November 17, 2013

9:00 AM meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Mary Snyder

10:15 AM global climate change, economic upheaval, endless warfare — its enough to get a person down! Betsy Raasch-Gilman will lead a discussion about sources of hope and faith for us, even as we live in a time of growing uncertainty.

11:15 AM meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Ranae Hanson, speaker; Kathy Webster, musician; care of meeting, David Woolley

“My heart leaps up when I behold . . .” William Wordsworth
“The world is so full of a number of things . . . ” Robert Louis Stevenson
“Joys impregnate. Sorrows bring forth.” William Blake

TODAY

Nursery care today is downstairs with Susie Kanemitsu.

There is a Quaker Quest public session this afternoon, “Quakers and Integrity,” at 3 p.m.
Presenters: Jane Furnas, Terry Hokenson and Jeannette Raymond. This session concludes our public program this year.

If you are new to the Meeting and Quakerism, we hope you will be able to attend this final Quaker Quest session. Everyone who comes to Meeting is encouraged to bring friends or family who might be interested in “sampling” Quaker life and worship. These sessions offer a glimpse of Minneapolis Friends Meeting to the public but also offer a precious opportunity for us to get to know the panelists, talk with visitors and with one another.

Thank you to everyone who has labored to bring this life-enriching program to Minneapolis Friends!

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Minneapolis Friends Meeting and Quaker Quest: that we are faithful witnesses to God’s grace, love and presence; that we are discovered by those whose relationship with the Divine might be encouraged and nurtured by being part of this community; that we be authentic.

MEETING MATTERS / CALENDAR

Adult program next Sun, Nov. 24th, 10:15: SOCIAL TIME; come for informal conversation. This is a change.
Dec 1: Judith James on how she uses Quaker pastoral care and counseling in her work with heroin and opiate addicts.

Save the dates:
Friends for a NonViolent World (FNVW) Holiday Fair, Fri, Dec 6, 1-9 p.m. and Sat, Dec 7, 10- 4.

What’s new this year?
* three new vendors
* takeout meals!

Visit fnvw.org with new links to find out more – Cafe Menu Used Books
Vendor Lists Wreaths and Trees
It’s all at your fingertips! Musician Schedule Business Sponsors
Quilts and Silent Auction Volunteer Sign up

FNVW receives 100% profit on all books, crafts, and Value Board items!

CRAFTS: Food items tend to sell well, but sew, knit, or paint to your hearts content! No plants please.

BOOKS: The Book Loft is a huge success each year and needs used books in good shape. Call FNVW offices, 651-917-0383, for drop off times and places.

VALUES BOARD: Donate or solicit gift certificates from stores, restaurants, or theaters you patron. One quick trip and FNVW gets 100% of the selling price! Call Nancy Helfrich, 612-386-6892, for details.

Winona Friends invite you and all Minneapolis Friends folks for a Driftless Area Thanksgiving Inter-visitation. Worship at 10 AM, next Sun, Nov, 24, potluck lunch to follow. First Day School and child care provided – St. Paul’s Episcopal Church’s annex on Lafayette Street, (E. Broadway and Lafayette St. in Winona). We look forward to seeing you!

THANKSGIVING POTLUCK GATHERING here, Thurs., Nov. 28, 3:30 on. Worship at 3:30, food finishing touches at 4, feasting at 4:30, conversation, games, and cleaning up into the evening. Any and all are invited, including relatives, friends, neighbors, whomever. Sign-up sheet by the elevator, so we’ll know how many are coming and what they plan to bring. A good way to enjoy being in community and getting to know one another better. Questions/info: Nancy.

Monthly meeting in December will consider and likely decide where Fall Camp will be held next year.

Monthly meeting approved the following to be White Envelope Gift recipients this year–
-$120 for a goat for a family somewhere in Africa through ONE and Heifer International
-$200 for teaching supplies for Joanne Esser to take to Light of Hope School in Kenya
Then, the remaining funds to be divided four ways between:
Project Sweetie Pie (a gardening cooperative in North Minneapolis that involves many young people), Reclaim (a Twin Cities program centered on meeting the needs of queer youth of color),
water wells for Vietnam (see http://www.mqivietnam.org/), and
a scholarship fund for the Quaker Refugee Fellowship for girls in Kenya.

Two requests from Peace and Social Concerns: 1) a willing volunteer to investigate the Duluth/Superior Meeting’s request that we join them in protesting the new taconite mine in Wisconsin, and 2) someone willing to explore the opportunity to be the meeting representative to Right Sharing of the World’s Resources… Anyone interested in either of these can contact Nancy, Roland, or Ranae.

Offering boxes are located on small tables near the meetingroom doors. Average contributions of $9,725 per month ($2,431 per week) are needed to meet our budget. In October, $6,530.66 was contributed to the general budget; an average of $1,632.67 per week. Thank you, Friends, for your generous support of the Meeting in all manner of ways.

OUR WIDER COMMUNITY

Quaker Women’s Group will meet this Weds., Nov. 20 at 12:30 at Twin Cities Friends Meeting. Bring fruit to share and beverages, your own bag lunch if you like. Carolyn Nechal will lead the program on a topic of her choosing.

A Northern Yearly Meeting retreat for high school Quaker youth will be held November 22-24 at the Greenler Farm near Madison, WI. Friendly Adult Presence-es and participants are being sought.

An unprogrammed worship in NE Minneapolis is being held on the fifth Fri evenings – the next one Nov 29th at 6:45 followed by a community meal at 7:30; Grace Center for Community Life, 1500 – 6th Str NE.

Are you interested in connecting with other Quakers in the US about the role that Quakers can and should play in the world of business? Would you like to be able talk to Friends who have a Friendly business point of view? Would you like to encourage young Friends to go into business? Convey your interest by completing a short survey (surveymonkey.com/s/PKDYJGD) so a group can begin to be organized.

Nonviolent Peaceforce is hosting an Art for Peace sale of MN artist, Nell Hillsley’s, work. Over 75 works will be sold to support NP work in South Sudan and Myanmar – Fri, Nov 22 4-7 and Sat Nov 23, 11-4 at St. Mark’s Cathedral, 519 Oak Grove Str, Mpls (the corner of Hennepin Ave and Loring Park.) Cards are out on the table.

Friends for a Non-Violent World: More reading on US Drone use: Public Accountability of the Use of Drones for Killing.
Two new reports call for a full public accounting of extrajudicial, arbitrary, and summary executions carried out by the U.S. in countries around the world using drones. They require full transparency of drone killings, including, “the legal basis for the use of drones, operational responsibility, criteria for targeting, impact (including civilian casualties), and information about alleged violations, investigations and prosecutions.”

Christof Heyns, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions: justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/UN-Special-Rapporteur-Extrajudicial-Christof-Heyns-Report-Drones.pdf

Ben Emmerson, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism: docs.google.com/file/d/1KoE0O98hJuAhkWDE_2ve_zYuRv6RI5f7h1wvmG52KvNWJuAoGry627UJWURo/edit?usp=sharing&pli=1

Save the Date: The next White Privilege Conference (WPC15) is in Madison, WI from March 26-29, 2014 with the theme of “Building Relationships! Strengthening Communities! Seeking Justice!” FGC’s Ministry on Racism program, its staff and volunteers, hopes you will be able to join them and encourage all members of midwestern meetings to attend. FGC expects to be able to provide another sizable discount to Friends across the country!

“Shared Security: An Invitation to Re-imagine U.S. Foreign Policy” materials have been put together by Friends Committee on National Legislation and American Friends Service Committee to start a conversation about a new vision for U.S. foreign policy grounded in shared security as a global community. Review, debate, and responses to the draft statement are sought. Document and a study guide and also comment, at http://sharedsecurity.wordpress.com.

There will be a reading and reception for Secret Traffic: Selected Poems of Roy McBride at The Loft Literary Center, 1011 Washington Ave. S., Mpls, next Sun, Nov 24, 2 pm. Roy McBride is the late husband of Lucinda Anderson and late son-in-law to Arne. Free and open to the public. Book available at the reading. Kevin O’Rourke will be one of the readers.

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 out of the office until November 29th. 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.