March 10, 2019

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 9:40 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Scott Chapman; Stephen Snyder (mic)

9:45 – 11:15 monthly meeting for business: John Kraft, clerk; Stephen Snyder, recording clerk

11:15 – 12:00 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Sydney Campbell reader; care of meeting, Judith James

UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS

Mid-morning program next Sun at 10:15: End of Life Planning and Healthcare Directives, facilitated by Lin Butler and Ellen Swanson. Be part of this relevant, informative and thought-provoking discussion with two Friends of considerable experience.

The meeting’s fiscal year ends March 31. If you have outstanding reimbursements, please submit them to your committee clerk so they can be okayed a check written.

There will be a prayer circle for Eleanor and George next Sun, March 17th in the conference room after the rise of semi-programmed worship. Come pray together and strategize how to offer support as they continue to deal with this issue. You are welcome – if you know Eleanor and George or not. Questions: Nettie or Jim.

Quaker Earthcare Witness is coming to the Twin Cities! In January, 2018, MFM approved co-hosting the QEW Steering Committee’s semi-annual meeting from April 11-14.
– Save the evenings of April 12th and 13th when local Friends will host potluck dinners and plenary sessions (Fri night at Twin Cities Meeting with Friends School of MN presenting on Protecting Pollinators; Sat night at Minneapolis Meeting with a Transition Town panel presenting.) If you can help with the nuts and bolts of the potluck or commit to bringing a hearty (vegetarian) main dish, please let Carolyn know.
– If you are able to open your home to out-of-town Friends coming to the meeting, please let Carolyn know.
– Local Friends are warmly invited to attend whatever part(s) of the QEW meeting of interest to you. Registration (helpful for a meal count if you want to stay and eat lunch Thurs– Sat but not needed for other attendance) and schedule info here.

Read Primitive Quakerism Revived by Paul Buckley at the Watson reading group Tues, March 19th at 7 PM in the conference room. No need to read ahead – we’ll read together! One-timers and regulars – everyone is welcome!

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee will show Hooked on Growth on movie night, here, Wed, March 27, 7 pm. Free and open to the public, come explore the fallacy of equating growth with prosperity.

The Quaker Voluntary Service Fellows will spend their program days at site placements for the next three months. Local Friends are sought to bring lunch for eight (diary-free, vegetarian) to the QVS house on March 22, April 26 and May 10. Contact Sonja with offers: Sonja(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)quakervoluntaryservice.org .

The 2019 Friends General Conference Gathering is able to offer deep discounts this year like: children and teen program fees waived; 50% children and teen meals covered; more scholarships available to families and teens. This is the year to bring your family to the Gathering in (relatively) nearby Grinnell Iowa! Financial help might be available to MFMers who wish to attend the clerking workshop. Read about offered workshops here. A few paper program and registration materials are available on the elevator table. Early Registration is open April 1-14.

OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS

Friends School of MN opportunities (1365 Englewood Ave, St. Paul):
~ “Heads & Tales” this Tues, March 12th, 8:45-10:30 am. Heads Rick and Sara, hope to have the opportunity to enjoy time and coffee with you and will offer “Tales,” topics of interest, then listen to your perspectives and questions. Spruce Room.
~ Meeting for worship with the students, then tea and discussion with visiting Friends from the Friends Council on Education, Wed, March 20th, 9:30-11. Discussion will focus on how the school can better connect to and build upon Friends community, values and practices. Input from local Friends will be very valuable.

A memorial service for Nathan Slowinski will be at 11 AM Sat, March 16th at Twin Cities Meeting, 1725 Grand Ave. St Paul.

Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow, Dillon, invites Friends to In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre for Puppet Lab, immersive puppet theatre, March 15th – 17th and March 22nd – 24th. Travel through the shifting shadows of family memory, the hypocrisy of the American dream, an expansive understanding of home, and the complexity of balancing family obligations while honoring the creative impulse. More, times, and tickets at hobt.org.

Northern Yearly Meeting’s (NYM) Spring Interim Session will be March 22-23 at Madison Monthly Meeting on Fri night, March 22, 7-9 PM, and Sat, March 23, 9 AM-5 PM. Madison Meeting will provide overnight hospitality to those who request it. Come spend time among Friends, hear about NYM committee work, and enjoy the life and business of NYM. Send housing requests and special needs to Marilee at hospitality(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)northernyearlymeeting.org.

Iowa Yearly Meeting’s Mid-year Meeting, Living Faithful Lives, will be March 30 and 31 at Bear Creek Meetinghouse near Earlham, IA. More information is posted on the bulletin board and online here .

Register soon! Friends General Conference (FGC) will again provide a discount to the White Privilege Conference, (March 20-23 in Cedar Rapids, IA.) Unpack how whiteness originated; what systemic racism looks like; how race, gender, and class intersect (as privilege, oppression, or a combination); and more. You must pre-register through FGC in order to receive the discount code to apply to your registration and to request hospitality with local Friends: tfaforms.com/4710627. Pre-registration through FGC does not hold a spot for the conference. Questions, contact: Vanessa Julye (215-561-1700 x 3066; vanessaj(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fgcquaker.org) or Shaina Robinson (215-561-1700 x 3022; shainar(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fgcquaker.org).

From Friends for a NonViolent World: HF 493, which clearly defines guidelines for the use of solitary confinement, is currently in the Corrections Division Committee. If you are a constituent of one of the committee members, please call (leave your name, representative’s name and your zip code) and state your support of HF 493, the creation of guidelines for the use of administrative and disciplinary segregation in MN correctional facilities. This is a step toward ending the structural violence in our prison system: Marion O’Neill, District 29B (651-296-5063), Michelle Christensen (651-296-4244), District 39B, Carlos Mariani (651-296-9714), District 65B, Brad Tabke (651-296-8872), District 55A, or Nick Zerwas (651-296-4237), District 30A.

From Friends Committee on National Legislation: A joint resolution to direct the removal of US Armed Forces from hostilities in Yemen will be coming to a vote soon. Passage is not assured. Please contact Senators Amy Klobuchar (201-224-3244) and Tina Smith (202-224-5641) today. Talking points can be found here.

OFFICE HOURS

Carolyn VandenDolder, the interim Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office Wednesday through Friday afternoons. Phone messages will be checked daily. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur. Bulletin items can be phoned in to the office (612-926-6159), emailed (office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org), or written and put in the bulletin file of the blue box.