May 11, 2014

9:00 AM meeting for worship (unprogrammed)

9:45 AM worship with attention to business: Ranae Hanson, clerk; Tom Ward, recording clerk

11:15 AM meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Clifford Goltz

TODAY

There’s something for everyone at Northern Yearly Meeting! The registration deadline for the annual sessions (Memorial Day weekend) has passed but there is still room for you if you act fast! Registration packets are available on the bulletin table. First-timers can take a 20% discount! Those who are going (so far): Pat, Allen, John, Ranae, Jim L, Annette, Sigurd, Jim H, Rick, Carolyn and Thomas. Join the party!

Northern Yearly Meeting was created to provide support for and between worship groups and monthly meetings in the upper mid-west. Annual sessions offer times of fellowship, relaxation, programming for children, worship, dancing, talent displays, workshops and interest groups.

MEETING MATTERS / CALENDAR

The last Sunday of the school-year schedule is May 18th. May 25th, Memorial Day Sunday, is the start of the summer schedule of a single worship at 10:00. We will alternate between unprogrammed and semi-programmed worship, week to week, starting with semi-programmed worship Sunday, May 25th.

Worship in Bloomington will be this Tues, May 13th, 7:00, at the home of Louise, Gideon Pond. All are welcome this informal, small, 45-minute, time of unprogrammed worship.

Quaker education opportunity! The final portion of Four Doors to Meeting for Worship, a booklet by William Taber describing four ways to access worship and experience the living Presence, will be read aloud together and discussed at the George and Elizabeth Watson Memorial Reading Group, here, this Wed, May 14th, at 7:00. Copies will be available. No preparation needed. New or old to the Meeting, just show up!

Sun, May 18th at Adult Program at 10:15 (the last one of the year): Pilgrimage. Jim Herther, and Harv and Julie Busta have walked the Spanish pilgrim route, Camino de Santiago, this past year and will speak of their experience. Diane Barrett will facilitate.

Next Sunday, May 18 is the last day of first day school for the year. Celebrate our youths’ journey, and thank their mentors along the way, Allen, John, Jane, Kassie, and Rae at the rise of 11:15 worship next Sun! Thanks go to parents too, the most important “teachers” in these children’s lives, who have offered invaluable support of activities throughout the year. Last, but definitely not least, thank you to all the wonderful members of our Minneapolis Friends Meeting community. Many have shared your experiences in “living a Quakerly life”, your spiritual journeys, or supported service activities. For all this and more, thank you!

There will be a meeting of the minds for all current committee clerks Sun, June 8th, at the rise of business meeting. Bring a bag lunch and/or simple food to share.

The Adult Program Committee is seeking your input! Who would you recommend to offer a presentation to the meeting community? It might be someone within the Minneapolis Meeting community, someone else who is Quaker, someone else entirely, or someone with an organization you particularly love. Contact Mark with suggestions.

American Friends Service Committee would love to have a Minneapolis Friends Meeting liaison – to disseminate information from, provide feedback to and nurture a relationship with AFSC. No travel involved but opportunities to participate in program threshing sessions and seasoning via conference call and webinars. Contact members of Peace and Social Concerns Committee (Roland, Nancy, Jeff, Ranae) or Carolyn with interest or questions.

Building on the momentum of the Exploring Together event held at Twin Cities Friends Meeting in March, Friends School of MN is hosting a community meeting for worship at Friends School on Sun, June 1st, 1 – 2:00pm. All meeting members/attenders and the school community are invited. Area Friends will tour Friends School with Lili Herbert, Head of School while school families attend a short (half hour) “Introduction to Quakerism” session. Then all will join together for a half-hour of worship. Please come!

Offering boxes are located on small tables near the meetingroom doors. Please give as you are able. Copies of the new budget are available on the elevator table.

OUR WIDER QUAKER COMMUNITY

Friends Committee on National Legislation drafted a Sense of the Congress Resolution that you can ask your legislator to co-sponsor as a way of publicly declaring their commitment to addressing climate disruption. Read about FCNL’s approach to addressing our climate crisis along with a link to the resolution and ways to contact your legislators at: fcnl.org/issues/energy/call_to_conscience_on_climate_disruption/

Friends General Conference: Let Love Be the First Motion. Taste the vibrancy and the variety that is available by immersing yourself in a community of Friends for a week at the Friends General Conference Gathering at California University of PA, south of Pittsburgh, June 29-July 5. The Gathering is packed with opportunities, from small group morning workshops to public evening plenaries; programs for children, teens and young adults. Opportunities for worship permeate the Gathering – indoor and outdoor; large groups and small. More at fgcquaker.org/connect/gathering. Registration deadline, May 31.

Friends United Meeting Triennial: A Great People to be Gathered in Christ, in Community, in Mission, June 11th – 15th at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, IN. The keynote Johnson Lecture will be given by Richard J. Foster – Quaker author, theologian and founder of Renovaré. Details at: fum.org/friends-united-meeting-triennial-2014/

Quaker values and personal financial decisions: Quakers have a long tradition of building our lives around our values. Beliefs lead to action. How do we handle our money? It is important to financially care for ourselves and our loved ones, but how can we do that in ways that also support Quaker values? Twin Cities Friends Meeting is hosting two workshops on this topic. Larry Jalowiec, Director of Friends General Conference Stewardship Services, and Craig Foor, a certified financial advisor with Everence, a Mennonite financial organization, will facilitate this program. Both workshops will be held at Twin Cities Friends Meeting (1725 Grand Ave., St. Paul, MN). There is no fee for either workshop. Contact Bob Nechal at (bnechal(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com) or Ruth Moeller (ruth.moeller(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com) if you need childcare or have other questions:

Estate planning – Saturday, May 31st, 1 – 5:30: Good estate planning should include advance medical directives, powers of attorney, and other important documents that care for your loved ones, reflect your values, and support the causes you believe in. The workshop provides an overview of the financial considerations involved in the planning process and how to best use various annuities, trusts and other vehicles to help reduce your tax exposure and maximize your gifts to family and charity. It will also help you overcome procrastination!

Stewardship investing – Sunday, June 1st, 1:30 – 3:30: Saving and investing is a hallmark of good stewardship, but how well do we connect our financial decisions with our values? This workshop will help you think about the values that are important to you and how they can be reflected in the investment decisions you make.

Pendle Hill Study and Conference Center is offering a Summer Resident Program, Writing Your Story, Discerning Your Future: Your Summer Sabbatical at Pendle Hill, July 6 to August 3, 2014. Participate in four short courses; meet weekly, one-on-one, with a spiritual nurturer; join with your fellow students and scholar-minister Paul Rasor to integrate your learning in community each week; enjoy daily worship, a user-friendly library, an open art studio, delicious healthy meals, shared work, and a community of fellow seekers all on the beautiful tree-shaded grounds of the 23-acre arboretum campus. The four short courses are titled: Writing Your Spiritual Autobiography, John Woolman Speaks to Us Today, Brave New Journaling, and The Sacred Art of Spiritual Discernment. Cost: $5500. Some scholarships are available. Contact Bridget Casterline at admissions(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)pendlehill.org or 610-566-4507, ext. 161 for information about the program or scholarships. More at pendlehill.org/residentprogram/courses/summer-2014

OUR WIDER COMMUNITY

A Nonviolent Communication Weekend Intensive Workshop with highly respected, Certified Non-Violent Communication trainer, Alan Seid. Non-Violent Communication (NVC) is a process that can help improve the quality of connection with others and ourselves in any setting or situation. When we have a high quality of connection, conflicts can be fully resolved or prevented, people are free to be more productive, and everybody has more fun. This Fri, May 16th (6-9PM); Sat, (9:30-4:30); Sun, May 18th (9:30-3:30) at the Conflict Resolution Center, 2101 Hennipin Ave, Suite 100, Mpls. COST: $350 (work Study Scholarships available) Register soon at www.crcminnesota.org/training-opportunities/other-training-opportunities/ Questions: natasha(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)crcminnesota.org

People of Faith Respond to Climate Change, Sat May 17th, 9:00am – 11:30am, Mayflower United Church of Christ, 106 E Diamond Rd, Mpls. Congregations and individuals concerned about climate change are invited to hear from Sarah Campbell of Mayflower UCC and Julia Nerbonne of MN Interfaith Power and Light talk about what people of faith are doing, how you can start a group at your place of worship, and how we can work together more effectively to be stewards of the earth. For more information, contact Nancy Kent at n13kent(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)yahoo.com, 612-437-6338, or contact Terry Hokenson.

Linden Hills Festival will be Sat, May 17 and Sun, May 18th. Sunday’s program will be at Linden Hills Park, one block north of the meetinghouse on York, Xerxes and Zenith Avenues. Afternoon family activities, neighborhood interest booths, politicians, artists and food. Consider volunteering or just going. Wear your Quaker t-shirt!

A Call to Action: come to the St. Paul Public School Board Meeting Tues, May 20th, at 5:30 PM! The poor academic performance of minority children in MN schools has been in the news. And the “School to Prison Pipeline” for people of color that results from poorly managed relationships is also tragically acknowledged. St. Paul educators who are deeply concerned about the direction district leadership has taken in terms of student conduct and behavior expectations in the St. Paul Schools have drafted a letter to spur a dialogue regarding these challenges and encourage community support and attendance at the upcoming School Board meeting. Read the letter at: fnvw.org , (it’s the last article.)

Middle East Peace Now: “Israel – ‘the only Democracy in the Mid-East’ – Is it?” 9:30 AM, May 31st, Southdale Library. Israel and the U.S. consistently refer to Israel as “the only democracy in the mid-east”. We are going to take an in-depth look to see if it really is a democracy. This PowerPoint presentation by Alex Vella deals mainly with Palestinian citizens of Israel and the unequal treatment they face under Israeli law. More at www.mepn.org.

OFFICE HOURS
Pat Jones will be out of the office until Friday morning, May 22nd. Phone messages will be checked daily.
Carolyn VandenDolder, the Administrative Assistant, will be in the office 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.