April 3, 2022

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Jane Downes; Zoom host – Tom

10:15 – 11:00 My Spiritual Journey – Gib Pellet; Zoom host – Stephen

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Frank Bacon – speaker; care of meeting, Dave Bostrom; Zoom host – Stephen

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

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

People around the world who are suffering from conflict, racism, colonialism, displacement, loss, and the climate crisis, and all those who are aiding victims and the dispossessed.

New meeting committees and committee clerks as we begin a new year of learning, service, and knowing one another.

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Monthly meeting for business is next Sunday, 9:45-11:15. On the agenda: recipient of the voluntary carbon tax fund; hybrid worship update; care for children and youth update.

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.

Care and Counsel Committee is making a list of those who, on occasion, would be able to bring meals or offer rides to those in need. No obligation, just let us know if we can contact you as needs come up. Email or phone Nettie, C&C clerk, if you’d like to be on the list.

The Mid-Morning Program Committee would like your feedback about mid-morning programs this year. Which topics have you appreciated? Which presentations did you find memorable, or helpful for your own spiritual growth? (A list of programs is available from office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org. Response this week might be delayed a few days.) As we plan for the 2022-23 year, what subjects or presenters would you suggest? Please send comments and suggestions to: Ellen, Roger, Carol, or Joanne.

Join Lectio Divina at 11:25AM on Wednesdays. Hold a short reading from the Bible, Quaker, or other spiritual text to see if and how it might speak to us today. Followed by worship sharing. Contact Stephen for the link.

Resources for Seniors: Linda H has researched county and state programs that help seniors with a lot of life activities. If you want to see the materials, email John S.

Northern Yearly Meeting Budget Threshing: Please come to assist NYM in discernment about the budget and how it reflects NYM’s commitment to racial justice. NYM Finance Committee clerk Cynthia Bartoo will describe what has been done so far: specifics on the organizations to which we contribute (regarding, their anti-racist stance); review of the current donations budget, with some considerations within that; values or priorities exploration as a basis upon which to make decisions. How do we become an anti-racist organization? April 18, 7PM. Contact office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon April 13th for the link.

HEADS UP: The Meeting Coordinator will not be in the office Wed and Thurs this week.

HEADS UP: CenterPoint will be doing extensive work in the neighborhood to replace natural gas lines starting April 4. Navigating streets and parking near the meetinghouse might prove more challenging than often.

SMALL GROUPS OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

The Writing Group will host an informal writing session this Mon, April 5th, 7-9PM. This is a chance to connect with each other, writing with prompts and sharing what we write. ALL INVITED, whether or not you have participated before! Contact Jane with questions or interest.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER WORLD OF FRIENDS

VOLUNTEER

Quaker Voluntary Service has two program Fridays each month. Could you provide a vegan lunch for seven (and one gluten-free option) on April 15 or April 29? Sign up with Miranda, QVS Local Coordinator: miranda(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)quakervoluntaryservice.org . THANK YOU, Friends, for this gesture of care and support.

Submit creative artistic work and writing, including personal reflections and articles about your work and experiences as Quakers, to the Northern Yearly Meeting Journal, nymjournal(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com. April 11 is the deadline for the Spring Issue. The winter edition of the NYM Journal can be found here.

Friends School Plant Sale – signing up to volunteer has begun: FriendsSchoolPlantSale.com/volunteer / (651) 621-8930. The Plant Sale will be held May 6-8 at the State Fair Grandstand. Volunteers are needed! Volunteers shop early! A catalog will arrive in March. To see it online, available March 16, go to FriendsSchoolPlantSale.com.

Friends for a NonViolent World is powered by volunteers! If you are looking to join a team of engaged, passionate people, dedicated to nonviolent social change, check out the many ways YOU can get involved with FNVW! More at https://www.fnvw.org/volunteer

Friends Committee on National Legislation peacebuilding: Over three million refugees have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion nearly a month ago. The United States has responded with over $5.5 billion in humanitarian assistance there. Afghanistan, Yemen, North Africa, and Central America are facing similar crises with far fewer resources and significantly less attention. There are an estimated 84 million people displaced from their homes worldwide, mostly due to conflict and persecution. Ask your representatives in Congress to invest more in supporting local peacebuilders and in training our diplomats to resolve conflicts and prevent them from turning violent. These investments will save lives and avert greater suffering at a far lower cost. Contact FCNL for more information and assistance in reaching out to Congress.

WORKSHOPS, FILMS, RETREATS, PROGRAMS, PRESENTATIONS

The 2022 Friends General Conference Gathering, “. . . and follow me” will be July 3-9, in person and online. Early registration April 11 – 29. Advanced Programs with a list of workshops will be available soon here. Learn more and register for the Gathering on the FGC website. Registration deadline for in-person attendance is June 10.

Early Bird registration for Friends for a NonViolent World’s People Camp (Aug 7-13) is now open. People Camp is an intergenerational experience of cooperation, exploration and community living. Come rest and refresh your mind, body, and spirit through a variety of workshops, group activities and recreation. More here.

American Friends Service Committee final Black Quaker Lives Matter Film Festival film will honor Paul Robeson and his Quaker ancestors, the Bustill-Mapps-Douglass family. “I’m A Negro I’m An American” will be screened April 9th at noon, followed by discussion among researchers, historians, and family members. More and register here .

How Did We Get Here? An Exploration of Ripples from Nineteenth-Century Quaker Parenting, a Pendle Hill first Monday lecture will be offered April 4, 6:30PM (CT) by Emma Lapsansky-Werner. Through the lens of nineteenth-century Quaker families’ parenting, education, and expectations of their children, we will explore some institutional foundations for today’s Quakerism. More and register here.

American Friends Service Committee invites Friends to its Quaker Action for a Just World: 2022 AFSC Corporation Program, April 3-7. Register to hear a panel of Quaker climate activists, workshops on key peace and justice issues, and a keynote address from Winona LaDuke. Learn more and register here.

School of the Spirit Contemplative Retreat, “All Shall Be Well: Contemplation in an Age of Crisis,” will be offered Thur – Sun, April 7-10, at the Siena Center in Racine WI – rich in landscape with beautiful woods, prairie and Lake Michigan shoreline. For more, see: https://www.schoolofthespirit.org/ .

Earlham School of Religion welcomes you to the 2022 Willson Lecture, Reimagining Spirit – Wind, Breath, Vibrations, Sat, April 9, 8-11:30 (CT), with Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Ph.D., Professor of Theology. Find more here.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

Mosques and Islamic Community Centers throughout the Metro area are inviting their neighbors for a traditional Ramadan Iftar, or fast-breaking meal, April 2 – May 2. More and sign up here.

Mixed Blood Theatre has a world premiere play coming up in April called “imagine a u.s. without racism”. The play was born out of 100 interviews with strangers across the 50 United States starting with the prompt, “Imagine a U.S. without racism. The result is a ground-breaking play that offers concrete actions for individuals to greatly dilute the isms that plague America. More at https://mixedblood.com/imagine-a-u-s-without-racism/

The Minnesota Council of NonProfits will offer Collective Healing: Breaking the Cycle of White Supremacy, online, April 29, May 6, and 13, 9:30AM-Noon. Highly interactive, participants will collectively look at how to break the cycle of white supremacy and take practical, sustained action towards equity. Learn to see how white supremacy shows up in people, organizations, systems, and self. In-between sessions, participants will put into practice what they are learning and connect action to personal experience, including their work environment and relationships. Learn more here.

OFFICE HOURS

Carolyn VandenDolder, the Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office on Fri. Phone messages checked daily; email checked on Friday. 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).