April 12, 2015

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 AM meeting for worship (unprogrammed)

9:45 AM worship with attention to business: David Woolley, clerk; Tom Ward, recording clerk

11:15 AM meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Phil Lund, speaker; care of meeting, Sarah McClellan

Celebrate Barbara and the gift of her 95 years with a birthday celebration at the rise of semi-programmed worship TODAY! Cake, punch and a chance to congratulate Barbara on a life well-lived!

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Those in Kenya following the shooting at Garissa University. From Churchill Malimo, Secretary of the Africa Section of Friends World Committee for Consultation wrote that two of the students killed in the recent attack at Garissa University were members of one monthly meeting in Nairobi Yearly Meeting. A number of the others came from Western Kenya where most Kenyan Quakers live, so there may be other Friends among the dead. This has been very difficult for Kenyan Friends, both because of their huge investment in educating their young people and because of their many years of work to build a culture of peace in their country.

UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS

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Next Sunday, April 19, 10:15, adult program: Step 1 of planning process to care for the future of the Meeting: Active members and attenders of the meeting are invited to brainstorm the current strengths, challenges, risks and opportunities Minneapolis Friends Meeting faces. Friends will have an opportunity to add ideas through an on-line survey and in phone calls to member of the ad hoc Care of the Future of the Meeting Committee from April 19th to May 5th.

May 17, 10:15: During this second adult program, the strengths, challenges, risks and opportunities lists that were generated will be reviewed, and those in attendance will be asked to draw conclusions from this assessment. These conclusions and the brainstorm lists will inform the rest of the planning process.

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/ Please take a look and hold the Meeting’s planning process and its future in prayer and reflection. Comments and questions can be directed to Jeannette, Gayle, Pat, or David.
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The George and Elizabeth Watson Memorial Discussion Group will meet this Weds, April 22, 7 pm. We are starting Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life. New-comers and old-timers, one-timers and regulars, everyone is welcome!

Game Night! There will be a family-friendly game night April 25th, 7-9:30. Put it on your calendar and start considering which board game you’d like to bring! Potluck appetizers and desserts.

MFM and Mayim Rabim will host a showing of Inequality for All, a film about wealth disparity in the US, on May 20th. Save the date! For more about the movie, see IFA.com.

Offering boxes are located on small tables near the meetingroom doors. Thank you, Friends, for your financial support of the Meeting’s budget. It appears our income for the 2014-15 fiscal year, now over, is less than our projected expenditures. Stewardship and Finance Committee will report on the final numbers at a monthly meeting for business, likely in May.

OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS

Fellowship and worship at the home of Louise, Tue, April 14, 7:00 – Sometimes a thought-provoking recorded program, sometimes visiting, often a period of worship. All welcome at this informal time of sharing.

The Quaker women’s group will meet Wed, April 15 at Twin Cities Friends Meeting (1725 Grand Ave, St. Paul) at 12:30 PM. Bring finger food to share and a mug for tea or coffee. Raquel will lead a discussion on a book she read called “What Really Matters” by Karen Wyatt, MD.

Like to sing? Marilyn and Dave are hosting Song Circle, Sat, April 18th, at 7:15 at their home. Bring a copy of “Rise Up Singing” if you have one, and a snack to share if you’d like.

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Northern Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions are Memorial Day weekend, May 22-25 at the Lions Camp near Rosholt, WI. The theme is “Earth in the Age of Climate Change.” Registration and schedules are available online at northernyearlymeeting.org/article/2015-annual-session-may-22-25 . Paper copies are available on the elevator table.

NYM Annual Sessions workshops and interest groups bring Friends together to share passions and interests.

Interest groups are groups of Friends getting together around an issue or activity. They are formed by placing a sign-up sheet on the table(s) at the front of the dining hall, with details of who, what, when, and where. They occur during free time, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. on Sat or Sun. You make the info/signup sheet and pick the location from a list of available locations.

Workshops have a leader and begin with a presentation, which might relate to the theme for the year. Ideally, the workshops collectively address issues of personal spiritual growth, building the Meeting community, and social action as they relate to the theme of the year. They happen from 1:30 to 3:30 on Saturday or Sunday. The Planning committee may limit the number of workshops offered. The workshop coordinator will print a signup sheet and assign a location.

Please send ideas for workshops or interest groups you’d like to lead! Include a one to two paragraph description of your workshop, your name and contact info. Deadline, May 11.
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Teaching and Learning Opportunity in El Salvador: The El Salvador Committee of Northern Yearly Meeting (NYM) announces a one-month teaching and learning opportunity for adults 18 and over this July to assist El Salvador Yearly Meeting’s (ESYM) two sponsored schools to provide English language education to their students; build on the relationship between Friends in El Salvador and NYM Friends; explore the similarities and differences between Latin American Evangelical Friends and North American unprogrammed Friends; and provide an opportunity to grow deeper in your own faith. The past two summers, NYM has sent a pair of volunteers to assist with language enrichment and conversation activities under the supervision of teachers at the two schools. NYM offers assistance with travel. ESYM provides a homestay in the communities where the schools are located. An intermediate level of proficiency in Spanish is required. If you are interested, contact Mary B at n52.maryb(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com. Application deadline is April 15.

Are you interested in building broader Quaker connections and enjoying deeper involvement with Friends in the region? Minneapolis Friends is a member-meeting of the regional gathering of Friends called Northern Yearly Meeting (NYM). For some, the best way to build connections is by working together. NYM offers many ways to engage in the life of the yearly meeting. You can work with the children and youth at the annual session and throughout the year, or help with operations in finance, budgeting, audit, or participate in annual session planning. You could support the spiritual life of the yearly meeting through Ministry and Nurture and outreach or serve as an NYM representative to a national and / or international Quaker organization like Friends General Conference, American Friends Service Committee, Friends World Committee for Consultation, Quaker Earthcare Witness, Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, & Queer Concerns. NYM also has a relationship with El Salvador Yearly Meeting and sponsors inter-visitation. If you are already enjoying Northern Yearly Meeting annual session and would like to be more engaged, please let us know.

Friends General Conference (FGC) Gathering will be held July 5-July 11, 2015, at Western Carolina University in the Smoky Mountains. The Gathering is a lively and rich week of many, many options in worship, workshops, kids program, speakers, films, art, bookstore, etc. Friends come from all over the U.S. and Canada. Info at FGCGathering.org. Registration begins April 1 and financial aid is available from FGC, especially to Friends who apply early. Also funds remain through Northern Yearly Meeting. If you are considering helping plan the Gathering in 2016 – take this opportunity to experience the event!

The Friends General Conference (FGC) Annual Gathering of Friends from across the U.S. and Canada will be held at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph in 2016. Paul Landskroener and Marybeth Neal, (of TCFM,) are clerks of the Planning Committee. Sub-committees include: Evening Programs, Local Arrangement and Hospitality, Workshops, Worship, and Junior Gathering. If you are interested in helping in any of these areas, fill out the Expression of Interest Form online at FGCquaker.or/gathering-committee. More information is posted on the long bulletin board.
The weekend of May 1-3 is the first planning meeting for this Gathering, held at Twin Cities Friends Meeting. Hosts are needed for those coming from out of town, (bed and breakfast for 1-2 nights and rides to and from the TCFM,) especially homes with no pets.

Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative) will have its mid-year meeting next weekend, April 18 – 19 at Bear Creek meetinghouse near Earlham IA. Topic, “Quaker’s Ink: From Broadsides to Blogs – 350 Years of Friendly Wordiness” with Eric Moon. More information is posted on the long bulletin board. Mary and Stephen, and Jim and Clifford often attend.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Two once-upon-a-time attenders, Alberta Mirais and Daniel Kretchmar, currently have their artwork showing: Alberta at Precision Grind Coffeehouse, 2223 Franklin Ave, Mpls; and Dan, as part of the North Artist Art Crawl, April 11-12: nascrawl.org/North_Artists_Studio_Crawl/Daniel_Kretchmar.html

Bottom, a play on sex trafficking: The Interfaith Children’s Advocacy Network and an all-youth cast of blank slate theatre present this original play on human sex trafficking, Sat, Apr 25th, 7:30 pm, at The Bridge for Youth’s Community Room, 1111 West 22nd Str, Mpls. If the demand for sex trafficking were to end, would the supply end too? Recently defected from a sex trafficking ring, Amber has immunity and a story to tell. Will she cooperate and aid the side of justice, or will she continue her deep allegiance to her former pimp? Purchase tickets online at blankslatetheatre.com (Performance includes a post-play discussion with trafficking experts and blank slate theatre artists). Adam Arnold, Executive Artistic Director of blank slate theatre, is an MFM attender.

Friends are invited to breakfast with Nonviolent Peaceforce co-founder and author of Waging Peace, David Hartsough and former Non-violent Peaceforce peacekeeper and author of Turning Fear Into Power, Linda Sartor to hear their of their lives of peacemaking. Fri, April 24, 7:30(breakfast; 8:00 presentation); 425 Oak Grove Street, Mpls. RSVP by April 16: info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)nonviolentpeaceforce.org or call 612-871-0005.

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OFFICE HOURS

Pat Jones’ work week is Wed – Sun. She will be in the office Wed from 2:00-5:00 and other times Wed, Thurs, Fri. and Sat.

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.