July 3, 2022

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM
TODAY

10:00 – 11:00 AM meeting for worship (unprogrammed): Jane Downes, care of meeting; Zoom host – Marilyn Johnson (text or phone: 612-227-5311)

Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Friday for the link to worship in July.

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

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

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING 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.

Monthly meeting for business is next Sunday at 11:00. Come be part of the process.

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!! Your help is needed! Come to the Pergola Painting Party on Sat, July 9th at 10AM. Ladder-holders, roller and brush-cleaners, paint bucket and tray-refillers, masking off, drop-clothers and brush and roller-wielders – all are needed and welcome! Mostly outside, bring a mask to venture inside. Rain date is Sat, July 16, 10AM.

Ministry and Counsel Committee (M&C) asks individuals who feel led to share a prepared message or a reading during semi-programmed worship, to contact John C. or other members of M&C. M&C is also looking for closers for both worships. Serving as a closer is a ministry of service to the meeting.

People who are interested and willing to learn the new AV system at the meetinghouse are now being sought. Let Terry K. or Roger M. know if you are interested.

Air quality at the meetinghouse UPDATE: As the Property Committee reported at June’s monthly meeting, it has followed the CDC guidelines for improving air quality in the meetinghouse as part of keeping people safe(r) during COVID. This work was done as part of a layered approach which includes the other protocols we already have in place. The volume of fresh air flowing through the heating / cooling system has been increased by adding another piece of equipment, since opening doors and windows has its drawbacks. The fresh air in the two west furnaces and in the heat exchanger has been increased as much as possible. The standard filters previously used have been replaced with polarized filters. The efficiency of those filters is now 97%+ and includes particles as small as .01 micron (smaller than viruses and the aerosols which transmit them.) Be aware that viruses in the air are not removed until a filter stops them. This could take as little as a few minutes or as long as an hour.

Save the date: Quaker Voluntary Service will share a summary of the feedback from a recent survey as well as research conducted on generational trends, economic and environmental analysis, and conversations with stakeholders, which begin to suggest the current dip in enrollment. Opportunities to connect, interact, and contribute, please tune in Tues, Jul 12, 2022 6PM(CT,) and share your thoughts and guidance. Register here.

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

Fun with Friends – an evening of music with Tom Wells, his Selby Avenue Brass Band, and vocalist Thomisina Petrus – TONIGHT (July 3) from 7-8:30PM. Come for some exciting jazz and warm camaraderie in the Crocus Hill neighborhood of St. Paul, (829 Lincoln,) where they cordon off the street for one block to create seating. Bring a lawn chair. Free with passing a bucket for donations. For more, contact David or Jane.

Interested in gardening? Meeting gardeners (currently Clifford, Betsy, and Rae Beth) meet at 6PM on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, June – Sept, at the meetinghouse. Come when you can for satisfying fun playing in the dirt, fabulous people and lots of laughs. Questions? Contact Clifford.

The Writing Group will meet Mon, July 11th, 7-9PM (NOTE THE DATE CHANGE.) 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.

OPPORTUNITIES AMONG FRIENDS

WORKSHOPS, FILMS, RETREATS, PROGRAMS, PRESENTATIONS

A group of Friends is coordinating a national conversation to encourage and help enable Friends to: 1) defend truth in an age of the persistent lie; 2) work for true equity and justice for all; 3) promote free and fair elections; 4) prepare for nonviolent resistance against further erosion of political, economic and social structures that safe-guard individual rights and the rule of law. The initial conversations, hosted by Earlham School of Religion, will be Mon, July 25, 6-8PM (CT) or Sun, July 31, 2-4PM (CT). For more and to register, go to quakercall.net/ Steering Committee membership includes: Joe Volk, Executive Secretary Emeritus, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Gretchen Castle, former General Secretary Friends World Committee for Consultation, World Office and Dean of Earlham School of Religion, and Diane Randall, former General Secretary of Friends Committee on National Legislation.

Registration for Friends for a NonViolent World’s People Camp (Aug 7-13) ends July 24! 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. Workshops include: “Cultural Organizing for Climate Justice in the North;” “Strategies for Nonviolent Action;” “From Blame into Mourning into Love-based Action;” and “Mini AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project) Training.” More here.

VOLUNTEER

From Friends for a NonViolent World and Showing Up for Racial Justice, Twin Cities – Police Accountability: A recent report from the MN Justice Research Center cites the Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board as a resource for holding police accountable for excessive use of force and other violations of their sworn duties. The proposed new standards better define the ways police officers can be held accountable for personal and professional behavior, assuring that police licenses can be revoked for misconduct. To put these standards into effect, they need support from the public. Submit written comments on the proposed rules by Wed, July 20. Identify the portion of the proposed rules you are addressing, cites your reason for the commenting, and suggest changes. Comments should be emailed to POSTrules.POST(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)state.mn.us. The MN Justice Research Center will put a toolkit on its website soon.

From Friends for a NonViolent World – Gun Safety: Call your representative and encourage them to support a Senate vote on HR 8 -The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 and HR 1446 – The Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021. Click here for info on reaching your Senator.

Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) asks for your support and advocacy:
1. for the Yemen War Powers Resolution in the House of Representatives. With critical help from the US—including ongoing maintenance and logistical support for warplanes conducting airstrikes—the Saudi-led coalition’s seven-year war in Yemen has killed nearly 400,000 Yemenis and has created famine and acute food insecurity among 19 million people. More at this link.
2. to urge your US legislators to co-sponsor the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the U.S. Act. The act would establish the first formal commission in U.S. history to investigate and document the policies and practices of 367 federally-sponsored, faith-run institutions from the 1860s through the 1960s. This includes assimilation practices, attempted termination of cultures and languages of Indigenous peoples, and human rights violations. Read more here. For easy access to your representatives, click here.
3. support legislation for Extreme Risk Protection Orders as a first step to reducing gun violence. More at this link.
4. Other opportunities for action can be found at https://fcnl.quorum.us

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

ACTION, (A Commitment to Inclusion in Our Neighborhoods – a three-year program of the MN Council of Churches,) is looking for congregations to participate in the coming year’s cohort. Over the three years, congregations join with other people of faith to learn, experience, and grow in attitudes around race and intercultural competency, exploring how the present situation of racial injustice came to be, what our current climate of life and faith are, and looking for tools to be in solidarity with those on the margins. Learn more here . Watch an information session that featured ACTION alumni.

Join the Plastic-Free July Movement! Find out more about the campaign at https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/

OFFICE HOURS

There will be no regular office hours until July 14. The deadline for the July 10 bulletin is noon, Thurs, July 7th. Send items to office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org.