More Carolina Quaker Turbulence: One Meeting Stays; Two Quit
All three of the Friends Meetings expelled from North Carolina Yearly Meeting (FUM) have now issued formal responses to this action, which was taken by the NCYM Executive Committee on August 20 (they called it a “release.”) Among them, the statements go in exactly opposite directions.
Continue reading More Carolina Quaker Turbulence: One Meeting Stays; Two Quit
Any business done without the input and involvement of the [three] expelled [Friends] Meetings will be conducted under the false pretense of the invalid expulsion. All business conducted in this way shall be out of Gospel Order and utterly without claim to being a valid activity of North Carolina Yearly Meeting.
There can be no greater reason to hold NCYM annual sessions than to discuss the important matters facing NCYM. Put simply, this matter is an urgent and immediate crisis. There will be no other issue more on the hearts and minds of attendees. It would be utter folly to pretend otherwise.
First Friends respectfully submits not only that this matter must be considered at the coming annual sessions of North Carolina Yearly Meeting, but that it must be the absolute first matter of business to be considered. No other business rightly can be conducted before this issue is duly considered.
It hasn’t been a quiet week in wobegon North Carolina Yearly Meeting.
When it began, many Friends were still in shock at the news that three of its meetings had been abruptly expelled (“released” is the unconvincing official term) by the YM Executive Committee, after an unannounced meeting on August 20.
But the shock soon wore off. And after that, came the reaction. It was strong and loud, and hasn’t let up.
Max Carter Speaks Out for Expelled New Garden Meeting
We just interviewed Max Carter, a newly retired former faculty member and Director of the Friends Center at Guilford College. Max is also a member of New Garden Friends Meeting (NGFM), recently pronounced “released” [i.e., expelled] by the North Carolina Yearly Meeting (NCYM) Executive Committee.
(We have also offered to let an informed member of the other two “released” NCYM Meetings, Holly Spring & Poplar Ridge, make their case against the Executive Committee action here. No takers yet.)
Continue reading Max Carter Speaks Out for Expelled New Garden Meeting
[I]t’s too bad that a document which challenges so well a process that is shrouded and “self-sequestered,” lacking transparency and “openheartedness,” doesn’t stay open to those interested, inside and outside the yearly meeting.
Challenging the secretive and arbitrary “leadership culture” in NWYM is a recurrent theme of the appeals. From outside at least, it looks much better when the challengers to that culture walk the talk.