October 22, 2023

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM
TODAY

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

10:15 – 11:00 LBGTQ+ People of MFM Today; Zoom host – Kate W-J

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): John Cutler – speaker; care of meeting, Terry Burke; Zoom host – Kate W-J

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

“Jesus tells us to go into the world and love the way he loved us. This is what we are practicing when we pray. This is what we seek.” ~ Daniel Wolpert

FUN WITH FRIENDS: Come for an afternoon in the country, meet Pete the peacock and Lazarus the chicken, and share a potluck picnic TODAY, 2:30PM until dark, at Judith J’s farm outside Taylors Falls. Bring picnic food to pass. Judith will provide drinks. The potluck will be inside but dress for the weather to explore the woods and yard. Consider wearing boots or tennis shoes as the ground is uneven. Taylors Falls is about one hour from the meetinghouse. Judith’s house is 8 minutes outside of town.

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

People around the world who are under threat of violence, those who have had to flee their homes, those grieving the death of loved ones, those fearful of the safety of friends and family, those devastated by need of electricity, food, water, and/or goods, and those in positions to change many of these conditions.

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: The Minneapolis Friends Meeting Story. Meeting historian, Linda Coffin, will tell the story of Minneapolis Meeting and some of the characters that have called MFM home.

GRANDKIDS’ DAY! Bring your grandchildren at 11AM on Sun, Nov 5th to enjoy puppets, singing, a taste of first day school, and the potluck!

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.

Loaves and Fishes, October 30th: Join other metro-area Friends, the Ismaili Community and the Mayim Rabim congregation to provide a meal at Holy Rosary Church in S Mpls, 2424 – 18th Ave S. Prepare dinner (2-4:30); pack up and hand out the meals (4:45-6:30,) or clean up (5:30-7.) Fruit donations needed. Covid-19 has created more need and fewer volunteers (and fruit donations.) Masks, gloves, and hats required. This remains a COVID risk. Sign up to come if you can!

A program on Asylum with two featured speakers, hosted by the Peace and Social Concerns Committee, will be offered on Wed, Nov 1, at 7PM – both in person at the meetinghouse and via zoom. One of the speakers, a man from Africa, has been waiting in the US for his asylum hearing for nearly five years. He will describe how he escaped from Cameroon and what it was like to come to this country with nothing. The other speaker is Bethany Ringdal, Director of the Jonathan House of St. Paul. Jonathan House is a nonprofit ministry of the International Association of Refugees, which offers temporary housing for asylum seekers. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Wed for the link.

Come to a How We Deal with Conflict and Difference in our Individual Lives and in our Meeting Life Soiree on Mon, Oct 30, 1PM. All are welcome; no commitment, just drop in! Those interested will meet monthly. Since the topic can be challenging, it might be uncomfortable sometimes – but we plan to have fun, too! We hope to become more authentic, effective peacemakers in the world by becoming more skilled in dealing with differences in our daily lives. Email Nettie for the link; learn more from J, Kate W-J, Nettie, or Jim L.

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

The Watson Reading Group meets on the fourth Tues of each month, 7-8:30PM via Zoom. We are taking turns reading aloud from Ranae Hanson’s Watershed with time for discussion. Most participants have a copy of the book available to them, but it is not mandatory. Contact John D. with interest.

Small group line-up: Writing Group, first Monday night; Getting to Know You Group, second Tuesday afternoon; Right Relationship with Indigenous People, third Tuesday night; Reading Group, fourth Tuesday night; Spirituality of Dance and Movement Group, last Tuesday morning in odd months.

Joining the MFM Google Group for active members and attenders is an easy way to be engaged with folks at Minneapolis Meeting – recommended events, articles and videos, as well as questions, discussion, and news about what we are doing to witness to the Holy at work in our lives. To sign up, simply send an email request to office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org . For more about the MFM Google Group, go to minneapolisfriends.org/google-group. Also, to help keep abreast of Meeting news, you can find bulletins, events (under “schedule / calendar”,) and monthly meeting minutes on the meeting website – https://minneapolisfriends.org/

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER WORLD OF FRIENDS

Right Sharing of World Resources will offer a virtual Power of Enough workshop, Tues mornings, Oct 24th – Nov 21st, from 10AM – 11:30PM. What is essential? How much is enough? Is my use of time, energy, and “things” in right balance to free me to do God’s work, and to contribute to right order in our world? Through personal reflection, discussion and worship sharing we will explore queries to discover our power of enough. Sign up here.

The American Friends Service Committee’s Quaker engagement office has created space for Friends to come together in worship and solidarity, Fri, Oct 27th at 10AM(CT), immediately preceding the next Action Hour. Join here.

Friends Committee on National Legislation has written a letter Friends can use as a template to write to your representatives in Congress about the violence in Israel and Gaza. Find it here. There is an article about the U.S. role in the current crisis, written by Michael Plitnick (Middle East Peace Now’s speaker in Sept. and former co-Director of Jewish Voice for Peace). You can find it here.

Northern Yearly Meeting (NYM) Fall Interim Session, Nov 3-5 in Milwaukee. There will be a Fri. evening program; business meeting will be on Sat. Opportunities for other social and educational events on Saturday evening and Sunday are in the works. Watch for details. Updates here; password: quaker2023. Those requesting overnight housing, please register by Oct. 20th; and others by Oct. 27th. Zoom-only participants are asked to register so we can make sure you get Zoom information or other updates you may need. Register here.

Friends Committee on National Legislation’s (FCNL) Annual Meeting & Quaker Public Policy Institute 2023 will be Nov 15 – 19, in person in D.C. and online. Each year hundreds of Quakers and friends join in fellowship and worship at this event to seek unity around decisions about organizational priorities, bylaws, and budget for the coming year. Through the Quaker Public Policy Institute, hundreds of advocates lobby their federal officials to advance just public policies. Workshops, plenaries, worship sharing, and other events bring the work of FCNL to the wider Friends community and offer an opportunity to meet the dedicated FCNL staff who work every day to lobby for legislation that reflects Quaker values. Go to fcnl.org to learn more.

VOLUNTEER

Friends for a NonViolent World is launching an exciting new set of Alternatives to Violence Project workshops for youth, ages 10-30! New facilitators are needed! By becoming an AVP Youth Workshop Facilitator, you will support young folks in their journeys to peace, strength, and interconnectedness. You’ll also mentor youth participants, providing one-on-one support as they navigate their path to nonviolence. Contact FNVW’s Joan Hyman, 651-917-0383 for more.

It’s time to gear up for the Friends for a NonViolent World Holiday Fair!
~ CALLING MUSICIANS! If you would like to play for the Holiday Fair this year, Dec 1 and 2, please call or email Tom W. or the office: 612-926-6159. The Fair would love to have you!!
~ Approach your favorite businesses and ask if they would make a contribution to sell at the Fair! Print a few copies of this Holiday Fair Business Letter to share with the businesses you frequent to ask for their support.
~ Donate books! (We would also love multi-gallon storage tubs, and a few bookcases!) Contact office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to be put in touch with the book sale organizer.
~ create crafts to be sold or preserve the bounty of your garden! Work on your own or parallel play with a group of friends! Create an opportunity to teach one of your skills to a younger person!
~ Clean up those Quaker Treasures to prepare them for their next life. Items with special meaning and value to the
Quaker community are most fun to have.
~ Let us know what you’d like to donate to the sale using this FNVW Holiday Fair Donation Sign Up

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

A mining corporation wants to expand a quartzite quarry near Jeffers Petroglyphs in the Red Rock Ridge of southwestern MN. The Ridge is one of the oldest, continuously used sacred indigenous sites in the world; in use as early as 5000 BCE. The Mdewakanton Dakota and other tribes – inside MN and throughout a four-state area – continue to actively gather there for traditional cultural practices. A 2009 environmental impact assessment pledged that the quartzite quarry would not impact the sacred petroglyphs. In 2011, an archaeological survey by the MN Historical Society identified three additional prehistoric sites that the 2009 assessment missed. The proposed quarry expansion site is upstream from wetlands, and the quarrying process threatens surface water and groundwater. There are also numerous endangered and threatened rare plant species on the Red Rock Ridge. Our relatives at the Lower Sioux Indian Community are asking the State to require a new environmental impact assessment before the corporation expands its quarry footprint. Sign a petition here – before Oct 25th – to require a new impact assessment. (from MN Power & Light)

There will be a community sing, All Souls Sing, at Lakewood Cemetery on Oct 29th, 3:30-4:30 by Pool of Reflections. Wheelchair accessible (through the Garden Mausoleum,); bring a blanket or folding chair; admission by donation.

Overcoming Racism Conference, Nov 10-11, Metro State University, St. Paul. The Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative (FREC) is a collaborative (of individuals and organizations) working towards just, equitable, antiracist communities throughout Minnesota. We are committed to engagement with multiple communities and ways of knowing. This year’s theme is “Reclaiming History and Paying What’s Due.” More at https://overcomingracism.swoogo.com/ocr2023

OFFICE HOURS

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).