September 5, 2022

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

10:00 – 11:00 AM meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Carol Bechtel; Zoom host – Mary

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

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Students and teachers who are returning to school and their families; especially those students starting in new environs.
The new Minneapolis – St. Paul Quaker Voluntary Service Fellows, Robie and Elsa, as they begin their service year.

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

HEADS UP! We have two more Sundays of the summer schedule. The school year schedule will begin on September 18th: 9AM, worship (unprogrammed); 10:15AM, mid-morning program; 11:15AM, worship (semi-programmed).

It’s past time for a new directory! Please respond promptly to emails asking for information confirmation. If you’re a regular attender, new to Meeting, and want to have your information included, please fill out a form on the table by the elevator or send to office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org. Personal contact information is used for Meeting communication only and is not shared with those outside the community.

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

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 any member 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.

The new Quaker Voluntary Service Fellows arrived in Minneapolis on Thursday! Area Friends bring meals to the house to support the Fellows as they adjust to their new space, new housemate, new workplace, and new city. Can you bring dinner for the two new Fellows, Robie and Elsa, (vegetarian or pescatarian,) delivered to the house on Sept 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th? Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to be put in touch with the Local Support Committee.

Fall Together at Fish Lake, Sat, Oct 8th: The Fall Together Committee is planning a mostly outdoor gathering of vaccinated Friends at Fish Lake Regional Park on Sat, Oct 8 from 11AM – 5PM if there is sufficient interest. Would you attend? On the tentative schedule: worship, a scavenger hunt, hiking/biking, and other fun activities. Fish Lake is beautiful and inviting, and it would be lovely to share time with each other, enjoying the park. Children warmly welcome. We’ll be outside much of the time, weather permitting. The gathering would move inside the Pavilion, if needed. The last portion of the afternoon is planned for inside. The committee is happy to move forward with the event if there is enough interest. Please contact Ed by Sun, Sept 18 if you would plan to come.

The Golden Rule Peace Boat, which we learned about at a mid-morning program last September, will be launched nearby this coming autumn! The historic Golden Rule sailboat will set sail to raise awareness about the growing danger of nuclear war and actions we can take to prevent it, beginning its epic 11,000 mile Great Loop Voyage in Stillwater, MN before heading downstream to New Orleans and beyond. Minneapolis Meeting will host a potluck picnic to meet and encourage the crew on Sept 18th, at the rise of second worship, (around 12:30,) at Linden Hills Park (one block north of the meetinghouse on York Ave.) Lovely weather guaranteed. Questions, contact Jim L.
Bid the Golden Rule Peace Boat a bon voyage at an Open Boat and potluck picnic in the park, Sept 25th, 1-4PM, at Crosby Farms Regional Park, 2595 Crosby Farm Rd, St. Paul. The Golden Rule will be docked a five-minute walk away at Watergate Marina, 2500 Crosby Farm Rd. The Golden Rule sets sail for Red Wing on Sept 26th! For a list of other events, see http://www.vfpgoldenruleproject.org/

The Northern Yearly Meeting Interim Session will be at Minneapolis Meeting Oct 28-30. Area Friends are working to coordinate hospitality. Please email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org if you are willing to:
a. serve as the hospitality contact: match visitors with hosts, taking into consideration pet/food allergies, physical limitations, bed size needs, etc. Hosts should provide their address and any directions needed to help the guest arrive at the household, which will be after the rise of the Friday evening program, around 9PM.
b. generate a list of host households – might involve making phone calls to likely hosts – noting pet status, accessibility of home, ability to accommodate food needs, number of guests welcome, bed configuration, etc.
c. connect the houseguests to hosts: set deadlines for requests of hospitality; make sure that all visitors know who their
hosts are, well in advance of the Interim Session; attend the Friday evening session with a list of hosts and addresses and help make connections. (A substitute attender can serve this function.)

Please remember to schedule committee meetings, events, and visits to the meetinghouse with the office to help avoid conflicts: 612-926-6159; office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org . Masks are worn in common spaces of the meetinghouse – hallways, stairways, etc.

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

Established writers and dabblers will have an informal writing session tomorrow night, Sept 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 D with questions or interest.

Interested in gardening? Meeting gardeners (currently Clifford G, Betsy S, 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.

Fun With Friends: Come and enjoy the SELBY AVE JAZZ FEST together in St. Paul on Sat, Sept 10! Meet at 11AM to have lunch, (BYO bag lunch or purchased from a food truck – great BBQ available!,) in front of the main stage (on Selby Ave near Milton) and we’ll watch the illustrious Tom Wells and his band lead off the event. Bring a lawn chair. For more about parking or any other questions, email Jane or call David.

OPPORTUNITIES AMONG FRIENDS

American Friends Service Committee: Restorative justice is based on the philosophy that we are all interconnected, that we live in relationship with one another, and that our actions impact each other. AFSC is offering a three-session webinar – Sept 6, 13 and 20, 6-7:30PM(CT) – on restorative justice as part of our Community Safety Beyond Policing trainings. Participants will develop an understanding of restorative justice and its practices, and how to strengthen our communities through accountability. Register here.

Northern Yearly Meeting plans retreat for First Day School providers: the NYM Children & Youth Committee is considering a one day in-person regional FDS retreat for teachers and program coordinators. Tentative timeline is a late Sept / early Oct Sat, 10AM – 4PM. During our time together we’ll take stock, share challenges, ideas and resources; and network with each other as we seek to rebuild our Meeting/Worship group’s programs for children, youth and families. The gathering will be at the meetinghouse in Stevens Point. We’re going to keep arrangements simple with a potluck and/or bring your own lunch. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org with interest and your name will be sent to the coordinator.

Friends for a NonViolent World offers an online Alternatives to Violence Project workshop, Fri, Sept 23 – Sun, Sept 25th. You’ll discover your power to build safer communities and transform conflict and frustration in your life – all in the context of a supportive community. For more about AVP and to register, click here.

Follow-up to the Quaker Call to Action: The coming election cycle might bring social volatility. Quakers are hosting “CONNECT TO ACTION” Zoom sessions with trusted partners who will offer you immediate opportunities for concrete action on a local or regional basis. The first session is on Election Protection with Steve Wanczyk of Protect Our Election (https://www.protectourelection.com/) and Sonja Murray of Voter Protection Pros (https://www.vopropros.com/) THIS Tues, Sept 6, 6-7:30PM (CT). Register here; a Zoom link will be sent the day before the session.

Friends General Conference seeks widespread input around revisioning the annual Gathering, in existence for 120 years. Learn more about this process on the FGC web site at this link; see focus group options and register at this link.

Planning has already begun for the 2022 Friends for a NonViolent World Holiday Fair Fundraiser! Start gathering items to sell at the fair this winter! Handmade crafts, donated services, used books, Quaker treasures, desserts, donated items from local businesses. Sign up here to help. Interested in being on the Planning Committee? Contact leah(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fnvw.org.

OFFICE HOURS – Wed, Thurs and Fri, afternoons. Bulletin deadline, noon, Thurs. Phone messages checked each day; email checked Wed, Thurs, and Fri.

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WORSHIP WITH THE WIDER WORLD OF FRIENDS

~ Quakers Of Kyiv, Ukraine / Квейкери Києва, given power and internet, invite Friends worldwide to join them for worship Sundays at noon (CT) (8PM their time) Link here; ID: 829 8497 8940; Passcode: 586154. Check for updated information at fb.com/QuakersKyivUkraine .

~ Friends House in Moscow daily worship with a concern for Ukraine, 11AM (CT) Click here to go to online worship ; ID: 416 500 5614; Passcode: 182805

~ Friends General Conference hosts a weekly worship, Sat nights, 8PM: https://forms.gle/GgqEva4KUf4eHFo1A For other opportunities, see: https://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/online-worship-opportunities

~ Pendle Hill Study and Retreat Center has daily worship, M-F, 7:30-8:10 AM (CT): https://pendlehill.zoom.us/j/432071090?pwd=aU5OOWk4ZGJkcWNUbzI5TXdjdVpSdz09

~ Quaker Voluntary Service worship Tues and Thurs mornings, 10:30-11AM (CST): https://zoom.us/j/5702463400; password, “worship”

~ Ben Lomand Quaker Center (California) meeting for worship daily 9:30 – 10AM. Instructions and to join visit http://www.chatzy.com/frame/QuakerCenter

~ Quaker Center in California has a Wed worship sharing at noon (CT) with Friends from around the world responding queries based on short readings. JOIN HERE; password, email: BobFisher(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)QuakerCenter.org

~ Quaker Earthcare Witness and Friends General Conference fourth Thursdays, 7PM (CT) – worship share in small groups, respond to queries, explore our experiences, and share. Register here. Come for spiritual support and connection for those engaged in environmental work and witness.