9:00 AM unprogrammed meeting for worship: care of meeting, Steve Snyder
10:15 AM ~ in the meetingroom, a presentation about Light of Hope Home and School for girls in Kenya, with Joanne Esser and Sheila Ross from Wayzata Community Church. Both traveled to volunteer at the school last summer. There will be a short video that tells the story of one of the Light of Hope School girls who lives there.
~ Peace and Social Concerns will meet in the conference room.
11:15 AM semi-programmed meeting for worship: Mary Leikvold, speaker; Kathy Webster, musician; care of meeting, Nancy Helfrich

TODAY

White Envelope Gift: Contributions can be placed in a white envelope and put in the offering boxes today or next Sunday. Checks should be made out to MFM with “White Envelope Gift” in the memo line. Cash for the WEG should be put in an envelope with “white envelope gift” written on the outside. Descriptions of the two organizations are attached.

The First Day School students will be introducing some special guests to you at the rise of semi-programmed worship today. We hope you will enjoy their visit. Please stay an extra 15 minutes!

Journaling will meet in the conference room today, 12:30, after the first day school presentation. Bring a bag lunch.

All books in the balcony need to be packed into boxes today. If you have a few minutes after worship today to help pack books, it would be greatly appreciated! St. Vincent’s is picking them up on Tuesday morning. A representative from the women’s prison system will hopefully be taking all paperback books.

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Jim Bruener and Clifford Goltz. Jim is having open heart surgery tomorrow to replace a valve.

Mary Jean Port and John and Jeanne Stuart. Mary Jean’s grandmother, Jo Andrews, who was 97, died up north this past Thursday.

MEETING MATTERS / CALENDAR

Thank you, thank you, thank you! The FNVW Holiday Fair was a wonderful success both in money raised for FNVW and in an event that was just plain fun to attend. You volunteers were spectacular, showing up on time and performing your duties with a smile on your face! The food was delicious, (thank you for all your donations!) and served promptly. Musicians set the ambiance of holiday while our vendors and donors offered beautiful items to purchase. All in all, a fun time was had by everyone. Thank you!

Next Sunday, December 23rd, at 10:15: social time with casual music and visiting. People who would like to bring fruit or juice or breads are welcome to.

Minneapolis Friends Meeting recorded a minute at November’s monthly meeting urging Congress to cut the Pentagon budget by one trillion dollars over the next ten years and to prevent devastating cuts to the peaceful prevention of deadly conflict and domestic programs that could address climate change and human needs. FCNL staff strongly encourages you to schedule a meeting with your local congressional office to deliver the minute in person and reinforce the message that we need to cut $1 trillion from the Pentagon budget over the next ten years. Members of Congress are having conversations every day in Washington, working to make this budget deal happen. The more they hear from their constituents the better! You are also encouraged to write letters to the editor on this same topic. Letters that mention members of Congress by name are read by staff every day. Staff are then required to report to their Congress member. (minneapolisfriends.org/2012/11/12/recorded-minute-to-reduce-pentagon-spending/). MFM is also setting up small delegations to visit Congresspeople home on recess. If you would like to be part of a delegation, get word to the office, office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minenapolisfriends.org; 612-926-6159.

Twin Cities area Friends will NOT be serving a Loaves and Fishes dinner at Holy Rosary Church on New Years eve, December 31st. Our next scheduled time to serve is Monday, April 30th.

The George and Elizabeth Watson Memorial Discussion Group will next tackle Stephen Cave’s Immortality which discusses the four types of immortality that various religions and peoples have believed through the ages. The next gathering is Wed, Jan.9th, 7 pm at the meetinghouse. All are welcome! (It helps if you have time to read the book first.)

Back by popular demand: the much-enjoyed Metro Friends “Poetry Jazz Cafe” will be Saturday evening, January 26th!

Eleanor Harris has recommended a blog, awholeheart.com, written by her friend and teacher, Marcelle Martin, whom she met at Pendle Hill. Marcelle’s most recent entry, “Ten Elements of the Quaker Spiritual Journey,” offers an insightful description of the early Friends’ spirituality and transformation – and what we can learn from them.

Offering boxes are located on small tables near the meetingroom doors. Average contributions of $9,725 per month are needed to meet our budget. First and second quarter contributions have covered only 30% of our approved budget. If you would like to automate your contributions, please talk to Suzanne Ferguson, receiving treasurer. A list of short-term volunteer opportunities is by the offering boxes. Thank you, Friends, for your generous support of the Meeting in all manner of ways.

OUR WIDER COMMUNITY

Love Free or Die, the story of the first openly gay Bishop in the Episcopalian Church, will be broadcast on channel 2.1 TONIGHT at 10:30 PM and Dec 17th , 4:30 AM; and on channel 2.3 on Dec 22nd, 9:00 PM and Dec 23rd, 3:00 AM.

Muslim Christian Dialogue – “Talking about the Incarnation” TODAY, Dec 16th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm at the Islamic Center of MN, 1401 Gardena Ave. NE, Fridley. Christians think of the Incarnation as God breaking into the world in a new way, as Emanuel, God-with-us. But the Incarnation is one of the most troubling aspects of Christianity for Muslims. If there is only one God, how can God also be Jesus and how can God have a son? Professor Terry Nichols of the University of St. Thomas will discuss the Christian concept of the Incarnation in conversation with Br. Owais Bayunus, Director of Interfaith at the Islamic Center of MN. There will be time for discussion.

OFFICE HOURS
Pat Jones will be in the office Wednesday from 2:00-5:00 and other times Wed, Thurs, Fri. and Sat.
Carolyn 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.