9:00 AM open worship
10:00 AM worship with attention to business: Ranae Hanson, clerk; Tom Ward, recording clerk
11:15 AM open worship: Joanne Esser, care of meeting

TODAY

Tech Updates:
Frank Bacon has been working to improve audibility in the meetingroom. A hearing assist system is now available. This system, with individual FM devices for people who are hard of hearing, will help people hear what is said into the microphones during worship. If you need an introduction to using one of the two new devices, see Frank today.
Wireless Internet Access – WiFi is now available at the meetinghouse!

MEETING MATTERS / CALENDAR

A great Quaker education opportunity – newcomers and old-timers alike are welcome! The George and Elizabeth Watson Memorial Discussion Group will meet at 7:30 this Wed, April 17th. We will read Letters to a Fellow Seeker, “Silent Worship And The Inward Teacher” together – you do not have to read it ahead of time. Chapter one was printed in the Dec. issue of Friends Journal. Copies of it are available on the bulletin table. Copies of the book are available too.

The Friendly Philosophers will kick off Wednesday night gatherings this Weds, April 17th, 7 p.m. at the Bush Terrace Condominium lounge – 4014 15th Avenue South, Minneapolis. Park in the lot or on the street and follow the signs to the lounge.

Heads up: Next Sunday morning, Lake Harriet Parkway will be closed.

Upcoming adult programs at 10:15:

April 21st: Terry Kayser will speak about the Alternatives to Violence Project: In prison George Fox continued writing and preaching, feeling that imprisonment brought him into contact with people who needed his help – the jailers as well as his fellow prisoners. He also sought to set an example by his actions there. There seems to be a leading still for Quakers to minister to those in prisons. Perhaps that was the leading for Friends in New York Yearly Meeting to establish the AVP in 1975 and, through Friends for a Non-Violent World, in MN in 1992. Terry, an AVP facilitator since 1995, will talk about the program in MN and in the US and share a 15-minute film showing highlights of a workshop in NJ.

April 28th: Sharon Goens, American Friends Service Committee Director of the Twin Cities Healing Justice Program, will lead a circle discussion about healing justice. She will encourage group reflection on micro and macro levels of healing and justice, talk about the general direction of AFSC’s program, and give suggestions as to how to get involved.

May 5th: Barbara Coffin, born in 1920, has seen ninety-three years of race relations change taking place. Working her way from the racial ditties of her southern grandmother to a gradually expanding world of inter-racial contacts to inter-racial friendships, she still wants to learn more. She will share her experiences along the way.

On April 28th, semi-programmed worship will be planned by those in First Day School. Plan to come!

Fred Harding and Mary Logue will speak about frac sand mining, here at 12:30, Apr 28th – what it is, how it has affected them personally, and what it means for communities in MN and WI. Bring a bag lunch, a cloth napkin, your own mug and cold lunch items to share. This talk is the third in a series of three. The first two were about the Keystone XL pipeline and Hurricane Sandy. We are in a larger discernment process as a Meeting around our work on climate change, and welcome your presence and your input. You don’t have to be a political animal to be involved!
The documentary “The Price of Sand,” about frac sand mining in WI and MN, is showing at St. Anthony Main Theater on April 22nd at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival.

There will be a meeting for all clerks of committees on Sunday, Jun 2nd after the potluck – from 12:30-1:30.

The Quaker women’s group will meet this Wed, April, 17th, at 12:30 PM at TCFM. Bring either cookies or fruit to share. Bag lunches welcome. Coffee and tea provided. Barbara Simmonds will lead the discussion, topic TBA.

Loaves and Fishes dinner April 30th: Come serve with metro Friends at Holy Rosary Church. Food prep, serving and clean-up as well as desert donations of healthy fruits and baked goods are all needed.

Northern Yearly Meeting Annual Session, “Spiritual Hospitality”, will be May 24-17 at Lion’s Camp in Rosholt, WI. Registration materials are available. Registration deadline is May 4th. For more: northernyearlymeeting.org.

The final Northern Yearly Meeting Senior High retreat will be the weekend of April 27-28 in Duluth. Email nymhighschool(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com for details.

Looking ahead: Our summer schedule will begin May 26th. At the March monthly meeting, we decided that there will be one meeting for worship each week starting at 10 AM in the summer months. Two worships a month will be unprogrammed, two semi-programmed (alternating.) The one fifth Sunday in June will be intergenerational. Plan to engage in this experiment so we may all get to know each other – widely and well – developing a trust and intimacy that will prepare us for the inreach/outreach of Quaker Quest in the autumn!

Offering boxes are located on small tables near the meetingroom doors. We are starting a new fiscal year. Our approved budget is $115,523 – requiring contributions of $2,221.60 per week. If you would like to automate your contributions, please talk to Suzanne Ferguson, receiving treasurer.

OUR WIDER QUAKER COMMUNITY

Bright Waters Montessori invites MFM Friends to their building dedication and Earth Day celebration Saturday, April 20th, 5140 Fremont Ave N! Noon to 1:00, building tours; 12:30-3:00 creating raised beds and planting gardens; 3:00 a community meal and barbeque. Please come and join the fun! Ann Luce, MFM member, is the director.

You are invited to Song Circle at the home of Marilyn and Dave on Sat, April 20th, at 7 PM . Bring your voice and an instrument if you’d like, and join others to sing in an informal setting. We sing folk songs, oldies, gospel, rounds, sea shanties, etc. Quakers and others welcome. Bring a snack to share (optional). For questions call Dave or Marilyn.

Healing Justice conversation with American Friends Service Committee: Tues, April 23rd, 5:30 pm and at the Mpls Urban League (2100 Plymouth Ave. N). Open forum, review of last year’s ideas and recommendations, an update on the AFSC work, and strategizing how to partner and prioritize next steps. Healing justice encompasses both healing from harm and the transformation from harm to wholeness. Its focus is on achieving fundamental balance and fairness for all communities. The principles of healing justice are responsibility, mutuality and love. Healing justice calls us to reject violence, domination and exploitation. In preparation for the April meeting, please consider: How can we build on what’s already happening in MN? What updates would you like to share with the group? How can we support each other? How can we work together to achieve a shared vision? Free but pre-registration is required: sgoens(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)afsc.org or 651-789-3852.

Friends School of MN Plant Sale is coming May 10-12th. Volunteers are needed: FriendsSchoolPlantSale.com .

A Spring Nightingales gathering will be April 19-21 at beautiful, Beaver Creek Reserve outside Eau Claire WI. All who love to sing are welcome, including families with children. We bring food, organize food donations and share the cost of camp rental to keep things affordable. For more: jkmalone(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)comcast.net or 952-926-3872. All singers, all ages welcome.

Friends School of MN has two job openings: Development Director and Admissions Director, both half-time positions. Job descriptions are posted on the long bulletin board.

Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) action item: New legislation, S.Res.65, co-sponsored by nearly half the Senate, calls for the US to militarily support a hypothetical Israeli attack on Iran. Colonel Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, stated, “resolutions like S.Res.65 would call for the U.S. to surrender to another country the right to sweep the U.S. into a disastrous war.” Contact your senators. More at fcnl.org/issues/iran .

Joint Religious and Legislative Coalition: Call or email legislators today! Urge them to pass tax legislation that supports a humane budget and raises revenues fairly: jrlc.org/advocacy/jrlc-action-alerts/580-take-action-for-fair-and-adequate-revenues

QUAKER CONFERENCES / NURTURE

Iowa Yearly Meeting Friends (Conservative) will have their mid-year Meeting, “The Bible in our Midst,” April 20-21 at Bear Creek Meeting near Earlham, IA. Schedule and registration information posted. Some MFMers attend.

The 2013 Friends General Conference Gathering, “At the Growing Edges of our Faith,” will be in Greeley, CO, June 30-July 6. Registration has begun – some workshops fill quickly! The Gathering is a dynamic, Spirit-filled week for all ages – spiritually nourishing and exciting and bringing a fuller sense of what it means to be a Quaker. Scholarships available. Program and registration information is on the elevator table; financial assistance info on the bulletin board.

Quaker Earthcare Witness will offer A “Gathering for Deeper Relationship with Earth” in conjunction with FGC. We will meet daily during the FGC Gathering’s morning workshop time to seek, deepen, and clarify leadings toward right relationship and peaceful unity with nature and the planet. Opportunities to share in other contexts too, including activities in the QEW Nature Center. See “secure.quakerearthcare.org/fgc-2013-deeper-relationship-with-earth” for more.

“Continuing Rev_l_tion: Be Brought Low and Back to the Root,” a Young Adult Friends Conference on simplicity will be held at Pendle Hill, June 14-19. Last year, thirty young adults from around North America participated. The focus of the gathering was supporting the spiritual and vocational journeys of the participants, ministry, earthcare and nonviolent social action. As one young participant said “I have a fervent belief that our world has to change drastically . . . I would like to find how my faith as a Quaker and my spirituality with this earth can inform the way I live and walk on our planet.” More at pendlehill.org/yald

Earlham School or Religion’s 2013 Leadership Conference, Friendly Marketing: Message, Motive and Means will be Aug 16-18 in Richmond, IN. Pat is interested. You? esr.earlham.edu/news-events/events/2012-esr-leadership-conference

OUR WIDER COMMUNITY

The Loft’s Peace and Social Justice Writers group presents Coming Together as a World Community, bridging our cultural differences. Come to this evening of readings and a feature performance by Janet Horvath on cello, on Wednesday, April 24, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Loft Literary Center. $10 suggested donation. A reception follows the program.

The Aliveness Project urges you to dine out for life April 25th! Restaurants donate a percentage of their sales to support hot meals, food shelf, integrated therapies, health and wellness, case management and other programs for those with AIDS. Go top diningoutforlife.com/Minneapolis for a list of restaurants and sponsors.

Unraveling the Culture of War: Global Hollywood and American Politics in the Age of 9/11. Dr. Lary May, Professor of History at the U of MN will offer this public lecture at The William G. Sheperd Room, Weisman Art Museum, U of M east bank campus, May 9th, 6:00 pm. May looks at films such as the Bourne series, Flags of Our Fathers, Syriana, Fahrenheit 9/11 and Babel. The lecture will be accompanied by film clips and illustrations detailing the changing face of movie making from World War II to the present.

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. morning. 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.