December 13, 2020

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 9:40 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Jeannette Raymond

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

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Eli Philips – speaker; care of meeting, Stephen Snyder

Worship and mid-morning program in December: 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. There is no programming today.

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.

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. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Wed, Dec 23rd for the link.

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.

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

Friends who must visit the meetinghouse or who want to meet on the meetinghouse grounds are asked to schedule those visits with the office to help avoid conflicts and make sure you are aware of COVID safety precautions: 612-926-6159; office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org .

OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: Come visit with a small group of Friends and celebrate Christmas through social time and sharing stories. Though we can’t be together in person, we can still connect and rejoice in community! Come ready to share something of your choosing – a Christmas story, a Christmas memory, a children’s Christmas book, the funniest thing that ever happened in a Christmas past, or your favorite Christmas tradition.

Are you interested in joining a gathering of Meeting women for mutual support and sharing? A new group is forming and will be meeting, via zoom, for the first time TONIGHT, 7PM. Contact Deborah for the link; questions, contact Mary.

Experience thirty minutes of worship sharing on a Quaker reading: 11:25AM Wednesdays through December – contact 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 for Dec.

Police Reform: Friends who are joining in Zoom meetings with City Council Members will have an organizational meeting this Wed, Dec 16th at 8PM on Zoom following mid-week worship. (use the same link above.) It’s not too late to get involved!

OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH OTHER FRIENDS

American Friends Service Committee’s Youth Undoing Institutional Racism (YUIR) in Saint Paul seeks young people interested in grassroots community organizing for their new youth board. Find out more about YUIR and this youth board focused on dismantling systemic oppression on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter .

There is a Northern Yearly Meeting Anti-Racism discussion group currently meeting about once a month. Sessions have focused on the podcast, “Seeing White”, ( http://www.sceneonradio.org/tag/season-2/.) The next meeting is Thurs, Dec 17th on episode 11 on Danger. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Thurs for the link.

A North American Experiment with Light Group begins December 15 and will continue 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 to get an informal intro on what to expect. Email lightsways(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com for the Zoom link. For more, see The Light Network http://www.experiment-with-light.org.uk/.

Friends General Conference (FGC) is considering developing a loosely-structured mentorship program that connects early-growing mentees with seasoned-but-still-growing mentors to support youth (middle and high school) and young adults in developing their spiritual gifts of clerking, decision-making, and community leadership. Interest and input is being sought. Please complete the following survey to help gauge how to move forward: link.

OFFICE HOURS Carolyn VandenDolder will be in the office Wed – Fri afternoons. Phone messages checked daily; email checked W-F. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur.