Minneapolis Friends Meeting State of Society Report
April 1, 2015 – March 31, 2016

We feel blessed, grateful, and encouraged that worship remains a place of refreshment and renewal, an oasis and a spiritual well, in a troubled world, on our suffering planet.

We find common purpose and joy in continuing to plan and dream about the future of the Meeting, coming away from our sessions together reassured and re-connected as a community of Friends. We feel increasingly called to the work of racial justice and climate health, both within and without the Meeting.

The work of the Meeting is being ably accomplished with grace and presence, even if without the numbers of people we would wish. Our hearts and semi-programmed worship are fed by the ministry of music. As we bid a heart-felt good bye to one gifted musician, we need to turn our attention to bringing the ministry of music to semi-programmed worship more effortlessly. We are frequently challenged in meeting our budget. Meanwhile, many in the Meeting are excited, enthused, and interested in participating in welcoming and outreach initiatives.

Our first day school continues to swell, and we delight in the families, new members, and new attenders who participate in the life of the Meeting, bringing assorted gifts of ministry, good humor, fresh insights, powerful witness in community social justice activism, energy, and grounded lives. We thank God for them and for each other – good company all, in finding our way to God through worship on Sundays and in finding our way through life, by grace of God within us, on all the other days.

We yearn to be loved, supported, nurtured, and known and to love, support, nurture, and know in return. Adult programs and opportunities outside of worship facilitate and undergird that intimacy. Potluck mixers, held in people’s homes, were again a wonderful tool for connecting individuals who habit different worship times and for bringing together individuals previously little known to each other. Still, living lives with many demands, passions, and opportunities, as well as having geographical distance separate us, we sometimes feel apart from the kind of community we desire.

The death of dear F(f)riend Adolph Burckhardt, so recently an active, loving, service-oriented, engaged member and a ready source of knowledge about everything to do with the building, has brought a keen sense of the aging of Meeting long-timers. We cherish the elders who offer their wisdom and love to us still. We are emboldened to make the most of the finite years we have – with each other and in service to God.

Membership Report – April 2015 to March 2016

The majority of people who are considered active in this report come to meeting on average once or twice a month.

Generally stated, there are 72 active adult members of Minneapolis Monthly Meeting. There are 46 regular adult attenders and 12 regular attenders who are children.

“Members” are those who have gone through the process of becoming members of the meeting. “Attenders” are those who attend but have not gone through the membership process. Thus, the number of active adults is 118 (72 + 46).

In the 2015-16 period, 5 people became members, 2 members died, and 2 members transferred their membership elsewhere.

73 households contributed financially to the meeting during the year.