Facilitator, Mariko Foulk
1. The new elected board have been met twice so far. The board members are:
a. Yair Rivlin – President
b. Dennis Greggio – Treasurer
c. Phyllis Ford – Tech Liaison
d. Judi Pawloski – Secretary
e. Lisa Zucker – Scheduling Coordinator, Secretary Back-up
2. The board defined its main goal: Enabling and helping the sangha, ensuring that the sangha receives what it might need.
3. A member from Sangha Committee will be a non-voting, full time member of the board.
4. Elizabeth Cheslak will be the new minutes taker for the Community Meetings.
5. Lisa Zucker became the Scheduling Coordinator. The role of the scheduler is to work with the sangha’s committees to support the sangha sitting: Technical setup, Room setup and bell ringer, to ensure there are people assigned each week. Those names will be communicated to the Technical Liaison to be put on our website. In addition, the name of the volunteers in charge for each area will be displayed on the weekly invitation for the Sunday sitting.
6. The board has been reviewing the suggested changes for the website design and have approved them.
2. Treasurer’s report – Dennis Greggio
A. All accounts were reported on, including balances and Still Mountain’s aggregate balance of all funds.
B. A budget for 2025 is in development. We have just completed the first quarter of our 2025 fiscal year. Our expenses in the first quarter are higher than usual as they include several annual payments (insurance, web expenses, etc). SM received more income than was expected per the budget. Expenses and income were nearly balanced.
C. Our monthly dana for Buddhist Global Relief was reviewed, and will continue at the current level for now. Periodic reviews will continue.
D. Letters for income tax purposes have gone out to Sangha members. If you have not received one, and would like to have one, please contact Dennis at treasurer@stillmountainmeditation.org
E. PayPal – if using PayPal to donate to Still Mountain, it’s to your advantage to go through the SM website when donating, as that will avoid any fees.
3. Teacher Council report – Ken Morley
A. Bilha Berman-Rivlin and Julie Woodward are offering a new class: “Return to Wholeness” which will combine Vipassana meditation and yoga. The class will meet for six weeks on Wedneday evenings 5:30-7:30 beginning April 23rd. This is an in-person class at Turner, and is being freely offered by the teachers. Register via the SM website
B. Jon Aaron is offering a 4 day retreat at Colombiere, April 15- 18, 2025 “Peace as Practice”. The retreat is full and there is a long waiting list.
C. In the spring next year, Dawn Scott will be offering a retreat through Still Mountain. Dates are March 27 – 29, 2026. The venue is to be determined.
D. Still Mountain teachers are planning to offer a one-day retreat in the early fall.
E. Recent offerings include a one-day retreat in January “Coming to Our Senses” (Curt, Karen, Elizabeth) and the ongoing series of zoom conversations about practice “Dharma in Difficult Times”
4. Tech Team report –
The Still Mountain website had a facelift and has been up and running for about a month. Graphics are clearer and navigation is simpler. There was also a change from Google platform to WordPress platform, which was done primarily for increased data privacy, improved security, and increased ADA compliance.
5. Set-up Committee report – Mariko Foulk
The “set-up” committee is the group of volunteers that prepares the room at Turner where we sit on Sundays. The job is: show up at 9:15, move chairs and tables to create the space for our sit. More people are needed and this is a call for volunteers. The committee consists of Mariko and Karen with DorothyAnn (as back-up). Please notify Mariko or Karen if you can help out.
6. Sangha Committee report – Erica Dutton
A. The Sangha Committee’s current members are Erica, Arlene and DorothyAnn, with Erica serving as the new chair. Committee members meet monthly and are seeking a few more people to join them for planning activities and social events.
B. All are invited to a new activity: playing cards. Folks have met once and “it’s tons of fun”. Contact Erica for a schedule and for more information.
C. A walking group is forming and plans to get going once the weather warms up. Contact Erica for information and schedules about both these offerings.
D. The Sangha Committee has written a “welcome letter” which can be found Sunday mornings on the table near the masks and dana basket. Look it over and take a copy to share with someone who may be interested in meditation or the Dharma, or who may be looking for a Sangha.
E. Committee members have been reaching out and checking in with sangha folks who may be in need, or who haven’t been attending lately. It’s on an informal basis, but they encourage others at Still Mountain to do the same, and remind us that the Sangha Directory is available on the website.
7. Other Issues and New Business – Sangha
A. It was suggested that we remind folks monthly about the Still Mountain Directory, and how to add your name if you’d like.
B. It was suggested that Still Mountain consider using the Michigan Daily or other publications to reach out to the general community and make our presence better known. The website was also mentioned as a great resource for those seeking a place for meditation and sangha.
C. Gayle is inviting friends to come help clear her front prairie garden on Saturday April 5th at 1:00. Date is subject to change based on weather. Reach Gayle through the directory
D. Named for David Lawson, Still Mountain’s Founding Teacher and Lead Teacher, “David’s Bookshelf” now has a presence on the Still Mountain website. There is a catalog of the complete collection, which includes books on the Dharma, poetry and CDs that were donated to Still Mountain after David’s passing. The library is located at Turner, in the meditation hall. It’s a lending library. Please peruse the shelves and borrow by signing out a book or CD in the notebook provided. Need an idea of what to read? Book reviews and essays can be found on the website. Like something you have read? Consider writing a review.
8. Our next Community Meeting is scheduled for Sunday June 29th.
Please send agenda items and ideas for discussion for our next meeting to Elizabeth at elizcheslak@gmail.com.
Meeting minutes submitted for the benefit of Still Mountain Sangha, and with Metta for All Beings
Leave a Reply