Minneapolis Friend Meeting

Monthly Meeting for Business Minutes

September 11, 2022

25 attended in person:   John K – presiding clerk, Tom W – recording clerk, Mary B – Zoom host.  25 attended on Zoom

1. Silent Worship
2. Business Meeting Agenda: APPROVED
3. August Monthly Meeting Minutes: APPROVED
4. Ministry and Counsel (M&C) Report – John C   Beginning September 18^th, music will once again be scheduled before the 2^nd meeting for worship.  Jackie W will be the overall music coordinator and Jane F is the point person to work out the details in playing music from home via Zoom. The Trustees are reviewing the current COVID restrictions on live music and singing in the meeting house.   M&C wants to know what Friends are hungry to hear during meeting for worship. Speakers are still needed for October.  John knows several attenders have expressed interest in speaking.  Let him know if you are so led. John will be taking a brief leave of absence as clerk of M&C next month so he can rehearse and perform a one-man show next month – “Uncle Phillip’s Coat.” Other M&C members will be filling during this time.
5. FNVW Holiday Fair update – Clerk    FNVW has decided to hold the Holiday Fair at the Friends School in St Paul for a second year. Volunteers from Minneapolis Friends are still needed to help with the fair which is held on the first weekend in December.  Discussion: Friend expressed his distress in FNVW’s decision to bypass our meeting house for the second year in a row.  Another Friend is concerned that the change in location did not get advertised in Linden Hills last year and asked how we plan to get the message out this year, since many of our neighbors did not make it to the fair last year.
6. Committee Reports    
   1. Peace and Social Concerns (P&SC)  Annual Report – Deborah J, clerk   [See Attachment one for full report] members: Terry H, Ellen S, Roland B, Jim L, John H      P&SC is an open committee and other meeting members and attenders periodically attend their meetings. Their mission is to coordinate activities that focus on recipients of the Winter Envelope Gift and the carbon tax donation; serve as a clearinghouse for peace and social concerns and to provide support and clearness to those who are moved to action; guide the Meeting in selecting 1-3 focus topics each year and to create events and activities for each chosen topic.
      1. Focus for Sept 2021-Sept 2022 – Bring the Meeting’s Quaker roots in peace building and spirituality into healing racial and economic injustice among existing and immigrant Black, Indigenous and People of Color groups
      2. 2020-2021 Accomplishments:
         1. Coordinated the Winter Envelope Gift – recipients were Division of Indian Work Family Spirit Project, Under the Same Sun, and the Golden Rule peace boat.
         2. Selected recipients for carbon tax donation – the Dream of Wild Health, and the Friends of the Mississippi River. Committee wrote a statement of guidance in selecting fund recipients which the Meeting approved.
         3. Supported a Police Reform Group led by John S
         4. Conducted a food drive for NorthPoint food shelf.
         5. Showed several films via Zoom that dealt with its focus topics.
         6. Supported a talk by Sally S, a Japanese American educator, about her family’s experience in a U.S. Japanese concentration camp during World War II.
         7. Supported the work of the Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice group, which is co-facilitated by Jim L and Nettie S.
         8. Supported the group Toward a Right Relationship with Indigenous People, which is being led by Carolyn V.
      3. Focus for 2022-2023 –  Support Meeting activities that seek to heal the divisiveness in our communities.
      4. Challenges – COVID has prevented the committee from meeting face-to-face.
      5. Upcoming Points of Attention: supporting a potluck for members of the crew of the Golden Rule peace boat in Linden Hills Park, showing the movie “The Best of Enemies” via Zoom in October. Other movies will be shown during the year.
      6. Discussion: Friend asked for a change in the wording of description of the Japanese internment camp to read Japanese concentration camp. Friends ACCEPTED the report with thanks.
   2. Care and Counsel (C&C) Annual Report – Nettie S   members: Sandy O, John S, Judith J, Connie A, Nettie S, clerk      Care and Counsel is the primary contact point for pastoral care in Meeting. While this is a shared responsibility with everyone in Meeting, they facilitate the process. This year they have been meeting their primary mission by facilitating the interaction of many people in Meeting – offering care, counsel and support to members and their families. It has been impressive how many people have offered their special talents in support of our community. It is still the case that individuals are generally more willing to give help than to ask for assistance; however, there has been a shift, and there seems to be more openness in asking for help. A number of individuals have lost family members this year.  C&C has assisted with six clearness committees and they facilitated three mid-morning programs. They maintain a list of those who have ongoing care needs and provide regular follow-up to them, and they maintain a directory of resources for seniors. They led some “Light and Lively’s” and hosted a New Year’s party on Zoom. They strategize with the presiding clerk and work closely with other groups to support one another within the Meeting.  Eight requests were received and granted for $1500 from the COVID Relief Fund. C&C has experienced the impact of aging on its members – more time to do things, but less energy. They, too, are looking for ways to attract young families with children and to draw-in new members; and they are seeking ways to better manage a Meeting community that is split between in-person interactions and the less personal connection provided by hybrid communication.  An upcoming item that Care and Counsel is working on is to design a survey to assess how the committee is doing.  The committee is in its third year of operation. It has been a process of continuing revelation for everyone involved and they are blessed to be in service to God and to the Meeting. Discussion:  Friend remarked how wonderful it was to hear Care and Counsel’s report and the report by Peace and Social Concerns, back-to-back. They reflect the inner and the outer aspect of our community. It is important to take care of ourselves so we can reach out and contribute to the wider society. Another Friend, who was a recipient of the committee’s assistance, expressed his heartfelt thanks.  Friends Accepted the Report.
   3. Welcoming and Outreach Annual Report – Sue K, clerk   members: Jane D, Mary G, Nancy H, Keitha H, Deborah J, Jim L.  Their mission is to help create an open and welcoming community with a particular focus on visitors, new attenders and new members. This year they have been focused on how to build community in a hybrid setting.
      1. Accomplishments this year:
         1. Monitored and updated MFM on Southside Pride Religion Calendar;
         2. Had an article by John S on a Quaker perspective on police reform published in the local newspaper, “Southside Pride”;
         3. Resumed Friendly Meals via Zoom
         4. Used Zoom chat to welcome visitors and provided greeters in the meeting house;
         5. Presented mid-morning programs on the Golder Rule, led by the program’s director, Helen J, who discussed their mission and purpose; and another mid-morning program on senior housing;
         6. Welcomed back the Ice Cream Social;
         7. Welcomed new members with a mid-morning program
         8. Instituted “Fun with Friends” led by Jane and David D.
      2. Challenges: Getting enough volunteers to be Greeters/Welcomers at the meeting house.
      3. Upcoming Points of Attention: to learn more about “Right Sharing of World Resources, to become active with Quaker Earth Witness, and to work toward making the Meeting more inclusive when welcoming visitors.
      4. Discussion: Friend praised the work of the committee and reminded us all to be welcoming of visitors, it is noticed by those visitors and does not take any commitment on a committee.
7. Request Volunteers to write a Memorial Minute for Alice Bell – Clerk    Lin and Jane F volunteered to write the memorial minute.
8. Pride Sticker for the door – Welcoming and Outreach   presenter- Jane   Dana, from Mayim Rabim, has asked us to consider placing a small multi-colored flag sticker, representing inclusion, on the front door. The sticker says “You are welcome here”. Image of the sticker was displayed on the Zoom screen and it includes pink and blue stripes to represent the trans community. It also includes brown and black stripes, to represent LGBTQ people of color, which is a community with additional issues because of intersectionality. It is a flag that many LGBTQ organizations are increasingly adopting because it is more inclusive.   Discussion: Friend agrees with the idea but suggested that the simpler Rainbow Stripe flag might be more appropriate since the sticker we are being asked to approve includes brown and black colors, which, while well intended and supportive of the trans community, may also be divisive in how the colors brown and black can be interpreted. Another Friend remarked that she has no objection to the colors brown or black on the flag. Presiding Clerk recommended that Meeting should have a chance to view an actual image of the Rainbow Strip flag before we make a decision and asked that Welcoming and Outreach run this idea past Mayim Rabim before we take further action.
9. Proposal For a Children and Families Coordinator – Allen G    [See Attachment Two for full description of the proposal]  No decision will be made today. Allen read portions of the proposed job description. He gave some history leading to the creation of the position, highlighting the significant changes that have occurred – retirement of Director of Ministry, Meeting taking on all roles, changes in number of youth and families attending Meeting, outside pressures that compete for time and energy. We have volunteers to work with our youth, but we need a specific individual to coordinate and direct the process, to help us focus on families, youth and the intergenerational life of our community. This is important to the life and sustainability of our Meeting.  Clerk indicated there is not time to give proper attention to this proposal, today. He asked that the proposal be widely distributed and studied. We might need some threshing sessions or separate meetings to dig into this topic over the next few months. Discussion: Where does this proposal come from? From Allen? From Trustees? An ad hoc committee was established to study the issue and to bring a proposal before monthly meeting for business. (the members are: Judith J, Katherine W, Allen G, Evelyn R, Andrea S, Rae Beth C, and Tom W).  Concern was expressed that the school year begins in one week and Meeting has no schedule in place to address the needs of our youth, and the questioner asked where we are with this.  Rae Beth has been trying to connect with our families this Fall and Mary S is also working to connect with families.  It has been a struggle to make it happen.  They feel there is, still, an educational program in place. Mary S and Betsy S are available to work with the younger children, and Rae Beth is prepared to work with older students. While there is a basic structure in place, it has not been entirely clear what is happening. The office needs better guidance on what to tell families about what they can expect. A concern was raised about the potential impact of young children joining the adults during worship service, since we have not experienced this for some time. Another Friend joined with the Clerk in asserting that this is not an issue – it is part of what it means to be a Quaker Meeting. Friend said it is important to figure out what is happening right now, and that we need more individuals to volunteer.  There have not been enough teachers in the past and, even if there is a Children and Families Coordinator, we still need the community to step up and do more.  Clerk indicated that this is a big topic and we will be carrying it forward.
10. Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS) – Meeting Request    Tom W    QVS  is asking MFM to consider hosting a welcoming session for the new QVS interns on October 1, 2022 from 3 – 5PM.  If any food was to be made available it would only occur if they were meeting outside.   Friends APPROVED.
11. There was no Correspondence
12. Special thanks to Carolyn for keeping us afloat.
13. Closing Worship

 

   ATTACHMENT ONE

Annual Committee Report

Peace and Social Concerns Committee

September 11, 2021

Members: Terry H, Ellen S, Roland B, Jim L, John H, Deborah J (The P&SC committee is an open committee and other Minneapolis Friends Meeting members periodically attend meetings.)

 

Mission – The mission of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee is to coordinate activities that focus on these items:

1. Propose recipients of the Winter Envelope Gift and the carbon tax donations.
2. Serve as a clearinghouse for peace and social concerns requests that come to the Meeting.
3. Support and offer (if asked) clearness to groups and individuals who take on peace and social concerns action in the Meeting.
4. Propose the annual budget allocations to the stewardship committee.
5. Help the Meeting select one to three peace and social concerns focus topics for each year and create a Meeting-wide event or activity or action for each of the chosen topics.

Focus for Sept. 2021 to Sept. 2022 – The focus encouraged the Meeting’s roots in Quaker peace building and spirituality to be brought to bear in healing racial and economic injustice among existing and immigrant Black, Indigenous and People of Color groups.

2020-21 Accomplishments

• Coordinated with the Meeting the Winter Envelope Gift recipients. Recipients of last year’s gifts were the Division of Indian Work Family Spirit Project, Under the Same Sun, and the Golden Rule peace boat.
• The committee selected the recipients for the 2020 carbon tax donations. They were: the Dream of Wild Health and the Friends of the Mississippi River. The committee also wrote a statement of guidance of what organizations should be considered as recipients of the funds, which the meeting approved.
• The committee conducted a successful food drive for the NorthPoint food shelf.
• The committee showed several films via Zoom that dealt with its focus topics. Movies shown were The Biggest Little Farm, The Doctrine of Discovery, The Burning Times, and Hmong Pioneers: Honoring the First Wave.
• The committee supported a talk by Sally S, a Japanese American and educator, about her family’s experience in a U.S. Japanese internment camp during World War II.
• The committee supported the operation of a racial justice/police reform group, led by John S. We asked John to describe the group’s accomplishments in the last year. He wrote:
• Our Police Reform Group began monthly meetings in January 2021.
  We realized that police conduct in our city called for us to stand up
  for Quaker Testimonies: Equality, Non-violence, Community, Integrity.
  We also knew we had a lot to learn about our police department and
  its place in city government.
• We met with Mayor Frey, and mayoral candidate Kate Knuth, and nine
  City Council members. And the Chair of the Police Oversight Commission,
  and Acting Chief Huffman and other woman officers. And the Police
  Federation. Each time we told them our concerns and heard theirs.
  People in our group had about ten letters published in the Star-Tribune.
• Right now we are taking a break because we are watching developing news:
  —negotiations between the city and the state Human Rights Department, for
  an agreement to make changes based on their report on police racism
  and violence.
  —actions of the new Public Safety Commissioner.
  —appointment of a new Chief of Police.
  —release of the U.S. Department of Justice report on our police.
  —daily conduct of our police officers.
  We hope for major improvements in accountability, training, diversity,
  and supervision. We are still here and could start meeting again this fall
• The Peace and Social Concerns Committee supported the work of the Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice group, which is co-facilitated by Jimbo L and Nettie S. They wrote that the group addressed the following topics last year:
  • Awareness of the ways our bodies give us signals and messages that are learned racism. We learned how to “catch” these messages and intervene with ourselves so they do not unconsciously guide our behavior. 
  • Aspects of white supremacy culture: for example, perfectionism and individualism. How do we operate in these ways to the detriment of the collective good?
  • Early experiences of radicalized trauma. White children often experience confusion when they are taught implicit and explicit bias. How do we come to grips with what our caregivers teach us and how does that contradict our natural sense of compassion and fairness?
  • Nettie and Jimbo suggested that they will offer to continue to lead the group in “doing” Resma Menakem’s newest book The Quaking of America; an Embodied Guide to Navigating our Nation’s Upheaval and Racial Reckoning. The group will be open to current and past members and other interested people in the meeting.
• The committee supported the group Toward a Right Relationship with Indigenous People, which is being led by Carolyn V. Carolyn wrote:
  • The Right Relationship with Indigenous People group had a good year of connection and new understanding.
  • While many within the group are exploring and finding different entry points in developing relationships with Indigenous people in the area, we had three group events which we found to be meaningful:
  • With the Peace and Social Concerns Committee, we hosted another showing of the documentary The Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code. The discussion after the film was rich and led the Right Relationship with Indigenous People group to offer a mid-morning program on the Doctrine of Discovery. 
  • The program included an overview of what The Doctrine is and how is has been used – and continues to be used – to marginalize and disenfranchise Native populations. We hope to bring a minute of repudiation to monthly meeting after it is seasoned by the group and the Peace and Social Concerns Committee.
  • Last month, a few from the group were able to visit Big Sandy and meet with an Indigenous elder and historian, Don W and his driver/traveling companion, Brad, who spent the evening telling us stories from the history and legends of the Mille Lacs tribe. It was an evening of connection, awareness, and gifts received.
  • We will continue to look for opportunities to put ourselves out there; to follow up with those we have met; perhaps to travel to area Indigenous museums or events; to bring the rest of the meeting along on our journey, as we can; and to find effective ways to help dismantle the structures of domination that the Doctrine of Discovery has made possible.
• Focus for 2022-23
  • The committee will support Meeting activities that seek to heal the divisiveness in our communities.
• Challenges
  • Covid has prevented us from meeting face-to-face.
• Upcoming Points of Attention
  • The committee is supporting a potluck for members of the crew of The Golden Rule peace boat, to be held Sunday, Sept. 18, in Linden Hills Park.
  • The committee plans to show the movie The Best of Enemies via Zoom in October. The committee will consider other films to show during the year.
• How does the committee leave itself open to the leading of the Spirit?
  • We make time during our meetings for silence and prayer. We attempt to bring our committee’s and the larger meeting’s leadings to our group for consideration.
• How has the committee experienced movement of the Spirit in its meetings or as it carries out its work?
  • We attempt to include the Quaker testimonies and spirituality in everything we do.

 

 

 

 

ATTACHMENT  TWO

 Care of Families and Children employee proposed job description

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES COORDINATOR

Title: Children and Families Coordinator

Classification and Time: Part Time, negotiable (10-15 hours per week) per year

Employer: Minneapolis Friends Monthly Meeting

Location: Minneapolis, MN

 

The Children and Families Coordinator is a year-round hourly employee of MM, working part-time as determined by the Children and Families Coordinator Committee, with consideration of both the program and the applicant’s needs. Grounded in Friends worship and practices, the Children and Families Coordinator role is to enhance the spiritual development of youth, support the families in Meeting, and to nurture youth and inter-generational relationships within the Minneapolis Friends community. Specific terms will be included in the personnel policies and the initial hiring letter

Job Duties:

1. With the religious education committee, establish and maintain Sunday Morning Programming for children in grades kindergarten through 12th grade.
   1. Program should spiritual growth and exploration of faith, values Quaker Process and opportunities for service among youth:
   2. Work with the Religious Education Committee to choose curriculum
2. Orient and train and orient religious education volunteers
   1. Ensure all volunteers have participated in the clearness process for working with children
3. Support families’ participation with their children in the meeting and other Friends activities
   1. Communicate about the program with parents and children in the Meeting
   2. Connect children and families to Northern Yearly Meeting youth and family activities
   3. Engage with parents and children to determine needs
4. Report on attendance and participation to Monthly Business meeting once a year

 

Supervision and Support: The Children and Families Coordinator is supervised and directed by the Children and Families Committee, in partnership with the Liaison and Review Committee. This Committee will also support the Children and Families Coordinator in understanding the Minneapolis Friends Meeting, vetting proposed Children and Families engagement strategies, and bringing proposals, issues, and concerns to the Meeting as a whole.

• Minimum requirements:
  • • Commitment to nonviolent practices
    • Experience organizing activities and planning events with children, teenagers and adults
    • Valid driver’s license
    • Flexibility with irregular hours and a commitment to working on Sunday mornings.
    • Meet all requirements for background and reference checks
• Preferred Requirements:
  • • Member or attender of Religious Society of Friends Meeting
    • Demonstrated spiritual life, including a deep grounding and experience of Quaker beliefs and practices.
    • High level of energy, enthusiasm and creativity to generate widespread participation by youth and families in the life of the Meeting.
    • Enthusiasm for working with and welcoming diversity to the community, especially regarding differences in racial, cultural, gender, sexuality, and class backgrounds
• Knowledge Skills and abilities
  • • Ability to work independently from home (can the person work from the meeting house and if no why not)
    • Ability to establish appropriate program structure
    • Ability to work with and coordinate Volunteer Teachers
    • Ability to work collectively with committees and groups using Quaker decision-making processes
    • Strong organizational skills.
    • Ability to set priorities, multi-task and manage multiple projects
    • Excellent interpersonal skills, including strong written and verbal communication skills
    • Proficient with technologies and platforms that both teens and adults use to communicate
    • Working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, MS word, Google Drive, and Google Docs.
• Employment:
  • • The Children and Families Coordinator is a part-time paid employee of Minneapolis Friends Meeting. These terms are laid out in the personal policies and the initial hiring letter.
    • Salary Range: For part-time employee, the initial wage is $25 an hour.