1. We write as we are in the midst of the 2020 COVID 19 Pandemic. This recent development has dramatically changed the way our meeting functions. It has been a wonderful blessing how quickly our community adjusted and developed ways to stay connected as we Shelter at Home. We are holding more community gatherings and worship than we were prior to the Virus. We hope this increased sense of common connection continues when we are able to return to gathering in person.

2. We continue to be aware of our regular responsibilities and the needs and concerns of worshipers, and are tending to our work and each other with love and care. We are grateful for the generous ministries of those who are in leadership positions, even as some of us continue to mourn the loss of “How we used to do things.”

3. We are aware that Quaker community life is a balance between effective action (efficiency) and laboring with one another in the Light. With demanding schedules, and more business happening via email, it can feel as though we may be erring on the side of efficiency, neglecting the more important deep listening which grounds discernment and allows fresh winds of the spirit to animate our work.

4. We are learning the hard lesson of accepting our limits. While our committee roster is staffed, some committees continue to struggle with too few members. Perhaps we will find ourselves laying down some committees to focus just on necessary tasks.

5. Our Peace and Social Concerns Committee is one of our most active. The Spirit works through us as we attend to the needs of our earth and all of its inhabitants.

6. Infrequent attenders report they receive a sense of acceptance and caring from Meeting; a place where people put their beliefs and spirituality into practical action. We want the Meeting to be a place of teaching, leading, and healing because of commitment to Quaker values.

7. We seek divine guidance to support us in caring for each other in times of need. Many challenges of illness, aging, and death offer us the opportunity to become more intimate and stronger. We search for ways to be a healing presence for families and each other. This year we formed a Care and Counsel committee to facilitate our community pastoral care needs. Also, the Meeting is acting on one of our mission statements, supporting families and children of the meeting as a new First Day School schedule is implemented to allow children to attend worship.

8. Life has come to another mission statement: Making an Active Witness beyond the Meetinghouse Walls. Minneapolis Friends gathered a number of times in public places to worship, inviting others to join in seeking divine guidance. We gathered on a downtown street, at the federal building where the Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices, courtroom and jail are, on Christmas Eve at the Mall of America, and at a protest during a Trump campaign rally in downtown Minneapolis. These acts are about reaching out. New people have come wondering what we are all about. We trust the Spirit is working through these gestures.

9. In the spirit of nurturing future generations, we support the Twin Cities Quaker Voluntary Service with our time, food, and money. Seeing the energy, dedication, and hard work of these young people is very rewarding and we continually seek ways to create, maintain and increase appreciation and understanding between generations.

10. We share the experience of waiting for God’s guidance as we uphold the work of the Spirit in our committees and in worship and prayer. We strive to live out the love we have for each other, being faithful to the Spirit in all Meeting matters.