December 19, 2021

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

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

10:15 – 11:00 Leo’s story. Hussein (Leo) Khooshan, a recent graduate of Scattergood Friends School, comes from Kabul, Afghanistan. He has lived and worked among Quakers for the last four years, and lived with the Rick and Carolyn this past summer. He was joined by his brother, Hassan, in early August, shortly before Kabul fell to the Taliban. Leo and Hassan are now living in Ottawa, aided by Ottawa Meeting. They have family remaining in Kabul, targeted by the Taliban. Hear Leo’s story and about the work being done by Leo and Friends in Canada and the mid-west to get his family from Kabul to safety in Canada. Zoom host, Bill

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Terry Hokenson – speaker; care of meeting, Sue Kearns; Zoom host, Sandy

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

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Every winter, Minneapolis Meeting takes a special collection, outside the regular operating budget, to benefit organizations approved at monthly meeting. To contribute, make checks out to Minneapolis Meeting with “Winter Gift” in the memo line. This year’s Winter Gift will be equally divided between three recipients:

~ The Golden Rule Peace Boat Project – the Golden Rule Peace Boat is the first boat to engage in environmental direct action in the world. In 1958, it was sailed by four Quaker men toward the Marshall Islands to prevent atmospheric nuclear weapons testing. It is sailing again! In 2022, the Golden Rule will begin “The Great Loop,” the voyage taking over a year and will include visiting 75 cities, including locations of nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons production facilities. The crew and the journey itself will raise awareness about the continuing dangers of nuclear power, and the poisoning of the air, water and soil from the entire nuclear cycle, from uranium mining to the disposal of nuclear waste.

~ Minneapolis Division of Indian Works, youth and family programming – The Division of Indian Works has a number of programs to support and nurture Native youth and families – grounding youth in culture and life skills and supporting healthy families. This gift would be a small step toward nurturing Native communities after centuries of European work to destroy them. (Pending monthly meeting approval – this is a change from the original recommendation which designated the Family Spirit Program only. That program is actually funded by the MN Department of Health and requires no additional support.)

~ Under the Same Sun – Every day in Sub-Saharan Africa, people with albinism face intense discrimination – denied access to basic services; many husbands desert their wives when they give birth to a child with albinism; parents’ superstitions may lead them to completely abandon or even kill their newborns; well-meaning but fearful parents may lock away their children with albinism, isolating them from making friends, going to school and living a normal childhood; adults are shunned and passed over for jobs; some are attacked and killed for their body parts, sold to witchdoctors who use them to make good luck charms and potions. Under the Same Sun works to raise awareness of what albinism is, offers support and protection for people with albinism, empowers them through education and job training skills, and works to create a society where the days of discrimination are but a memory.

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: Share your Favorite Quaker Words or Passages. Reflect anew on the words of wisdom you’ve relied upon over the years while allowing those newer to Quakerism to glimpse some of the pearls given to the Society of Friends.

There is mid-week worship every Wed night, 7PM. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Wed for the link.

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 one another? Email John with interest.

New Years Day party! Zoom in at 2PM on January 1st. (Link next week.) This event will feature Zelda, the amazing fortune teller, games, and frivolity . Bring a joke or puzzle to share. Sponsored by Care and Counsel Committee

Northern Yearly Meeting will offer an all-NYM first day school opportunity on Sun, Jan. 16, 10–11AM. Watch for details. If you’re interested and you haven’t registered before, email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to be put in touch with the NYM Youth Coordinator.

SMALL GROUPS OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

Join Lectio Divina at 11:25AM on Wed. Hold a reading from the Bible, Quaker, or other text to see how it might speak to us today. Contact Stephen for the link.

Police Reform: what can we do NOW? Series of discussions with speakers, will resume Jan 18 (third Tuesday) at 7:00. 16 Friends are on the list to get the link. PLEASE JOIN by emailing John for the link. Your friends and neighbors are welcome, too.

Experiment with Light groups are now open to new members. There will be a mid-morning program on Experiment with Light, a meditation based on the worship of early Friends, on Jan 2nd. Groups meet once a month. For more or to express interest in participating in EwL at MFM, contact Diane.

IN THE WORLD OF FRIENDS

From Friends Committee on National Legislation: Advocacy Teams will next focus on ending US support for the Saudis in the war in Yemen. The US continues to support the Saudis with intelligence, parts, and maintenance for their bombing campaign. Contact Jim H about how to get involved. FCNL urges immediate support for S.J.Res. 31, a bipartisan measure to block the recently announced sale of $650 million in new weapons to Saudi Arabia. Find more 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-Th. 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).