work as its Secretary.
We ask the continuing Committee, in consultation with our Monthly Meetings, to establish appropriate nominating methods to appoint Quakers to serve on London-wide bodies, Quaker and non-Quaker.
h) Finance
We ask the continuing Committee to tidy up any necessary financial and constitutional matters between now and 31 December 2008.
We note that the Treasurer of the continuing Committee presents the accounts to the committee for approval. We agree to send our accounts for information to the seven London Monthly Meetings.
i) Informing others
We send this minute to
• the seven London Monthly Meetings
4. We close in worship, celebrating the richness of this General Meeting’s history and the life we share as Quakers in London.
Beth Allen
Meeting at Friends House
Kingston and Wandsworth MM, Minute 07/26 of 18 March
Devonshire House and Tottenham MM, Minute 07/34 e) of 19 March
Southwark Lewisham and Bromley MM, Minute 10 of 15 April
Hampstead MM, Minute 34.07 of 16 May
Purley and Sutton MM, Minute 6, 19 May
Westminster MM, Minute 07-58 of 20 May
Golders Green PM, Minute 12/2007 of 11 March
Brentford and Isleworth PM, Minute 9/07 of 11 March
Ealing PM, Minute of June
Wanstead PM, Minute 07/53 of 3 June
Hampstead PM, Minute 7/57 of 10 June
Stoke Newington, notes from a meeting
• A co-ordinated list of members of London MMs
• A leaflet listing the London Meetings, geared to Outreach and produced annually
• An experiment with London-wide meetings for inspiration, education and dialogue.
• To ask Peter Daniels to produce a List of London Quaker Meetings for 2008
• To publicise the London-wide meetings which may be organised by Alec Davison and Beth Allen
• To extend the life of the existing Committee until the end of December 2008, asking them to oversee the tasks listed above.
• Six Weeks Meeting
• Britain Yearly Meeting
• The Trustees of Britain Yearly Meeting
• Meeting for Sufferings
• the Recording Clerk.
Clerk, 23.6.2007