February 18, 2018

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Keitha Herron

10:15 – 11:00 Friends Committee on National Legislation Action Priorities. Doug Herron will lead us in sorting out what Friends recommend be FCNL’s priorities for the next legislative session.

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Cynthia Bartoo, speaker; Stephen Snyder, musician; care of meeting, Barbara Ziegenhagen; Barbara Mohr (mic)

Directory updates, cumulative since the 2015 photo directory, are available today on the bulletin table.

The Care of Semi-Programmed Meeting Committee is meeting today at 12:30 in the conference room.

Housekeeping: It’s the season of grit, sand, salt and snow. Please clean your boots/shoes well upon entering the building.

UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS

OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL MEETING ATTENDERS AND MEMBERS TO INFORM THE MEETING’S FUTURE LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE, NEXT SAT, Feb 24th, from 9:30 – noon at the meetinghouse. Please participate to inform the next steps around leadership structure. AGENDA: The ad hoc Transition Committee will summarize the community’s experience since Oct 1, 2017. Friends gathered will further reflect on their experience and discuss possible next steps. The ad hoc committee will bring forward options to the March monthly meeting for business. Questions? Reflections on your experience in the Meeting since October? Ideas for the Feb 24th agenda? Please contact someone from the ad hoc Transition Committee directly or leave a message on the Meeting office phone and someone will get back to you. Committee members are Tom, Roland, Maddi, Renae, Jeannette and Evelyn.

Mid-morning Program next Sun. at 10:15 – “Settling Into Worship” from Friends General Conference’s Spiritual Deepening series.

Take advantage of the opportunity to explore Quakerism and what it means to be a Quaker by attending sessions offered Sun afternoons or Tues evenings in March. Whether you’ve been coming to meeting for years or have only just discovered it, please come lend your insights and help us get to know one another. Topics will be Quaker worship, testimonies, business process and Quakerism in daily life. Brief presentations followed by discussion; childcare provided. Flyers are available on the table by the elevator. You can sign up there also. Sessions are offered by Ministry and Counsel and Welcoming and Outreach Committees. To offer you assistance, arrange for childcare or for more information, call Sandy or contact the office.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee will show The Mask You Live In at the meetinghouse this Tues, Feb 20th, at 7 pm. The documentary follows young men of different ages, races, and circumstances as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s limited definition of masculinity. Pressured by the media, their peer groups and even the adults in their lives, the protagonists confront messages encouraging them to disconnect from their emotions, devalue authentic friendships, objectify women, and resolve conflicts through violence. The Mask You Live In illustrates how we, as a society, can raise a healthier generation of boys and young men. The film is not suitable for viewing by those under the age of 16.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee will meet this Wed, Feb 21st, at 7 in the conference room. All are welcome.

SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 6 and plan to spend the day with Friends at French Regional Park for Fall Together!

Unclear where to take questions and issues about Meeting and Meeting life? Committee clerks, Linda (assistant clerk,) and John (clerk of Ministry and Counsel Committee,) are good starting points. Copies of a list of committee clerks with their contact information are on the long bulletin board. Carolyn VandenDolder, the Interim Coordinator, can help direct you as well. Confused about what the Interim Meeting Coordinator job includes? The job description is posted on the long bulletin board too.

Mary and Stephen invite Friends to their home at Kenwood Isles every Wed until Feb 28th, from 12-1 pm for lectio divina. Thirty minutes with passage; a light lunch following. RSVP to Mary.

OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS

Friends for a NonViolent World is Moving! Starting March 1st the new address is 393 Dunlap Str, Ste 307, St Paul, 55104. There will be a week of moving and getting settled in so the office will be closed the week of Feb 26th. Staff will be mostly accessible via email; the office phone will not be active. Things will be back up and functional by Mon, March 5th. Thanks for your patience during the transition. From now until mid-March please send all mail to P.O. Box 4564 St Paul MN 55104 to ensure that it does not get lost in the move. More details about how to help with the move coming soon.

Friends for a Non-Violent World Annual Meeting and Open House: Come on Sunday, March 11th, to see the new space, hear about the great work done in 2017, and learn what is in store for 2018: 1-2 pm open house; 2-4 pm Annual Meeting.

Quaker Voluntary Service’s Minneapolis / St. Paul House is opening this autumn! Know a young adult (age 21-30) who is yearning for a year of exploration and spiritual growth? Encourage them to look at QVS! Application and references due March 15th QVS information is posted at the meetinghouse and online (here).

Northern Yearly Meeting will hold its Spring Interim Session at Milwaukee Meeting, 3224 N Gordon Place, Milwaukee, WI 53212, March 16 – 17. All are welcome. Want to attend an interim session for the first time? Consider staying with Friends in Milwaukee! Contact the office (office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org) to get the contact information for the Milwaukee hospitality coordinator.

Looking ahead: Friends School of MN plant sale is May 11-13th at the State Fair Grandstand! Volunteer sign-up has started. Call 651-621-8930 or sign up online.

Young Adult Opportunities with Friends Committee on National Legislation (online here):
~ Spring Lobby Weekend (March 17-20, 2018) will draw some 450 young adults to Washington to be trained to lobby Congress on a just and fair immigration system.
~ Summer Internship Program (June and July 2018) is a 2 month long internship in the FCNL office. This opportunity provides experience working with our Quaker lobby in Washington, DC. Apply by March 5.
~ Advocacy Corps (paid, part-time, August 2017-May 2018) includes a 10-day training in Washington, DC followed by nine months of part-time, paid consulting work (25-35 hours per month) organizing locally on police militarism. Apply by April 9.

Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) will have its mid-year gathering at Bear Creek Meeting near Earlham Iowa April 7-8. Clifford, Jim, and Mary and Stephen often attend.

Friends World Committee for Consultation administers the Elizabeth Ann Bogert Memorial Fund for the study and practice of Christian Mysticism. Grants up to $1000 are awarded each year to individuals, groups, or institutions. Apply by March 1. Diane received a grant last year as she explored Rex Ambler’s Experiment with Light. See posted pamphlet for more.

Friends over the age of 21 and in need of financial aid to prepare for teaching or to continue their teaching careers can apply for a grant from the T. Wistar Brown Teacher’s Fund. Applications due March 10 for summer term; June 10 for fall / winter terms. More at twbfund.org
Want musical growth in a caring community for your student, age 10-18 this summer? Friends Music Camp offers two, three, and four-week session at Earlham College starting July 8. More at Friends Music Camp.

Christina Kieltyka, artist and Twin Cities Meeting member, is having an art opening March 3, noon-3 at Ghandi Mahal Community Room, 3009 – 27th Avenue South, Minneapolis. The display is a comprehensive review of her work.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Love to sing? Sign up soon to join the new SW Lakes Community Choir – a fun, non-auditioned, mixed choir. Rehearsals at MFM 7-8:30 on Thursdays, Feb 22 – May 17. There is a participation fee. Register online here.

The Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (the largest public interfaith interest group in MN) is hosting Day on the Hill on Tue, March 13th at Central Presbyterian Church, 500 Cedar Str and the State Capitol. Go to the State Capital and speak to your representatives as a member of a faith community. Half-day agenda; cost of $45. More information can be found at jrlc.org.

The Division of Indian Work’s annual fundraiser, LEAP into Action: Feeding Families, Empowering Youth, will be Feb 26, at the Metropolitan, 5418 Wayzata Blvd, Golden Valley. Live entertainment, silent auction, live auction, appetizers. Proceeds raised will support food shelf costs. Meetinghouse food donations go to this food shelf. Tickets at diw-mn.org/leap/

OFFICE HOURS: Carolyn VandenDolder, the interim Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office Wednesday through Friday, 10:30-4:00. Phone messages will be checked daily. 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.