January 6, 2019

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

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

10:15 – 11:00 Rick Juliusson, the new Head of School at Friends School of MN, will talk about the school’s history, new strategic plan, and mission and vision, and lead discussion about the role of progressive, Quaker education in changing our society and the lives of individual children and families, and how the school is working to address diversity and equity concerns internally and in the community.

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Paul Erickson, speaker; Jacque Wiersma, musician; care of meeting, Gib Pellet

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.
This makes it hard to plan the day.
~ E.B. White

It’s snow and grit season. Please clean your shoes and boots on the landings to help preserve the carpet and wood floor. If your shoes / boots have heavy tread, consider bringing a pair of indoor shoes to wear after you arrive at the meetinghouse.

You are welcome to stay for the potluck at the rise of the second worship today. Please stay even if you didn’t bring a “pot” to contribute! To regulars, please help with this do-it-ourselves affair: refresh plates, silverware, napkins, water as needed; clear tables; wash, dry and put away dishes; wash and store tables and chairs.

Today is the last day to sign up to participate in Friendly Meals, opportunities to build community and to help us – newcomers and old-times alike – get to know each other informally. Friendly Meals, a series of meals in participant homes, will happen in February, March and April 2019. There are two options when signing up:
*All in: you participate in three meals, hosting one of them.
*On call: your name will be placed on a substitute list to fill in for those unable to attend a particular meal.
Sign-up sheets and a more detailed description are available on the elevator table. Coordinated by the Welcoming and Outreach Committee, speak to, call, or email Keitha with questions.

UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS

Monthly Meeting for business is next Sun, 9:45-11:15. “In our meetings [for business] we welcome many truths, by whomever expressed, and don’t worry, at first, about how they all fit together. There is a role for paradox on the journey.”
~ Arthur Larrabee, Quaker Decision Making and Clerking

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee will show the movie The Total Cost this Wed, Jan 9 at 7 PM at the meetinghouse. Discussion will follow. The Total Cost is a documentary about clothing – the clothes we wear, the people who make them, and the impact the clothing industry is having on our world. See the trailer here.

Look for an email from the MFM office with a quick survey from Camp Committee this coming week. Camp Committee would like input from as many people as possible! (Don’t want to wait for an special email? You can find the survey here.) At the end of the survey, it asks if someone else would like to take it, too. Invite everyone else in the family to fill it out before closing it – kids included! Or forward it to others in your family. Please complete the survey promptly to help the committee plan next year’s gathering. This is a quick, fun, and easy survey. Thank you kindly, Friends.

The Nominating Committee has begun work for the upcoming year. If you would like to know more about becoming involved in Minneapolis Meeting, participating on a committee is an excellent way to get to know people and learn more about how the meeting works. Your questions or interest may be directed to Doug, Annamary, Debbie, and Jim. Thanks for your commitment to MFM.

Paul Buckley, Quaker scholar and author, will visit MFM the weekend of Feb 1-3, speaking on his two recent books: Primitive Christianity Revived (a modern translation of Wm Penn’s classic) and Primitive Quakerism Revived.
**Friday night, Feb 1st, 7-8:30 PM – Paul will talk about Primitive Christianity Revived, William Penn’s explanation of why Christianity in mid-1600s England was in need of a new religious expression and what Quakerism offered.
**Saturday morning, Feb 2nd, 9:30-noon (coffee at 9) – Paul will describe some of the ways Quaker understanding and practice have evolved (or not) over time.
**Saturday afternoon, 3:30-5:30 – Paul will help us explore what a Quaker revival might mean for contemporary Friends.
**Paul will also speak at mid-morning program on Sun, Feb 3 at 10:15.
In addition to the planned presentations, there will be informal time to visit with Paul over a bag lunch on Saturday, mid-day; after the second session on Saturday; and during the potluck Sun, Feb 3 at 12:30.

Read Primitive Quakerism Revived by Paul Buckley at the Watson reading group Tues, Jan 15th at 7 PM in the conference room. No need to read ahead – we’ll read together! One-timers and regulars – everyone is welcome!

There will be a Northern Yearly Meeting high school retreat in Duluth Jan 18-20; theme: School Dress Codes and Body Image. Contact Cynthia (adult coordinator) for more. RSVP by Wed, Jan 16th. If you need help with finding ride let us know ASAP. Cost: $30/person, checks payable to NYM. Financial support is available.

There will be a Northern Yearly Meeting middle school retreat over President’s weekend, Feb 15-17 at Grace Lutheran Church, 202 W Grand Ave, (downtown,) Eau Claire, WI. Topic: bridge-building. Mark your calendars now! Contact the office (office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org) to be put in touch with the retreat facilitator for more.

OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS

Northern Yearly Meeting will start publication of the NYM Journal to inform and inspires Friends with examples of Quaker faith and practice. Each issue will feature articles related to the Quaker values that are the focus of NYM Faith and Practice. Deadline for the first issue (Winter/Spring) is January 10, 2019. Submissions, stories including reflections, personal insights, analysis of concerns, even the evaluation of life itself, may be sent to nymjournal(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com. The Journal will be publicly available on the website; permission needs to be obtained for names, images or personal information used prior to submission.

Quaker Voluntary Service Courageous Conversations: Quakers as Colonizers, Jan 12th, 6:00 PM. Come join the QVS MSP fellows to see the QVS house, enjoy a hearty, home-cooked meal, and brave a discussion about what role Quakers play as colonizers. $10 suggested donation; more gratefully accepted; no one turned away. Please bring your own bowl, plate, spoon and fork.. 3241 Park Avenue, Mpls. RSVP here.

Friends for a NonViolent World seeks new board members. Board member responsibilities include: strategic planning for the future of FNVW; providing the link between FNVW and its members and stakeholders; reviewing and writing governing policies; guiding and monitoring the organization’s work; hiring, monitoring and evaluating the executive director. Experience and skills in one or more of the following would be helpful: event planning, facilities, finance, fundraising, communications, volunteer management, personnel/human resources, research, and training. For more or to express interest, email: board(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fnvw.org .

Woolman Hill Retreat Center: Nurturing Faithfulness August 2019-May 2020. On Tues, Jan. 22nd, there will be a webinar for those considering participation in Nurturing Faithfulness, a nine-month program in spiritual deepening in community, sponsored by Woolman Hill (Deerfield MA) and New England Yearly Meeting with teachers Marcelle Martin and Hilary Burgin. The program includes three residencies at Woolman Hill Retreat Center and monthly online webinars/ telephone conferences between August 2019 and May 2020. The first residency is Aug 30 – Sept 3, 2019 (Labor Day Weekend). Watch an introduction here. For more and how to access the Jan 22 webinar, click here .

White Privilege Conference March 20-23, 2019 in Cedar Rapids, IA (whiteprivilegeconference.com) Registration for the conference is scheduled to open January 7, 2019. Before you register, sign up to get information from Friends General Conference about how to receive a significant discount: tfaforms.com/4701624
Click here to read about FGC’s past involvement in WPC.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

The Joint Religious Legislative Coalition’s (JRLC’s) Day on the Hill (Feb 7) is an annual policy briefing and lobby day to show our interfaith commitment to social justice and to participate in the lawmaking process. The event includes prayer, issue briefings, time to meet with your district, and opportunities to take action. Registration is required: jrlc.org/day-on-the-hill/frequently-asked-questions-faq

Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners (sojo.net) and author of America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America, will deliver a keynote address and moderate a panel of local anti-racism experts, on Saturday, Jan 12, 7 PM at Hennepin Ave Methodist Church, Mpls. The evening is meant to help our community understand and respond to the devastating impact racism has on our neighborhood and our nation. More at race-religion-and-response-an-evening-with-jim-wallis-tickets

OFFICE HOURS

Carolyn VandenDolder, the interim Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office Wednesday through Friday, 10:30-4:00. Phone messages are checked daily. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur. Bulletin items can be phoned in to the office, emailed (office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org), or written and put in the bulletin file of the blue box.