Third Haven Friends Meeting Trustees
2017 Annual Report
Who are the Trustees of Third Haven Friends Meeting and what is their relationship with Third Haven Friends Meeting? The Meeting traces its beginnings to the Betty's Cove Meeting, which was established in the 1660's. Our beloved Old Meeting House was completed in 1684. Two hundred and sixty-four years later, in 1948, membership in THFM had dwindled to a few mostly elderly Friends and there was concern that the Meeting could be laid down. If that occurred, the normal practice would be that the property and grounds would revert to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
Friends wanted to be sure that the care of Third Haven would remain with the people who had been involved through the years and where generations of Quaker family members were buried. The Trustees were incorporated to insure that the property and grounds would remain in our control in perpetuity. The Trustees of Third Haven Friends Meeting are the owners of the buildings and property at Third Haven.
The seven trustees, all members of the Meeting, include Kenneth Carroll, Larny Claggett, Marsie Hawkinson, Allan Mielke, Sumner Parker, Diana Rein and Adrienne Rudge. When a vacancy occurs, the Nominating Committee of Third Haven Friends Meeting is asked to propose new members.
The Annual Meeting of the Trustees was held April 11, 2017. The assets managed by the Trustees have accumulated through legacy and other gifts and are currently invested with Friends Fiduciary Corporation in Philadelphia as well as in a smaller account with Vanguard. We also maintain a checking account at Shore United Bank.
While there is no hard and fast line separating the financial responsibilities of the Meeting and the Trustees, traditionally the Trustees pay or help to pay for capital expenses such as a new roof, a new heating system or the removal of hazardous trees. The Meeting covers operational expenses. At our April 11 meeting, the Trustees read a list from the clerk of the Property and Grounds Committee of maintenance needs for consideration by the Trustees. The list included repair and painting for the Brick Meeting House windows, which the Trustees will cover from the assets of the corporation. Other work to be done in the Brick Meeting House was addressed on a case-by-case basis and approval for total support was generally given. For the needed long-term fix of the wooden ramp at the back entrance of the Brick Meeting House, the Trustees agreed to split the cost with the Meeting.
The Trustees commend the work of the Property and Grounds Committee.
This report is given for the information of the Meeting each year and requires no action.
Adrienne Rudge, President, Trustees of Third Haven Monthly Meeting