Minutes for RSB Board Meeting September 18, 2021
Present: Viorica Comaniciu, Robert Mays, Kathleen Wright, Kelly DiPietro
Opening verse
Approve minutes of August 21, 2021 meeting: Kathleen moved to accept, Robert 2nd. Approved!
Treasurer’s Report (Robert): There was a new membership with an additional Heart Fund donation to the Branch.
- DONE: Robert and Kathleen’s signatures are now on all of our accounts at both banks.
Website Report (Robert): RSB-NC List has 65 people on it now.
- TO DO: Robert to send out another notice regarding listserv to members who haven’t signed up.
Festivals and Events (Kathleen):
- ASA AGM local meetings: No one local has signed up for the AGM yet. Deadline in two days.
- The breaks for discussion have not been written into the schedule. They will occur after most of the talks, which will be short.
- TO DO: Kathleen to get more clarification from Hazel Archer-Ginsberg
- Friday morning will be Class Lesson; Friday at 2 pm: conference starts at Robert’s house.
- (Kathleen) Update on Andrew Linnell’s workshop. Andrew has gotten travel insurance. He will be reimbursed for his airline tickets if he needs to cancel for any reason with a loss of just $66, which we will cover. November 5-6.
- Discuss and decide: Venue for Andrew’s workshop.
- Ecoheal is $150.00/day Friday night lecture will be of general interest, Saturday more esoteric interest. Cost per person will be $10-20 suggested donation for Friday night, $30-$40 suggested donation for Saturday, $50 for both days.
- MOTION: Robert moves that we cover the cost of Andrew Linnell workshop up to $1200. Andrew stays at the Mayses. Friday evening will be at the Ecoheal, Saturday Workshop at the Mayses. Kelly seconds, Passed unanimously.
- TO DO: Kathleen to send a reminder about the AGM and for Andrew Linnell in a couple of weeks.
- Update on Michaelmas plans in the community (Kathleen):
- On Wednesday September 29, Michaelmas Day, Jenny Bingham will give a talk on Kaspar Hauser at her home; There are Zoom offerings on Michaelmas Eve and Michaelmas Day from other branches.
- On Saturday, October 2 at the Ecoheal Center, Bride will begin the afternoon with Eurythmy and Melody Miller will recite for her; Kathleen will give a Talk on Evil, its Origin, and Transformation; Joanna will lead an artistic activity; there will be Harvest-themed Refreshments and a closing with the Eurythmy.
- On Sunday, October 3 at the Ecoheal Center, Ben Bingham, Russell Arnold and Annie Haas will do a presentation on The Threefold Social Order and Rachael Abbott will provide Eurythmy.
- Request for funds (Kathleen): Joanna contacted us to say that the Eurythmists, Bride and Rachael, would like to practice 4-5 times at the Ecoheal Center in preparation for their performances for Michaelmas. She asks if we could pay Rula and Dani a little more for these practices. They are willing to accept whatever we can give. Kathleen did explain to them that normally we give up to $300. For a festival and that has already been spent by the two-days rental of the place. Read the letter Bride wrote us this morning. Discuss and decide.
- We had a brief discussion that we would like to support the work of the next generation of Artists in the community.
- MOTION: Robert moved that we offer Rula to pay for 4 two-hour practice sessions for the Eurythmists and speech artists. This would be a one-time arrangement for Eurythmy practice. Ideally we want to pay the Eurythmists and not rent. Kathleen seconds, Approved unanimously.
- MOTION: Robert moved that we pay Rula $300 to rent Ecoheal for Oct. 2 and 3. Kathleen seconds, Approved unanimously.
- MOTION: Robert moved that we pay Bride, Rachel, Hermes W, and Melody M. $30 each for performances at the 4 major festivals of the year. $120 total per festival Eurythmy performances is sustainable. Kathleen seconds, Approved unanimously.
- Mystery Drama reading: Christina contacted Kathleen to say that she would prefer that we not do it this year. She requested that the Board organize a weekend workshop with Barbara Renold in the Spring. Prior to that Christina will have meetings with her drama group.
- Discuss and decide: do we want to sponsor the workshop that Christina has requested? Kathleen has spoken with her and Barbara to see what they have in mind. It would be as follows:
- Friday Barbara would fly here and give a one hour talk in the evening about the Mystery Dramas (an overview);
- On Saturday, she would give a workshop from 9:30 AM – 6 PM, talking about the scenes that the Drama group is working on. She would like us to have a catered lunch and two snack periods.
- On Sunday she would spend a couple of hours with Christina’s Study group helping them to prepare to present the two scenes from the Mystery Dramas that Paul Jackson had recommended.
- Barbara would like reimbursement for her expenses – flight from Newark Airport; she is willing for us to pick her up at the airport and will stay at a member’s home; all meals;transportation back to the airport. She is willing to accept whatever stipend we wish to pay her.
- Unfortunately the only weekend Barbara is able to come here is April 1-3. So far no conflicts with that date are known.
- We will reimburse Barbara for travels and a stipend TBD, perhaps $250. Costs up to $1200 total.
- MOTION Kathleen moved we commit to hosting a workshop with Barbara Renold on 4/1/22-4/3/22. Budget will not exceed $1200. Viorica seconded, Approved unanimously.
- Brief discussion of the stipends the Board agreed on from a few years ago. Are they still appropriate amounts?
- Festivals: up to $300 per major festival; a cost more than that needs to be decided on by the Board.
- Minor festivals: should happen at members’ homes and not cost anything.
- Branch meetings: cost of the venue, which preferably would be at a member’s home. For the presenter: $60. One presenter per meeting.
- Events (guest speakers and artistic performances): each case needs to be decided individually.
Discuss next time: Discuss expenses we used to do before COVID including:
- Scholarships for members to attend workshops,
- Donations to the Prison Outreach
- Annual gift to EWS
- Annual gift to the RSB Library
Initiatives and daughter movements in the area
- Emerson Waldorf School (Viorica): Trying to return to “normal” operations as much as possible.
- Christian Community (Kathleen): Priest visits this year include: September 18-19, 2012, November 6-7, January 29-30, March 26-27 and May 29-30. We may also receive a special visit from Carol Kelly in December but it is not definite yet. The Washington D.C. Christian Community has a Zoom Study Group for all of its affiliates (including us) that meets on the first Friday of the month. The next one is on October 3 at 5 pm. There will be a big conference in Dortmund, Germany to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Christian Community. Members in the Southeast USA have been asked if they wish to also put on an event here. We are looking into a combined effort with other groups to have a conference near Asheville. Two children from Asheville will begin attending services here since there is no affiliate in that area.
- Biodynamics (no recent news)
- Study (Joanna’s Reading to the Dead study group)
Set date of Next Board Meeting: November 20 at 10:30 am. Location TBD. Kathleen would like to have an RSB NC Branch meeting in January.
Closing Verse
