9:00 AM unprogrammed meeting for worship: care of meeting, Tom Ward

10:15 AM 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.

11:15 AM semi-programmed meeting for worship: Jeff Naylor, speaker; Kathy Webster, musician; care of meeting, Joanne Esser

“Our Similarities bring us to a common ground; Our Differences allow us to be fascinated by each other.” Tom Robbins

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there.” Jalal ad-Din Rumi

TODAY

Lake Harriet Parkway will be closed this morning. Plan accordingly.

Growing up Muslim, Growing up Christian in MN, TODAY, 2:00 – 4:00 pm, 1401 Gardena Ave. NE, Fridley. The US is the most religiously diverse country in the world. At the same time increasing numbers of Americans claim they have no religious affiliation. A panel discussion with a group of young adults who have grown up in this context and have found a way to claim their religious identity in the midst of a pluralistic and increasingly secular culture.

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Graduating students and families as they make final decisions about college.

MEETING MATTERS / CALENDAR

Pat will be on medical leave beginning April 24th. David Woolley will attend to essential Meeting needs in her absence, finding Friends to respond to ministry and practical needs. Contact David at davidw(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org or leave a message on the Meeting phone. Please contact him through the Meeting except in emergencies.

Lunch Bunch will meet Wed, April 24th, 11:45 at Presbyterian Homes, 10030 Newton Ave So, 12 noon. RSVP to Barbara by Tues, April 23rd. If you are available in the middle of the day, consider coming! It’s a great opportunity to deepen relationships with, and bring news to, those not able to come to worship every Sunday.

Upcoming and final adult programs for this school year at 10:15:
April 28th: Sharon Goens, American Friends Service Committee Director of the Twin Cities Healing Justice Program, will lead a circle discussion about healing justice, the focus of the local AFSC work.
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.
May 19th: What happens in worship? More info coming.

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, next Sunday, 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. We are in a 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.

The George and Elizabeth Watson Memorial Discussion Group will meet on Tuesday, April 30th at 7:30 pm, finishing before 9 pm. We will read Chapter 4 of Letters to a Fellow Seeker, “Ministering to One Another” together so you do not have to read it ahead of time. Please come even if you haven’t come before!

Zephyra and Roland Shepherd Scholarship applications are due May 1st. 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.

Might you be available on occasion to unlock and lock the meetinghouse on a Sunday morning when there is a need? Please call the meetinghouse office if you would be happy to be called on to do this – 612-926-6159.

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

The Villa Maria connection! Sarah McClellan is the Executive Director, Linda Harding the manager. And Nancy Peterson and Mary Leikvold are offering a Text and Image workshop there in May! Info is on the long table.

Loaves and Fishes dinner April 29th: Come serve with metro Friends at Holy Rosary Church. Food prep, serving and clean-up as well as dessert donations of healthy fruits and baked goods are all needed. Sign up sheet on the bulletin table.

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.

This year’s final Northern Yearly Meeting Senior High retreat next weekend in Duluth. nymhighschool(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com

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. The first and third Sundays will be unprogrammed, the second and fourth Sundays will be semi-programmed. The one fifth Sunday in June will be intergenerational. Plan to engage in this opportunity – knowing 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. Average weekly contributions in April: $1305.00.

THE WIDER QUAKER COMMUNITY

Healing Justice conversation with American Friends Service Committee: Tues, April 23rd, 5:30 pm at the Mpls Urban League (2100 Plymouth Ave. N). Open forum, review of last year’s ideas and recommendations, an update, and strategizing how to partner and prioritize next steps. Encompassing both healing from harm and the transformation from harm to wholeness, healing justice focuses on achieving fundamental balance and fairness for all communities. Its principles are responsibility, mutuality and love, rejecting violence, domination and exploitation. In preparation, consider: How can we build on what’s already happening in MN? What updates would you like to share? 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 .

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.

OUR WIDER COMMUNITY

Clean Energy and Jobs Day of Action tomorrow, Earth Day, April 22! Meetings with legislators and a rally at the capitol rotunda at 3 pm to tell Gov. Dayton that we support his effort to bring more clean energy and jobs to MN. Important legislation to increase MN’s use of solar is gaining steam at the state capitol. Keep the momentum going to build a sustainable energy future for our state! More: fresh-energy.org/tag/events

U of MN Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center Critical Conversations, Trauma, Faith and Healing in the Community: Conversations with South Africa’s Tutu Sisters. Devastation brought on by gun violence, natural disasters, and other traumas can shake a community to its core. Find out how faith, consensus-building, and communal reconciliation can heal community spirit with the daughters of renowned South African social rights activist, Archbishop Desmond Tutu: the Rev. Mpho Tutu, race and gender activist Naomi Tutu, and researcher Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe. Tues, April 23, 6 PM, Shiloh Temple International Ministries – 1201 W Broadway Ave. N., Mpls and Wed, April 24, 2 PM, Coffman Union – U of MN. Both events are free and open to the public, receptions and refreshments after each event.

The Loft’s Peace and Social Justice Writers group presents Coming Together as a World Community, bridging our cultural differences. Readings and a cello performance by Janet Horvath, on Weds, April 24, 7:00 – 8:30 pm at the Loft Literary Center. TCFM’s Christina Kieltyka is one of the presenters. $10 suggested donation. Reception to follow.

Letter from Birmingham Jail @ 50: a discussion of the historical setting and contemporary relevance of this classic civil rights document will be offered Thurs, April 25, 7 pm, Martin Luther King, Jr Park in Mpls, 4055 Nicollet Ave S. Donna Dempewolf, pastor of Living Spirit Methodist and Cynthia Williams from Park Ave Methodist will lead the discussion.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner (2011), Liberian peace activist, Leymah Gbowee, will speak at Prince of Peace Lutheran, 7217 W Broadway, Brooklyn Park, Fri, April 26, 7-8 pm. “You can tell people of the need to struggle, but when the powerless start to see that they really can make a difference, nothing can quench the fire.” Tickets – $5 at www.youthrive.net.

OFFICE HOURS
David Woolley will be in the office on Friday.
Carolyn VandenDolder, the Administrative Assistant, will be in Mon. afternoon and will be out of the office the rest of the week. 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.