April 16, 2023

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Lin Butler; Zoom host – Bill H

10:15 – 11:00 What Does It Mean to Be Quaker? Join the Ministry and Counsel Committee exploring Quaker faith and how we can work together build and enrich the health and life of the Meeting. We have explored, What does Quaker faith mean to you? and our individual past faith histories and the threads from our lives that we bring to Meeting. Today, we will consider, How can we take what we have heard and learned about our individual and communal understanding of Quaker faith and our individual gifts and challenges and use them to deepen and enrich our beloved community? Zoom host – Bill H

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Doug Herron – speaker; Jacque Wiersma – musician; care of meeting, Tom Wells; Zoom host – Marilyn J

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

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: Continued threshing on changing our masking protocols for worship. Prayerfully consider the draft minute (below) and come next Sunday to participate in the process. A threshing session is specifically not for decision-making; its special role is that it allows everyone to say what they think without the burden of needing to make a decision.

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

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Draft minute on changing mask protocol. Please take time to reflect on whether this may be a way we can unite as a meeting community. This will be on the agenda of meeting for business on May 14 for further discernment.

The heart of Friends spiritual community is our meeting for worship. We value the presence of everyone in worship and recognize that worshipping together in person brings a special sense of connection and communion for many of us. Covid-19 has created health risks around meeting in person which are more serious for some attenders than others. While masking does not eliminate the risk of getting the virus, our current masking policy does reduce this risk. The hybrid technology provides a risk free means for participating in worship, albeit not in person.

Many attenders, perhaps less at risk, long for a return to the pre-pandemic worship in person without masking. For some masks aggravate health problems or are uncomfortable, and distract from worship and connection with other attenders.

We see no clear way that everyone can worship in person and also reconcile these different needs as long as Covid remains a serious health threat for some attenders. With this in mind, we amend our policy on masking as follows:

Beginning with the start of the summer schedule on May 28, 2023, masking at meeting for worship and other meeting activities shall be strongly recommended, but optional. A space in the meetinghouse shall be designated for those wishing to be masked and distancing will be practiced in this space. When weather permits, windows may be opened enough to facilitate better ventilation. All attenders are reminded to be respectful of the health concerns of those more vulnerable to Covid. Anyone exposed to Covid or experiencing symptoms of Covid should worship on zoom from home or test negative for Covid before attending worship. Singing may resume during semi-programmed worship and the Social Committee may arrange potlucks in the meetingroom or picnics in the park. Meeting is mindful and respects that not everyone may be able or comfortable worshipping in person when others are unmasked. The option of worshipping on Zoom shall continue to be available for all who are unable to meet in person for whatever reasons. Trustees will continue to monitor the Covid environment and meeting will revisit this policy if changes in the Covid environment significantly increase risks for members and attenders.

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Want your photo (or an updated photo) to be included on the photo board? Sue will be available to take pictures after early worship, between mid-morning program and second worship, and also after second worship THIS Sunday. Anyone wanting a photo for the ID wall, meet Sue by the name tags!

SAVE SPACE IN YOUR LIFE FOR Northern Yearly Meeting, Memorial Day weekend! This year’s theme is “Getting to Where I’m Supposed to Be: Pruning Before Growth.” How can we cut back and center on what is most important? NYM 2023 will focus on releasing, renewing our spirits, and rebirth where we are most led. Find out more about annual sessions and plans for this year’s joyful gathering here! Registration is now open! For in-person registration, click here. To register for remote attendance, click here. Worship, walking, singing, dancing, business meetings, talent show, boating, games, cooking, eating, interest groups and an NYM Gallery and a rich program for children and youth of all ages – there are lots of opportunities for connection! Registration deadline, May 1.

Share with your networks: Last call! Minneapolis Meeting seeks applicants for a Children and Families Coordinator to manage religious educational activities and outreach for youth and families. This is a part-time annual position, estimated at 10-15 hours per week (negotiable), with an hourly wage of $25/hour to start. Interested candidates should have experience organizing activities/planning events with children, teenagers and adults, a commitment to nonviolent practices, a commitment to working on Sundays, and enthusiasm for the participation of a diversity of youth and families in the life of the meeting. Information about the position can be found at: https://minneapolisfriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Children-and-Families-Coordinator-job-description.pdf. Send a resume, cover letter, and contact information for three professional references to: Children/Family Coordinator Hiring Committee, Minneapolis Friends Meeting, office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis for interviews in two-three weeks.

Quaker Voluntary Service has two program Fridays each month. Could you provide a vegetarian lunch for three on May 12th or 19th? Sign up with Miranda, QVS Local Coordinator: miranda(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)quakervoluntaryservice.org. Also check with Miranda if you are interested in joining her and the two Fellows, Robie and Elsa, for the lunch you provide! THANK YOU, Friends, for this gesture of care and support.

Terry Kayser and his wife (CeCeile Hartleib) are part of the St Paul Art Crawl! Their studio hours: Fri, April 14th, 5-9PM, Sat, April 15th, noon – 8PM, Sun, April 16th, noon – 5PM. Free parking, accessible. 106 Water St. W, 4th floor, St. Paul.

The Meeting Coordinator will be out of the office April 21 – May 24. Please make email subject lines clear to help those who are tracking emails and composing bulletins. Office mail, email, and phone messages will be monitored as possible.

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

Come for thirty minutes of Lectio Divina and worship sharing at noon on Tuesdays. We hold a short reading from the Bible, Quaker, or other spiritual texts to see if and how it might speak to us today, followed by a time of worship-sharing. Contact Stephen for the link.

Fun with Friends April 22, 1PM. Attend a free Earth Day concert of the Minnesota State Band, performing at the MN History Center on Kellogg Blvd in Saint Paul. Tom Wells will play in the band and SONG OF THE SEER, a composition by David Wells, (Tom’s brother,) will be featured. The song is based on a Lakota melody; Dave will conduct. A simple reception will follow. Fun with Friends is a chance to get to know one another better, have fun, and enjoy some of the best events in the Twin Cities. Look for event announcements monthly!

Upcoming: Watson Reading Group will next meet on Tues, April 25th, 7-8:30PM via Zoom. contact John D. for more.
Spirituality in Dance and Movement will next gather at the meetinghouse on May 30th at 10:45AM. Contact Ellen S. for more.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER WORLD OF FRIENDS

VOLUNTEER

Friends School of MN Plant Sale need YOU! Volunteers come from all over the Twin Cities to perform jobs at all skill levels. For example –
~ take a four-hour shift setting up; stocking the shelves; assisting shoppers /tidying / clerking during the sale; or cleaning up after (sign-up here: https://www.friendsschoolplantsale.com/volunteer – cashiers and clean-up particularly in need!)
~ collect newspaper sleeves / bags for bulb packaging (bring to the box at the meetinghouse)
~ collect strawberry / tomato boxes for shoppers to use (contact to learn when and where to take them)
~ volunteer to help feed those working back-to-back shifts: (sign-up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0f48a8a62ca4f49-food#/)
~ catalogues are available around the meetinghouse. Take a look and see what you’d like to add to your garden this year!

WORKSHOPS, FILMS, RETREATS, PROGRAMS, PRESENTATIONS

Attend The Quaker Indigenous Boarding Schools: A Call for Accountability and Healing, an online presentation of the research findings around the role Quakers played in the forced assimilation of Native children during the 19th and 20th centuries, offered by Quakers Paula Palmer, Gail Melix (Herring Pond Wampanoag) and Andrew Grant. Discussion will focus on how Friends can acknowledge the harm that was done and appropriately support healing in Indigenous communities. April 16, 3-5PM (CT). Register at: https://friendspeaceteams.org/quaker-boarding-schools-apr-2023/

The 2023 Friends General Conference Gathering (FGC), Listen So That We May LIVE, will be July 2-8 at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR. Plenaries will be hybrid. FFI, see fgcquaker.org/fgcprograms/the-gathering/ Early registration is open until April 16. Register now for priority access to financial aid, workshops, and housing. Standard registration will open on April 26.

“What are you doing here?” the interplay of Quaker Values and Spiritual Accompaniment in Quaker and Non-Quaker Settings” will be offered Thurs, April 20 – Sun, April 23, at Quaker Hill Conference Center, Richmond, IN, and online. Consider how we as Friends engage in spiritual care with each other and in our multi-faith settings. How do hierarchies play out in Quaker and multi-faith settings alike? How do we explain what we do to different audiences? How do we maintain our own spiritual integrity as we accompany people with a variety of spiritual beliefs and practices? Through participatory workshops, insight sessions, and small group sharing, attenders will have a chance to engage with issues such as professional and spiritual authority, theological grounding, and the dynamics of seeking, finding and helping or accompanying others. Register and learn more at QPCC.US.

Earlham School of Religion will offer the lecture, “All Real Living is Meeting; Close Encounters of the Quaker Kind,” given by Parker Palmer on Thurs, April 27th; 6PM (CT) – in person and online. Parker Palmer is an author, speaker, and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change. For more and to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/perkins-family-lecture-series-tickets-535961313717 .

The first annual Quaker Leadership Conference will be April 27-29 at Earlham in Richmond, IN. Gather to share, listen, learn, and discern how God is working through us and among us and how we might contribute to a vital future for the Religious Society of Friends. Quaker leaders under the age of 40 are eligible for a discount code. For more, see https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1st-annual-quaker-leadership-center-conference-tickets-548018276417

American Friends Service Committee’s “Think Twice Before Calling the Police” webinar series, 7 PM(CT) Thursdays in May. Many people have an understanding that police violence targets certain communities. Many want to avoid calling the police but don’t know what to do in case of an emergency. Come for a four-part series that will provide you with concrete skills and strategies to avoid calling law enforcement unless absolutely necessary. Register today.

American Friends Service Committee’s Twin Cities Healing Justice Program is shifting its work to focus on reducing suspensions and expulsions in schools. Follow their instagram for updates.

Twin Cities Meeting (1725 Grand Ave, St. Paul) will host an Honor the Earth presentation, 3-5PM on May 6th, about a proposed nickel mine in northern MN (Tamarack) which will cause devastation to the waters in the area, including major ricing lakes. Honor the Earth, made up of individuals from White Earth reservation, and other tribal and environmental groups, are promoting a campaign to stop the proposed nickel min, about 50 miles west of Duluth. Native lands, including ricing areas, will suffer significantly from the pollution created by the mining. Talon Metals admits that they will need to pump over a million gallons of water per day out of local wetlands. These waters recharge the shallow lakes, including two of the richest wild rice territories in northern MN. The Sandy Lake Watershed could be polluted by the sulfuric acid seepage from the mine at 1.8 gallons per minute. Refreshments and conversation after.

Camp Woodbrooke registration is now open! Camp Woodbrooke is a unique, residential summer camp located on in southwestern WI. Campers ages 7-12 can explore the natural world in a caring, safe community. Campers make cooperative decisions about activities, participate in daily work crews and learn life skills such as independence, accountability, negotiation, and decision-making. An additional program for teenagers 13-15 expands on experiences and skills developed as younger campers. Teens take either a bike or canoe trip and camp along the way. Dates and more information at www.campwoodbrooke.org.

OFFICE HOURS

The Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office Wed and Thurs 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).