November 24, 2013

9:00 AM meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Mary Snyder
10:15 AM social time
11:15 AM meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Barbara Ziegenhagen, speaker; Nancy Lichtenstein, musician; care of meeting, David Woolley

Around me the trees stir in their leaves and call out, “Stay awhile.” The light flows from their branches. And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say, “and you too have come into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine.” Mary Oliver, When I Am Among the Trees

Mayim Rabim members will be meeting today with first day school and showing them their Torah scroll.

MEETING MATTERS / CALENDAR

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.

Next week, all are welcome to the monthly Sunday potluck lunch. Please bring plenty of food so there will be ample to accommodate visitors and those at the end of the line. Also, please label your pot-luck item/s with ingredients or your name so those with allergies, salt restrictions, vegetarians, etc can participate. Particularly to be noted, peanuts (walnut, cashew, etc), salt, meat, poultry, milk, soy, onions, garlic, eggs, fish, shellfish, corn, corn products and wheat.

Lunch Bunch will meet this Wed, November 27th, 11:45 at Presbyterian Homes, 10030 Newton Ave So, 11:30. RSVP to Louise by Tues, Nov 26th. 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.

The annual Thanksgiving potluck gathering will be … on Thanksgiving! Here. Worship at 3:30, finishing touches at 4:00, 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 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 others better. Questions/info: Nancy.

Adult program next Sun, Dec 1: Judith James will talk about how she uses Quaker pastoral care and counseling in her work with heroin and opiate addicts.

Mayim Rabim invites us to a Chanukah party next Sunday, December 1, 2013, 4:30 – 7:00 PM, here. It will feature delicious vegetarian Chinese food, games and menorah lighting. Candle lighting and songs will begin at 4:45; dinner is at 5:00 followed by fun and dreidel games. Requested donation is $8 per adult, $2 per child, max of $20 per family. For further information, contact office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)mayimrabim.org or 612-247-5490.

Volunteers Opportunities galore at the FNVW Holiday Fair!
Sign up as volunteers on the fnvw.org website. Once on the website, the first article on the page, which is about the FNVW Holiday Fair, has a link to the volunteer sign ups. There is also a link under Holiday Fair, volunteers. There are 130 slots to fill to make this event happen smoothly. You are needed! Check out the array of opportunities on the calendar and sign up for the time and place that works best for you.

The Friends for a NonViolent World (FNVW) Holiday Fair will be Fri, Dec 6, 1:00 -9:00 and Sat, Dec 7, 10:00 – 4:00, at this meetinghouse. What’s new this year? Three new vendors and takeout meals! Visit fnvw.org with new links – Cafe Menu, Vendor Lists, Musician Schedule, Quilts and Silent Auction, Used Books, Wreaths and Trees, Business Sponsors, and Volunteer Sign up – to find out more. It’s all at your fingertips!
FNVW receives 100% profit on all books, crafts, photos, 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.
photos–they are 100% profit and… it’s a good time to get a picture taken for the Meeting ID board, no charge.

Monthly Meeting in December (the 8th at 9:45) 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. The White Envelope Gift is a long tradition at Minneapolis Friends Meeting. It is a special Christmastime offering that is designated for one-time gifts. The date for making this gift is the Sunday before Christmas, this year December 22.

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.

The Friendly Philosophers meet every first Sunday of the month, here, at 10:15 and every Thursday night, 7 PM at Bush Terrace Condos: 4014 – 15th Ave. So, Mpls.

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, TODAY, 2 pm. Roy McBride is the late husband of Lucinda Anderson and son-in-law to Arne. Free and open to the public. Book available at the reading.

An unprogrammed worship in NE Minneapolis is being held on the fifth Friday 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.

From Friends Committee on National Legislation – U.S. Drones: Unjustified (Oct 24) New reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch document how secret U.S. drone strikes have killed civilians in violation of international law. Both reports echo long-standing FCNL criticism of the lack of accountability, transparency and oversight of U.S. drone strikes. Drones enable assassinations and allow our government to target people for merely being in a certain location or behaving in a certain way. As Yemeni activist Faera Al-Muslimi told Congress, one drone strike instantly radicalizes people against the U.S. in ways that al Qaeda propaganda never could. Tell the administration: Don’t break international law. Suspend the armed drones program until we can have a full, transparent debate about their use.

“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.

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!

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 this Fri., November 29th. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur. Bulletin items can be phoned in to the office, emailed or put in the bulletin file of the blue box.