On April 17, 2010, the NoVES Board met at the home of Mary Ellen and Andy Stanton. All Board members and Leader Jone Johnson Lewis attended.

   Jone asked the Board to think about how we can start an ethical action advocacy project.  Members continue to contact her requesting birthday meetings. Jone gave a learning component related to the focus groups by providing methods by which Board members could respond to members who express concern over the direction of NoVES.

   Hank Gassner led a discussion on who NoVES would vote to receive the AEU’s Elliott-Black award.  AEU member societies have nominated two candidates – Lawrence Egbert of Final Exit and Thomas Warfield of Peace Art International.  The Board decided to support Final Exit, the organization, rather than Lawrence Egbert, the individual.  However, if the AEU nominates Lawrence Egbert, we will request that AEU state that it does not agree with all of Mr. Egbert’s positions.

   Sven Sinclair reported that NoVES’s income is substantially behind where we would like it to be.   There was considerable discussion about how to develop a budget.  Andy will send an email to the membership inviting them to participate in a budget-planning meeting that he will lead.

   Hank discussed the meeting of the Jerry Ziskind/Dale McGowan workshop committee.  The committee would like someone from the Board to be the finance person.  The Board agreed to set up a PayPal account so that people could register online.  The Board had no objection to putting an Amazon link on the NoVES website for McGowan’s books.  The workshop will require an expenditure of $3,000.  However, the committee does not want to spend more than $1,500 from the Ziskind fund.  The remaining expense of $1,500 could possibly be recouped by a combination of workshop fees and contributions to the fund.

   The Board also addressed the following matters:

·         The Board welcomed Richard and Halina Peabody as NoVES members.

·         Mary Bellamy agreed to chair the pledge campaign.  Sven will receive completed pledge forms.

·         The Board discussed what should be included in NoVES’s annual report to the AEU.  Mary Ellen will take over writing the report in light of Hank’s surgery.

·         Mary Bellamy gave a report on Camp Quest Chesapeake, which - like NoVES - is part of the Washington D.C. Coalition of Reason.  The Board agreed to NoVES partnering with Camp Quest Chesapeake, which will involve each organization publicizing the other.

·         The Board agreed to Marianne Moerman’s request that NoVES be a co-sponsor of the Gay Pride interfaith service.

·         Regarding the focus group reports, the Board agreed that an abbreviated report prepared for the membership meeting would include some Board responses to the issues that were raised.  However, a more comprehensive Board response would be released later.

·         The Board agreed to move the membership meeting from May 16 to June 6.  It also agreed to combine Sunday school recognition with adult recognition and have a Platform on June 13.

·         Helene Shore and Marv Friedlander have agreed to run for the Board.

·         The AEU Assembly is in Scranton from June 17 through June 20.  The Board agreed that Hank, Mary Ellen and Andy would attend as delegates, with Betty Chia-Karro, Bill Lewis and Jone as possible alternates.  We will ask the membership if anyone else wants to attend.

·         Mary Ellen led a discussion about summer programs.

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