Western Friend Annual Report for 2012 (2012/06/06) (.PDF version)
Western Friend: building practical and spiritual connections in print, online and face-to-face.
Western Friend
Annual Report
May, 2012
The purpose of Western Friend magzine is to build community among our constituent yearly meetings: Inter-Mountain Yearly Meeting (IMYM), North Pacific Yearly Meeting (NPYM), and Pacific Yearly Meeting (PYM). In addition to publishing Western Friend magazine, Western Friend works to bring Friends together in person around common interests. In particular one of our recent books, To Be Broken and Tender: a Quaker Theology for Today continues to enrich the spiritual life of Friends. This book appeals a broad range of Friends as well as to those outside of Quakers. It is also popular with meeting study groups. Marge Abbott, author of To Be Broken and Tender has been traveling the country, leading Friends in workshops based on the book.
The Western Friend website https://www.westernfriend.org now includes an option to subscribe to an electronic version of the magazine. The electronic format has some advantages you might like. Check it out! The website has a variety of features. You can now read articles from the latest issue, learn about Quaker events around the West on our on-line calendar, submit letters to the editor, comment on articles, and donate, subscribe, or purchase books. You can also easily contact the editor with your questions and comments.
Western Friend currently publishes eight issues per year and continues to give readers articles and essays that engage Friends’ hearts and minds. Themed issues have been an especially popular way to expand Friends’ understanding of salient topics. During the past year Western Friend has reached thousands of Friends through our books and magazines, and hundreds more through in-person experiences where our editor, Kathy Hyzy, gave workshops and speeches. You can look forward to more themed issues in coming months!
This year Jessica Bucciarelli from Bridge City Friends Meeting in Portland and Paul Christiansen of Eastside Friends Meeting in Seattle complete their service to the board. We are thankful to these Friends for their dedicated and able service, and are trusting their yearly meetings to find replacements able to fill their shoes. Our officers for the coming year will be Jerel Peterson, Mountain View Friends Meeting (IMYM), Clerk, Solomon Smilack, Mountain View Meeting (IMYM), Recording Clerk, and Jim Mangis, Treasurer.
Western Friend’s financial situation for the fiscal year ending 9/30/2011 was stable. Western Friend budgeted an operating surplus of $4,209 and realized an operating surplus of $9,471. The reason for the operating surplus was an unanticipated bequest in the amount of $7k. Unrestricted net assets were $15k on 9/30/2011 compared with $8k on 9/30/2010. While the increase of $7k is good, in the board’s opinion operating with an operating reserve of $15k is inadequate. A three month operating reserve would be closer to $30k. Boosting the organization’s inadequate operating reserves remains an area of focused concern by the finance committee, board, and editor. For the year ending 9/30/2012 the finance committee is anticipating an operating loss of $6k. If realized, this will reduce our unrestricted net assets to $9k.
After five years as editor, Kathy Hyzy will be leaving Western Friend on December 31, 2012. Kathy’s contribution to the ministry of Western Friend is immense and she will be missed. This situation provides Western Friend with an opportunity to evaluate our service to Friends. Can we make Western Friend financially viable? Is Western Friend the most efficient and effective use of our resources? How can Western Friend best serve the yearly meetings? The board will be seeking input from you as we work towards discerning the future of Western Friend.
We invite Friends to contact a board member or the editor, Kathy Hyzy (Multnomah Meeting, NPYM), with questions and ideas. Kathy and at least one board member will be present at all three of the summer Annual Sessions. We appreciate hearing from you, and the editor especially welcomes your stories and other submissions, as well as your concerns. Western Friend exists to serve you.
Respectfully submitted,
Jerel “Jerry” Peterson
Mountain View Friends Meeting (IMYM)
Clerk
Friends Bulletin Corporation dba Western Friend
Phone: 303-726-8960 Email: jraypeterson@gmail.com
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