October 24, 2021

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of worship, Mary Bosserman; zoom host, Bill.

10:15 – 11:00 Where Do the Police Fit into our Peace Testimony? Quakers oppose war as a means of resolving international conflicts and yet we take for granted that armed people police our streets and enforce our laws. Come for the beginning of a conversation digging more deeply into the peace testimony, considering if we might be called to a different understanding of armed police. Betsy Raasch-Gilman (Twin Cities Meeting) and Gail Irish will facilitate the exploration. Zoom host, Stephen.

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Keitha Herron – speaker; care of meeting, Lolly Lijewski; zoom host, Stephen.

Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Friday for the link to worship and mid-morning program in October.

THINGS TO KNOW

Feel led to offer a message or a reading during semi-programmed worship? Ministry and Counsel Committee (M&C) asks you to contact Bill H or another member of M&C. M&C is also looking for closers for both the 9AM and 11:15AM worships. Acting as a closer is a ministry of service for the meeting.

The meeting approved installing a new audio/video system in the meetinghouse to make worship and gatherings accessible to those who cannot attend in person. Thanks to the generosity of Friends, we have earned all the matching funds available for a total of $21,000 contributed so far! You may still contribute to the new system, allowing existing MFM funds to be used elsewhere. Make checks out to MFM Trustees with A/V system in the memo line. Thank you – to the anonymous donor and everyone else – for your commitment to making this possible!

OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: Spiritual Nurture Groups – Deepening Our Connection to Each Other and to The Divine. Christopher Sammond returns to refresh our practice of whole-hearted listening and to introduce spiritual nurture groups. Ministry and Counsel Committee will help form spiritual nurture groups, for those interested, for the coming year.

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 Oct.

Join Lectio Divina at 11:25AM on Wednesdays. We will hold a short reading from the Bible, Quaker, or other spiritual text to see if and how it might speak to us today. We have been schooled to study for information. In Lectio we study for insight – we open ourselves to Spirit and allow the text to speak to our life and times. Followed by a time of worship sharing. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon the preceding Friday or contact Stephen for the link.

Come meet the new Quaker Voluntary Service Fellows! Enjoy opportunities to chat and some fun interactive online games, bringing the new Quaker Voluntary Service Fellows and the wider Quaker community together. Prepare your favorite snack to enjoy and bring a willingness to get a little silly Nov 6, 7-9PM! RSVP helpful but not required: Mary Ellen. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org for the link.

Quaker Voluntary Service Fellows have a program day together every-other Fri. Local Friends are asked to provide (vegan) lunch for seven (with a gluten-free option for one) on Oct 29th. Sign up with Miranda miranda(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)quakervoluntaryservice.org.

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 to queries based on short readings. JOIN HERE; password, email: BobFisher(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)QuakerCenter.org
~ Friends Committee on National Legislation every Wednesday at 4:15PM (CT) unprogrammed worship and reflection; register here or join at fcnl.org/ww-stream.
~ Global meeting for worship is offered every Wed, 1 PM (CT). Contact office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to be put in touch.
~ Worship Sharing with Quaker Earthcare Witness, Oct 27, 7-8:15PM – Join with Friends from across North America – a brief introduction, review worship sharing guidelines, present a questions on which we’ll be reflecting, break out into small groups, and then gather after about 45 minutes for closing thoughts and sharing. Register here.

Friends for a NonViolent World’s annual Holiday Fair will be upon us before you know it! This year it will be held at the Friends School of MN, Dec 3 – 4. Help with items to sell at the Fair! Donate baked goods, soups, crafts, Quaker Treasures and silent auction items. You can also donate a service you’re willing to provide! Sign up here . Also needed – help contacting businesses to donate goods or services to sell. Here is a link for a Holiday Fair business donation letter you can use.

Threshing Session for Northern Yearly Meeting (NYM) Doctrine of Discovery minute, Thurs, Nov 11, 6:30 – 8:30PM. Contact office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Thurs for the link. NYM approved creating a subcommittee in 2020 to explore the Doctrine of Discovery undertaken in response to a request from a United Nations standing committee of Indigenous Peoples. The Doctrine of Discovery subcommittee invited the yearly meeting to consider a minute (here) that they drafted. Outstanding questions include: If we support the idea of reparations, what does this means for Northern Yearly Meeting? If our legal system and economy is built on the DoD and we repudiate that, what are the consequences? If we’re moving toward a different relationship with Indigenous peoples, what does land use look like? Click Doctrine of Discovery Resources for supporting resources.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

A For the Future: Stop Line 3 Rally will be Fri, Oct 29th, 3PM at Concorida and Lexington Aves in St. Paul (across from Central HS). Sponsored by International Indigenous Youth Council, Fossil Free Future, and Indigenous Roots. RSVP on FB here.

2021 Overcoming Racism Virtual Conference, Fri, Nov 12th, 8AM – 4:45PM and Sat Nov 13th, 9AM – 3:45PM. More here. Volunteers are being recruited; all volunteers are able to attend the conference for free. Registration is now open at this link.

OFFICE HOURS

Carolyn VandenDolder, the Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office Wed and Thurs 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).