Note: Agenda is black text; Minutes inserted in blue text

 Discussion of Horizon events and business and community feedback and opinions – we need to know what you want.

2004 schedule

• Initiations – 9/11 II°, 10/16 III°, 11/20 possible II° and 12/6 Minerval

• Mass and Mass worskhop – Melissa

  • Reduction during summer hours

  • EoC fyi- no savage country policy, but choice will be by Priestess

  • Walkthrough workshop if people show interest

  • EoC 2nd Saturday of November and December

• Socials

  • Canceling Fall Fundraiser – night of shooting pool instead – looking into place for that.

  • Shellay looking into bowling, possible black light bowling

  • Have had to BBQs – what do you guys think of the social events???

  • Community Input

    • Focus on events requiring less volunteers, less effort

    • Cost of events? Willingness to pay depends on events, suggest using RSVPs for pay events, or ones requiring a reservation

EGC Gnostic Mass Policy

• Principal Offices must be Minerval or above, baptized and confirmed in the EGC.

• Children – must be baptized

• Ordained Priest/Priestess/Bishop as one of the Principal Officers or receive special dispensation by our reigning Bishop – Jim Nobles – how we have always operated – Melissa’s duty to obtain.

• E.G.C. handbook – needs to be handed out to all Novitiate Mass Officers – will meet on this when I coordinate with Jim.  I would like the Ordained Officers there as well to answer any questions.  Will discuss the polices not symbolism.

• J.N.- Policies will be changing in two months, will postpone discussion with Jim N.

Moving at the Community’s pace – downsizing the schedule – volunteer burnout

• We need to pace the events and what type with the attendance of the community

• Too many events that create too much work for the amount of volunteers we have. – Do NOT want to burn out the volunteers. (social events – no to little work)

• Not a lot of activity in the summer months – cutting down next year

• Ensuring we do not have two major events on the same weekend

• Start scheduling classes during the week instead of weekend – weekends filling up too fast

• Community feedback?

  • Need more feedback from the community- can email bodymaster@seattle-oto.org address at any time

  • J.S.- likes monthly event calendars

  • Comment: calendars have been resource intensive and expensive in the past

  • D.D.- likes evening events instead of weekends

  • D.D.- should distribute OTO flyers, info, etc. at other pagan events like OLOTEAS

  • A.G.- new folks have energy, should encourage them to do more/ organize events, could be one time events doesn’t need to be a regular commitment

Cleaning Agreement

• Took advice from last HCM – cleaning parties on Mass days as well as 2nd week of the month cleaning parties.

Treasury Report

• Current members – 15

• Savings - $1,515

• Checking - $2,227

Renting QAMT and Contingency Plans

• Although Horizon funds are good, but....

• Increase in rent by $25/event = $450/year for the average 18 events/per

• Start asking $6 for Mass donation

• Start planning initiations so that we have at least 2 to 3 candidates/initiation so we do not lose money.  Initiation costs, depending on initiation can add up meaning we lose $ despite local fees collected.  Doc to be created by Shellay with a breakdown of each initiation fees along with costs so we can plan more wisely.

• Any other cost cutting ideas???

• Contingency plans – Masons plan to sell QAMT – told the soonest this will happen is 3 years.

• Contingency plans -  we may not always have the cleaning agreement.  When we do not have cleaning agreement we stand to lose $150/month.

• Need to take action now by thinking ahead.

• We have grown comfortable with QAMT, but time to think of alternative ideas in case we no longer have cleaning agreement or QAMT is sold.  We have our own keys, come and go as we wish, no one standing over us. 

• We could lose a lot – initiations could only be held 2/year and hold numerous ones in one day unless we have venue to support storage and initiations.

• Other venues:  Keep in mind the following:

  • Mass – enough room

  • Kitchen

  • Can we hold initiations?

  • Storage – we have to have storage for initiation and mass equipment

  • No site person, esp for Initiations plus having freedom of not having someone over our shoulder (Greenlake Masonic Center out of question)

  • Responsible rental person – possible to have our own key.

• Input:

  • M.A.- Must also consider furniture must be light and portable for Mass and Initiations.

  • M.A.- Consider transportation options, know a list of available vehicles in advance of needing them

• Ideas for venues

• Unitarian Chruch – pagan friendly

  • M.A.- Knows that the Unitarian church gives a financial break to fraternal groups

• Odd Fellows Hall

  • In Ballard, hourly charge, break for non-profit groups - but we aren’t one yet

• Sunset Hill Community Center

• EoC – for Mass only

• Community Ideas

  • C.L.- cultivate relationship with Edge of the Circle as a contingency plan, encourage folks to communicate to Robert that sales are from OTO source

  • D.D.- ensure the public and private use of a space

  • M.A.- contingency plan= private homes

  • C.L.- VFW, S.M.= Eagles

• Volunteer to head up research of alternate venues:

  • Person to collect and research data of different venues

  • Create a  document of findings, specifics mentioned above, rental times, fees, per hour or day rental fees, space, storage etc.

  • View  potential places

  • Meet with others doing research

  • Expound on findings at next HCM

  • Approx. 15 to  20 hours of work over the next three months

  • Who wants to volunteer__Autumn Gray________?

    • Autumn agrees to volunteer and be point of contact for a period of at least three months

• Community Input:

  • We should save money and collect information for a rainy day

  • There should be one point of contact for this research

  • Will research Eastside, and South Seattle options

  • Research downtown Bellevue- might be more expensive, but is accessible by bus

  • Consider approximately 18 events (minimum) per year with Mass and Initiations

  • More ideal to have one space instead of multiple spaces

  • Consider bus access

  • Consider parking options

  • M.A.- Consider more events with less cost. Events don’t need to cost a lot of money. Consider monthly rents- could be cost effective with multiple monthly events.

Voter Registration Drive by Marc Anton

Next HCM

• November 28th, 5:30pm

• Reporting of contingency rental plans

• Widening Horizon membership – outreach, advertising, fundraising, events the community would like to see and social events.

• Vision statements – Shellay to expound?

• Community feedback