Minneapolis Friends Meeting

Minutes of Monthly Meeting for Business

December 12, 2021

Via Zoom

[Names and some information have been edited for publication on the web]

Attendance:  John K – presiding clerk, Tom W – recording clerk, Stephen S – Zoom host, with 40 other participants

1. Period of Silent Worship
2. Agenda was approved after adding request for writers for two memorial minutes
3. November Minutes were Approved Concern was expressed that a Friend had not received the Minutes, although everyone else, apparently, had.  The Minutes are distributed to those on the attendance list from monthly meeting. They are then posted to the Meeting’s web page where anyone can view them; but this occurs later, after the Minutes have been approved.
4. Brief Hybrid Meeting Update – Presiding Clerk /  Roger M  Most of the equipment has arrived and some is being installed. Ellen S is helping to coordinate volunteers to assist with the installation, and more help is still needed. Roger- almost everything has arrived except for the two important wall speakers.  They plan to put the present ceiling speakers to use until the new ones arrive.  Most of the wiring has been installed and is hidden from view. The large monitor screen may take some getting used to. They hope to finish wiring next week, but could use more assistance. Thanks to those who have already helped: Terry K, Ed S, Tom W, Dave B, Tom W and Ellen S. Contact Ellen if you can still help out.  Folks from Mayim Rabim have been involved in the process. Mayim Rabim uses the downstairs more than we do, and there are plans to recycle some of our existing audio equipment downstairs. Roger added that once the equipment is operational we will need two groups of operators- hosts who would be able to run Zoom meetings, even remotely from anywhere, and system operators, who would oversee the equipment, set the controls and make sure everything runs correctly. The goal is to make this work as easily as possible. Once the equipment is set up, we need to test the system and to practice conducting in-person hybrid meetings with a limited number of people. Bill H addressed the need to get more people trained as Zoom hosts. He is disappointed that more haven’t gotten on board with the training to run Zoom meetings. It is nice to have technically savvy individuals, but the learning curve to host Zoom meetings is not that steep. Contact Bill if you are interested in learning how to host. Clerk acknowledged that Meeting had agreed that this is important and we need to make it happen. Friend asked if any decision had been made about hiring someone to operate the system.  Clerk answered that the tech committee, once it has been nominated, will make that decision.  Later in the business meeting, a Friend inquired about the timeline for getting back into the meeting house. Roger said he hopes to have everything wired in the next couple weeks and then they can start testing.  With the exception of the new speakers, everything should be operational, hopefully, by the first week in January. [Roger has revised the timeline due to some unforeseen setbacks. It may now be the second week of January, or later, before the system is operational] Clerk asked if it would go faster if they had more helpers.  Yes, it would!
5. Ministry and Counsel (M&C) Report – Bill H    M&C met on 11.22 and reviewed process for retrieving voice messages on the office phone during the week. Other M&C responsibilities include finding closers for worship services and arranging speakers for semi-programmed meeting for worship. M&C has found it challenging when they send out email or text requests to Meeting membership and they do not always receive responses back. If they are unable to locate someone to speak during semi-programmed meeting, the service will be un-programmed. There will be no Christmas carol sing-a-long this year, but there has been discussion, but no decision, about having a movie on Christmas Eve.  Bill is the M&C contact for mid-week meeting; and committee clerks will be receiving calls from members of M&C to keep everyone up to date.  Discussion: Friend encouraged everyone to consider speaking at semi-programmed meeting for worship.  They found the whole experience of preparing to share to be a rich opportunity to expand their own spiritual life.  Friends Accepted the report. 
6. Committee Reports:
   1. Library Committee and Ad Hoc History will not be reporting this year due to inactivity – Presiding Clerk gave a brief update on history report and explained that, with Covid, not much has happened to include in these two annual reports.  Friend asked whether there had been any borrowing of books from the library.  Carolyn reports that, infrequently, someone will stop by to check out a book. Three copies of Jakob Guanzon’s “Abundance” have circulated, but that was done outside the library. Ellen S. reported that she gave a tour of the building to an interested new attender whose background is in library science, and he was quite impressed with our library.  Friends acknowledged and accepted the absence of formal reports.
   2. Peace and Social Concerns Committee (P&SC) – Winter Gift – Ellen S  [Full report in Attachments]   The report provides in-depth background on all three programs, and P&SC is asking Meeting to approve all three as recipients of the Winter Gift.  The Gift would be divided evenly, between the three programs.
      1. Division of Indian Work’s Family Spirit program
      2. Under the Same Sun – a Christian organization promoting the well-being of individuals with albinism in Africa
      3. The Golden Rule – project of Veterans for Peace that advances, dramatically, opposition to nuclear weapons and to war.
         1. Discussion:  Questioner asked if there is a practice of splitting the Winter Gift between local and national/international organizations.  Friends thought that was the case, that we try to balance the gifts between local and wider interests, but it is not a rule.  That was the reasoning behind selecting a variety of recipients this year. Friend said there is usually one international organization as recipient. Another Friend asked if the Family Spirit program was for the Native American programs in Minneapolis and St Paul.  Jeannette R. thought the funds would go to John Hopkins who distributes the funds locally. She believes these funds are directed to Minnesota Department of Health who provides funding to assist local tribal communities, with some of the tribes selecting Family Spirit. Presiding Clerk asked if Ellen S. and Carolyn V. could research to whom the checks get written and where the money is spent.  Friends were comfortable with this recommendation and APPROVED the Winter Gift being evenly split between three organizations: Division of Indian Work’s Family Spirit Program, Under the Sun, and the Golden Rule.  Friends were reminded to write their checks out to “Minneapolis Friends Meeting”, making sure to designate the donation for the “Winter Gift”.   There was additional discussion on the Winter Gift. Friend feels strongly that a portion of the gift should go to local organizations, and, while it is not clear that will happen this year, they want to make sure that is the case next year.  P&SC had considered giving to Northpoint, again this year, but they understand that there is a limit on repeating gifts to the same organization.  That is why Northpoint was not included in the recommendations this year. John H is on P&SC and he said he would bring these suggestions back to P&SC, and they will put together a working document to guide the Winter Gift selection process next year.  Friend asked for clarification on what is “local” and what is “”state. What is meant by “Twin Cities”? Presiding Clerk indicated this will be up to P&SC to determine.
   3. Committee for memorial minutes: Sue M and Barbara C  Clerk asked for volunteers to take the lead and/or write the memorial minutes.
      1. Barbara C – Barb Z volunteered and Diane B’s name was suggested as a very appropriate co-writer. They were asked to inform the clerk when they were done with the memorial minute.
      2. Sue M– Carolyn V will take the lead on writing the minute, and Jane F’s name was also recommended. Carolyn will reach out to Jane.
         1. Clerk guided the meeting into a period of silent worship, in remembrance of Sue and Barbara.  He mentioned the loss to Meeting of so many elders and key family members who were central to our Meeting back in the 1950’s, 60’s, and even the 90’s, when he joined. They carried forward the personality and the 150 year history of our Meeting and instilled it in us. He misses their weight and their centeredness and is aware that their legacy rests heavy on all our shoulders.  They carried the ball for a long time.  Now, it is our turn.
7. Correspondence:  A Thanksgiving card was received from Reza H who used to attend MFM in the 1990’s.  Friend remarked how nice it is to hear from Friends who used to be involved with Minneapolis Friends.  Carolyn V. reports that memorial gifts in honor of Sue M and Barbara C have been received at the meeting house.
8. Closing Worship

 

Attachments

Peace and Social Service Report: Winter Gift

Every winter, Minneapolis Meeting takes a special collection, outside the regular operating budget, to benefit organizations recommended by the Peace and Social Concerns Committee and approved at monthly meeting. The committee welcomes nominations from all meeting members, before discussing any recommendations.

This year, the Peace and Social Concerns Committee recommends two organizations that were first suggested by meeting members and one suggested by committee members.

The first organization is the Division of Indian Work’s Family Spirit program, which was nominated by The Right Relationship with Indigenous People group. The group described the organization as follow:

“Family Spirit is the largest, most rigorous, and only evidence-based early childhood home visiting program created by the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health to empower families by promoting optimal health and well-being for families and young children. On average there are 52 hour-long visits that can begin at 22 weeks gestation and continue until the youngest child is 3 years old.

“The Family Spirit curriculum was developed by American Indians for American Indian families and has been shown to reduce instances of abuse and neglect as well as addressing behavioral and mental health issues for caregivers and their children. Children who participate in the program have been shown to have greater social and emotional development, which leads ultimately to greater success rates throughout their lifespans. The Family Spirit program lines up well with the Division of Indian Work’s mission to empower American Indian families through culturally based education.

“This program seems a small step toward nurturing healthy Native communities after centuries of European work to destroy it. Minneapolis Meeting has supported the Division of Indian Work’s food shelf for decades, though the link has grown weaker in recent years.”

The second organization, nominated by Susan H, is called Under the Same Sun. This is a Christian charitable organization that promotes the wellbeing of persons in Africa who have albinism. In the U.S., one in 20,000 persons has albinism, while the figure is generally believed to be one in 1,500 in Tanzania, and one in 5,000 to 15,000 in other sub-regions of Africa, according to the BBC. In most African countries, people with albinism are discriminated against due to folklore arising around skin color differences. Many husbands desert their wives when they give birth to a child with albinism because of the stigma that comes with this genetic condition. 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 with albinism are shunned and passed over for jobs. Poverty is rampant.

Under the Same Sun cares for disadvantaged students with albinism, placing them in select boarding schools, where they are protected, integrated, and provided with the tools they need to learn. The organization also runs a summer camp for students with albinism and provides ongoing support in a number of ways.

The third nominee is the Golden Rule, which is a project of Veterans For Peace. The organization aims to advance its opposition to nuclear weapons and war, and to do so in a dramatic fashion.

It has recovered and restored the original peace ship, the Golden Rule, which set sail in 1958 to stop nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands, and which inspired the many peace makers and peace ships that followed.

The reborn Golden Rule is sailing once more, to show that nuclear abolition is possible, and that bravery and tenacity can overcome militarism. In 2022, the Golden Rule will begin “The Great Loop.” The voyage will take over a year and will visit approximately 75 cities, including locations of nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons production facilities.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee intends to distribute the donated Winter Envelope Gift funds equally among the groups approved by the meeting.