November 28, 2021

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Carol Bechtel; Zoom host, Bill

10:15 – 11:00 A change of pace: Carol Bechtel will present “Healing Creation: How the Planet Heals Us; How We Can Heal the Planet” created by her friend Fran Palmeri in Florida. Come to meditate on the photographs and quotes, and to share your own connections to nature; Zoom host, Marilyn

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): John Cutler – speaker; care of meeting, Ellen Swanson; Zoom host, Marilyn

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

THINGS TO KNOW

Birthdays, as well as many other celebrations, don’t have to be solo affairs! Happy birthday to John S (Dec 1,) Linda C (Dec 5,) David D (Dec 7,) Carolyn V (Dec 14,) Connie A (Dec 18,) Deborah J (Dec 21,) Sandy O (Dec 29,) and Sydney C (Dec 31)! Let Friends acknowledge and celebrate you! Send the month and date of your birth, (no year necessary,) to Judith.

The memorial service for Barbara Coffin, a MFM member since 1950, will be on Sat, Dec 11, 2PM via Zoom. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org for the link. Barbara died November 2nd. She was 101.

Caregivers’ Support Group: if you are a caregiver for a loved one, how about joining a confidential Zoom meeting once a month, to check in and support each other? Email John S. (of Care and Counsel Committee) with interest.

Friends who must visit the meetinghouse or who want to meet on the meetinghouse grounds need to schedule those visits with the office to help avoid conflicts. Please 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 . Mayim Rabim has a couple of events scheduled in December so please plan ahead and coordinate schedules with the office, W-F, before you come.

IN THE MEETING COMMUNITY

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: The Health Care Directive. Lin Butler will talk about the importance and value of creating a health care directive in preparation for the end of life experience.

Loaves and Fishes, TOMORROW, Nov 29th: Join other metro-area Friends, the Ismaili Community and the Mayim Rabim congregation to provide a meal at Holy Rosary Church in S Mpls, 2424 – 18th Ave S. Prepare dinner (2-4:30); pack up and hand out the meals (4:00-6:30,) or clean up (5:15-7.) Fruit donations needed. Covid-19 has created more need and fewer volunteers (and fruit donations,) so your help is needed now more than ever. Email Sue K to sign up for a shift to make sure there is sufficient space or to arrange to drop off fruit. Masks, gloves, and hats required. This remains a COVID risk. Sign up to come if you can on Mon, Nov 29th.

There is mid-week worship every Wed night, 7PM. Email office@minneapolisfriends by noon Wed for the link.

There will be no Lectio Divina this Wed, Dec 1st. It will resume Wed, Dec 8th.

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 B.

IN THE COMMUNITY OF FRIENDS

Friends for a NonViolent World’s annual Holiday Fair online ends TODAY (items purchased online can be picked up at the Fair, Dec 3-4); the in-person event it will be held at the Friends School of MN, Dec 3 – 4. There’s still time to donate needed baked goods, soups, crafts, Quaker Treasures, books, and silent auction items. Sign up here to let FNVW know what you’ll be donating and details on how to do it. Want to volunteer? Sign up here. (*Proof of vaccination will not be required for entry to the fair. Masks and social distancing are the safety measures being employed.) For times and to access shopping online, click here.

From Friends Committee on National Legislation:
~ A recently published “Dismantling Racism and Militarism in U.S. Foreign Policy,” co-written by Diana Ohlbaum, FCNL’s senior strategist and legislative director of foreign policy, is now available. Click the link above.
~ FCNL continues to advocate for the repeal of the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force against Iraq. The Senate bill now has 46 bipartisan cosponsors and there is hope it will pass before the end of the year. The House passed a similar resolution.
~ FCNL announced at its recent national meeting that the Advocacy Teams will turn their focus to ending United States support for the Saudis in the war in Yemen. The U.N calls the war the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, as the Saudi forces maintain a blockade of ports that supply Yemen’s fuel and food. The United States continues to support the Saudis with intelligence, parts and maintenance for their bombing campaign. The Twin Cities Advocacy team of FCNL invites Friends and others to join us in lobbying for peace. Contact Jim H.

IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

Interfaith Power and Light is making Mission: Joy available for viewing! This documentary tells of the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu and their joint mission of teaching how to create joy in a world that was never easy for them. They offer neuroscience-backed wisdom to help each of us discover more joy, despite our circumstances. More and register here.

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. (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.

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).