9:30 AM unprogrammed meeting for worship: care of meeting, Tom Hoey
11:00 AM semi-programmed meeting for worship: Sarah McClellan, speaker; Dave Bostrom, musician; care of meeting, Joanne Esser

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law . . . If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
– Galatians 5:22 – 23, 25

“You will know them by their fruits.”
– Matthew 7:16

TODAY

Please come down to the potluck today at the rise of semi-programmed worship!

MEETING MATTERS / CALENDAR

Fall is coming! Our school-year schedule begins September 16th: 9:00 unprogrammed worship; 10:15 adult program / multi-purpose time; 11:15 semi-programmed worship and first day school.

MAKE SURE YOUR FALL CALENDER HAS ROOM FOR FALL CAMP: October 20-21!

First day school will begin on Sun, Sept 16, at 11:15. All children 3 – 18 are welcomed. All students will initially meet in one large group. In addition to the stellar curriculum covering the Old Testament, Quaker history and Testimonies, we will have music, games, service projects and sleep-overs. Registration forms are on the elevator table. Please fill out one form per child. If you are interested in helping, even for one or two Sundays, please contact Rae Cornelius. We seek to develop a sense of community – among the children, with the adults of Mpls Friends and with the plants, animals, and people of the world. Consider sharing your talents and expertise!

MFM needs a representative to Northern Yearly Meeting Executive Committee! A chance to make connections with other Friends and talk about important spiritual things and yearly meeting concerns. Meets once in spring, once in autumn.

Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) is a way of reading and listening deeply for how a text may speak to us today. Mary and Stephen Snyder invite you to a lectio of a Hebrew text at their home at Kenwood Isles, 7-8pm, Wed, Sept 5th.

Noah Baker-Merrill, released Friend traveling in the ministry, will speak at MFM Mon, Sept 10th. Noah was at the recent World Gathering in Kenya. His message there is at saltandlight2012.org/text/MSGforWCWorship19-04-12.pdf and appears in the Sept. Friends Journal. A few paper copies are available for any who do not get FJ and don’t use the internet. Noah has been described as prophetic, a game changer, inspirational, a mover. Utne Reader named him as one of “50 visionaries who are changing your world”. Coffee, tea, snacks at 6:30; program at 7:00.

Worship in Bloomington will be next Tue, Sept 11th, 7:00, at the home of Louise White. You are most welcome to come!

Exploring the Art of Listening and Conversing about the Marriage Amendment, sponsored by Friends for a Non Violent World, Wed, Sept 12th, 7:00 – 9:00pm, MFM. Come during Faith Week to explore how to respectfully listen and converse with others around the topic of MN’s proposed Marriage Amendment. We will observe and then practice how to find common ground with one another on this sometimes contentious topic. Thirty-one states have passed this amendment. Research shows that if we do not start listening and talking to others about it, it will pass in MN too. Liz Oppenheimer and Tom Wells will co-present the training. Please register beforehand through FNVW: 651-917-0383.

The George Watson Memorial Study Group will meet to organize itself, Sun., Oct. 7, at 10:15, downstairs. Everyone is welcome – the group will read and discuss writings about non-violent social change.

The core group on diversity (formed after the Winds of Change workshops) wants to honor and celebrate MFM members and attenders who work or have worked for racial justice or in activities that affect racial justice. Two people will speak about their experiences at each of the first Sun of the month adult program times this year, then we will celebrate them at the potluck following semi-programmed worship. The first speakers will be Oct 7. Do you or someone you know in Meeting fit this description? Let core members know and we will contact them (or you): Nettie Smith, Jim Lovestar, Lila Rucker, Nancy Peterson and Phena Shimaka; core(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)diversity.minneapolisfriends.org

Chuck Adelsman would be delighted to see f(F)riends at the Lake Region Pioneer Threshermen’s Association annual show; Sept 7-9 in Dalton, MN. Flyers about the show are on the long table in the hall.

Offering boxes are located on small tables near the meetingroom doors. To meet our budget obligations, we need to average $2,204.00 in donations per week.

OUR WIDER COMMUNITY

Gabriel Ehri, Executive Director of Friends Publishing Corp (Friends Journal publisher) will speak at TCFM’s Sept. 16 Adult Ed program (9:45-10:45) on the evolution of the media landscape and the place of the Quaker message in it. All are welcome, 1725 Grand Avenue in St. Paul.

“Love Is Love: Defeat the Marriage Amendment,” a special event for the Friends School and wider Quaker community is being hosted by Friends School class of 2012 as part of Faith Action Week for Minnesotans United for All Families. Sunday, Sept. 16, 2:00-4:00 pm,. The event will be at the school, 1365 Englewood Ave, St. Paul.

Every Church a Peace Church potluck Mon, Sep 10th, 6:30 p.m. at Living Table United Church of Christ, 4001- 38th Ave. S. Mpls. Michael Bayly will speak on, “Justice, Peace, and the MN Marriage Amendment – Understanding and speaking about the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex civil marriage from a justice and peace perspective.” Michael is the executive coordinator of Catholics for Marriage Equality MN, the editor of The Progressive Catholic Voice, and the author of Creating Safe Environments for LGBT Students: A Catholic Perspective.

Quaker in Pastoral Care and Counseling Conference will be Sept 13-16 at Quaker Hill Conference Center in Richmond, IN. The conference, “Circles of Trust,” will focus on reconnecting with inner wisdom; rejoining soul and role, a concept developed by Parker Palmer. More at qpcc.us

Quaker Earthcare Witness, bringing earthcare concerns to the attention of the Quaker community, is having its annual gathering (which is also its 25th anniversary,) in Chicago, October 4 – 7. The theme this year is Food and Biodiversity. Registration deadline is September 7, quakerearthcare.org . All are welcome!

Pendle Hill offers rich and varied programs – some a weekend long, others a term. Among upcoming programs: LGBTQ Couple Enrichment Retreat (Sept 7-9); Faithful Listening, Faithful Living (September 16-20); Inquirers’ Weekend (Sept 21-23); Deep Transition – Catalyzing the Emergence of Community Resilience and Self-Reliance (October 11-14). See the website, pendlehill.org, for a complete listing. Posted flyers give additional flavor too.

Looking Ahead: Friends Committee on National Legislation has a new opportunity available for Friends “ . . . to contribute to the shaping of wise and right legislation . . .” (from a statement of Friends determined to witness to our nation’s political leaders in the midst of WWII.) Friends are invited to Washington for the first Quaker Public Policy Institute to be held November 15-16, 2012. In the midst of the post-election lame duck session of Congress, there will be a unique window for lobbying Congress for a more moral federal budget. Your voice at this time will have maximum effect as members run up against two critical deadlines: making cuts to Pentagon spending mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011, and the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts for wealthy Americans. More at fcnl.org/QPPI

The U.S. war in Afghanistan may finally be coming to an end yet Afghans are far from peace, and many lack the most basic of human necessities. Community Supported Film’s Afghan-made documentaries, The Fruit of Our Labor, help tell some of these stories. Hear directly from Afghans about the realities and challenges in Afghanistan, and the capacity of Afghans to move their development forward – perspectives rarely heard in the western media. Showing Thurs, Sept 6th, 7PM at The Film Society of Mpls/St. Paul, St. Anthony Main Theater, 115 SE Main St. Mpls. “[CSFilm] put cameras in the hands of Afghans and gave them training to make films about their lives. The result is an unprecedented intimate look at Afghan life with exchanges no outsider has been privy to before.” – NPR host Robin Young

Festival of Giving, Sat, Sept 8, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m, Common Ground Meditation Center, 2700 E 26th Str, Mpls: a benefit concert and community celebration devoted to the joyful practice of generosity. Featured performers: musicians Ellis, Dean Magraw, and Linda Breitag; folk dance caller Ann Carter; and spoken word artists Louis Alemayehu, and Kevin Freidberg. The event is free, donations gratefully accepted to support five local and international organizations that do wonderful work to help alleviate suffering: Buddhist Global Relief, Dream of Wild Health, St. Stephen’s Human Services, Seward Longfellow Restorative Justice Partnership, and Wellshare International.

OFFICE HOURS
Pat Jones will be in the office 2-5 on Wednesday and at other times on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sunday.
Carolyn Sherer VandenDolder, the Admin Assistant, will be in Wed. afternoon and Fri. Bulletin deadline, noon Thurs. Bulletin items can be phoned in to the office, emailed or written and placed in the bulletin file in the blue box.