Minute: Purchase Quarterly Meeting on FUM Personnel Policy

Purchase Quarterly Meeting

February 3, 2008

The clerk proposed a minute, and invited Friends to share their thoughts and feelings in worship sharing. Friends approved the following minute, which will be forwarded to the Yearly Meeting:

Purchase Quarterly Meeting finds Friends United Meeting’s policy of effectively excluding gays and lesbians from employment and volunteer opportunities to be antithetical to our understanding of Friends’ testimonies. We pray that FUM will adopt inclusive hiring policies and treasure the spiritual gifts that Friends bring regardless of sexual orientation.

We acknowledge that all Friends are in deep pain over these issues. We urge Friends to be open, loving and nonjudgmental as we come into contact with ideas that grate against our own. In this, we take heart in the words of Isaac Penington: “Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand.” [Letters, 1667]

We firmly support continuing New York Yearly Meeting’s affiliation with FUM which includes financial support, the appointment of representatives to FUM’s General Board, and the appointment of delegates to FUM Triennials. We ask that our representatives to the General Board continue to convey to FUM that we consider the personnel policy related to gays and lesbians to be self-contradictory, and out of harmony with Friends’ ways and Jesus’ teachings. We hold all in the Light as we prayerfully seek divine guidance in this matter.