March 12, 2017

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 9:45 AM meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Tom Hoey and Sandy Olson

9:45- 11:15 AM worship with attention to business: David Woolley, clerk; Tom Ward, recording clerk

11:15 – 12:00 AM meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Nancy Helfrich, speaker; care of meeting, Judith James

“Never pass judgment on another, for you cannot see the whole picture, and if you could see, then you would not judge. Gentleness, kindness, patience is the way. Know that in every individual soul, including your own, dwells the divine light.” ~ White Eagle

UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS

There will be a clerks’ meeting Sun, March 26th, at the rise of semi-programmed worship. If you, as clerk of a committee, are unable to attend, please send another representative from your committee. Contact David Woolley with questions.

March mid-morning programs at 10:15:

March 19 – Choose your own exploration: Is there something you would like to discuss with Meeting people? A Quaker faith and practice topic? Current global condition? Sharing faith journeys? Exploring how day-to-day life is informed by Quaker testimonies? The possibilities are endless! Jeannette Raymond will facilitate a quick process to identify topics and to organize people into groups. The remaining time will be for discussion. Proposed topics welcome. Please arrive by 10:15.

March 26 – the first of two programs on grief that Ministry and Counsel Committee is coordinating in response to Monthly Meeting’s request to help the Meeting deal with the grief around the retirement of Director of Ministry, Pat Jones. Guest speaker, grief educator, Ted Bowman, on Adaptive Caring: Care for Self and Others When Responding to Disruptive Changes; Caring communities are routinely tested when faced with disruptive news and changes. Ways of interpreting changes, coping, responding, and grieving vary widely. One size does not fit all! Further, rarely does only one change occur at a time. One’s personal situation often evokes another’s awareness of their own; and what is happening in our larger worlds enters our most intimate challenges. We live in intersections. In this brief interactive session, you will be given and will discuss various perspectives and tools for responding to disruptive changes. Adaptive caring will be emphasized. There will be a second mid-morning program at 10:15 on May 7th.

Peace and Social Concerns Committee will meet here at 7:00 this Wed, March 15th. Everyone interested is welcome!

Come to a discussion / practice of having meaningful conversations with folks who disagree with you. Maybe it is a relative who supported a different presidential candidate than you did. Maybe it is someone in Meeting who has a very different view of Christianity than you do. How do we have meaningful dialogue in these situations? Role playing and perhaps “real” examples, we will also talk about how we might connect with people who seem so different from us in the broader community. Come help create the means to connection and understanding March 19th at 12:45 in the conference room. Questions: Nettie or Jeff.

Beyond the Divide will be shown at the meetinghouse on Wed, March 22nd, at 7:00. The film is about a Vietnam veteran and a peace advocate who together forge a path to healing old wounds from the Vietnam era in Missoula, MT. Received the top Showcase Award from the MN/WI Flyway Film Festival and several other awards when released in 2014. A discussion focusing on the ways we might cross today’s political divide will follow. Refreshments will be served.

NOTE CHANGE OF DATE: the Watson reading group will meet Thurs, March 23rd at 7 PM in the conference room. No need to read ahead – read Out of the Silence: Quaker Perspectives on Pastoral Care and Counseling and discuss together! One-times and regulars – everyone is welcome!

Zephyra and Roland Shepherd Scholarship applications and eligibility criteria are available on the long table in the east hall and are due April 1st. This scholarship for post-secondary education of members or member’s children was started by the Shepherds in 1977. Applications should be mailed to the meetinghouse or put in the Shepherd Scholarship file in the blue box.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee is accepting nominations for recipients of the Meeting’s 2016-17 carbon tax contribution ($1470.00). This contribution is intended for organizations or actions that help off-set our fossil carbon use.

Yom Ha’Shoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day observance, here at MFM, Sun, April 23rd, 2:00. Though small in number, Quakers performed deeds of courage, conviction, and compassion during one of the darkest periods in history. Learn more in a talk by Judith Eisner, and listen to Yiddish music for meditation on violins, mandolin, bass, and tsimbl. Share thoughts and feelings as we contemplate the darkness and light in the human soul. Donations will go to Doctors Without Borders. Can’t make it on Sunday? Twin Cities Meeting is hosting the same concert on Fri, April 21, 7 PM at TCFM, 1725 Grand Ave in St. Paul.

OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS

Like to sing? You are invited to Song Circle, at the home of Dave and Marilyn in south Mpls on Sat, March 18th, 7 p.m. Optional – bring a snack or a musical instrument. Call or e-mail for more.

A new coordinator is being sought for the Northern Yearly Meeting middle school group. See more at northernyearlymeeting.org/article/job-opening-for-nym-middle-school-coordinator. Application deadline is April 1.

Meetings for Worship/Learning with attention to Justice and Action. Liz Oppenheimer, from Laughing Waters Preparative Meeting, will be convening these meetings for worship/learning as part of her participation in a 4-month program on Justice Ministry Education. The meetings will be under the care of Laughing Waters – Thursdays, March 16-May 4, 6:30-8:30 pm, at Spring House Ministries, 610 W 28th St, Mpls. Contact Liz for more.

Iowa Yearly Meeting will have its mid-year meeting, Quakers and Quaker Schools, on March 25 and 26 in Bear Creek Meeting near Earlham, IA. More about the weekend and registration is posted.

Quakers in Pastoral Care and Counseling Conference, “Centered in Wholeness: Body & Spirit,” will be held at Quaker Hill Conference Center in Richmond IN, March 23-26. The schedule will include daily sessions with discussions and exercises as well as ample time for recharging / reconnecting with F/friends, God, and yourself. Massage, yoga, aromatherapy, centering prayer, time in nature, and other self-care opportunities included. More at: qpcc.us/annual-conference

White Privilege Conference will be held in Kansas City April 27-30. Once again, Friends General Conference (FGC) will offer deeply discounted group rates for interested Quakers to attend, and Friends in Kansas City will provide hosting. Receive information as soon as registration opens through FGC by filling out and information form at: fgcquaker.org/register-2016-white-privilege-conference. More on the conference: whiteprivilegeconference.com/.

OFFICE HOURS: Pat Jones will be in the office Wed. from 2:00-5:00 and other times Wed, Thurs, Fri. and Sat.; Carolyn VandenDolder, office worker, will be in Wed, Thurs, and Fri. afternoons. Bulletin deadline, noon Thursday.