May 20, 2018

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Connie Archbald; Renae Bonde (mic)

10:15 – 11:00 Jacque Wiersma and Ken Solberg will share some of their reflections about their trip to Myanmar with the Nonviolent Peaceforce (nvpf.org) where they met with some of the peacekeepers in the 60 year conflict and worked with the Nonviolent Peaceforce’s efforts to facilitate enforcement of the current ceasefire agreement.

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Kate Coon, speaker; Tom Wells, musician; care of meeting, Judith James; Jim Lovestar (mic)

Quaker Etiquette reminder: Give the living silence time to envelope us after a message is offered. Allow yourself and others to rest in that silence for several minutes before rising to offer additional vocal ministry.

There will be a brief, informal meeting downstairs TODAY at 12:30 to discuss music and musicians at semi-programmed worship including paying musicians from the wider community when no musician from the meeting is available. The discussion will inform committee discernment in progress. All are welcome to stay and participate.

UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS

THANK YOU to first day school teachers, youth, families and to Religious Education Coordinators! It has been a year of fun and friendship and growth. Feel free to thank these individuals personally for making the year a success: youth – Tommy, Olive, Lola, Owen, Gabrielle, Hinata, Alexial, Wade, Bobby, Henry, Patch, Zoe, Francis, Mary, Lee, Owen, Leo; teachers – Allen, Nettie, Renae, Bill, John, Barbara, Linda, Jeff, Rae Beth, Nancy; coordinators – Julia and Sue; AND parents – Napoleon, Andrea, Juliet, Evelyn, Gerry, Lara, Adam, Stefanie, Sally, Phil, Sarah, Evan, Bill, Emily, Mike and Kassie

The summer schedule, one worship at 10, begins next Sunday, May 27th: unprogrammed worship on first and third Sundays; semi-programmed worship on second and fourth Sundays. During the summer child care for infants thru age 6 will be facilitated by the Nursery Committee and available from 10 to 11 am. Children may be upstairs through the first hymn, or go directly downstairs. There will be coffee and conversation following 10 worship on Sundays when there is no other programming (potluck, business meeting, etc). Recruit some friends and sign up (on the bulletin table) to host one Sunday! This involves setting up coffee, tea &/or water, plus a bar, cookie, &/or fruit, then clean up afterwards.

The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It will be shown at the meetinghouse this Wed, May 23, at 7 PM. The documentary explores conscientious objectors (CO’s) during WWII and the impact their service had. During the discussion time, Allen Gibas will talk about his CO work during the Viet Nam War, and a photo album from Gordy Coffin’s post-WWII relief work in Europe will be available. After The Good War, we will also see Sophia Naylor’s 2006 award-winning 10-minute documentary about Meeting members who were conscientious objectors in WW II and participated in the Minnesota semi-starvation study. As Jeff puts it, “CO’s are a focus in Sophia’s film. The History Day theme that year was “Taking a Stand” and the subtitle of her piece is “Taking a Stand for Nonviolence and Hunger Relief.” It is a ten-min. long account of the MN experiment, including interviews with George Watson & Jack Phillips. Sponsored by the Peace and Social Concerns Committee.

Lend your elbow grease and make the meetinghouse sparkle! Property Committee is organizing our annual spring cleaning for June 24 at the rise of worship. Save the date for some good, clean fun with Friends!

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

Donations are being sought to furnish the Quaker Voluntary Service house. Minneapolis Friends may contact:
~ Judith for house items;
~ Carolyn for kitchen / kitchenette items.
Photos appreciated. We do not have access to the house until Aug. 15 so larger pieces may need to stay in your home for a couple more months. For a list of needs, see quakervoluntaryservice.org/minneapolis .
~ Want to receive email newsletters from Quaker Voluntary Service Minneapolis/St Paul? Send your contact email to Sonja, local coordinator: sonja(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)quakervoluntaryservice.org

OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS

Northern Yearly Meeting is NEXT WEEKEND! For all ages – information and registration: fgcquaker.org/cloud/northern-yearly-meeting.

Friends General Conference, “The Power of Truth,” July 1-7 in Toledo; register soon at: fgcquaker.org/connect/gathering

Friends for a Nonviolent World (FNVW) has set aside two Board of Directors positions for college students and is actively seeking applicants. The term runs from September to May. For more: Jenn or Maddy at 651-917-0383.
REMINDER: FNVW has moved! Its new address is 393 Dunlap Street, Suite 307, St. Paul 55104 (north of I-94, west of Lexington); www.fnvw.org

Friends for a Nonviolent World (FNVW) and Friends Peace Teams (FPT) invite you to a presentation & dessert potluck. Our special guest is David Bucura of FPT who will present on peacebuilding in the Great Lakes region of Africa. FPT’s Initiative strengthens, supports & promotes peace activities at the grassroots level in Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda & Uganda. They respond to requests from local religious & non-governmental organizations that focus on conflict management, peace-building, trauma healing & reconciliation. Among other programs they provide Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) workshops.
Event is this Tuesday May 29, 7-8:30, Twin Cities Friends Meeting, 1725 Grand Av, St. Paul. If able, bring a dessert to share.

People Camp, August 12-18, a program of Friends for a NonViolent World, offers a place to relax, a time to share, and a space to refresh our spirits and build a community of peace and understanding on Fishhook Lake, near Park Rapids, MN. For all ages, all contribute to the work, there is no paid staff. Morning program series will be led by FNVW director, Jenn Hamrick, on Advocacy, Identity Politics, and Prison Reform. Other activities include music, singing, dancing, games and various interest groups. For more and to register, go to fnvw.org.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Come hear the fruits of our hospitality! The SW Community Choir will have Family & Friends concert at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd this Thursday, May 24 at 7pm. Minneapolis Friends are welcome to attend.

Taking Heart Iftar dinners for Ramadan are being offered. Simply register for your desired date and location:
mnchurches.org .

OFFICE HOURS Carolyn VandenDolder, the interim Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office Wed afternoon and Thurs and Fri, 10:30-4:00. Phone messages will be checked daily. Bulletin deadline, noon Thursday. Bulletin items can be phoned in to the office, emailed, or written and put in the bulletin file of the blue box.