This year of upheaval and tragedy and the responses to it have given new meaning to George Fox’s vision. “I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness. . . .[and] in that also I saw the infinite love of God.”

The emergence of the Covid virus caused fear and anxiety, disrupted the education of our children, isolated the elderly and other at-risk members of our community, caused unemployment, and created risks and challenges for those working on the front lines of the pandemic. The killing of George Floyd and the resulting violence and destruction in our neighborhoods rocked any sense of security and safety we may have enjoyed from our place of white privilege in our predominantly white Meeting. The continued polarization in our larger society and seeming inability to address the serious problems facing our society undermine our sense of optimism. We weep with God at the brokenness of our world. But flowing over this ocean of darkness has been an outpouring of energy, caring, and love as we struggle together to address these problems.

Though the transition to gathering virtually was difficult, meetings for worship at Minneapolis Meeting have become more gathered over the course of the year. The silence in early worship has grown richer and the later worship has become less chatty with the silence and vocal ministry becoming deeper and more grounded. We are grateful for this growth and acknowledge the strong leadership and ministry from the Care and Counsel Committee, the Mid-Morning Program Committee, the Ministry and Counsel Committee, and the Peace and Social Concerns Committee, along with the grace of God, which have played a part in it. Attendance at meetings for worship has been robust through the year.

The Care and Counsel Committee, new this year, has worked hard and well to help us feel connected and to encourage and support us as we care for one another. Their nurturing initiatives included: developing the Covid relief fund; creating a bank of people for the lonely or discouraged or disheartened to connect with in different ways; a nurturing evening with Carl Magruder; mid-morning programs on giving and receiving care; and initiating break-out groups after worship.

The Ministry and Counsel Committee-sponsored workshop, “Opening to the Heart of Worship,” with Christopher Sammond, was a powerful experience of being drawn together and drawn to God. Ministry and Counsel is exploring ways to build on that groundwork of openness and connection. The mid-morning programs and mid-week worship offered by M&C have also nurtured the spiritual life of the meeting.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee has shaped the Meeting’s response to the killing of George Floyd from anguish to individual deepening and action. Under that committee’s care, My Grandmother’s Hands was read, and reactions and experiences shared, cultivating the inward soil to allow grounded outer anti-racism work to grow. A group has also met with City Council Representatives as well as lawyers and State Representatives to better understand how to engage effectively and knowledgably in calling for police reform. We are grateful for the energy and initiative of individuals, the support of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee, and God’s prompts to step into the opening this tragedy created.

Our sense of community and our lives have been enriched by the service of the many other committees and small groups in meeting. The Mid-Morning Program Committee offered rich and varied programs over the year. Experiment with Light, Mid-Week Worship, and the Lectio Divina groups continue to deepen our connections with one another. The Welcoming and Outreach Committee organized an intro to Quakerism series and a successful experiment with Friendly Meals on Zoom. We are grateful for Friends who have helped sustain the local Quaker Voluntary Service program and for the fellows who have contributed to our worship.

Meeting virtually during Covid has made us aware of barriers to participation which we had not recognized before, as well as creating new ones. We are only just starting to see ableism in the Meeting and are working toward having worship accessible virtually, even after we begin to gather for worship in person once more. We struggle with staying connected to those who are not worshiping via Zoom and to nurture those for whom the Zoom worship experience underscores a feeling of being severed from the life of the Meeting and distant from Spirit.

Business meetings are well-attended and well-clerked. We are addressing big questions together with tenderness and patience. The constraints of time make progress slow. We are searching for inclusive ways to hold some of these issues, such as a flagging Religious Education program for youth and creating a hardship fund, in the presence of God, outside the limitations of the regular schedule. But we know attendance will suffer if meeting for business occurs at a time other than Sunday morning.

We are grateful for friends in the meeting who have attempted to continue a religious education during the pandemic. But the program for youth has suffered from lack of consistent energy by the Religious Education Committee and difficulty in maintaining regular engagement with youth and families of the Meeting. We know that multi-generations bring vitality, freshness of perspectives, and a greater connection to the world around us. We are challenged to find the energy and number of people needed to offer nurture, support, and a meaningful religious education experience to youth and families.

We give thanks that so many of us have journeyed successfully through this time of Covid. We do so miss the love and faithful witness of two dear Friends, one died of Covid, the other in isolation. May we care for those God has put in community with us and be mindful that our time with each other is precious, even as we are drawn to care more proactively for those in the greater society.