February 23, 2014

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

10:15 AM    Northern Yearly Meeting – benefits, barriers and the great unknown with Carolyn VandenDolder

11:15 AM    meeting for worship (semi-programmed): there is no planned speaker today; Nancy Lichtenstein, musician; care of meeting, Jeff Naylor

“In meeting together for worship, Quakers are, at the least, consciously setting aside a time in which they may search for and concentrate upon those values that make life worth living, and are, at the same time, also silently proclaiming their worth.”                                 – George Gorman, 1973

TODAY

There will be no first day school today. Class will resume March 2nd at the usual time.

Friends for a NonViolent World’s annual meeting, TODAY, 1:30 pm, Twin Cities Friends Meeting (1725 Grand Ave, St. Paul). Hear the year’s accomplishments, look ahead, 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. Friends are encouraged to go!

MEETING MATTERS / CALENDAR

Next week, all are welcome at the monthly Sunday potluck lunch. To regulars, 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.

Next Sunday, March 2nd, at 10:15: in the meetingroom – Kellie Rae Theiss, MN nature artist, will discuss her thirty years of studying and making portraits of many varieties of species and the heart reasons she is drawn to paint. In the conference room – Doug Herron and Friends Committee on National Legislation priorities (see attached). Friendly Philosophers (FP) will meet downstairs. FP, an informal group, meets the first Sun of the month at 10:15 and every Thurs night at 7:00, Bush Terrace Condos, 4014-15th Ave. So, Mpls.

Lunch Bunch will gather this Wed, Feb 26th, 11:45 at  Presbyterian Homes, 10030 Newton Ave So. RSVP to Louise by Tues, Nov 25th. 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.

Some call it worship sharing, others call it lectio divina. Come to this open-hearted study. 12-12:30 this Wed, Feb 26th, Kenwood Isles. Light lunch to follow. Call Steve or Mary for more.

“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. Quakers will speak on topics (simplicity, worship and peace), there will be 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 at 9:30 a.m; program from 10:00 to noon. Contact Ed or Joanne for more information or to volunteer.

Dig poetry? How about jazz? You’re in luck, we’re doing it again! Come to the Poetry Jazz Café here, Sat, March 22nd,  7 to 9:30! An evening of original and favorite poems among metro area F(f)riends. What could be better? Save the date!

Tom Ward will give a presentation introducing Quakerism at Northern Intercultural and Spiritual Experiences, Champlin United Methodist Church, 921 Downs Rd, Champline tomorrow, Feb 24th, 6:30. Friends are welcome to attend.

Mary Logue will speak at the Wisdom Ways Center for Spirituality on Story and Re-storying Tues, Feb 25th, 6:30, at St. Catherine University’s Carondelet Center. See posted flyer for more.

Terry and his wife Ceile are hosting a gathering to watch a short documentary about surfide mining in Northern MN–closely related to copper-nickel mining, Wed, March 5th starting at 7 p.m. at 106 Water Street, W, #402, St. Paul. (People from Groveland UU are also invited). See displayed flyer.

A letter and supporting information from Duluth-Superior Friends Meeting about mining in northern MN as well as an opinion piece by Ranae Hanson, both of which appeared in the Star Tribune, are posted on the MFM website. There is a public comment period until March 13th about the proposed mining. Email comments, (include full name and legal mailing address,) to NorthMetSDEIS.dnr(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)state.mn.us . Letters via US Post (recommended by Duluth Friends): 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.

Doug, MFM’s representative to Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), has offered sift through, cherry-pick, condense and send along FCNL Action Alerts to those interested in acting to affect national legislative decisions in a timely way and in line with Quaker values. This is an excellent opportunity to stay informed and protect yourself from a flood of emails from FCNL. Doug is currently collecting email addresses for those interested. (There will be no fundraising appeals.) Email him with your name and “Add me to the FCNL list.”

Offering boxes are located on small tables near the meetingroom doors. Seven weeks remain in our current fiscal year. In order to meet our budget obligations, contributions need to average about $4500 per week. Thank you, Friends, for your generous support of the Meeting in all manner of ways.

OUR WIDER COMMUNITY

There is a White privilege self-study group that meets every fourth Mon. at Twin Cities Friends Meeting (1725 Grand Ave), 7:00-9:00 pm. Feb 24: systemic racism and the concept of reparations.

A climate conversations pilot campaign, sponsored by Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light, will commence with a two-hour training session, Feb 27th, 6:30-8:30, 2104 Stevens Ave, Mpls. Friends are warmly invited to participate.  See the web page at mnipl.org/join/climate-conversations.html. Contact Terry for more information.

The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Forum is March 1st and 7th-9th at the U of MN and Augsburg College. Sponsored by the Norwegian Nobel Institute, the Forum is a unique, multi-day event that brings professionals, academics, and students together to celebrate the work of Nobel Peace Prize winners and the achievements of other leading peacemakers in human rights, business/economics, health and science, and the arts. Tickets remain for Global Day on Sun, March 9th (nobelpeaceprizeforum.org/new-2013-forum-the-power-of-ideas-people-and-peace/.)  Speakers include: 2013 Nobel Peace Prize winner Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner and Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee; “Debating the Nobel Peace Prize – Success or Failure?” featuring Geir Lundestad from the Norwegian Nobel Institute and Jay Nordlinger from the National Review. Student tickets, $12.00; General public, $46.00.

The American Friends Service Committee’s Healing Justice Program will host a mini film series, Thursdays, March 6, April 10, May 8, June 5; 6:30-9:00 pm at Faith Mennonite Church in Mpls. The films are vehicles to engage people with issues of interpersonal and systemic racism and working for justice. After each film, Sharon Goens-Bradley, director of the Healing Justice program and a member of the Quaker community, will facilitate a discussion, encouraging and inspiring attenders to learn more about historical events and supporting people as they navigate the feelings that can arise when discussing racism – guilt, shame, powerlessness, anger. Free, donations welcome. More: sgoens(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)afsc.org

Every Church a Peace Church will host a potluck and conversation – Why Should Christians Care about Climate Change? with Gwin Pratt, senior pastor at St. Luke Presbyterian Church (Wayzata,) Mon, March 10th at 6:30 p.m. at St. Stephen Lutheran Church, 8400 France Ave. S., Bloomington.

Register and make plans to attend the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition Day on the Hill Thurs, March 13th RiverCentre and State Capitol, Saint Paul. The Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) is thrilled to have Rabbi David Saperstein from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, DC as the keynote speaker. Come for an inspiring day of justice and advocacy.

House of Hope Presbyterian Church and Mt. Zion Temple are presenting three days of lectures on topics related to Jesus and Judaism and the on-going issue of the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. These are issues for the Biblical scholar but also for anyone concerned with how faith can unite or divide us. This Seminar on Religion and Contemporary Thought, JESUS, JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY, will be March 28-30, Friday – Sunday. See hohchurch.org/calvin-w-didier-annual-seminar-religion-and-contemporary-thought for more.

MN Council of Churches will sponsor a luncheon with Pulitzer prize-winning reporter, Hedrick Smith: Who Stole the American Dream? Thurs, April 10, 12:00pm – 1:30pm at the Radisson Plaza Hotel, Mpls. Smith’s latest book on income inequality in America is “one of the best recent analyses of the contemporary woes of American economics and politics.” Listen to Smith talk with former U.S. Senator Dave Durenberger about the American economic system and potential political and private fixes. If interested, email Jed(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)cauxroundtable.net.

Iowa Yearly Meeting’s mid-year meeting will be April 12-13 at Bear Creek Meetinghouse near Earlham, IA. The topic: Our Faith, Our Practice. Program and registration information posted.

OUR WIDER QUAKER COMMUNITY

Friends World Committee for Consultation has three remaining consultations between Feb and April 2014 to examine  mutually shared issues and topics of interest to each region. Continuing with the theme “Let the Living Water Flow! Friends serving God’s purposes,” all conferences offer workshops to develop inter-cultural communication skills for intra-Quaker dialogue and to support Quaker leadership in the 21st century. Sacramento, CA, March 14-16; La Paz, Bolivia, March 28-30; High Point, NC, April 11-13. Details: fwccamericas.org/events/2014-Consultations.shtml

Friends Committee on National Legislation Young Adult Spring Lobby Weekend is April 4-7. Join other young people (ages 18-30) for a weekend in Washington, DC. Learn effective techniques for influencing Congress and put those new skills to use as you meet with Congressional staff to share your perspective on the direction our government should be heading. The $75 registration fee covers food and housing. Email Heather Brutz at heather(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fcnl.org for more.

Continuing Revolution: A Young Adult Friends’ Conference on Community will be offered next summer, June 6-11, at Pendle Hill Retreat and Study Center in PA. Young adults are particularly well-poised to become the inspired and effective change agents that are needed in the world, and at its core, this conference is about providing the foundational skills and training to inspire revelation – or revolution – as we strive to live in Spirit-led relationship with ourselves, our communities, and the earth. See pendlehill.org/yafcon for more. Flyers about the conference are on the elevator table.

FRIENDS COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL LEGISLATION

Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), founded in 1943 by Quakers, is a nonpartisan, multi-issue advocacy organization that connects historic Quaker testimonies on peace, equality, simplicity, and truth with peace and social justice issues on a national level. FCNL was created as a means for Quakers to put faith into action and collectively influence government on a national level. FCNL staff ask questions, search for common ground, and seek to connect with that of God in each member of Congress and congressional staffer. Thorough, truthful information and persistent, honest, and respectful relationship-building with members of Congress really can change national policy.

FCNL relies on meetings such as Minneapolis Friends for discernment on setting priorities for their lobbying efforts. What are the five (5) issues of most importance to members and attenders of our meeting for the upcoming, 2015-2016, legislative session?

You are encouraged to attend one of two group discussions to talk about FCNL priorities. Both are here at the meetinghouse with Doug Herron, Minneapolis Friends Meeting FCNL representative: Sunday, March 2 from 10:15 – 11:00 a.m in the conference room.; Thursday, March 6 from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. downstairs.

Last year’s (2013-2014) work included:

* Reduce the influence of money in political and electoral processes.
* Increase U.S. government capacity for peaceful prevention and resolution of deadly conflict.
* Promote diplomacy, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan and in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
* Prevent war with Iran.
* Eliminate drone attacks
* Cut military spending while supporting programs for veterans.
* Support progressive tax structures to address poverty and economic disparity.
* Promote fair, humane and demilitarized immigration policies.
* Safeguard the natural world. Assist threatened human populations at home and abroad.
* Support the development and use of safe and sustainable energy sources.
* Support efforts that respect the tribal sovereignty of Native Americans and indigenous peoples
* Promote civil liberties and human rights, especially those undermined in the name of combating terrorism. Eliminate torture and suppression of dissent.
* Reform drug policies that have led to mass incarceration and contribute to institutional racism.

OFFICE HOURS
Pat Jones will be out of the office this week, returning Fri.
Carolyn VandenDolder, the Administrative Assistant, will be in Wed. morning 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.