May 12, 2019

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 9:40 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Tom Hoey

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

11:15 – 12:00 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Jim Bruener, speaker; care of meeting, Clifford Goltz

Friends School of MN’s Plant Sale ends TODAY! Head on over to the MN State Fair grandstand before it ends!

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Those who are feeling anguished or bereft and are not sure where to turn for comfort or guidance and those whose burdens and sorrows are private.

Victims of violence – episodic, systemic, shocking, and accepted.

UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS

Calendar Reminder: The last day of the school year schedule is next Sunday, May 19th. Starting May 26th, there will be a single 10 AM worship each Sunday morning.

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: Writing as a Spiritual Practice. There is a long Quaker tradition of writing as a spiritual practice. For example, in the journals of John Woolman, the distinction between writing and spiritual discipline disappears. We will look at the practice of exploring one’s mind/soul/Inner Light through a simple hands-on writing process. There will be a chance to come together, share, and have some fun. Facilitated by Jane Downes.

Peace and Social Concerns Committee will meet this Wed, 7 PM in the conference room. The committee welcomes everyone interested.

Welcoming and Outreach Committee is looking for greeters to welcome folks at the two entrances each Sunday, offering a warm smile and a handshake in greeting and directing newcomers to the guestbook and meetingroom. If you could be an occasional greeter, please contact Sue.

Read Primitive Quakerism Revived by Paul Buckley at the Watson reading group Tues, May 21st at 7 PM in the conference room. No need to read ahead – we’ll read together! One-timers and regulars – everyone is welcome to this rich time of ideas, sharing, and discussion!

Would you like to have coffee with a Quaker? (Of course, it doesn’t have to be coffee!) Sign up slips are now on the bulletin table. Please fill one out and place it in the coffee can. Slips will be collected weekly and you will be contacted to make the arrangements. ~ Welcoming and Outreach Committee

BE AWARE: New carpet will be laid in the meetinghouse the week of May 20-24. Though the glue chosen for the job is eco-friendly, there will likely be off-gassing for a time from the carpet itself.

Curious about the membership process? Any attender is invited to talk about membership with a member of the Ministry and Counsel Committee or anyone who’s been around a while! It can be an informal one-on-one conversation or a more formal request for a clearness committee. There’s a “How To Become a Member” sheet on the long bulletin board (opposite the nametags). Some indications that it might be time to explore membership in the Society of Friends at Minneapolis Meeting:
 You have worshiped among Friends and find Quaker values and practice compatible with your experience.
 You feel God has led you to the Meeting and is encouraging you to embrace and grow in Quaker faith and practice here.
 You feel an increasing commitment to the spiritual vitality and depth of the Meeting and to nurturing the members and attenders here.
 You increasingly feel the importance of weekly worship and connection with the life of the Meeting to your spiritual well-being.
 You feel an increasing commitment to participate in the life of the Meeting through committees and to contribute to the financial well-being of the Meeting.
 You feel that the outward expression of membership would match your internal experience of commitment and belonging.

OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS

Quaker Women’s Group meets this Wed, 12:30 at Twin Cities Meeting (1725 Grand Ave, St. Paul) for light desserts and discussion. You are welcome!

Northern Yearly Meeting’s annual session, “Speaking with a Holy Voice–Using Human Words to Communicate Divine Truth” will be at the Lions Camp near Rosholt, WI Memorial Day Weekend, May 24-27. Programming for infants and up, with many opportunities for worship, discussion, education and play. Register at northernyearlymeeting.org. Two El Salvadoran Friends School heads and one teacher will be coming. Translators needed. If you speak Spanish and would be willing to be a host or translator during programming, contact office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org and your name will be passed along.

Hosts and transportation needed for El Salvador visitors: As part of Northern Yearly Meeting’s exchange with El Salvador Yearly Meeting, three guests from El Salvador will attend Yearly Meeting and spend May 19th – May 24th in the Twin Cities. The guests include the directors of the two Friends Schools and an English teacher serving as a translator, all here to experience both education in the U.S. and our Quaker community. Individuals are needed to help welcome them. Spanish is not necessary. Some suggestions:
 Take them out to a meal or bring them on an interesting (short) tourist type event around the Twin Cities or provide some rides. In particular we are looking for a ride for three to Northern Yearly Meeting.
 Do something with them and provide lunch on Tuesday morning, May 21st.
 Provide rides to and from Friends School on Wednesday, May 22nd.
 Invite them to dinner and an activity Wednesday night.
 Attend a potluck in their honor on Thursday night.
 Gather some Minnesota souvenirs (T-shirts, etc) to give as gifts on our behalf.
 Be on call if needs for additional meals or rides are needed.
El Salvador Yearly Meeting has provided generous hospitality to members of our Yearly Meeting for many years. Thanks for any ways in which you can be part of a community reciprocating. Please contact office@minneapolisfriends if you would like to extend any kind of hospitality to these visiting Friends.

The 2019 Friends General Conference Gathering is in (relatively) nearby Grinnell Iowa, June 30 – July 6! Read about offered workshops and registration at: fgcquaker.org/connect/gathering . A few paper programs and registration forms are on the elevator table. Register TODAY! FGC is looking for people to fill two Junior Gathering openings: (1) A coordinator for the Oaks group (rising 7th-9th graders); and (2) the Family Place Coordinator. Each position receives a full work grant. Contact the Gathering Youth Coordinator Marian Dalke at mariand(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fgcquaker.org or 215-561-1700 x3050 for more.

Friends School of MN will be hosting a final all-school worship Wed, June 5th, 9-11 AM. Friends are warmly invited. 1365 Englewood Ave, St Paul.

Camp Woodbrooke registration open. Have you thought about sending your youth to Camp Woodbrooke? One- and two- week sessions available for 7-12 year olds; two-week sessions for 10-14 year olds; and a two-week session for teens, ages 13-15. Family Camp Weekend is Aug 31 – Sept 2. Near Richland Center WI. See campwoodbrooke.org for more.

Friends Music Camp’s 2, 3, and 4-week sessions for ages 10-18 will be offered starting July 7th at Earlham College in Richmond, IN. For more, see friendsmusiccamp.org.

Registration is open for Friends for a NonViolent World’s People Camp Aug 11-17! Founded by Quakers and welcoming to all, People Camp is an experience of cooperation, community living, and exploration of ideas and issues. Typically, campers are equally divided between families and individuals. All campers help to make camp a safe and supportive place for everyone —adults, teens, and children. More at fnvw.org

COMMUNITY EVENTS

From MN InterFaith Power and Light (via Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow, Alina): 100% Rally for an Equitable and Clean Energy Future at MN State Capitol Rotunda, (75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, St Paul) TOMORROW, Mon, May 13th, 6-8PM. As we head into the closing weeks of session, we need to finish strong. There’s a lot at stake. We can win equitable climate solutions at scale. The science demands it. The public wants it. Our future depends on it. Show up and stand with hundreds of concerned citizens on the right side of history this coming Monday. Contact charissa(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)mnipl.org with questions. RSVP here .

Every Church A Peace Church’s next potluck supper meeting will feature Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer on Mon, May 20th at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church (4537 Third Ave. S, Mpls); potluck at 6:30 PM followed by Jack speaking on “Building a Movement of Movements: Our Role as Peacemakers.” We are living in a permanent warfare state. Can we build a movement of movements that unites people with a diverse set of concerns to build a more peaceful, sustainable and just world? Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer’s life and work over the past thirty years have focused on addressing the political, economic, faith, and foreign policy dimensions of hunger and poverty.

Minnesota Legislative Action on Gun Violence. For the first time in decades, the MN House approved two substantive gun violence prevention bills in late April: criminal background checks and “Red Flag” protection orders. The MN Senate has refused to hear these bills in committee but they can still be heard by the full Senate. Contact your senator now (info here) and urge them to allow H.F. No 8 and H.F. No 9 to come before the Senate.

Ramadan this year is May 5 – June 4. Fasting during Ramadan is performed to learn compassion, self-restraint, and generosity. Taking Heart Open Houses, coordinated by the MN Council of Churches and the Muslim American Society of MN are again being offered. MN mosques and Islamic community centers welcome their non-Muslim neighbors to a traditional Iftar for a time of encounter and learning. Register for one or more events at: Taking Heart Register.

OFFICE HOURS

Carolyn VandenDolder, the interim Meeting Coordinator, is out of the office until Sat, May 19. Phone messages will be checked daily by members of Ministry and Counsel Committee.