June 5, 2016

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

10:00 AM meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Barbara Mohr and Jackie Barrett

Today’s picnic table conversation at 9:00: Quakers and Migrant Justice.

You are welcome at the potluck today following worship! To regulars – please look for opportunities to help: help clear, wash and put away tables and chairs and help wash, dry and put away dishes. Many hands mean everyone will have time to enjoy a lovely June afternoon!

Children and youth are always welcome in meeting for worship. We are expecting that families with children will be attending worship this summer, though perhaps not every week. Friends should be mindful of the presence of young people who might be in worship in the summer months. Pray for vocal ministry that might be meaningful to them, and be sensitive to the inappropriate nature of some subjects.

Children will remain in worship for about 15 minutes and may, at the announced time, go to the park (or downstairs in case of rain) with two adults who have gone through a clearness process for working with children. Or they may choose to stay in worship. Younger children may choose to go to the nursery at that time, if they do not want to go outside with others. Friends who have been through the clearness process for working with children are encouraged to help with this summer program. Express interest to Pat. If you would like to work with Meeting children but have not had a clearness process to do so, please contact Scott, Robert, or Pat.

UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS

Starting today, 9 AM picnic table discussion (inside if raining) will be offered every Sunday, dealing with topics in contemporary Quakerism or Quakers in history. A list of topics is by the bulletins – next week’s topic: The difference between Quaker Meeting and other Christian worship services.

Also starting in June, we will have coffee and conversation following worship on the 3rd and 4th Sundays, if we have volunteers to support that effort. Please sign-up to host one Sunday this summer! Sign-up sheets are on the bulletin table.

Care for Creation Tip: The world currently experiences groundwater loss at a rate equivalent to two Niagara Falls of water, running non-stop. Eating less (or no) meat and planning small families are two of the biggest ways to conserve Earth’s precious groundwater.

Minneapolis Meeting approved exploring participation in Quaker Volunteer Service, sponsoring, along with area Meetings, a site through that program. An article on one young Friend’s experience in QVS is on the elevator table.

Announcements should be sent to the office by Thurs afternoon to be included in the bulletin. If an announcement is vitally important to Meeting and needs to be made on Sun morning, please write the announcement out and give it to the care of meeting person before worship begins.

OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS

Alice and Richard, both of Twin Cities Meeting, are interested in exploring Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re In Without Going Crazy, by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone with area Friends on Thurs. evenings, July 21 – August 25. Please let them know if you are interested!

Friends General Conference 2016 Gathering registration – online (Google: 2016 FGC gathering advance program) or via phone, 215-561-1700. A $60 late registration fee will now be charged. Most workshops have space and some financial aid is available, but workshops and aid are first come first served, so the sooner you register the better your chances of getting what you want / need. Once you have registered, consider volunteering! There are opportunities, large and small, immediately before, during, and after the Gathering. Email FGC2016(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com for a list of volunteer opportunities. The Gathering doesn’t come to our neighborhood very often, so take advantage of it this year! The FGC Gathering is from July 3-9 at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, MN. Contact Pat about funds available.

Local Quakers can attend the following Friends General Conference evening plenary session without registering for the Gathering, as room permits. All evening speaker events begin at 7:00 pm: Monday, Rex Ambler; Thursday, Nakima Ley-Pounds; Friday, Peggy Senger Morrison. See speaker descriptions on the elevator table.

There are four pre-Gathering events available to Friends, even if you are not planning to attend the entire Friends General Conference Gathering: Adult Young Friends Retreat; Is Your Meeting Online?; Quakers and Business Conference; and Retreat for People of Color and Their Families. These pre-Gathering events require registration, early housing and meals fees, if needed, plus a modest retreat fee. A brief description of the four events is on the elevator table.

Earlham School of Religion will offer a leadership conference, Holy Experiments: Risk, Courage and the Entrepreneurial Spirit, August 12-14 for entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, ministers (especially non-traditional ones,) business professionals, students, life-long learners, and kindred spirits. More at www.esr.earlham.edu/news-events/events/leaders16

OFFICE HOURS

Pat Jones is currently out of the office following a death in the family. She will be back in the office on June 17th.
Carolyn VandenDolder, the Administrative Assistant, will be in Wed and Thurs afternoons. 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.