October 31, 2021

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

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

10:15 – 11:00 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

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): the query below from Ministry and Counsel Committee will be offered; care of meeting, Nettie Smith

Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Friday for the link to worship and mid-morning program in October. There will be a new link will for the month of November.

Do I apply spiritual discernment in my daily life? (Northern Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice)

THINGS TO KNOW

THANK YOU to Mike! Mike spent countless hours replacing the rotted parts of the pergola at the entrance of the meetinghouse.

Birthdays, as well as many other celebrations, don’t have to be solo affairs! Happy birthday Alberta (Nov 9th,) Jim H and Steve C (Nov 23rd,) Sarah McC, Diane B, and Mary L (Nov 26th,) and Frank (Nov 29th.) Let Friends acknowledge and celebrate you! Send the month and date of your birth, (no year necessary,) to Judith.

Ministry and Counsel Committee (M&C) asks individuals who feel led to share a prepared message or a reading during semi-programmed worship, to contact Bill or other members of M&C. M&C is also looking for closers for both the 9 and 11:15AM worships. Serving as a closer is a ministry of service to 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!

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. Friends are asked to wear a mask in the common spaces of the building – entryway, hallways, stairs, bathroom, etc. 612-926-6159; office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org .

Heads up: Next Saturday night (Nov 6/7), we fall back to Central Standard Time.

OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: Senior Housing in the Twin Cities…five diverse options presented by members of MFM. Coordinated by the Welcoming and Outreach Committee.

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.

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 Stephen for more and 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 – link and RSVP: office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org .

Experiment with Light groups are now open to new members. Groups meet once a month for a meditation based on early Friends’ worship. There are also currently two on-line groups offered by the North American Experiment with Light Network: the first Tues. of the month at 10AM (CT) (abellg33(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com) and the third Tues of the month at 6:30PM (CT) (lightways(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com). Additionally, there are 12-Step groups forming who will practice the Light Meditation (Dan Mudd, lightways(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)g-mail.com ). For more information regarding EwL at MFM contact Diane.

The Writing Group offers a chance to connect with each other, writing with prompts and sharing what we write. ALL INVITED, whether or not you have participated before! The next session will be this Mon, Nov 1st, 7PM. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon the preceding Friday for the link or contact Jane D.

OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH OTHER FRIENDS

Listen to Brent Bill in a Pendle Hill first Monday lecture, TOMORROW, Nov 1, 6:30(CT) – Hope and Witness in Dangerous Times: Lessons from the Quakers on Blending Faith, Daily Life, and Activism. Brent Bill is a life-long Quaker, author, photographer, retreat leader, and writing coach. RSVP for the link at: https://pendlehill.org/learn/workshops-courses-events/event-registration-hope-and-witness-in-dangerous-times-11-01-21/

Join American Friends Service Committee for a virtual meeting to hear from leaders of the Poor People’s Campaign and see how Quakers across the U.S. and AFSC staff can together take action for economic, racial, and gender justice. Thurs, Nov 4th, 5PM (CT). Dr. William Barber II, a plenary speaker at the 2018 Friends General Conference Gathering, is co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign. You can hear his 2018 remarks here.

Threshing Session for Northern Yearly Meeting (NYM) Doctrine of Discovery minute, Thurs, Nov 11, 6:30 – 8:30PM. NYM approved creating a subcommittee in 2020 to explore the Doctrine of Discovery 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. More discernment was deemed necessary before approval. Click Doctrine of Discovery Resources for supporting resources.

The COP26 in Glasgow is the overall decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Quaker events related to COP26 include:
~ Friends World Committee for Consultation is hosting a Young Quakers Sharing event Sun, Oct 31, 9:30AM (CT) For more and to register, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqdO6hpjkuHtRsyB05e0V2KhMYWvLhYhYX
~ Glasgow Meeting in Scotland is hosting worship, Nov 3, 1PM. For more and to request the link, go to http://lovingearth-project.uk/event/caring-for-what-we-love-across-the-world-in-the-face-of-environmental-threats/
~ Glasgow Meeting invites under-35 Quakers and the Quaker curious (aged teens to 35-ish) to worship during COP26 at 12:30PM (CT), Tues, 9th Nov. For more and to register, click here. Glasgow Young Friends look forward to worshiping with other Young Quakers at this important moment!

COMMUNITY EVENTS

A group from Minnesota, including MN Interfaith Power and Light’s executive director, are traveling to COP26 in Glasgow. Hear reports about their experience and how the world is coming together (or not) to address the climate crisis, Nov 9, 7-8PM. More at https://www.mnipl.org/event/un-climate-change-conference-cc-webinar/

Joint Religious Legislative Coalition housing webinar series, first Thursdays of the month through February, 6:30 – 8PM. Are you concerned about those impacted by homelessness, the high cost of rent and the scarcity of affordable or supportive housing and want to understand housing issues from a variety of perspectives? Come to one or more of these monthly in-depth looks at statewide housing issues. (Nov 4 – Homelessness: Understanding Impact, Creating Opportunities; Dec 2 – Racial Equity and Housing; Jan 6 – Special Challenges and Opportunities for Inclusion; Feb 3 – Legislative Solutions and Advocacy.) Register here. For more or to RSVP by email contact Joan at jmiltenberger(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)jrlc.org, 612-230-3232, or through the JRLC website 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 available here.

OFFICE HOURS

Carolyn VandenDolder, the Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office Wed – Fri 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).