From New England Yearly Meeting's 2008 Epistle:
In recent years we have frequently labored over the personnel policy of Friends United Meeting (FUM). ....
In considering where we are led, we realize that we must be able to articulate our own belief about what constitutes appropriate sexual relationships. Over several years, our young people have challenged us to be clear about our sexual ethics.
Last year, we approved a Minute of Commitment (NEYM minute 2007-67) to talk with each other about sexual ethics and the deepest meanings of family, marriage, and committed relationships. We also asked our monthly and quarterly meetings to seek Divine guidance on same-sex marriage, where we are not yet united. We were deeply touched when all eight quarterly meetings reported on what their monthly meetings have done on these subjects. We strongly feel that the Spirit is calling us to continue this work, recognizing that in the face of much hesitancy in speaking openly about these matters, the work must be done with great tact and love. Friends from meetings that have engaged in the discussion spoke of finding it a blessing.
NEYM Ministry & Counsel established this working party to help the yearly meeting work on the issues mentioned in the extract above. We have been charged with providing written materials, discussion facilitators, and other resources to support meetings' search for greater clarity in this area. We also are collecting back from meetings reports and minutes that result from this process and disseminating these to others in the YM.
This web page, and some of the pages linked from this page, are also part of our response to that charge.
A mailing was sent out to all the clerks of monthly meetings in NEYM in October 2008. The contents of this mailing are:
A cover letter explaining the process meetings are being asked to undertake,
A copy of the 2007 minute,
A set of guidelines and some queries that may be useful to meetings reflecting on these questions, and
A list of on-line resources that may be helpful to meetings in this process.
Members of the working party are available to come to monthly and quarterly meetings to facilitate work around spirituality and sexuality.
A list of facilitators willing to assist monthly and quarterly meetings with their discernment,
A list of contact people from our working party assigned to facilitate communication with each quarterly meeting
Status reports from monthly & quarterly meetings on what they have done so far in response to this concern. Arranged by quarter.
Copies of the monthly & quarterly meeting minutes that we have received so far as a result of this process.
The resource list in the mailing to monthly meetings is growing into an on-line bibliography of resources that may be useful to Friends.
A history of NEYM's ongoing concern regarding the Friends United Meeting ''Personnel Policy'' has been published elsewhere on this site by another working party of Ministry & Counsel.
A list of the current active members of this working party.
You can contact the working party by sending email to wpse(at)neym.org.