April 17, 2022

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

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

10:15 – 11:00 Open sharing about personal attitudes and experiences of Easter, facilitated by Mid-Morning Program Committee; Zoom host – Bill

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): John Cutler – speaker; care of meeting, Nettie Smith; 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.

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: Listening to Singles. A panel of single Friends will talk about their experiences both in and outside of Meeting. Discussion will follow. Facilitated by the Care and Counsel Committee.

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.

The Mid-Morning Program Committee would like your feedback! Which program topics have you appreciated? Which presentations did you find memorable or helpful for your own spiritual growth? (A list follows the bulletin.) Are there subjects or presenters would you suggest for next year? Send comments and suggestions to: Ellen, Roger, Carol, or Joanne.

FUN WITH FRIENDS Spring flowers show at Como Park Conservatory, Sat, April 23 at 10AM. Tulips and hydrangeas are just what we need while the landscape is still gray, and Friends are just who we need to enjoy them with! Build community and have fun as we explore the Conservatory. Please wear a mask and arrive at 9:50AM. Reservation good for admittance at 10AM only (RSVP David – or Jane.) Free admission. All welcome!

Ruth Bader Ginsberg wrote the majority decision against the Oneida Nation when the Oneida refused to pay property taxes on tribal land it had reacquired through the open market in 1997 and ’98 – land illegally obtained by NY in the early nineteenth century. In March, 2005, Ginsberg wrote, “Under the “doctrine of discovery,” …“fee title to the lands occupied by Indians when the colonists arrived became vested in the sovereign – first the discovering European nation and later the original States and the United States.” The Peace and Social Concerns Committee will show the documentary The Doctrine of Discovery via Zoom on Tues, April 26, 7PM. The Doctrine of Discovery, issued by Pope Alexander VI in 1493, was based on the belief that Christians had a biblical right to discover and dominate non-Christian lands. Come learn more about it and its devastating impact on Indigenous people world-wide. Discussion will follow. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org b the preceding Friday 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.

Registration has begun for Northern Yearly Meeting’s Annual Sessions at this link (via Zoom.) NYM meets over Memorial Day weekend (May 27-30). There are plans underway for a possible IN PERSON Family Camp at the Lion’s Camp in Rosholt, WI over the same weekend. More on both events is available in the Northern Yearly Meeting E-News.

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. 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 .

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

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 a time of worship sharing. Email Stephen for the link.

The Police Reform Group will meet on Tuesday, April 26, 7PM, to meet with Council Member Robin Wonsley Worlobah. Email John S. for the link.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER WORLD OF FRIENDS

VOLUNTEER

Members of Congress are in their districts for their spring recess. Friends Committee on National Legislation suggests that Quakers concerned about climate change and income disparities write or call their Senators and Representatives with their concerns. Congress has not given up on these concerns and will try to advance them in a reconciliation process, which requires only 50 Senate votes. Find more and help contact your Congresspeople at: https://fcnl.quorum.us/campaign/37304/?utm_source=fcnlaction

Friends School Plant Sale – Volunteers still needed: FriendsSchoolPlantSale.com/volunteer / (651) 621-8930. The Plant Sale will be held May 6-8 at the State Fair Grandstand. Volunteers shop early! To sign up to feed volunteers: click here. To see the catalogue online, go to FriendsSchoolPlantSale.com.

Friends for a NonViolent World will host a Walkathon fundraiser to support FNVW’s programs teaching alternatives to violence and championing a foundation of nonviolence upon which to build a society that respects the dignity of every human being. Sat, May 21, Lake Nokomis, Mpls, 9:30AM – 12:30PM. More at: Walkathon Sign Up and Pledge Form.

WORKSHOPS, FILMS, RETREATS, PROGRAMS, PRESENTATIONS

Friends School of MN’s Friends Gathering for Racial Justice and Community will be April 21, 6:30PM at the school, 1365 Englewood Ave, St Paul, MN 55104. All-school musical performances, art, exhibits, a bake sale (bring cash!) and more!

American Friends Service Committee will offer a webinar, Community Safety Beyond Policing: Gun violence and community safety on Thurs, April 21, 7-8:45PM (CT). In the face of rising gun violence, how has or should the movement to divest from policing and invest in community? Register here.

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.

Friends With Nature meets on fourth Saturdays for a walk in a local natural area or a Zoom conversation. Nerd out about nature, with spiritual interjections as Spirit lead; April 23. FFI – email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon the preceding Friday.

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.

The Minnesota Council of Churches has commenced a program on Minnesota’s Racial Legacy. The first session, Finally Telling the Truth, is now available to watch / read online: http://www.mnchurches.org/what-we-do/minnesotas-racial-legacy. The intention for the 10-year truth and reparations program mentioned in the introduction can be found here.

Mixed Blood Theatre is offering a new play 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/

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).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mid-Morning Programs in the past year

2021 September 19: The Spiritual Practice of Seeing that of God in Everyone – With our country being divided, it can be hard to talk to people who have a different point of view, much less to see that of God in them. Karen Tibbals will share her own journey and how recent psychology research can contribute to a spiritual practice of learning to see that of God in others in the midst of a disagreement.
Karen is the former co-clerk of Rahway Plainfield Monthly Meeting in New Jersey and a graduate of Earlham School of Religion. She holds a traveling minute for this work from her meeting and has been doing presentations at various Quaker meetings and regional gatherings. She is also the author of two books.

September 27: Golden Rule Peace Boat – Come hear a brief history of the Golden Rule Peace Boat, started by four Quakers in 1958, and restored by Veterans For Peace and Quakers. Presenter, Helen Jaccard, (from Northern California,) will discuss what activists are doing today to stop the possibility of nuclear war and radioactive contamination from the rest of the nuclear chain.

October 3: Friends School of MN – Return and Renewal: Rebuilding Community and Building Connections – Head of School, Joe Mueller, will share efforts to bring the school community back together after a crazy year, as well as efforts to grow the school’s presence in the wider community. Canceled due to illness.

October 17: Growing Up Connected – Come hear F(f)riends share their memories growing up in Quaker and other faith traditions. What can we model? What mistakes can we avoid as we explore how to best nurture young Friends’ spiritual journeys. Facilitated by the Care and Counsel Committee.

October 24: Where Do the Police Fit into our Peace Testimony? – Quakers oppose war as a means of resolving international conflicts. Some of us go as far as refusing to pay taxes for the war machine. And yet we take for granted that armed people police our streets and enforce our laws. How are these things different? Join us for the beginning of a conversation digging more deeply into our own peace testimony. Might we be called to a different understanding of armed police? Betsy Raasch-Gilman (Twin Cities Meeting) and Gail Irish will facilitate the exploration.

October 31: 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. Ministry and Counsel Committee will offer to help form spiritual nurture groups, for those interested, for the coming year.

December 5: Healing Creation: How the Planet Heals Us; How We Can Heal the Planet – 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;

December 19: 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.

December 26: Share your Favorite Quaker Words or Passages – Reflect on the words of wisdom you’ve relied upon over the years and allow those newer to Quakerism to glimpse some of the pearls given to the Society of Friends.

2022 January 2: Experiment with Light: A Quaker Meditative Practice – Daniel Mudd (Pima Meeting, Arizona) and Diane Barrett (MFM) will converse about what Experiment with Light is, personal experiences and reflections, groups at MFM (Diane), the North American Light Network (Daniel) and more. Those attending will be invited to join the conversation as
well.

January 16: Let’s play! – Alternatives to Violence facilitators will lead us in some fun games and exercises as we explore ways to bring lightness to ourselves and our meeting

January 23: My Journey – Roland Barrett will share some things about himself, his spiritual journey, and his Quaker identity.

January 30: Yemen – Friends Committee on National Legislation is again focusing on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the United States’ role in supporting the Saudi Arabian war there.

February 6: The Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice – Participants in this MFM group will briefly describe the work they are doing and will share stories that have come out of this work. There might also be some exercises and questions for those who attend. Presenters: Jimbo Lovestar, Nettie Smith, Peter Wragg, John Stuart, and Mary Jean Port.

February 20: Minneapolis Police Reform – A group of Friends has been working on police reform issues for a year and have met with many city officials. We will report on that experience and our plans for 2022.

February 27: Friends School of Minnesota – Return and Renewal: Rebuilding Community and Building Connections – Head of School, Joe Mueller, will share efforts to bring the school community back together after the first year of COVID, as well as efforts to grow the school’s presence in the wider community.

March 6: Preparation and Discernment – Come hear about the preparation and discernment processes used for worship by some Friends, including Roger Miller, Jeannette Raymond, and Carolyn VandenDolder. There will be time for questions.

March 20: Nonviolent Peaceforce in the Twin Cities: Hope for our Future – Following the call of activist and organizers to reimagine community safety, lessons learned in protection work in the Global South are being applied in the context of the United States. Grounded in the strengths and needs of local community partners, NP is building relationships with community members, leaders, and organizations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to identify gaps and approach safety and security from a holistic perspective. Our work is informed by understanding what communities need to feel safe and secure—to feel affirmed and a sense of belonging— which includes and goes beyond physical safety. Marna Anderson and William Wallace will speak about their experience with this international turned local organization.

March 27: At the time of a death: How the Meeting can help – The Death and Memorial Committee will describe its role and the ways that each of us can prepare ourselves and our families for that time of decision-making.

April 3: My Spiritual Journey with Gib Pellet

April 17: Quakers and Easter – Open sharing about personal attitudes and experiences of Easter

April 24: Listening to Singles – A panel of single Friends will talk about their experiences
both in and outside of Meeting. Group discussion will follow. Facilitated by the Care and Counsel Committee.