MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM APRIL 23, 2023

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

10:15 – 11:00 Masking Policy – continued threshing. Prayerfully consider the draft minute (below) and come participate in the process. A threshing session is specifically not for decision-making; its special role is to allow everyone to say what they think without the burden of needing to make a decision. Zoom host – Lolly

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Ann Luce – speaker; care of meeting, Allen Gibas; Zoom host – Lolly

Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org for the link.

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM APRIL 30, 2023

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Mary Bosserman; Zoom host – Rae Beth

10:15 – 11:00 A Way To Connect. There is conflict in any relationship, corporate or individual. In the context of Meeting, it could be a personal reaction to another – something that triggers you or opens a wound when interacting with them. Or a misunderstanding of the ministry an individual brings, if it is not your “kind” of ministry. This program will give you an opportunity to look at what might be a factor in the disconnect you feel with certain Meeting attenders/members. Zoom host – Lolly

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Ministry and Counsel Committee will offer a reading; care of meeting, Barbara Ziegenhagen; Zoom host – Lolly

Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org for the link.

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

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For Mid-Morning Program April 23: 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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Mid-Morning Program April 30th at 10:15: A Way To Connect. There is conflict in any relationship, corporate or individual. In the context of Meeting, it could be a personal reaction to another – something that triggers you or opens a wound when interacting with them. Or a misunderstanding of the ministry an individual brings, if it is not your “kind” of ministry. This program will give you an opportunity to look at what might be a factor in the disconnect you feel with certain Meeting attenders/members. Offered by the Care and Counsel Committee.

Mid-Morning Program May 7th at 10:15: Helping helpfully – what do people with disabilities really want? What does it mean to be accessible? What is Ableism? How can you help people with disabilities participate more fully in Meeting? Four friends will share their experiences, with time for questions.

There is mid-week worship every Wed night, 7PM. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org for the link.
On May 10th, instead of the usual mid-week worship, there will be, IN PERSON AND ON ZOOM, a presentation on International election peacekeeping. Parfaite Ntahuba and Will Wallace will offer “Preventing Violence During Elections: Lessons from Burundi and North Minneapolis. Parfaite Ntahuba is a Quaker minister in Burundi who leads an extraordinary inter-ethnic peacekeeping team. Will Wallace, well-known for his work with violence prevention in North Minneapolis, is now Director of Community Peacebuilding for the Nonviolent Peaceforce. Both Parfaite and Will have played significant roles in preventing violence around elections, using unarmed civilian protection. Mel Duncan, co-founder of the international Nonviolent Peaceforce, will facilitate dialogue and discussion. The presentation is co-sponsored by the MFM Peace and Social Concerns Committee and the Nonviolent Peaceforce: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84938257185; ID: 849 3825 7185; by phone: +1-651-372-8299.

The Meeting Coordinator will be out of the office until May 24. Please make email subject lines clear to help those who are tracking emails and composing bulletins. Office mail and email will be monitored as possible. Phone messages will be checked daily.

Need to schedule a Zoom meeting between now and May 24? Contact Stephen with the date, time, and purpose to have one set up.

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 Lolly 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.

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. Plan to attend the NYM sessions pre-Memorial Day weekend! Sun, May 21st at 1PM: Finance Committee Budget Review. You can tell an organization’s priorities by where its money is spent. Tune in to review detailed reports and recommendations for the 2024 budget. May 21st at 7PM: Quaker Confidential: What’s Going On Here? State of Society reports. Hear the joys and challenges of meetings and worship groups in Northern Yearly Meeting for encouragement, spiritual companionship, and inspiration.

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.

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

There will be no Lectio Divina Tues, April 25th. Lectio returns on May 2 and every Tues. at noon. 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.

The Watson Reading Group meets this Tues, the 25th, and on the fourth Tues of each month, 7-8:30PM via Zoom. We are taking turns reading aloud from Karen Armstrong’s Sacred Nature with time for discussion. Most participants have a copy of the book available to them, but it is not mandatory. If you have interest in joining, please contact John D.

Upcoming: The writing group will meet Mon night, May 1, 7-9PM. Contact Jane D. with questions or interest.
The Getting to Know You, storytelling group will meet at 1PM on May 9th. Contact Kate W-J 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 to help – cashiers and clean-up particularly in need! Sign-up here: https://www.friendsschoolplantsale.com/volunteer)
~ 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 can add to your garden this year!

WORKSHOPS, FILMS, RETREATS, PROGRAMS, PRESENTATIONS

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 .

Integrous Testifying: Body, Mind and Spirit, a Pendle Hill first Monday lecture will be offered May 1st. Come hear how we might access the whole of who we are, test the integrous flow and share (testify) from our knowingness. More and register at: https://pendlehill.org/events/integrous-testifying-body-mind-spirit/?bblinkid=268526138&bbemailid=47027408&bbejrid=-1625868894

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.

Twin Cities Meeting (1725 Grand Ave, St. Paul) will host an Honor the Earth presentation, 3-5PM on Sat, May 6th, about a proposed nickel mine in northern MN (Tamarack.) It is feared that the proposed mine would destroy land and waterways for years to come as well as compromise important Native wild rice habitat. Marketed as a “green” project to make electric car batteries, it is unnecessary land devastation since electric car batteries are increasingly being made without nickel. Nickel batteries may be obsolete before the mine project is completed. Come and listen and eat delicious snacks from Shish. Bring friends! Also on zoom. Contact office.tcfm(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com for more.

Quaker Earthcare Witness, along with other faith-based organizations, will present No Faith In Fossil Fuels: A Climate Finance Summit, May 8-11: People of faith will gather to learn about how banks and asset managers continue to invest in the fossil fuel industries that are destroying communities in the U.S. and around the world – and learn how to hold these financial institutions accountable. More here.

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 and to register, see fgcquaker.org/fgcprograms/the-gathering/

Camp Woodbrooke Registration is Open – Camp Woodbrooke is a unique, residential summer camp located on 162 acres in southwestern Wisconsin. 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 Camp Woodbrooke’s website: www.campwoodbrooke.org.

People Camp, offered by Friends for a NonViolent World (August 6-12) is a great summer adventure vacation at a very affordable cost! This is a great experience for parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, couples, and singles. Take a look at a slide show here and an information page and video along with link to registration here, to get a glimpse!

Friends for a NonViolent World’s most recent Everyday Podcast features the League of Women Voters Firearms Study, part one of a two-part series addressing gun violence in MN. Read more or listen here.

The Seed: Conversations for Radical Hope, Pendle Hill’s podcast is posted bi-weekly. The newest episode, Integrity and Imagination: What We Fear, explores the Quaker testimony of Integrity. What does it look like to meaningfully live out our deepest spiritual truths with authenticity and grace? More here.

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.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

The city of Minneapolis recently in a study looking at how to weatherize and electrify all buildings across the city in order to meet our climate and equity goals. The city is not yet committed to the full amount of funding needed to do this work, nor are they yet committed to a large-scale neighborhood by neighborhood approach to the clean energy transition. Minneapolis will release their draft climate action plan on April 19, starting a thirty-day comment period. MN350.0rg’s goal is to encourage 1000 comments in favor of a plan that will ensure the city reaches our ten-year climate and equity goals. They are hosting an opportunity, on Mon, Apr 24th, to learn about the city’s plan and submit a comment to make sure Minneapolis adopts an equitable plan with collective solutions. Sign up here.

OFFICE HOURS

The Meeting Coordinator will be out of the office until May 24. Please make email subject lines clear to help those who are tracking emails and composing bulletins. Office mail and email will be monitored as possible. Phone messages will be checked daily. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur. Bulletin items can be emailed to office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org. Please put “BULLETIN” in the subject line.