March 17, 2019

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

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

10:15 – 11:00 End of Life Planning and Healthcare Directives, facilitated by Lin Butler and Ellen Swanson

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Sydney Campbell, reader; no music today; care of meeting, Judith James

There will be a prayer circle for Eleanor and George TODAY in the conference room after the rise of semi-programmed worship. Eleanor, once a member and presiding clerk of MFM, and George were married under the joint care of MFM and Milwaukee Meeting. Eleanor has been traveling to Mayo Clinic to discover the source and to manage an extremely painful malady having to do with her brain. You are welcome – if you know Eleanor and George or not.

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Those who are suffering from extreme weather – here, across the country, across the world.

UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: As a follow-up to an earlier mid-morning program (What Brought You to Meeting?), this program is designed to build community through sharing what at MFM inspires us and allowing us to hear about what is important to others. Keitha Herron and Jim Lovestar will lead the discussion.

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 and paid.

Copies of the recently approved committee list are on the elevator table. Please pick one up for reference. If the work of a committee interests you, don’t wait to be asked to serve on it! Contact the committee clerk to visit a committee meeting or to share your curiosity. Many committees would welcome the interest! Ministry and Counsel Committee and Trustees have closed meetings due to confidentiality issues – but Friends are still invited to speak to those clerks to find out more!

Plan to come to Fall Together, Sat, Oct 26th at Fish Lake Regional Park in Plymouth (the site of the 2017 Fall Together)! Fall Together has been revamped to be an easy breezy gathering of fun, potluck food, conversation, and song. We have The Pavilion 9am to 9pm – arrive and leave when you need. Save the date now to be with Friends then!

Minneapolis Meeting is hosting the upcoming Northern Yearly Meeting high school retreat, Quaker Branches, April 5-7. Kindly Adult Presences are sought. If you have been cleared to work with children at MFM, please consider spending some time with these NYM teens and enabling them to spend time together! To volunteer: nymhighschool(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com .

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 GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, here, Wed, March 27, 7 pm. Free and open to the public, come explore the fallacy of equating growth with prosperity.

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, June 30 – July 6! 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 on the elevator table. Early Registration, April 1-14.

OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS

Friends School of MN invites Friends to meeting for worship with the students, then tea and discussion with visitors from the Friends Council on Education, this 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.

Friends School of MN’s Committee on Trustees (COT) seeks new members for the School Committee and standing committees, Equity & Justice, Quaker Life, Finance, and Development. Curious about what these committees do? Want to consider how you could serve? Contact the office: office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org.

Northern Yearly Meeting’s (NYM) Spring Interim Session will be NEXT WEEKEND, March 22-23 at Madison Monthly Meeting, (Fri night, 7-9 PM; Sat, 9 AM-5 PM.) Madison Meeting will provide bed / breakfast accommodations Friday (and possibly Saturday) nights, soup/salad lunch on Saturday, and healthy refreshments. Contact Marilee Standifer, ((608) 446 0346; hospitality(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)morthernyearlymeeting.org) with housing requests as well as special dietary or rooming needs. Come meet NYM Friends and enjoy the life and business of Northern Yearly Meeting.

The first edition of the Northern Yearly Meeting Journal came out at the end of February. Two copies are posted and it is available online here.

Northern Yearly Meeting’s annual session, “Spirit-Led Communication” will be at Wisconsin Lions Camp near Rosholt, WI Memorial Day Weekend, May 24-27. Programming for children, infants through high school with many opportunities for worship, discussion, education and play throughout the weekend. Online registration starts at the end of March. Workshop proposals (prepared presentation and discussion) sought; deadline for application, April 20th. Sign-up to lead an interest groups (a less formal discussion and information session,) happens at check-in. Two Friends School heads and one teacher will be coming from El Salvador. Translators are needed. If you speak Spanish and would be willing to host or be a translator during programming, please contact the office: office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.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 can be found online here .

Alicia McBride, Friends Committee in National Legislation’s director of integrated strategy and impact, will attend next weekend’s White Privilege Conference, in Cedar Rapids, IA. She is interested in connecting with Friends there. Please contact her, (alicia(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fcnl.org) if you’ll be attending as well. If you have not yet registered, (whiteprivilegeconference.com/registration-information) you must pre-register through Friends General Conference in order to receive the discount code to apply to your WPC 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).

OFFICE HOURS: Carolyn VandenDolder, the interim Coordinator, will be in the office Wed and Thurs, 10:30-4:00 and Fri afternoon. 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.