Overseers Annual Report,
Calendar Year 2016
The role of the Overseers Committee is to help maintain a caring community within Third Haven Friends Meeting, with a special emphasis on pastoral care and counseling. We embrace that role while recognizing that many other members and attenders contribute significantly to the health of our faith community. In 2016, these members served as Overseers: Larny Claggett, Marsie Hawkinson, Connie Lewis, Nancy Robbins, John Schreiner, Dona Sorce, Paige Tilghman, Joan Wetmore, and Adrienne Rudge, clerk. Together we formed clearness committees to meet with potential new members, had an ongoing conversation about mapping the graveyard and eventually developing a scatter garden there, organized opportunities for the THFM family to socialize, and shared news and concerns about members and attenders, helping with challenging situations when we could.
The Committee met monthly with the exception of June, July and December. We kept in touch with the Third Haven Friends Meeting community through a calling tree by dividing members and attenders alphabetically. We spoke with, wrote to and visited with individuals as the year progressed.
During 2016, four attenders requested membership in the meeting: Ben Tilghman, Bob and Dolores Wack and very recently, Connie Crow. The Overseers enthusiastically recommended Ben's membership; he became a member last spring. A clearness committee was formed to meet with Dolores and Bob, but the process was postponed when Dolores's surgery required her prolonged recovery. We look forward to meeting with the Wacks soon in the new year. Connie's request will be discussed by the Overseers at its January meeting, when a clearness committee will be formed. When an attender becomes a member, the Overseers offer a subscription to Friends Journal for a period of time to the new member. This year, at the suggestion of Marsie Hawkinson, we sent subscriptions to some of the young adults in our meeting who have recently graduated from college and are living on their own.
The Committee assisted in the memorial service of longtime member Fred Rossiter, brother of Debbie Cox, and offered help to the Kemp family as they remembered both Bob and Butch Kemp in separate services. Overseers encourage each member to fill out a Memorial Intentions Form and have it on file in the Common Room closet. For those who wish to have a plaque added to the THFM memorial wall, there is an also an opportunity to reserve a spot.
The New Member and Attender recognition luncheon was held on March 6th with the usual bountiful buffet and good attendance. The Hospitality Committee was our partner for this annual gathering. Thirty-one people participated in the 2016 Friendly Eights luncheon/dinner program over the winter and early spring. Each group of eight (or in one case, seven) met twice, with four of the group providing hospitality at each meeting. The participants reportedly enjoyed lively conversations and excellent cuisine. Rather than plan a fall luncheon this year, Overseers joined forces with the Outreach Committee to help with a family picnic at the rise of meeting in September.
Longtime members Paige Tilghman and John Schreiner retired from the Overseers Committee in December. We have benefited greatly from their active participation and devotion to pastoral care. We welcome Dona Sorce as clerk of the committee and look forward to serving Third Haven Friends Meeting in the year ahead.
Adrienne Rudge, Clerk