February 7, 2021

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Mary Bosserman

10:15 – 11:00 Opening to the Heart of Worship Workshop. Get a glimpse of the process Christopher Sammond will use in the upcoming workshop as well as a sense of some of the tools he will help us practice – bringing us to a greater sense of community and enhancing our ability to enter into deep, transformative worship. There will be an opportunity to ask questions of Christopher as well.

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Rick VandenDolder – reader; care of meeting, Sandy Olson

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

First day school for youth at 10:15: Mary, Stephen and David will be with the younger children learning the story of the White Feather; John and Julia will be with the older youth, considering the story of the Road to Emmaus. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Friday for the link.

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Those who are burdened by grief or added anxiety as well as those feeling, keenly, the many difficulties and crises of COVID.

THINGS TO KNOW

There will be a Sunday morning schedule change on Feb 21st. There will be one extended, unprogrammed worship from 10:15-11:45. There will be a workshop session preceding worship and one session after a lunch break.

Worship is at the heart of our practice as Friends. And we mostly leave each other to find our own way in this crucial part of our lives. This need not be the case. While Spirit-filled worship is something we can’t make happen, there are practical skills we can learn which will enhance our ability to enter into deep, transformative worship. Opening the Heart of Worship, a workshop focused on practices which can make us more ready to receive that blessed gift of powerful worship, which can nurture, heal, and transform us and our lives; AND draw us closer together as a community, will be offered twice for Minneapolis Meeting members and attenders: Feb 12, 13 and 21 and Feb 19, 20 and 21; schedule details are on the website but each workshop includes a Friday night session, two Saturday sessions, and three Sunday sessions (the last session is the most optional). Space limited to 25 per workshop. Reserve your spot by emailing office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org. Plan to attend one of these enriching, community-building opportunities!

Two queries and a suggested discipline:
1. What nurtures your spirit? This could be anything from a morning walk to writing a friend to taking time to just sit and breathe, or more formal spiritual practices like prayer, meditation and devotional reading. Don’t let expectations of what “should” nurture your spirit color your exploration of what actually does do so. What helps you to feel more alive? What helps you to feel more in your body? What helps you to feel more centered and grounded? What helps to open your heart? What brings you joy?
2. Seek to practice this activity at least 20 minutes a day for the days between now and the workshop. If you did not find the time to do this practice, notice, without any judgement, what took priority?

Nominating Committee is starting its work – matching the gifts and energies of MFMers with meeting work and projects we wish to have done. Please return calls and emails from the Nominating Committee to facilitate their work. A PARTICULAR NEED: The Stewardship and Finance Committee is looking for a receiving treasurer who has comfort with Excel, QuickBooks, and/or pages and is willing to come into the meetinghouse to process deposits. Questions, please contact the S&F clerk, Marilyn.

The Quake that Rocked the Continent 2, Feb 20-21. Join Quaker kids from around the country for fun, spiritual inquiry and more. Spread out over the weekend; register here. Read about the first Quake here.

OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Monthly Meeting for business is next Sunday, 9:45-10:15. Come be part of the process!

Experience thirty minutes of worship sharing on a Quaker reading: 11:25AM Wed – 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

Opportunities to worship with the wider family of Friends :
~ Friends General Conference hosts a weekly worship, Sat nights, 8PM: https://www.tfaforms.com/4816591 For other opportunities, see: https://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/online-worship-opportunities
~ 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
~ Quaker Center in California has a Wed worship sharing at noon (CT) with Friends from around the world responding queries based on short readings. JOIN HERE; password, email: BobFisher(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)QuakerCenter.org
~ 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.

Population, a major contributor to the environmental crises we see around us, is often a topic avoided by progressives concerned about the environment. Join Quaker Earthcare Witness and Friends General Conference for worship sharing concerning human population on Wed, Feb 24th at 7PM (CT). Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArduyhrzwjHd3WkD1z2zBoyqzj5SZEetUG

Quaker Voluntary Service is accepting applications for next year’s Fellows (app deadline, March 15)! Share this news with your networks – Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, email, phone! More about QVS at https://quakervoluntaryservice.org/about-us/
~ Know an organization which might like to apply to have a Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow for the 2021-22 service year? Applications are being taken until Feb 1st. Contact Eli to learn more: eli(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)quakervoluntaryservice.org

Join the Pendle Hill’s Reading Group (Gospel Order: A Quaker Understanding of Faithful Church Community, PHP #297) Feb 10.

There’s never been a better time to join Friends for a NonViolent World’s Board of Directors! The Board is responsible for developing, defining, and reviewing the organization’s mission and for providing overall leadership and strategic direction to the organization. Board Members are stewards of the organization’s vision, mission, and resources. The Board actively sets policy, ensures that the organization has adequate resources to carry out its mission, provides direct oversight and direction for the Executive Director and the organization as a whole, and evaluates its own effectiveness as a governing body. Contact FNVW’s Board Chair Brucie Hawkins at brucie(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fnvw.org if you have interest in serving or for more information.

OFFICE HOURS

Carolyn VandenDolder, the Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office Wed – Fri afternoons. Phone messages checked daily. Email checked W-F.