No to Jerusalem?

As we were getting into the running of a new WI we made some pretty big decisions that would set us apart from other WI's and would probably make other WI's frown upon us. The first being a vote to see if we would sing Jerusalem. You may wonder why we even put this to vote and not just sing it. Well I have always maintained that Cowes WI is about the whole group, and to ensure our members support it, I wanted from day 1 for it to be a group effort not just about what the president or committee want. Plus we are an incredible young group and I really did not want to put younger people off by forcing them to sing a hymn that they have probably never heard before. The vote was cast and all voted against singing the hymn with 1 (Sarah) voting to sing! Therefore we do not sing Jerusalem we do however sing it if we visit other WI's and at the AGM. We understand and appreciate the WI policies and would never put down those that sing it. It is just not for us. Other big decisions was to offer free Tea and cake to our members and to date we have not paid for one speaker. I think this is the most surprising element when I talk to other WI's (who all pay for speakers). After all I am a sales person and therefor selling the benefit of talking to 40 - 50 women who may well then use their services is enough for most people who see this far better than cash payment. Plus our bank balance stays healthy.