December 6, 2020

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Jeannette Raymond

10:15 – 11:00 Where the words come from. Traditional Quaker understanding suggests that the scriptures are meaningful to the extent that you enter into the life of the Spirit which gave them forth. Come hold John 14:1-6 in worship with one another and explore what meaning opens for you. Facilitated by Ministry and Counsel Committee.

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Ellen Swanson- speaker; care of meeting, Juliet Nail

“Is this the darkness of the tomb, or of the womb? I don’t know. All I know is that the only way we will endure is if each of us shows up to the labor.” ~ Valarie Kaur

Worship and mid-morning program in November: email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Friday for the link.

First day school for youth at 10:15: In order to better match first day school with student and family energy and zoom tolerance, we will have first day school / programming for youth on the first and third Sundays of the month. This Sunday: the middler group will start exploring Christmas story with Mary, focusing on the Sheep and Shepherd parables. If possible, have crayons and/or markers, paper and cotton balls for sheep available! The older youth will meet with Carolyn and Julia and will talk about John Woolman and what seeds we are sowing in our current lives. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Friday for the link.

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Those who are suffering from Covid in all manner of ways – isolation; strained relationships; loss of income; loss of health . . .

THINGS TO KNOW

Do you seek worship that is gathered and grounded? Do you yearn to feel more meaningfully connected to MFM Friends? Christopher Sammond will be offering Minneapolis Meeting Friends a workshop to deepen our connection to each other and to the Divine. Offered twice: Feb 12, 13 and 21 and Feb 19, 20 and 21. Space limited to 25 per workshop. More details to come; SAVE THE DATES on your calendar for one of these enriching, community-building opportunities.

COVID Birthdays, as well as many other celebrations, don’t have to be solo affairs! Happy birthday to Linda (Dec 5th), David (the 7th) Connie (the 18th) Deborah (the 21st) Sandy (the 29th), and Sydney (the 31st). If you would like to have your birthday acknowledged by meeting Friends, please send the month and date of your birth, (no year necessary,) to Judith.

Winter Envelope Gift: Every winter, Minneapolis Meeting designates organization(s) or programs to receive a one-time gift, outside the Meeting’s annual budget. This year’s recipients respond to current crises in our community.
NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center Food Shelf – serving the North side of Minneapolis and people who have been particularly hard-hit by COVID, NorthPoint offers pantry items, miscellaneous nonfood items, baby food and diapers, and produce. Financial donations allow discounted food purchases, buying to fill holes in inventory, and fresh meat, milk and eggs.
Friends for a NonViolent World’s Bridging the Divide: Policing that Works for Everyone – Bridging the Divide works to create policing that is characterized by equity, professionalism, partnership with the community, and respect for the dignity of every member of our society.
To contribute to the Winter Envelope Gift, make checks payable to Minneapolis Meeting with “Winter Envelope Gift” in the memo line and mail to Minneapolis Meeting, 4401 York Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55410.

Christmas might be very different for people this year – fewer gatherings and opportunities for connection. There will be an unprogrammed worship Christmas morning at 9:00.

Northern Yearly Meeting middle schoolers will gather online Thurs, Dec 17th, 7PM; program TBD: email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon on the 17th for the link.

OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Next Sunday from 9:45-11:15 is monthly meeting for business. On the agenda: time for worship sharing on the question, “What do I want from meeting?” Please come to this time of discerning our community needs and direction.

Experience thirty minutes of worship sharing on a Quaker reading: 11:25AM Wednesdays through December – email Stephen for the link.

There is mid-week worship every Wed night, 7PM. There will be a brief reading at the beginning of worship on the first and third Weds. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Wed for the link.

OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH OTHER FRIENDS

Non-Sunday morning opportunities to worship with Friends :
~ Prospect Hill Friends Meeting worships on Sunday afternoons starting at 3:45 PM for settling in, with worship at 4. (Programs follow worship from 5 to about 5:30 PM.) Email Michael for the link.
~ Laughing Waters Friends Preparative Meeting is worshiping Sunday afternoons at 1:30. More at laughingwatersfriends.org
~ Pendle Hill Study and Retreat Center has daily worship, M-F, 7:30-8:10 AM (CT): https://pendlehill.zoom.us/j/432071090?pwd=aU5OOWk4ZGJkcWNUbzI5TXdjdVpSdz09
~ Quaker Voluntary Service has daily worship M–F, 10:30-11AM (CST): https://zoom.us/j/5702463400
~ Global meeting for worship is offered every Wed, 1 PM (CT). Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to be put in touch.

Pendle Hill will offer its First Monday Lecture on Dec 7, 6:30-8PM (CT) – Erva Baden on Healing Ancestral Trauma: What is Epigenetics and Why Does it Matter? For more information and registration visit First Monday Lecture

There will be a first-ever Friends General Conference Youth Summit, The Quake that Rocked the Continent Interactive workshops, worship and hang-out times for older youth focused on climate justice, racial justice and mindfulness. Sat, Dec 12th, 12-9PM (CT) – three sessions with ninety-minute breaks in-between. Watch https://fgcquaker.org/connect/gathering/programs-and-events/year-round-youth-programs for the registration link.

A North American Experiment with Light Group begins December 15 and continuing on the third Tues evening of each month. All sessions are at 6:30 (CT). The meeting will open thirty minutes before the meditation begins. Those new to the Experiment are invited to join early and we will help you know what to expect. Email lightsways(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com for the Zoom link information. For more, see The Light Network http://www.experiment-with-light.org.uk/.

The Elizabeth Ann Bogert Fund for the Study and Practice of Christian Mysticism, (through Friends World Comm for Consultation,) offers grants of up to $1,000: https://fwccamericas.org/docs/Bogert%202019%20Fall%20letter.pdf

OFFICE HOURS

Carolyn VandenDolder, the Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office Wed – Fri afternoons. Phone messages checked daily; email checked W-F. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur. Bulletin items can be phoned in to the office (612-926-6159) or emailed (office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org).