December 20, 2015

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 AM    meeting for worship (unprogrammed)

10:15 AM    Singing, accompanied by piano and violin and other instruments, (and instrumentalists)as they arrive.  Hot drinks and no-dishes-required fingerfood too!

11:15 AM    meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Sandy Olson, speaker; Kathy Webster, musician; care of meeting, Sarah McClellan. First day school children will be sharing something towards the end of the hour.

UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS

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The Envelope Gift, the wintertime gift, previously known as the White Envelope Gift, will go to three recipients this year: Black Lives Matter, Mpls; the Syrian American Medical Society; and the Watan School for refugee children in Reyhanli, Turkey.

Black Lives Matter, Minneapolis: organizes against state violence against Black people. While their most visible activity is on police violence and killing of Black people, they also work to address broader criminal justice issues such as mass incarceration and racial profiling and the over-arching issues suppressing the Black community such as poverty and education.

Syrian American Medical Society: a nonprofit, nonpolitical relief organization, is on the front lines of crisis relief in Syria, serving the medical needs of hundreds of thousands of Syrians, supporting doctors and medical professionals, and rebuilding healthcare. The organization began in 1998 and has leadership from Syrian-American doctors in MN. Since 2011, 679 healthcare workers have been killed in Syria – shot, bombed, executed, or tortured – 90 percent by the government which targets them. When there are no doctors and other medical staff, the people leave that place, exacerbating the refugee crisis. SAMS supported over 1.4 million Syrians in need in 2014 and has already supported over 2 million Syrians so far in 2015. More at sams-usa.net/foundation

Watan School for refugee children: Over 2 million Syrian children are not in school because of the war. 3000 Syrian schools have been destroyed. Watan created and operates a school for hundreds of refugee children in Reyhanli, Turkey.  More, including photographs, at watanusa.org

Checks should be made out to Minneapolis Meeting with the memo: “Envelope Gift” and placed in a small white envelope.
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Adult program next Sun, Dec 27th at 10:15: Spiritual books. What spiritual book(s) have you read in 2015 that were so good you can confidently recommend them to others? Bring your titles to a lively discussion facilitated by Mary Jean Port and John Stuart.

Friendly Meals are again being organized for February, March and April, 2016! Friendly meals are one-time mixers. Sign up for all three months / meals or sign up as a substitute / on-call participant. Hosts will email the group assigned to them to set a date, provide an entree and coordinate what others are bringing. Other participants bring salad, drinks, appetizer or dessert. Keitha of Welcoming and Outreach Committee will mix and match those who sign up so it is a new group (as much as possible) every meal. Flyers with more details and the sign up sheet are on the elevator table. Sign-up deadline is January 27.

Caring for Creation Tip of the Week: Do not pre-heat the oven. Unless you are making bread or pastries of some sort, you do not need to pre-heat the oven. Just turn it on when you put the dish in.

From Bob Nechal and Friends for a NonViolent World: To each of you who volunteered or who attended this year’s Holiday Fair, Thank you! Thank you! I heard many comments that this was the best Holiday Fair ever. The community spirit and ambiance were excellent. People enjoyed themselves. The volunteer turnout was very high. The attendance and participation was steady throughout both days. Our financial numbers are not yet final but at this time, revenues stand at $23,633; net profit at $13,392. Both are our best ever! Without your work and contributions the Holiday Fair could not have been so successful.  Thanks again. Lastly, I want to express my thanks and appreciation for the use of your meetinghouse. It is a beautiful space and it provides the ideal venue for the Holiday Fair. We at Friends for a NonViolent World are most appreciative of you letting us utilize your facility. Thanks again for being so generous and supportive.

Offering boxes are located on small tables near the meetingroom doors. If you would like to automate your financial contributions, please talk to Roland Barrett, clerk of Stewardship.

OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS

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Friends General Conference annual Gathering, “be humble, Be Faithful, BE BOLD,” July 3-9, 2016, College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, MN. Very family, gay, singles, couple, young, old – friendly with an excellent children’s program. The week-long workshops will include three workshops offered by Minneapolis Meeting people:

Terry Hokenson, Erin Pratt and Louis Alemayehu, “God Sent an Angel to Soothe the Lions.” Facing historic exploitation of the poor and communities of color and dire threats to Earth’s habitability evokes emotions that “prowl the heart’s chambers like lions.” We’ll explore how to convert demoralizing emotions into strong allies for action through role play and story in pursuit of leadings, humble, faithful, and bold;

Jeannette Raymond and Patricia DeBoer, “Narrative Change, Social Transformation.” Examine both socially dominant and Quaker narratives related to peace and war. Use case studies, including the American Friends Service Committee’s narrative change work, to explore how narratives can be shifted to encourage new understanding and to build power for social transformation;

Stephen and Mary Snyder and Marge Schlitt, “Alternatives to Violence.” Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) uses experiential activities to practice living non-violently in our personal lives, community and world. This will be a slightly abbreviated version of the AVP Basic Workshop. Activities focus on self-esteem, affirmation, community-building, communication, anger and non-violent conflict resolution.

When you think ahead to this summer, plan around the Friends General Conference Gathering so you can taste the vibrancy and the variety that this event offers. A preliminary schedule will be available in Jan.
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Young adult Quakers (age 18-40) from the Twin Cities are planning a camping trip Jan 22-24 at Camp Lakamaga in Marine on St Croix. Modern cabin, cooking our own food, enjoying each other’s company. Cost for both nights, including food, is $45, but all are welcome regardless of ability to pay. Ask Elizabeth if you would like more information or want to attend. RSVP by  Jan 4th.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Climate is changing. Shouldn’t we? Join the Reflective Circle to seek the seeds of change in ourselves: Mon, Dec 28th, 6:30-8:30 PM, St. Cecilia’s Church, 2357 Bayless Place, St. Paul. A welcoming place to reflect on our global climate crisis, we respond to simple questions that spark our thinking about the natural and human systems we live in. Please plan to stay for the full two hours. The group meets monthly. Attend as often as or infrequently as you wish. More at Transition ASAP.org

OFFICE HOURS
Pat Jones’ work week is Wed-Sun. She will be in the office Wed. from 2:00-5:00.
Carolyn VandenDolder, the Administrative Assistant, will be in Wed. afternoon. Bulletin deadline, noon Wed. Bulletin items can be phoned in to the office, emailed or written and put in the bulletin file of the blue box.