MISSIONARY INDEPENDENT SPIRITUAL CHURCH
Newsletter Vol. 5 No. 1
06-06-10
BOARD MEETING MINUTES: June 6, 2010
Minutes for Board Meeting of Missionary Independent Spiritual Church Joshua Tree, California 3pm-6pm MISChurch Board Meeting Present in person or by phone were: Bishop catherine yronwode, President of the Church Chairwoman, AIRR Committee (Est. 11/07) Chairwoman, CRYSTAL SILENCE LEAGUE Committee Director, AIRR PRO BONO FUND Committee (Michael Maurer, Chairwoman) Director, LADY'S AUXILIARY Committee (Sister Robin Petersen, Chairwoman) Bishop Fred Burke, Vice President of the Church Chairman, FAN FUND Committee Vice-Chairman, CRYSTAL SILENCE LEAGUE Committee Bishop Sindy Todo, Treasurer of the Church, Treasurer, AIRR Committee Bishop nagasiva yronwode, Secretary of the Church Secretary, AIRR Committee Chairman, CHURCH LEGAL FUND Committee (Est. 12/09) Director, CHURCH CALENDAR Committee (Laura Kate Barrett, Chairwoman) (Est. 6/09) Briana Saussy, AIRR Ombudsman, AIRR Tech Team participant Not Attending: Bishop John Michael Greer (who sends his regards and thanks). ================================================================= MINUTES OF THE CHURCH BOARD MEETING 6/6/10 3pm - 6pm PT For your amendment and approval. by nagasiva yronwode, Missionary Independent Spiritual Church Board Secretary ----------------------------------------------------------------- I. Board Resignations and Election ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Resignation of Board Member John Michael Greer John Michael has decided to resign from the church board, citing his lack of ability to participate as often in Church business as he would have liked. We agree to accept this resignation with gratitude, extending to him a specific appreciation of his service, and wishing him the best in his future pursuits and projects. we shall always be grateful for his contribution. :) catherine volunteered to compose a letter and to construct a certificate of appreciation to be sent to him. There was general support for this. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Board Election and Officer Appointments It was proposed by nagasiva as part of the Agenda and (seconded by) others that Briana Saussy replace John Michael. catherine described Briana as having extensive involvement in the forum, unfailing participation in the Tech Team for AIRR, and continued, expert contribution to the Annual Workshops. Briana is now the Ombudsman for AIRR and her sense of volunteerism and volume of effort also speak plainly of her enthusiasm and spirit. The following members of the Board were thus elected: catherine yronwode, nagasiva yronwode, Fred Burke, Cynthia 'Sindy' Todo, and Briana Saussy. Officer appointments were as follows: President: catherine yronwode Vice President: Fred Burke Treasurer: Sindy Todo Secretary: nagasiva yronwode catherine said: "We want to recognize Briana's ongoing service to the AIRR Committee Tech Team, and as the current AIRR Ombudsman. We are glad to have her on the Board!" There was a general celebration. ----------------------------------------------------------------- II. OLD BUSINESS 3. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS We begin with the reports from the Board Members themselves, who have general reflections on their areas of their responsibility. Committees, under the chairing or directorship of the Board Members, received separate examination from the reports immediately following. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3A. Report From the Treasurer Sindy Todo provided an overview of the 3 years of operation 2008/2009/2010. The 2010 data is minimal, since the pertinent accounting data still resides with the Secretary, awaiting sorting until after this Board Meeting's business is concluded. 2008 - Detail to follow or has already been received by the Board in her financial reports (inquire of the Secretary if it is not attached hereto and you would like a copy): ($714.00) net loss for the year. 2009 - In 2009 AIRR began, and with it the annual fees charged to its participants in the directory. With donations from many church members, the Fan Fund was created and the legal fund was also constructed. The AIRR Committee was designed to work as a self-supporting Committee and its accounting is a bit more cumbersome on account of this. At the end of the fiscal year (December) we entered into an agreement to fund the Legal Commiteee with a donation by catherine yronwode and nagasiva yronwode of $2000.00 and a donation by Fred Burke of $500.00. In combination with the very large outlay of expenses entailed by the very successful 2009 Workshop and Convocation, the balance of two year income now outstanding is approximately what remains in the Fan Fun to date: $415.00. Regular deposits are being made by the Secretary from the donation box where Fan Fund donations and Table Fees are collected unless otherwise marked for special designation (as to committee or toward anonymous prayer service). 2010 - nagasiva has April expenses from the May Workshop in hand and accounting for this year is underway as a project for the Secretary and Treasurer, the material to be off to the Treasurer within a week. We will be expecting annual AIRR fee payments in June from directory participants, as well as donations for fans and table fees for readings, payment for the Cookbook (see below) and general contributions, and this will help to substantially provide for a portion of what may be needed for Fan publishing, legal expenses, and Workshop expenses deferred pending the accounting by nagasiva. The Treasurer suggested that the donation of time, as with projects in association with Winmore, whereby we donate our time in construction of his Dream Books in exchange for ads for the church carried in these publications, be provided documentation and submitted to the Treasurer so we can also make this known to the various committees and participants in the projects engaged by the Church generally, and that the individual receive credit for their enthusiasm and work. Catherine noted that some mention of this had appeared in the previous church newsletter (online and via email) and said she would write up a more thorough record of such work to date. Current Accounts Access Status What lies before us in pursuit of the Treasurer having greater level of control and scrutiny of the bank account beyond Paypal and checkbook oversight is obtaining the proper identification for catherine at a nearby outlet (our local post office no longer does it) and obtain a passport for her. Then we can get the bank paperwork signed and Sindy complete access and control. :) nagasiva said that he would undertake to facilitate this process with catherine and that we can expect that to be resolved very soon. We will aim for the end of July for completing this process. Actions Taken It was determined that the balance as of 1/1/10 was effectively the leftover from the FAN FUND Committee's fundraising, and that subsequent monetary outlays (specifically those advanced to the Legal Committee; see below for more on the lawyer in the Secretary's Report) may well have dipped temporarily into that fund for its implementation. RESOLUTION: We resolved that hence forward the Treasurer will be requested to subdivide the accounting data and maintain fund barriers against their non-targetted usage, a notification at the time of this occurring will accompany any such reference. These divisions will be according to their *committee* which should each have a Chair to champion, represent, and orchestrate it. The Treasurer is also requested to provide for us an estimated operating budget, given the fundraising and expenditure efforts so far, and to provide this to the Board at our next Board Meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3B. SECRETARY's Report The most notable development of 2009/10 was the decision to enter into a formal relationshp with Spaulding, McCullough & Tansil (Don Winkle has been assigned to assist us) whereby they have been retainedto assist us with filing papers for 501c3 status and its state/federal requirements. December 2009 saw contributions to the LEGAL FUND sufficient to cover initial investigation, but it is unknown if this will suffice for the completion of the 501c3 filing process. Some of the requirements will include financial reports and filings we are expecting that Mr. Winkle, who represents them, will assist us in negotiating. Mr. Winkle's latest communication was a re-iteration as if he had not yet read through what i'd provided or remembered what we'd discussed. The Board was concerned about making efficient use of Mr. Winkle's time, and there was general agreement that we should specifically ensure we will not be charged for oversights on his part if he is covering old ground needlessly. Sindy had explicit and helpful instructions for determining this as soon as possible: 1) establish a temporal plan with the lawyer, asking him what we can expect in what timeline now that he has the materials for which he was asking; additionally she requested that we inquire firmly but politely whether we would be charged for reiterated communications; 2) report back when we have additional data, some movement toward our goals, etc. nagasiva agreed to tend to this as instructed and once these Board Meeting Minutes are on their way he will set to constructing communication for Mr. Winkle on behalf of the Board with these suggestions in mind, and likely set up a meeting with nagasiva, catherine and Mr. Winkle, as he is suggesting, etc. Communications and Facilitation Otherwise, minimal communications (via email, leading to form letters; and via phone calls) with the interested as to the existence of, services by, and projects undertaken by the Smallest Church in the World, are proceeding normally. Along with more voluminous communications of a similar nature that pertain to AIRR (since i operate also as its Secretary), i'm also facilitating a variety of meetings such as this one utilizing the FreeConference.com system, and this appears to be working well for us -- regular Tech Team meetings for AIRR are scheduled weekly, and the occasional Board or Committee meeting are handled this way as well. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3C. Committee Reports --------------------- 3C1. FAN FUND Committee Report Fred reported on the FAN FUND that there is one fan completed, and 3 on the runway, 1 of them designed by catherine and one designed by Fred, 1 to be designed, including the following: --------------------- 2007 Consolation Angel - designed but not printed Back: 1st Annual Commemorative Fan, MISC --------------------- 2008 Holy Guardian Angel -- completed; available to all. Back: 2nd Annual Commemorative Fan, MISC --------------------- 2009 Sacred Heart of Jesus -- designed but not printed Back: 3rd Annual Commemorative Fan, MISC --------------------- 2010 Passover Seder in Jerusalem -- in design stage Back: 4th Annual Commemorative Fan, MISC plus FAGS --------------------- The cost for the 2007 and 2009 fans will be between 600.00 and 750.00. The 2010 Fan will carry text on the back about both MISC (the Mother Church) and Four Altars (see below). Fred will forward suggestions, plans for the 2010 fans, to us after this meeting. Sindy suggested that we solicit for Fan Fund donations along with the re-application for AIRR, as well as extended inquiries for donations beyond this to our ordinary communication channels such as the church Yahoo group, its Facebook page, etc. There was general agreement that this was a good idea. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3C2. LADIES AUXILIARY Committee Report catherine reported for Robin Petersen that the project Robin managed and orchestrated (the Conjure Cookoff Recipe Roundup!) was a smashing success! The Workshop Robin put on featured star quality turn-out and amazing culinary and magical concoctions. Prizes were awarded for the top three recipes, as voted on by participants. Cookbook Printing Project Many of the items presented as entries to the Cookoff were featured in the cookbook, of which 100 were printed in saddle-stitched, 16-pages, 8.5 x 5.5 format. The cover was composed by Fred. The interior was assembled and edited by catherine, with contributions by many, their sources indicated within the book itself. A small number of the books were given to participants in the cookoff, and some of them were sold during that weekend. These books are now available for $4.00. Lucky Mojo Curio Co. purchased 60 of them, which it will resell at cost in support of the church and conjure. The church retains the reprinting rights to the books, and the committee plans to put together, prior to the next 2 years' May Workshops, 2 more such booklets. Then it will combine these into a squarebound book which it will sell to raise funds for the events and the church. The yronwodes have borne most of the brunt of the expense for this project and will be conveying the bills to the Treasurer for compensation, though the rough costs of their construction were already covered by their sales. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3C3. CRYSTAL SILENCE LEAGUE Committee Report This committee (and the construction of the league) was proposed at the same time as 'UISP' (which became the AIRR Committee). It is being re-introduced here in the interest of making it apparent that effort and support for its development will begin to flourish now that the AIRR Committee's project is fully under way and the sources of its implementation and enthusiasm for its construction are assembled. The original Crystal Silence League was founded in 1921 by Claude Alexander Conlin, who toured the country in the early 1900s with the Nortell Twins providing crystal ball readings in theatres and private settings. C. Alexander, as he was known, published books in apparent collaboration with tehe New Thought author William Walker Atkinson, who had been a student and associate of Elizabeth Towne, a founder of the New Thought movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. "Personal Lessons, Codes, and Instructions for Members of the Crystal Silence League," written by C. Alexander and published in 1921, will be very lightly revised and then reissued by the Church. Fred will edit and produce the book, and with that the Crystal Silence League will again become ACTIVE! In reinstating the global prayer service of the Crstal Silence League, the only real change will be that in place of one central distribution point (formerly Mr. Conlin's large crystla ball) the League will now operate as a network-distributed affirmative prayer service facilitated by regular crystal ball transmissions initiated by Church members, and supported by participant prayer-partners around the world. Prayers are free, of course, but those wishing to join the League itself will, in return for a donation, be provided with the booklet describing the service, a crystal ball to facilitate their reception and transmission of affirmations, and, in time, a web-based collection center where prayers may be left fby the public for collection and tansmission by the Crystal Silence league. In part to establish the basis for this League, Missionary Independent Spiritual Church has purchased for the Four Altars Gospel Sanctuary (see more below regarding its consecration) a new, 10" diameter crystal ball, to reside in the sanctuary and transmit affirmative prayers. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3C4. AIRR Committee Business AIRR Rules Evaluation and Revision catherine reported that AIRR has had a year of official operation. The goal of 100+ wiki pages has been achieved, but the goal of enrolling and facilitating the careers of 50 rootworkers slated for the project has not yet been achieved, and there is a plan to remedy this. After much discussion, the following was a resolution from the Board: The AIRR application process, interview process, and black ball voting process has run into many snags during our first year. These snags have led to delays in processing applications, chronic abstaining from the voting process by some participants, and public interpersonal contentions. They have also resulted in the group not growing to its desired number of participants. Therefore, effective immediately, all applications to AIRR will be handled in a way we think will be more efficient in meeting our goals. This new method of handling applications was crafted by all five MISC Board Members, all of whom are also participants in AIRR. Each of us contributed ideas to the final agreement, and it was not the work of one person. >From this time forward, there will be only one test-reading performed by each applicant to AIRR, not two, and for the sake of consistency, the sitter for all readings will be the head of the AIRR Committee. All applications will then be processed by a team consisting of two Board Members and one non-Board-Member selected from among the folks listed in the AIRR directory. To facilitate selection of the non-Board-Member to participate in each interview, Fred Burke will prepare a weekly calendar that will permit us to interview prospects during times of the year when Mercury is direct (not retrograde). There will be provision made for 24 interviews per year (approximately two per month, modified by the Planetary consideration), and this schedule will be carried out until the AIRR directory is filled. Once the calendar has been prepared, each participant in AIRR will be asked to list a first-choice week, second-choice week, and third-choice week during the upcoming year on which he or she will be available to join the team that interviews applicants, so that everyone's busy schedules can be accommodated. With the number of people listed at AIRR that we have at present, it should thus come to pass that each AIRR participant will assist in approximately one interview during the course of the next year or so. Voting on admittance will be done by that applicant's interviewers and reading-sitter only, according to majority rules. We hope that this new system will facilitate quicker processing of applications and will remove a source of controversy and friction from this social group. We resolved that we would review the new rules during the next church board meeting and we will review the outcome of this new system for handling applications next year at our next board meeting, and decide then if it meets our needs and solves the problems it was intended to address. We decided that applicants in progess shall be placed on this track at once, if they have given a test-reading for catherine prior to application and have been interviewed. We also decided that those previous applicants who were part of the 'snags' mentioned previously will, if they re-apply, be compared against the new procedure to see if they have already satisfied our requirements, and will not need to pay an additional application fee, but will, if satisfactory, merely be voted upon by the Board, under the system of majority rules. AIRR PRO BONO Fund catherine reported on the development of the Pro Bono Fund for AIRR, spearheaded by Chairwoman Michaele Maurer. The way it works is that any participant in AIRR may suggest the name of a needy client to receive goods and services from the Pro Bono Fund by filling out a form at the AIRR website (clients may not apply on their own behalfs). Contribution of goods are provided to Michaele for her distribution to needy persons. Services are also volunteered, about which Michaele is informed. She then designates to whom such services are to be administered. Michaele will intermittently call on the Board for her postage expenses. The Board wants to publically thank Michaele for her excellent work, and for her patience and persistence in getting the Pro Bono Fund off the ground, as well as for her generosity in continuing to administrate it. Thanks! ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Workshop Report This year's Missionary Independent Spiritual Church Workshop was a great success. Catherine would like to extend thanks to all those who participated in making it happen, those who attended, and those who presented the excellent instructive classes and brought great food for the potluck. Attendees came from as far away as Texas and Florida to socialize, learn, and enjoy the gathered company. The weather was only slightly uncooperative, dealing out some showers on the Sunday, making the book sale tricky and backing the footwashing into a room set aside for food service. Our good friends Blue Rienzi and Santa Jim set up a therapeutic massage tent and provided chakra balancing, and shiatsu massage to many happy people. The church's first annual Hoodoo Foods Cookbook received its debut at Sister Robin's workshop, and copies were sold to workshop attendees, with proceeds going to the church. Also Sister Robin donated several bottles of her wonderful magical herb syrups, and those too sold, with the money going to the church. Prize ribbons were awarded for the favourite foods at the cookery workshop. First place went to Brenda Henderson for her Rose petal Pound Cake, second place to Sister Robin Petersen for her Get Away Chilie Balls, and third place to Brenda Henderson for her Lavender Jelly. Classes taught were as follows: SATURDAY MAY 8, 2010 * 2:00 NOON Hoodoo Food! The Best of the Conjure Cook-Off with Sister Robin: Taste-testing the use of EDIBLE magical herbs. * 1:30 PM Sweetening Spells with Deacon Millett: The focus is on love and reconciliation work. * 3:00 PM Gambler's Lucky Spells with Miss Robin: A workshop and lecture on using tradtional lucky charms for games of chance. * 4:30 PM Open Panel Discussion with Miss Cat and the Whole Gang: How to acquire and implement the divination and conjure skills you need. SUNDAY MAY 9, 2010 * 11:00 AM Jack Ball master class with Miss cat: for Hoodoo Rootwork Correspondence Course Graduates * 1:30 PM Love Spells; Dressing, Fixing, and Working with Candles with Miss Bri: A hands-on experience in setting spiritual altar lights. * 3:00 PM Spiritual Foot Washing with Miss Lara: Learn an old-time Deep Southern ritual for clients and family. * 4:30 PM Astrology for Root Workers with Miss cat: Learn how to work according to the natural timing of the Moon, Sun, and Stars. For their efforts in ensuring the smooth running of all the workshops, including behind-the-scenes work such as preparing the grounds, cooking, and clean-up, we wish to extend out particular thanks to the following volunteers: Ms. Robin York Sister Robin Petersen, Miss Bri Saussy, Miss Lara Livera, Professor C. D. Porterfield, Bishop Burke, and nagasiva yronwode. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5. FOUR ALTARS GOSPEL SANCTUARY Construction The plan to establish the Four Altars sanctuary was announced last June 6th, ground was broken 3 months ago, and Fred has achieved mightily, assisted by his able laborers, including Sexton Matthew Pavesic, and the construction and painting crews. Four Altars is constructed with the Spring Equinox as its orientation point. It has 6 cinder block sides, 13 glass brick windows, a double-hexagram on the floor, and clever ventilation sytem crowned by a golden turbine fan. It is 13' tall at the peak, with 8' walls, each one 7' wide. Murals are planned for its expansive conical ceiling. Decorative painting was in progress right up to the date of the consecration, and has been carried out in our denomination's traditional barn red, green, and gold, with all tones modified to suit the high desert environment. The construction of Four Altar Gospel Sanctuary having been completed, under the direction of Bishop Burke, we performed the rite of sanctification and consecration on 6/6/10, the Day of Founding of the Missionary Independent Spiritual Church from whom it sprang. Now that we have two physical churches, the first one will be known as The Mother Church, as well as The Smallest Church in the World. Consecration The rite of consecration was a festive and joyous ritual ceremony carried out immediately after the MISC Board Meeting came to an end. We began with a general procession, perambulation, and laying of sacred deposits at the six vertices, and then proceeded to a cleansing and sensing ceremony, with heartfelt words from Bishop Burke. Altars were installed during the ceremony, along with the large crystal ball from the Mother Church, and services in progress were moved from the Bishop's house into the sancturary. As the sun set, Venus was plainly visible above the horizon, the first 'star' in the sky celebrating the Sanctuary's new life!! We then retired to the Bishop's home for a fabulous feast of Texas Chile. We will soon put pictures of the new santuary on the world wide web. Ecclesiastic Responsibilities Four Altars operates independently of the Mother Church, with candle services conducted at its own site. Services, including maintenance of two cemeteries nearby, will be conducted by Deacon Fred Millett and Sexton Matthew Pavesic, assisted by Brother Ted Quinn. catherine reminded us that Four Altars will soon receive its certification papers authorizing Deacon Millett to perform baptisms and other ecclesiastical services. The high desert area has no ready seasonal body of water for the total immersion which our Church requires, but there are several private pool venues in the area, where baptisms may be conducted. Financial Matters Fred has agreed to waive the rent on the land and building used for the operation of the sanctuary for the first five years. This was a very generous gesture and is greatly appreciated. >From this year onward, Church Fans and Cookbooks will promote Four Altars as well as the MISC Mother Church, and Four Altars will have its own Gift Shop, much as the Mother Church does. It has yet to be determined wither the items sold there will be stored and shipped from the site or will be "virtual" sales via a shopping cart that processes the sales at the Mother Church and credits Four Altars with a percentage of revenue. Four Altars will forward notice of donations and expenses to the Secretary, who will coordinate all financial reports to the Treasurer. The question of how to handle the financial interlinkage of Four Altars, The Mother Church, and MISC as a denomination was broached, and our general ignorance of the financial doings of multi-chuch denominations was abundantly displayed. Fred said he would ask his brother-in-law, a pastor in a large Christian denomination, how they handle their church's financial relationships to their synod, convention or denomination. If that doesn't pan out, nagasiva will check with his brother, a former decaon in another large Christian denomination, or with our former Board Member John Michael, who may have some experience in these matters, or we shall consult with more professional and bureaucratic sources. A Vote of Thanks and Confidence The Board would like to commend Bishop Burke on his outstanding achievement in the establishment of this extension of the Missionary Independent Spiritual Church movement, the second body in the religious organization known as MISC. We will be creating a new web page that will link to http://www.fouraltars.org and vice versa. ----------------------------------------------------------------- END
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