9:00 AM unprogrammed meeting for worship: Anne Lawton on the facing bench
10:15 AM a welcome reception for new members; journaling will meet in the conference room
11:15 AM semi-programmed meeting for worship: Kathy Webster, musician; other, tba

All are welcome to the monthly Sunday potluck lunch TODAY at the rise of semi-programmed worship. Please stay! Please label pot-luck item/s with ingredients or your name so those with allergies, vegetarians, etc can participate.

HOLD IN THE LIGHT
If you ever would like to be listed in this section, with or without specific information, please contact Pat or Carolyn at the meetinghouse (phone, email, blue box bulletin folder)… Should you want to discuss personal or faith concerns, pastoral care is available from Pat Jones or through Ministry and Counsel Committee. Please ask. Phone calls or emails to the meetinghouse, notes to the M&C or D of M file folders in the blue box, and speaking with Pat or a member of M&C are all good ways to convey your request.

MEETING MATTERS / CALENDAR
Worship in Bloomington will be this Tuesday, May 8th, 7:00 at the home of Louise White. All are welcome to this small, unprogrammed worship.

Next Sunday, May 13th, monthly meeting for business starts at 9:45

May 20th at 10:15: Book Sunday. Hear summer reading recommendations and tell what you are reading or recommend!

May 20th is the last Sunday of the school year schedule.

Starting May 27th, unprogrammed worship will be at 9:30; semi-programmed worship at 11:00. There will be no adult program or first day school until next September.

Let the sun shine in! The Property Committee will be hosting the annual window-washing day May 20th at the rise of semi-programmed worship. All are encouraged to do at least one window before heading home!

Northern Yearly Meeting, an organization of Friends (Quaker) meetings and worship groups mainly in MN and WI with some groups in ND, SD and IA, will have its annual sessions Memorial Day weekend, May 25th – 28th, at the Lions Camp in Rosholt, WI. Worship, worship sharing and interest groups, sharing State of Society Reports, programs for children, youth and young adults and business sessions as well as free time. This year’s theme, Being Salt and Light – Friends living the kingdom of God in a broken world, is the same as the theme of the 2012 World Conference of Friends recently held in Kenya, and MFM and NYM participants in the World Conference will report back there in a workshop setting. This is an opportunity to connect with Quaker neighbors and to gain and offer support in living a Quaker faith – all in the beautiful natural setting of the Wisconsin woods. Some programs and registration forms are on the long table in the hall or Friends can register online at northernyearlymeeting.org . Registration deadline is May 4th. Late registrations accepted.

Phena Shimaka has a dream of cattle and chickens, and a Friends retreat center on a farm near Pine City. You can help by being part of a community weekend, June 2-3, in the manner of an Amish barn raising. (We’re not raising a barn but doing other tasks.) You can work or you can just enjoy the farm and barbeque; you can camp or stay a few hours. Contact Nancy Peterson before May 9 or after May 14.

MFM will host special meetings for worship for healing around the marriage amendment on the fourth Thursday of each month between now and Nov 2012 when the amendment comes to the ballot. Unprogrammed worship at 7:00 p.m. followed by worship-sharing, discussion and social time with refreshments. The next worship will be Thurs, May 24th. All are welcome. Connie Jacobs and Steve Snyder will host.

Zephyra and Roland Shepherd Scholarship applications are due June 10th. This scholarship for post-secondary education was started by the Shepherds in 1977. Selection criteria and applications are on the long table in the east hall. Applications should be mailed back to the meetinghouse or put in the Shepherd Scholarship file in the blue box.

Offering boxes are located on small tables near the meetingroom doors. Our approved budget for this new fiscal year (April 1 – March 31) is $114,624.00. To meet our budget obligations, we need to average $2,204.00 in donations per week. Thank you to Friends who generously support the Meeting in all manner of ways.

OFFICE HOURS
Pat Jones will be away until May 15.
Carolyn Sherer VandenDolder, the Administrative Assistant, will be in Wed. afternoon and Fri. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur. Bulletin items can be phoned in to the office, emailed or written and put in the bulletin file of the blue box.

OUR WIDER COMMUNITY

Friends School of Minnesota’s plant sale will be at the MN State Fair Grandstand this coming Fri-Sun, May 11-13. The catalog is available online: FriendsSchoolPlantSale.com . Hard copies can be found around the meetinghouse.

“Quakers for Marriage Equality” t-shirts are now available, $12. Call John Stuart to order, 612 920-1735.

A weekly electronic newsletter for Quakers with events and updates about defeating the proposed anti-LGBTQ constitutional amendment begins this week. To receive it, contact Liz Oppenheimer.

Twin Cities Friends Meeting will host a variety show May 18th, 6:30-8:30 (ish). The teens and older elementary students are hosting this multi-generational community event for the fun of it and to raise money for two Friends Schools in El Salvador. Small admission and food sold at the intermission.

The last remaining Westminster Presbyterian Church study of The Four Gospels and the Early Church Bible will be 6:30 Wed, May 9th as part of their series Ancient Texts for New Times. Luther Seminary Professors lead an exploration of the impact of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John on the growing church in the 1st and 2nd century. Judith James highly recommends this. Dinner is served from 5:15 – 6:15 for $7.00.

Every Church a Peace Church will host its next potluck supper meeting Mon., May 14th, at 6:30 p.m. at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1935 St. Clair Ave., St. Paul. The program (about 7 pm) will be: Occupy Wall Street: This Changes Everything! A panel of local Occupy activists will speak about the history and philosophy of the Occupy Movement, their involvement, and why they believe Occupy is important. Discussion following.