December 4, 2022

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Doug Herron; Zoom host – Nick

10:15 – 11:00 Healing into Self-Compassion. Kate Wolfe-Jenson will talk about her journey with chronic illness. After years of running from her diagnosis, she turned toward it, seeking to understand how dealing with illness might be a sacred, creative process. For the last fifteen years, she has encouraged herself (and others) by practicing twelve kind promises that are invitations to self-compassion. Zoom host – Stephen

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Laurel O’Rourke – speaker; Kate Coon and Jacque Wiersma – musicians; care of meeting, Allen Gibas; Zoom host – Mary

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

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

The Witness for Peace Cuba delegation, “Caring for Our People, Caring for the Land,” traveling Dec 2 – 11, visiting schools, clinics, cooperative farms, and artist collectives in Havana, Matanzas, and several rural areas in Cuba. The delegation consists of three retired pastors, a retired epidemiologist, two journalists, four members of an Oregon-based group advocating for single payer health care, and a dozen members of various churches -including Linda C!

All those who are grieving – loss of loved ones; loss of home; loss of hope.

Quaker Voluntary Service Fellows, many of whom will be returning home over the holidays with new perspectives on family and community.

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Monthly meeting for business is next Sunday, 9:45-11:15. On the agenda: the COVID Fund; memorial minute for Alice Bell; Winter Gift recipients. “The Quaker corporate decision-making process is a spiritual discipline needing trust, patience, a willingness to listen, mutual forbearance, a concern for and openness to others with differing views, and the grace of humor. The care with which we conduct our decision-making is often critical to the enduring harmony of the entire meeting. At its best, the result reflects the transforming power of the love of God, an exhilarating and joyful experience.” ~Northern Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice

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.

Minneapolis Meeting Committees can be a vehicle for getting to know, and being better known by, each other. They can offer us an opportunity to work together, learning the joy of companionship, the lessons of patience, the benefits of multiple perspectives. They can be a place to develop and employ our gifts and to learn how we accomplish tasks and bring leadings to life together. They are a means to being in community with each other. As we explore how to engage each other in supporting the life of the Meeting, please return calls from the Nominating Committee: Connie A, Bill H, Jim L, or Carolyn V. A description of committees and their area of focus is on the website: https://minneapolisfriends.org/committees/

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.

Legislation to establish a Truth and Healing Commission on Indian boarding schools is moving forward, but the opportunity to begin to right the historic, devastating wrong of Indigenous boarding schools will end Jan. 3. Minneapolis Meeting has approved a minute encouraging support of establishing this commission, Legislation S. 2907/H.R. 5444. The minute was sent out to the google group and will be available online when monthly meeting minutes are posted. Friends Committee on National Legislation also has resources for conveying your support of the commission to your elected officials: https://fcnl.quorum.us/campaign/35660/

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

Join Lectio Divina at noon on Tuesdays in December. Hold a short reading from the Bible, Quaker, or other spiritual text to see if and how it might speak to us today. Rather than reading for information, in Lectio, read for insight – open to the Divine and allow the text to speak to our life and times. Followed by a time of worship sharing. Contact Stephen or Mary for more.

Established writers as well as dabblers will have an informal writing session tomorrow night, Dec 5th, 7-9PM. Connect with others, 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
WORKSHOPS, FILMS, RETREATS, PROGRAMS, PRESENTATIONS

Hope Leans Forward: Braving Your Way Toward Simplicity, Awakening and Peace – a Pendle Hill first Monday lecture will be offered Dec 5th, 6:30-8PM (CT) by Valarie Brown. For more and to register, go to https://pendlehill.org/events/hope-leans-forward-braving-your-way-toward-simplicity-awakening-and-peace/

The Quaker United Nations Office will have a COP27 debrief opportunity this Thurs, Dec 8, 8-9:00AM (CT). QUNO’s Human Impacts of Climate Change representative, Lindsey Fielder Cook, will report some of the historical achievements of COP27 as well speak on the role of QUNO in this space. There will be an opportunity for questions. Register to receive the zoom link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/quaker-un-office-post-cop27-debrief-tickets-477278812777. A complete summary of QUNO’s week two activities as well as a link to informal analysis of the Loss and Damage decision, a draft paper on potential funding, and a post-COP reflection by representative Lindsey Fielder Cook can be found here. If you missed our update on our first week’s activities, please find them here.

Northern Yearly Meeting has an Anti-Racism working group which is hosting an evening discussion Thurs, Dec 8, 7PM: Discuss the film “Two Rivers” (Watch the film beforehand.) Find the trailer here: http://tworiversfilm.com/2riv_film.htm. Join the discussion at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85615929757?pwd=L1lFTS9FZkxQajBxVDd4bXhkRWpMZz09; Meeting ID: 856 1592 9757; Passcode: 924914

Friends General Conference has begun a new podcast, Quakers Today. Check it out at: quakerstoday.podbean.com/

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: Friends for a NonViolent World Volunteer Engagement Specialist.
This part-time position helps grow FNVW’s capacity and impact by recruiting, training and supporting new FNVW volunteers and student interns, developing opportunities for volunteers to be deeply engaged in every facet of FNVW’s work. They also play a key role in planning, implementing, organizing and coordinating the volunteer and community engagement opportunities that drive FNVW’s mission forward. FNVW is eager to hire that dynamic person who can build on the organization’s strong volunteer program and help it realize its full potential. Send resume and cover letter to Leah Robshaw Robinson at leah(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fnvw.org. Please put “Application for Volunteer Engagement Specialist” in the email subject line. Learn more at fnvw.org/jobs

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

White Church Truths Review: The morning session of Minnesota Council of Churches’ White Church Truths featured a keynote from Dr. Michael O. Emerson whose research demonstrates that most White Christians prioritize a belief system he identifies as “whiteness” over Christianity. Watch the introduction, his talk, and the following Q&A here.

Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches invites Friends to an in-person reception and social justice training on Mon, Dec 5th from 6-8PM at the GMCC office – 1100 E Lake St. Mpls. The social justice training exercise, “Face the Facts: Understanding Poverty,” is a poverty simulation that brings to light the complexities and root causes of poverty in order to raise awareness of social justice issues. We are offering this as a way for those in the GMCC community to connect and to spark important conversations about key issues happening in right now. It will also be a great opportunity to discuss what different congregations are doing and how we might be able to partner. Space is limited; to RSVP, email myoung(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmcc.org or call 651-336-6838.

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).