August 26, 2012

9:30 AM unprogrammed meeting for worship: Roland and Jackie Barrett, care of meeting
11:00 AM semi-programmed meeting for worship: Diane Randall, speaker; Nancy Lichtenstein, musician; Joanne Esser, care of meeting

Jesus was asked by a religious scholar for the path to inheriting eternal life, Jesus posed the question back to him: What does the law say, and the scholar answered: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength and all your mind. And, love your neighbor as yourself.
– Luke, Chapter 10

“Give over thine own willing, give over thine own running, give over thine desiring to know or to be anything and sink down to the Seed which God sows in thy Heart and let that be in thee and grow in thee and breathe in thee and act in thee and thou shall find by sweet experience that the Lord knows that and loves that, and will lead it to the inheritance of life, which is his portion.”
– Isaac Pennington, 1661

“The first state of ‘entry into life’ for Jesus is learning to love. To start executing a ‘social program’ without the creative and motive power of a great love behind it is like building a factory and forgetting to attach the machinery to any driving energy that would turn the wheels.”
– Rufus Jones

TODAY

Welcome to Diane Randall, a Friend from New England, Diane works as Executive Director of Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). She will be at both meetings for worship and will speak at semi-programmed worship. Friends are invited to meet with her for lunch at 12:15, downstairs.

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.

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

First day school will begin on Sunday, September 16, at 11:15. All children 3 – 18 are welcomed. We are very excited about the format this year with all students initially meeting in one large group. In addition to the stellar curriculum of the Old Testament, Quaker History and Testimonies, there will be 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 in this program, even for one or two Sundays, please call Rae Cornelius. We are seeking to develop a sense of community, among the children, with upstairs adults of Minneapolis Friends, and with the plants. animals, and people of the world. Please consider sharing your talents and expertise with us.

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.

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 appears in the Sept. Friends Journal and can be found at saltandlight2012.org/text/MSGforWCWorship19-04-12.pdf. 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 and Utne Reader named him as one of “50 visionaries who are changing your world”. Coffee, tea, snacks at 6:30; program at 7:00.

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, Minneapolis Friends Meeting. Please come during Faith Week to explore how to respectfully listen and converse with others around the topic of Minnesota’s 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 has told us that if we do not start listening and talking to others about it, it too will pass in Minnesota. Liz Oppenheimer, Bob Nechal, Tom Wells, and other Minneapolis Meeting members will be there to facilitate. If possible, please register beforehand with Friends for a Non Violent World, 651-917-0383.

The core group on diversity (formed after the Winds of Change workshops) is planning to honor and celebrate MFM members and attenders who work or have worked for racial justice or in activities that affect racial justice. We plan to have two people speak about their experiences at each of the first Sunday adult program hours this year, and then celebrate them at the potluck following semi-programmed meeting. The first speakers will be Oct 7. Do you or someone you know in Meeting fit this description? Let core members or the group 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. In the month of July, we received $7,384.00; an average of $1,476.80 per week.

OUR WIDER COMMUNITY

Gabriel Ehri, Executive Director of Friends Publishing Corp (Friends Journal publisher) will speak at TCFM’s Sept. 16 (note correction) 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.

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!

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 on vacation this coming week. She will be back and in the office Wed, Sept 5th.
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.