*****West Calhoun Parkway will be closed Sun, Feb 2, for City of Lakes Loppet, 7:00a.m. – 10:00p.m.
*****Wirth Parkway will be closed Sun, Feb 2, for City of Lakes Loppet, 8:00a.m. – 12:00pm

February 2, 2014

9:00 AM meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Keitha Herron

10:15 AM Alberta Mirais (daughter of Terry Hokenson) will speak in the meetingroom on: “Honoring the sacredness of life through art, whether it be with sound, paint or other medium. Communicating wordlessly and expressing ourselves freely, without shame. If the sound you make aligns with your heart, you are a musician. If the movement of your brush feels like a gesture of deep love, feels delicious and fulfilling, you are a painter. When your fingers let the voice of your pain, your ecstasy, your strength, your sorrow, flow out of them, you are an artist. Let your heart be your guide.”

11:15 AM meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Ed Souther, speaker; Nancy Lichtenstein, musician; care of meeting, Pat Jones

TODAY

Friendly Philosophers will meet in the conference room: this open, informal group meets every first Sun of the month, here, at 10:15 and every Thurs night, 7 PM at Bush Terrace Condos. Everyone is welcome to come – once or on a regular basis! For more: Gib

Jim, Kyle and Heather are exploring doing a Bible study of the Book of Acts. If interested, please come to a planning session in the middler classroom today, Feb. 2nd at 10:15 to figure out details of meeting time and length. Can’t come today but interested in participating? Call Jim or Heather or Kyle.

You are welcome at the monthly potluck, 12:15 today! Please come to this relaxed, informal time of food and fellowship. To regulars, remember that potlucks are do-it-yourself affairs. Look for ways to help – replenish the supply of plates or napkins, help wash or dry dishes, clear tables and wash them down, and put away chairs. Every little bit helps!

MEETING MATTERS / CALENDAR

Worship in Bloomington is Tues, Feb 11th, 7:00, at the home of Louise. All are welcome this small, 45-minute, time of unprogrammed worship.

For anyone and everyone interested in contemporary Quaker thought: come read together Letters to a Fellow Seeker, Wed, Feb 12th at 7:30. The George and Elizabeth Watson Discussion Group (open to everyone) is making its way through this short book, reading chapters and discussing individual perspectives and understanding in response. Please come!

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.

“Exploring Together” is an event designed to introduce families and staff from Friends School of MN to the Quaker meetings in the Twin Cities and to Quakerism in general. On Sat, March 8th, Friends School participants will gather at Twin Cities Friends meetinghouse (1725 Grand Avenue in St. Paul) for a one-time program similar to our recent Quaker Quest. The program includes Quakers speaking on the topics (simplicity, worship and peace), small group discussions and a short worship. Quakers from our meeting are invited to come and help provide hospitality, facilitate small groups, work with children or simply participate in the event. Welcoming and coffee is at 9:30 a.m. The program is from 10:00 to noon. Contact Ed or Joanne for more information or to volunteer.

Offering boxes are located on small tables near the meetingroom doors. A third quarter report will be given next Sunday at monthly meeting (9:45). Thank you, Friends, for your generous support of the Meeting in all manner of ways.

OUR WIDER COMMUNITY

See the letter and supporting information from Duluth-Superior Friends Meeting on copper and nickel mining in Northern MN. Monthly Meeting did not feel it had time to act as a body on the pressing issue of copper-nickel mining in MN but encourages F(f)riends who are interested to access information and participate in a timely way during the public comment period. Making a comment is currently the most effective way to voice opposition to the mining. Submit email comments to NorthMetSDEIS.dnr(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)state.mn.us. E-mail submissions should include a full name and legal mailing address. Letters sent via US Post (recommended by Duluth Friends) should be addressed to Lisa Fay, EIS Project Manager, MDNR Division of Ecological and Water Resources, Environmental Review Unit, 500 Lafayette Road, Box 25, St. Paul, MN 55155-4025. The deadline for written comments is 4:30 p.m., March 13th. Information is also on the MFM website: minneapolisfriends.org/2014/01/17/bulletin-addendum-copper-and-nickel-mining-in-mn. Barton Sutter, clerk of Duluth-Superior Friends Meeting will speak about his spiritual leading and discernment in taking on this issue at the Prospect Hill Friends Meeting program next Sunday night, Feb 9th, at 5:00. All are invited. A potluck will follow the program. Bring something to share if you plan to stay.

Also see the commentary by Ranae Hanson which appeared on the Opinion page of Mon’s Star Tribune (Jan 27) along with the letter from Duluth-Superior and one other viewpoint.

A five-session course in Quakerism will be led by Paul Landskroener Thurs from Feb 6 – March 6 at 7 pm. at Twin Cities Friends Meeting. Quaker doctrines, worship and ministry, witness and testimonies, and history and organization. Useful to those new to or exploring Friends as well as for long-time Friends who want to know more about Quaker basics. “Paul knows his stuff,” Pat says! Limit is 40.

Love Your Planet Comedy Night, a benefit Terry Hokenson has helped organize for MN Interfaith Power and Light, will be held Sat, Feb 15, 7 pm, at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 4201 Sheridan Ave S. MnIPL is working to raise a groundswell of positive climate change response through faith communities in MN. The comedy troupe, The Theater of Public Policy, is simply hilarious. For details and tickets, go to mnipl.org or tinyurl.com/jwc86qd, or see Terry.

Friends for a NonViolent World’s annual meeting will be Sun, Feb. 23, at 1:30 pm at Twin Cities Friends Meeting (1725 Grand Ave, St. Paul). Hear a review of the year’s accomplishments, look forward, and elect new members to the board of directors. Take this opportunity to learn more about what FNVW is doing and to engage in FNVW’s future.

The next White Privilege Conference is in Madison, WI from March 26-29. Sign up continues for a significant Quaker discount. In the first week alone, more than twenty Friends from nine yearly meetings across the country had pre-registered through Friends General Conference (FGC). At least six meetings and worship groups from Northern Yearly Meeting’s region have Friends who have signed up! This year, Quaker youth are especially invited to attend. TO SIGN UP: fgcquaker.org/WPC15. Then check both your spam folder and your inbox for an email with the necessary discount code(s) to use when registering for the conference itself. FGC DEADLINE for the discount and for local hospitality with Friends is Feb. 20th. Have questions? Liz Oppenheimer might be able to answer them: 612-567-8406; lizopp(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com or email FGC at The roster of all-day institutes is available at: whiteprivilegeconference.com/pdf/WPC15-Institutes.pdf . Space for institutes is limited. Most forums that address race focus on the impacts on people of color, leaving white identity normalized and unexplored. The WPC is unique; it shifts this focus onto white people and their socialization. Going or considering? Tell Pat.

A number of Quaker meetings and yearly meetings in the U.S. have formally minuted their renunciation of the Doctrine of Discovery as one step toward healing the historic trauma between indigenous peoples and European settlers. Sheldon Wolfchild, actor, director, and member of the Lower Sioux Indian community, will present the film, The Doctrine of Discovery, and lead discussion Mon, Feb. 3, 7-9:30 p.m. (gather at 6:45,) Saint Paul Area Council of Churches, 1671 Summit Ave. St. Paul. The film focuses on the religious justification early explorers used to claim lands from indigenous nations and peoples. RSVP to Tom Duke, tduke03(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)earthlink.net, so they can plan for seating and refreshments.

A Hennepin County free Fix-It Clinic offered next Sat, Feb 8th, noon-4 at ARC Value Village, 2751 Winnetka Ave North in New Hope. Get free guidance from volunteers in repairing broken items. Reduce trash, teach / learn basic repair skills. Volunteer / fixers needed! Soldering, electronic and electrical repair, computer repair, sewing and general tinkering. Pat, Jim and Nancy attended the last one and loved it!

Contact Senators Klobuchar (612-727-5220) and Franken (651-221-1016) urging them to oppose the additional sanctions on Iran proposed in S.1881 (the Nuclear Weapon-Free Iran Act of 2013). Passage of this bill would critically endanger a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear standoff with Iran. If you call, tell receptionist that you urge the Senator to withhold co-sponsorship of S.1881 and delay consideration of new sanctions while negotiations are ongoing; fcnl.org/issues/iran

OFFICE HOURS
Pat Jones is on vacation after today, returning to the office Friday, Feb. 14th.
Carolyn VandenDolder, the Administrative Assistant, will be in Wed. afternoon and 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.