September 8, 2019

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

10:00 – 11:00 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Allen Gibas, speaker; John Kraft, musician; care of meeting, Gib Pellet and Ln Butler

11:00 – 12:30 monthly meeting for business: John Kraft, clerk; Stephen Snyder, recording clerk

“Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.”
~ Romans 12:21 (Good News Bible)

Today marks the end of the summer schedule. The start of the school-year schedule is next Sunday, Sept 15: 9:00 – worship (unprogrammed); 10:15 – mid-morning program; 11:15 – worship (semi-programmed) and first day school.

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

All those carrying loss – of loved ones, of homes, of hopes.

UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS

Next Sunday at 10:15: Gretchen Castle, General Secretary of Friends World Committee for Consultation’s World Office in London. Gretchen will bring greetings from Friends around the world and will talk about the connections we share, the work we feel passionate about, and the faith that gives us hope. Connecting Friends, crossing cultures, changing lives through faith, we are part of a colourful cloth! Let us explore what this means to YOU.

Also next Sunday: Religious Education orientation for families at 12:15. Families, please plan to stay for this brief meeting.

First day school (Sunday school) starts NEXT SUNDAY! The year will be divided into quarters with different testimonies providing the focus of each quarter. There will be three classes: grades 1-5; middle school; and high school. Teachers, helpers, and special guests are sought! Have a personal Quaker story to share? A Quaker hero you’d like to talk about? Want to help nurture and develop deeper relationships with the Meeting’s youth? Let Julia, clerk of the Religious Education Committee, know.

Would you like to have coffee with a Quaker to talk informally about Quakerism or life in general? (It doesn’t have to be coffee.) Sign up slips are now on the elevator table. Fill one out, place it in the coffee can, and we’ll set you up!

The newish writing group will meet 7 PM Tues, Sept 24th at the home of Jane and David in Hopkins. A relaxed but structured group, we have a writing exercise or two with the chance to share with each other. Everyone welcome. Contact Jane with questions or interest.

Read the Quaker classic, Testament of Devotion, with the reading group on Tues, Sept 24th (NOTE the departure from the regular schedule) at 7 PM in the conference room. No need to read ahead – we’ll read together! Everyone welcome!

Interested in gardening? Meeting gardeners meet at 6:30 PM on the second and fourth Tuesdays of Sept, at the meetinghouse. Contact Clifford or Betsy for more.

Our next opportunity for preparing and serving a meal through Loaves and Fishes is Sept 30th. Join area Friends along with the folks from the Ismaili Community and Mayim Rabim Synagogue at Holy Rosary Church, 2424 18th Ave, S, Mpls. Volunteers are needed for 2 PM preparation of chili, vegetables, fruit, salad, and rolls; 4:45 PM serving food and beverages; and 5:30 PM cleaning in the kitchen and dining area. Donations of fresh or dried fruit also needed. Signup available next week.

OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS

First Monday Friends will meet tomorrow at noon for check-ins and making plans for future gatherings. This informal potluck gathering usually happens on the first Mon of the month and is open to any Friends available midday. At TCFM, 1725 Grand Ave, St. Paul.

Come to a Friends for a NonViolent World’s House Party – a night of music, games, conversations, and food – Fri, Sept 13th, any time 6-8:30PM at the home of Mary and Walt, 834 Marshall Ave, St Paul, 55104. $25 suggested donation, more if you can, less if you can’t. This is a great opportunity to connect with others in FNVW! Bring a friend or two!

Take advantage of the Friends General Conference Spiritual Deepening eRetreats this autumn: Understanding and Healing White Supremacy (Sept 22-Oct 18); Becoming a Welcoming Friend (Oct 27-Nov 22). More at FGCeRetreats.org

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Mayim Rabim, the congregation that rents space here, is hosting “Get to Know Mayim Rabim” THIS AFTERNOON at 3:30. Join Rabbi Sharon Stiefel and other congregational leaders for refreshments and lively conversation and learn about Reconstructionist Judaism and the values and practices that make Mayim Rabim a unique, welcoming place.

Join the no-audition, mixed SW Neighborhood Choir rehearsing here at MFM, 7-8:30, Thursdays, starting Sept 19. $120 fee; scholarships available: form.jotform.com/kerenprice/fall-2019-the-neighborhood-choir

Global Climate Strike, Twin Cities will be Sept. 20th. Join young people, parents, workers, and all concerned citizens in a massive strike calling for attention to the climate crisis. Demonstrate at the State Capitol, 11:30-2. More at mnipl.org/event

Gichi-gami Gathering to Stop Line 3 on Sat, Sept 28th – support resistance to tar sands and support a vision for a just and sustainable world. Noon: arrival and check-in begins at Gichi-Ode’ Akiing Park, N Second Ave E and E Michigan Str, Duluth; 1:30: rally and march; 3:30: Gichi-gami Gathering also at the park. More and register at gichi-gami-gathering.com. Reserve a space on an arranged bus at: gichi-gami-gathering.com/transportation .

MN Interfaith Power and Light and Honor the Earth invite you to a global climate action: Protecting our Sacred Waters – Gathering at the Headwaters, Sept 21-22 at Lake Itasca State Park. Gather prayerfully and in solidarity with our Anishinaabe and Dakota siblings in opposition to Line 3. Optional camping at Itasca State Park. Food provided, donations encouraged. RSVP here; more at: mnipl.org/event/prayer-circle-at-the-headwaters/

Twin Cities NonViolent is hosting ten days of special events to foster peace and encourages participation in more than forty events from over twenty organizations across the Twin Cities, Sept 20-29, including:
– Walk for Planet Peace: Honoring Gandhi’s Vision on his 150th Birthday, Sat, Sept 21st, gathering on the St. Paul Cathedral steps at 9:30 AM to walk to the State Capitol. Rev. James Lawson, (whose vision of nonviolent strategy inspired the Freedom Riders and students at lunch counters during the Civil Rights Movement,) and Fr. John Dear, (who started the national Nonviolent Cities Movement) will be among the speakers.
– Fellowship of Reconciliation’s Truth and Reparation Campaign launch, Hamilne U’s Anderson Center Sun, Sept 22, 2 PM
– Preserving Human Rights for Immigrants and Asylum Seekers panel with representatives from Nonviolent Peaceforce and other organizations, Mon, Sept 23, 5 PM, Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Nicollet Ave, Mpls
See more posted on the long bulletin board or go to twincitiesnonviolent.org

OFFICE HOURS

Carolyn VandenDolder, the interim Meeting Coordinator, will be at the meetinghouse Wed, Thurs and Fri, 10:30-4:00. Phone messages checked daily. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur. Phone items in to the office (612-926-6159), email (office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org), or write and put in the bulletin file of the blue box.