May 28, 2023
MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM
TODAY
10:00 – 11:00 AM meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Bill Hendricks; Zoom host – Kate Wolfe-Jenson
“Once Meeting begins, take time to enter fully into the spirit of worship. Gently offer up distractions as you center down and open yourself to the workings of the Spirit. Come to Meeting with neither a resolve to speak, nor a determination not to speak, but rather with an attitude of expectant waiting and openness.
If you feel moved to speak, take a moment to test your leading. Is your message from the Spirit, or somewhere else? If it is from God, is it meant only for yourself, or for the entire Meeting? Genuine ministry is often preceded by a physical uneasiness, a “heart pounding weakness,” from which our name Quaker is derived.”
~ Spirit-Led Vocal Ministry, Maury River Meeting, Lexington, VA
TODAY IS THE START OF THE SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE: 10AM worship (unprogrammed). In the summer months, there is a single worship at 10AM. First and third Sundays have unprogrammed worship; second and fourth Sundays have semi-programmed worship. A finger-food potluck follows worship on first Sundays. Monthly meeting for business follows worship on second Sundays.
Today is also the beginning of our new masking policy: masking is welcomed and optional.
To get the link for Sunday programming this Sunday, email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org. The link will change for the month of June.
HOLD IN THE LIGHT
those participating in and traveling to and from Northern Yearly Meeting.
American Friends Service Committee St. Paul office. Twin Cities staff is meeting with teachers and administrators to support youth who are struggling or dealing with behavioral issues. Those students may be able to participate in AFSC’s program and do service-learning work for credit. AFSC is working on creating an alternative to in-school suspension for the next school year.
NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS
NEXT SUNDAY, June 4th: a Threshing Session on the Sunday morning worship and program schedule will follow meeting for worship at 11:15AM. Many Friends have raised concerns or questions with Ministry and Counsel Committee about the Sunday morning schedule that meeting has had for many years now. Do our forms of worship, the mid-morning programs, meetings for business, programming for children and the time frame for these activities still nurture the spiritual life of our community? Come and share your questions and concerns and listen deeply to those shared by others as we discern what the Spirit is asking of our community. A threshing session is not a decision-making meeting. The aim is simply to move towards clarity and a greater understanding of an issue and to separate the grain of truth from the chaff. It is a time to voice, lovingly and broadly, concerns, questions, and opinions around ant issue. Doubts and anxieties can be expressed without obstructing a decision and there is an interval for reflection (between the threshing session and the meeting for business,) before a decision is considered.
ALSO next Sunday, following the threshing session, bring a bag lunch and drink and / or potluck fingerfood and linger with F(f)riends! A couple of tables will be set up in the meetingroom. Pull up a chair!
MFM’s Shepherd Scholarship funds are available to support the post-secondary education of members or children of members of at least five years’ standing. The scholarship was established in 1977 by Meeting members Roland and Zephra Shepherd. Applications are available on the table by the elevator. Return the paper copy to the office ASAP or electronically, send to office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org.
Minneapolis Meeting is looking for an In-house Audio Visual Operator to support hybrid worship and programming, starting in August. Detailed job description and application information found here. Contact office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org for more.
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 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.
Being a Zoom Host or a substitute A/V Tech is a great way to support the Meeting’s worship. Interested in being trained for either of these positions, or just finding out more? Contact Marilyn.
Northern Yearly Meeting, “Getting to Where I’m Supposed to Be: Pruning Before Growth,” is this weekend in Rosholt Wisconsin. Want to join online? You may still be able to register: https://www.cognitoforms.com/NYM3/nym2023remotesession.
The recent Mid-Morning Program, Helping Helpfully – what do people with disabilities really want? Is now posted on the MFM website: https://minneapolisfriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Mid-Morning-Program-on-Accessibility-5-7-2023.mp3
THANK YOU to those who took on additional meeting responsibilities – opening and locking up the meetinghouse; answering phone messages; checking email; setting up zoom meetings; putting together the bulletins – while the Meeting Coordinator was out of the office. Your generosity of care is so appreciated!
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.
The Spirituality in Dance and Movement group will gather at the meetinghouse this Tues, May 30th at 10:45AM. Those interested in moving and those who are interested but uncomfortable with movement are welcome. A CD player will be provided. Bring music that gets your toes tapping and your body swaying!
OPPORTUNITIES AMONG FRIENDS
WORKSHOPS, FILMS, RETREATS, PROGRAMS, PRESENTATIONS
Listen to Thee Quaker Podcast (created by Jon Watts and supported by MFM contributions!) The inaugural post: Who Are Modern Quakers?
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/
Camp Woodbrooke registration is now 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 is ConnextMSP: Breaking Down Hiring Barriers for Young Professionals of Color with guest Roshandra Brown Listen here.
VOLUNTEER
Help recruit for Quaker Voluntary Service in Minneapolis/St. Paul! There are three Fellow positions still available for the Minneapolis/St. Paul Quaker Voluntary Service program. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis through early June. Placement organizations available are Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina (COPAL), Spanish fluency required; Friends for a NonViolent World (FNVW); and Minnesota State Horticultural Society. Find position descriptions for all three here: https://z.umn.edu/QVS_Openings. If someone in your friends and family circle is looking for their next opportunity after finishing college or taking a break (age 21-30), encourage them to consider Quaker Voluntary Service – eleven months living in community and working full-time for a non-profit organization that is congruent with Quaker values. Training, support from a coordinator and local Friends, housing, a stipend, and spiritual and vocational development resources are included. The program year starts with a national retreat; jobs begin in September, going through the following July. Application at this link, or contact Miranda Dils at miranda(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)quakervoluntaryservice.org with questions.
Friends School of MN is having a Spring Clean, Sat, June 3, 9:30-11:30AM. Come work on projects that are helpful to teachers and the school – indoor projects (e.g., cleaning tables and organizing bookshelves) and outdoor projects (e.g., dandelion removal and mulching). Kids are welcome to help or play on the playground (both with your supervision). No need to RSVP; just come! Many hands make light work!
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY
George Floyd Rise & Remember Festival, Sat, May 27, 1PM – May 28, 9PM, George Floyd Square, East 38th St & Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis. On May 25th, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by the Minneapolis Police Department at the intersection of 38th Street E and Chicago Avenue S. People from all over the world gathered to protest, stand in solidarity, and demand justice. In the wake of George’s death, thousands of people came together in community and occupied what is now known as George Floyd Square. Come honor George Floyd and celebrate each other, as well as the work we have done together with live performances, a self-care fair, a sports zone, a kids zone, an art exhibit, food from diverse vendors, inspirational speakers and Black-owned business vendors. Register here.
Road to Healing: The Department of the Interior will be in Mille Lacs for a boarding school survivor listening session as part of their “Road to Healing” tour. This is an open opportunity for survivors of federal Indian boarding schools to share their experiences directly with the US Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) and Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Bryan Newland (Ojibwe). Sat, June 3, 10AM – 5PM, District 1 Community Aquatic and Fitness Center, 18458 Minobimaadizi Loop Onamia, MN 56359. National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition-recommended.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), along with 26 Senators as co-sponsors, recently reintroduced legislation S.1723 to establish the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States. S.1723’s commission will conduct a full inquiry into the assimilative policies of the U.S. Indian boarding schools. The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition asks you to reach out to your Senator and urge their support and passage of S.1723 to create a Truth and Healing Commission on Indian boarding schools.
OFFICE HOURS
Carolyn VandenDolder, Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office Wed, Thurs and Fri, afternoons. Phone messages checked daily. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur. Phone items in to the office (612-926-6159), email (office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org), or write and put in the bulletin file of the blue box.