Bulletin: Feb 1, 2015
10:15 AM Tom Ward in the artists series. Hammer dulcimer, how playing it connects to his faith.
11:15 AM meeting for worship (semi-programmed): speaker; Annamary Herther; musician, Dave Bostrom; care of meeting, Clifford Goltz.
Nursery care is available. Please inquire (Pat Jones or Jeannette Raymond) if it is needed at unprogrammed meeting. Later in the morning, just go straight to the nursery downstairs where Betsy Souther will be ready to receive children.
First day school runs concurrently with semi-programmed meeting. Children begin in worship and then leave with their teachers after the first hymn. Teachers this week are Allen Gibas and John Kraft.
Potluck lunch. Please come. And help clean up after if you can. Many hands make light work.
A small green brochure with committee descriptions is available on the table by the elevator. Would you like to become more deeply involved in the Meeting? The work and ministry of the Meeting is largely done by volunteers and mostly through committees. Nominating Committee is now preparing nominations to committee work which will be brought to monthly meeting for business next Sunday for preliminary consideration. Speak to John Kraft, Betsy Souther, Roberta Oliven, Jeannette Raymond, or Pat Jones to ask questions or convey interests.
UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS
Liaison and Review Committee oversees the work of the Director of Ministry, as well as has an eye to general personnel process in the Meeting. Periodically they ask for feedback on the perceived duties and performance of the Director of Ministry. There is currently a survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MFM_Directory_of_Ministry_Survey that Friends are asked to fill out. Or pick up a paper copy of the survey and return it to Suzanne Ferguson, Gayle McJunkin, Barbara Ziegenhagen, or Ranae Hanson. The results of the survey may help in developing goals for the Director of Ministry in the coming year and will aid in anticipating the some of the future needs of MFM. Thanks, Friends, for your participation!
The Meeting is seeking a custodian to clean the meetinghouse each week, a paid position – approximately 4 hours of work per week. Interested? Contact Joseph Flores (joseph.flores(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)metrostate.edu) or Ed Souther (southered(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com">southered(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com).
The draft of a proposed planning process to care for the future of the Meeting is available on the website: minneapolisfriends.org/2015/01/11/care-of-the-future/ Friends are encouraged to take a look and hold the Meeting’s planning process and its future in prayer and reflection. Opportunities for participation along the way are outlined in the draft. Comments and questions for now can be directed to Jeannette Raymond, Gayle McJunkin, Pat Jones or Ranae Hanson.
Next Sunday at 9:45 is monthly meeting for business. All are welcome and encouraged to participate.
The George and Elizabeth Watson Memorial Discussion Group will be held Weds., Feb. 18, 7 p.m., at the meetinghouse.. All are welcome. We read aloud and discuss an article from Friends Journal. It will be on simplicity or climate crisis this time.
Offering boxes are located on small tables near the meetingroom doors. Thank you, Friends, for your generous support of the Meeting in all manner of ways.
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, is away.
Still, bulletin deadline is noon Thur. Bulletin items can be phoned in to the office, emailed or written and put in the bulletin file of the blue box.
OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS
FNVW’s annual meeting: reviewing the past year’s accomplishments, providing a look forward and electing new members to the board of directors. It’s a great opportunity for its constituents, including Minneapolis Friends, to learn more about what FNVW is doing and to participate in FNVW’s future. February 22., 1:30, at Twin Cities Friends Meeting in St. Paul.
Friends United Meeting has a new Connections piece about Finding Peace in Africa. For more, see http://fum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2015-January-CONNECTIONS_web.pdf
The local Quaker school, Friends School of MN (FSM) in St. Paul would like to build connections with local meetings and increase the number of Friends participating in school governance. Are you willing to lend your expertise and grounding to the Committee on Trustees (nominating committee)? FSM’s mission statement says: “Our mission is to prepare children to embrace life, learning, and community with hope, skill, understanding and creativity. We are committed to the Quaker values of peace, justice, simplicity and integrity.” If you are willing to get involved, contact the school at 651-917-0636, or speak to John Kraft, Bird Anderson, or Doug Herron.
Friends General Conference Gathering of Friends from across the United States and Canada, is coming to Minnesota in 2016. A Gathering Committee is being formed to help plan and coordinate the week-long, spiritually-grounded, lovingly inclusive, joyous, challenging, nurturing event. If you are interested in lending your gifts to the endeavor, fill our the Expression of Interest Form online at FGCquaker.org/gathering-committee. More information is posted on the long bulletin board. The first meeting is in St. Paul on May 1 and 2.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Shape note singing school. A shape note singing school will be held this Thursday, Feb 5, here. It will be aimed at beginners who are interested in learning how to sing shape note music from the Sacred Harp songbook. Shape note singing is a vigorous, a cappella form of American four-part hymn singing that many Friends find to be a powerful spiritual practice and experience. It is also a lot of fun. Books will be available for loan or purchase. Free. Contact Paul Landskroener for more information 612-990-2248 plandskroener(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)mac.com">plandskroener(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)mac.com .
Local Anti-Racism resources: the following are resources for people wanting to be involved in anti-racism work. • Ferguson Response Tumblr – http://fergusonresponse.tumblr.com/tagged/MN. This link takes you directly to MN-based actions; go to its homepage and do a search for the state you are interested in. • Black Lives Matter Minneapolis – Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BlackLivesMatterMinneapolis. This group is organized primarily by young people of color, a number of whom have been in Ferguson, and who organized the recent shut down of I-35. • To receive text updates from Black Lives Matter Minneapolis, text “@blacklives” to 23559. • Neighborhoods Organizing for Change – FB page and website https://www.facebook.com/mnnoc, or http://mnnoc.org.
Registration for the upcoming White Privilege Conference has begun. This year, WPC will be held in Louisville, KY in March. Friends from the Northern Yearly Meeting region have always made up the largest contingent from any yearly meeting. To learn how to be part of a sizable Quaker contingent, which receives a large discount, see: http://tinyurl.com/mrxcw72