December 22, 2013

9:00 AM meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Sandy Olson

10:15 AM carols, treats and merriment! – no nursery care during the 10:15-11:00 time

11:15 AM meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Heidi Flores, speaker; Kathy Webster, musician; care of meeting, Joanne Esser

Immanuel: “God with us.” – Isaiah 7:14

TODAY

The White Envelope Gift is a special Christmastime offering that is designated for one-time gifts to different organiza-tion(s) each year. We are celebrating this gift today! (Make checks for this to MFM, designated White Gift.)
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
The remaining funds will be divided equally 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.

TONIGHT: You are invited to a caroling and Christmas party here, 5:30 (to practice,) 6:00 until about 7:00, caroling then food, cocoa, a challenge and games following. Organized for MFM kids (and kids at heart), bring kid-friendly snacks to share and a flashlight – or just come!

It’s the season of snow and slush! Friends are encourage to remember to do a little MN winter jig in the entryway before coming up or going downstairs.

Parking at the meetinghouse: those who are able, please park further away from the meetinghouse, leaving spaces nearby for those who have mobility challenges. Please be mindful not to park between the No Parking During Church Service signs. Cars and metro mobility need the space to drop off individuals for worship.

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Friends School of MN. Head of School has just announced her retirement.

MEETING MATTERS / CALENDAR

Next Sunday at 10:15: Devin Helfrich will speak on his legislative work related to climate/environmental policy, “How to keep your spirits up while working for the U.S. House of Representatives and other interesting anecdotes from work in DC.”

Adult Program on Jan. 5th at 10:15: Mary Logue will show how she has explored her own spirituality through her writings, even in her mysteries. She will read from her work and talk about how letting go of the expected has helped her find wonderful surprises. She will also talk about how sitting in meeting has affected her work.

There is no lunch bunch this month.

Volunteers needed for Loaves and Fishes: our next commitment is fifth Mon, Dec 30th. The meal is prepared and served by area Quakers and offered at Holy Rosary Church, 2424 – 18th Ave So. Help with this concrete expression of support and outreach: 2:30-4:30, cooking; 4:45-6:45, serving; 5:30-7:00, clean-up. Also needed, festive and nutritious desserts like fruit, decorated cookies, fruit bars (4 dozen cookies / bars per batch), delivered to the meetinghouse on the 29th or brought to Holy Rosary by 5:00 on the 30th. Coordinators count on participation from Mpls Friends! Serving and cleaning up help especially needed. Children ten and over are warmly welcome! Sign up on the sheet by the bulletins.

New Year’s Eve: Come and celebrate New Year’s Eve with each other and some beautiful Japanese traditions! Enjoy lovely Japanese New Year decorations, a Japanese poetry game and a sample of Japanese food. Bring a potluck dish to share: 5:00 worship, 5:30 set up; 6:00 dinner with fun and an introduction to sacred Japanese Buddhist traditions later! Questions, call Susie.

Looking ahead: Come to storytelling Thurs evening, Feb 20th here at the meetinghouse. This informal, engaging evening – for newcomers and old-timers alike – is a delightful way to know and be known by each other. Watch for more details.

Thanks to Dave and David, the catalog of items in the MFM library is now available on our website. See the new “Library” link in the sidebar, or go there directly: minneapolisfriends.org/library

Volunteers are being sought to wash and iron tablecloths used at the Holiday Fair. Contact Lisa for more.

Warm clothes for St. Stephen’s: this street outreach could use warm winter clothing – boots, hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, coats, etc. Nancy will have a box for clean, gently used donations in the entryway for a couple of weeks.

The Northern Yearly Meeting Newsletter deadline is January 10. Thinking of a workshop you’d like to offer at the annual session? Want to do a preliminary article? Email Richard at richard.osbo.fuller(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com

Friends who purchased Prospect Hill Friends Meeting’s Allergy-Friendly Potluck may have an edition lacking the Appendices. Check your copy and contact the office if needed.

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 November, $8,164.30 was contributed to the general budget; an average of $2,041.08 per week. The winter quarter contributions historically have covered 40% of the budget. Thank you, Friends, for your generous support of the Meeting in all manner of ways.

Stop Starvation in Syria – End the Blockades (from Friends for a NonViolent World)
Syrians are slowly dying of malnutrition, but not for lack of food. A military blockade surrounds dozens of Syrian towns. This starvation siege prevents 1.5 million Syrians from receiving food or medicine. Join a “rolling” solidarity hunger strike which started on Fri, Dec 20 – someone will fast every day in support of the hunger strikers in Syria. A list of supporters for a larger campaign leading up to the Geneva Conference in Jan. is being put together. Commit to one day of symbolic hunger strike and give FNVW permission to put your name on materials to publicize the hunger strikes more widely. For more, see www.facebook.com/qusaihungerstrike or email stopthesiege(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com

OFFICE HOURS
Pat Jones will be in the office at various time Thurs and Fri.
Carolyn VandenDolder, the office worker, will be in the office on 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.