December 31, 2023

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Clifford Goltz; Zoom host – Marilyn J.

10:15 – 11:00 How to Become Soil in Six Weeks. Angela Woosley of Inspired Journeys will guide us in better understanding Natural Organic Reduction, AKA human composting. Zoom host – Kate W-J

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): no planned speaker; Jacque Wiersma – musician; care of meeting, John Dunham; Zoom host – Kate W-J

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

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Those living in the midst of violence and the threat of violence, those who fear for the safety of loved ones, those who want for basic necessities.

All who are living with great uncertainty and/or carrying burdens from last year into the new year, especially those carrying a pressing concern for U.S. democracy in the context of the election this year.

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: a program on Experiment with Light, featuring Albert Bellg, poet, psychologist, retreat facilitator, and member of a Quaker worship group under the care of the Madison Meeting. Al has recently published a book entitled, Living the Deepest Truth You Know and will share how Experiment with Light, a Quaker process, can help in the facilitation of deep spiritual seeking. This will be an opportunity for individuals to learn more about “Light Groups” at MFM, and to discern whether they might want to explore this process for themselves.

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.

At monthly meeting on December 10th, the East Philips Neighborhood Institute and Jonathan House were approved as the Winter Gift recipients for this year. After a decade of organizing and resistance, EPNI won the opportunity to convert the Roof Depot warehouse into a community hub and indoor urban farm, an historic achievement of self-determination, climate crisis mitigation, and environmental justice. Jonathan House extends shelter, hope, and healing to asylum-seekers in Minneapolis/St. Paul, offering supportive housing, strategic connections, practical assistance, and a welcoming community, helping new Minnesotans recover from forced displacement and begin to rebuild their lives. To make a contribution to the Winter Gift, make checks out to Minneapolis Meeting and put “Winter Gift” in the memo line.

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 L. 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 J.

Quaker Voluntary Service, a program supported by local Quaker meetings, has spent the past year evaluating the program and the cultural context in which it exists. Read about what has been discovered and what will be changed in the coming year here.
~ The local QVS Program, on hiatus this year, will restart for 2024-2025 and your ideas for possible new sites where the QVS Fellows can work are needed! Progressive, compatible for-profit and non-profit organizations will be considered. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org with your thoughts or contacts with organizations.
~ Want to be involved with this program, nurturing and helping ground the leaders of tomorrow in Quaker values? Explore with Mary Ellen S (TCFM), Tom W, or Jane F.
~ There will be a special supporters’ Briefing on Jan 24th at 6:30PM (CT) where the staff and board will share the exciting decisions and shifts recently made by the Board of Directors, to be implemented over the next two years. There will be time for questions and opportunities for you to share feedback. Register here.

There will be a memorial service for Frank Wood at 10AM on January 27th at Friends School of Minnesota,1365 Englewood Ave, Saint Paul. Light refreshments will follow. A Zoom link will be available by mid-month.

The Care and Counsel Committee facilitates pastoral care for Minneapolis Meeting members and attenders, understanding the Quaker tradition that Friends minister to each other. If you are dealing with illness, grief, a major transition, or a stressful personal problem, we would like to be there for you. Contact committee clerk, Sandy O.
If a confidential discussion would support you as you make a decision, we will set up a clearness committee with you. Email John S. to explore that opportunity.
Other committee members are Connie A, Mary G, and Ellen S.

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

Established writers as well as dabblers will have an informal writing session Mon night, JAN 8Th (postponed from tomorrow, the first Monday!) 7-9PM. This is a chance to connect with one another, writing with prompts and sharing what we write. Serious, whimsical, beautiful and quirky – we’ve enjoyed them all! You are welcome to come laugh, ponder, and create together, whether or not you have participated before! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81928610224; Meeting ID: 819 2861 0224. Contact Jane D. with questions or interest.

“Conflict Soiree,” THIS Wed, Jan 3rd, 2PM. ALL ARE WELCOME! We will be discussing some of our differences around “Contemplation or Social Justice?” Is the meeting a sanctuary where we come to find respite and solace from our worldly concerns – or – Is the meeting a place to voice our concerns about the world and be activated with ways to address them? This is a polarity that has existed in Quakerism throughout our history. The group may also consider whether and how the meeting as a whole might be involved in this consideration. Email Nettie for a Zoom link. Questions? Talk with Nettie , John S. or Kate W-J.

Small group line-up: Writing Group, first Monday night; Conflict Soiree, first Wednesday afternoon; Getting to Know You Group, second Tuesday afternoon; Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice Group, second Tuesday night; Right Relationship with Indigenous People, third Tuesday night; Reading Group, fourth Tuesday night; Spirituality of Dance Group, last Tuesday morning in odd months.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER WORLD OF FRIENDS

URGENT ACTION REQUESTED: The U.N. states that today, twenty-five percent of the people in Gaza are starving and the entire population faces a famine crisis. Friends Committee on National Legislation has made it easy for you to contact your legislators in D.C. to urge a ceasefire, de-escalation, restraint, and respect for international law in Gaza and Israel. Click here. It also provides resources for talking with others in your community about what is going on there – to raise awareness and invite action. Click here. American Friends Service Committee has an Action Hour every Friday at 11AM (CT) where you can get updates from AFSC folks in Gaza; hear what’s happening on Capitol Hill and get resources for action. Register here for the link.

Addressing Patterns of Racial Wounding and Racial Justice in Quaker Communities, a Pendle Hill first Monday lecture, will be given by Lauren Brownlee and Zenaida Peterson on Jan 8th, 6:30-8 (CT) via Zoom. Patterns of white supremacy culture and racism exist in the Society of Friends and associated organizations. Learn about the guide created by the Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism and several Quaker institutions, inspired by the work of Tema Okun, with examples of common Quaker racial harms and their answering interventions. For more and to register, click here.

Friends General Conference’s ongoing Poetry as Spiritual Practice workshop invites you to experiment with words as a way to deepen your connection with your Inner Guide. No writing or poetry experience necessary! Register for one or more than one; the next session is Jan 13, 9-11AM (CT). More and to register here.

Friends Committee on National Legislation will host an Intro to Advocacy session, Jan 18th, 7-8 (CT) online. Come for an engaging and informative session with valuable insights and strategies on how you can effectively advocate for the issues that matter most to you! More and register here.

Friends General Conference will be holding a Winter Conference, Changing Times, Jan. 18-21, with four components:
– Connecting to Spirit
– Becoming an Actively Anti-racist Faith Community
– Changing Structures for Changing Times
– The Future of the Religious Society of Friends.  
Information about speakers and workshop and the schedule as well as a link to register can be found here.

The Alternatives to Violence Project will offer a Basic (beginning) Workshop Jan 26, 27, and 28. Founded in prison and developed from the life experiences of people who’ve been incarcerated, AVP encourages every person’s innate power to positively transform first themselves and then the world we live in. The Basic Workshop helps to develop primary conflict management skills using personal experiences, problem-solving techniques, and experiential exercises. Some of the discussion topics: affirmation, communication, cooperation, and creative conflict resolution. Learn more here.

Friends School of MN – Volunteers Needed to Help Display Student Art. Have an eye for design? Want to help student art shine and help the school look amazing for the January open house (Jan 18) and upcoming tours? Volunteer to help display student artwork. Contact Laura (laurp(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fsmn.org) or Meg (mege(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fsmn.org) for more information.

The American Friends Service Committee special conversation on Nonviolence in Times of Crisis from last spring is now available through Friends General Conference’s Quakers Today podcast.

The Quaker Call to Action hosted a Zoom gathering featuring the E.D. of Protect Our Election last month. A video of it can be found here. Slides from the presentation can be found and downloaded under Training Resources here. Slides #8, 11 and 12 have live links to resources and opportunities for action. Resources and more from Quaker Call to Action can be found here.

Friends for a NonViolent World’s newest Everyday Nonviolence Podcast, Creating Social Change through the Power of Poetry, features Kyle Tran Myhre (aka Guante), a poet and activist whose work explores the relationships between narrative, power and resistance. Learn more about Kyle at www.guante.info. Listen to the podcast here.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

The Minnesota Multi-Faith Network will hold a silent vigil for peace on Sat, Dec 30th, 6-6:45PM at the Stone Arch Bridge. No speeches, no signs, no flags, no messaging. Gather to focus inward on our shared humanity and pursuit of peace and to be in a space safe for grief for the loss of life in Palestine and Israel. Bridges are symbolic of connection, journey, union, transition, understanding. Gather at 6 on the downtown, Mill side of the bridge; walk across and back together in silence; enjoy warm drinks.

A webinar from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, Holding on to Hope, will be offered Wed, Jan 3, 11AM (CT). When so much feels lost and possibilities for peace and coexistence seem further away than ever, connecting with Israelis and Palestinians on the ground is essential. In this webinar, meet representatives from three shared-society organizations continuing to work across communities to lay a foundation for peace. More and register here.

“In Our Hands: Native Photography, 1890 to Now,” a display of over 150 photographs of, by, and for Indigenous people, is at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts until Jan 14. More, including a guide to the pieces, at https://new.artsmia.org/exhibition/in-our-hands-native-photography-1890-to-now

The Division of Indian Works’ Grandparents Raising Grandchildren program is asking for new or used Native-author books for their program participants and families. The books can be for children, young adults (teens), and adults books but should be written by a Native authors. Drop off books at the front desk, 1001 E Lake St, M-F, 9AM- 4PM. Direct questions to Development Associate David Nelson, dnelson(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)diw-mn.org / (612) 279-6321.

The Minnesota Council of Churches is experiencing high demand for certain donations for refugees. Please call (612) 247-9760 or email rsvolunteers(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)mnchurches.org to donate: feminine products, new pillows, laundry detergent, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bars of soap, disposable razors, all-purpose cleaner, dish soap.

OFFICE HOURS – the Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office Thurs and Fri afternoons. Phone messages checked daily; email checked Thurs and F. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur. Send announcements to office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org