Minneapolis Friends Meeting phone: 612-926-6159
4401 York Avenue South office e-mail: office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org
Minneapolis, MN 55410 www.minneapolisfriends.org

January 14, 2024

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 9:40 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, John Culter; Zoom host – Bill H.

9:45 – 11:15 monthly meeting for business: Jane Furnas, acting clerk; Jeannette Raymond, recording clerk; Zoom host – Sandy O.

11:15 – 12:00 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): no planned speaker; care of meeting, Ed Souther; Zoom host – Sandy O.

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

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: Quaker History 101 – where did we start and how have we arrived to where we are today? Offered by Meeting historian, Linda Coffin.

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.

The Winter Gift is a special winter collection that is sent to recipients, nominated by meeting members and attenders, recommended by the Peace and Social Concerns Committee, and approved by monthly meeting. The East Philips Neighborhood Institute and Jonathan House were approved as the Winter Gift recipients for this year. To make a contribution to the Winter Gift, make checks out to Minneapolis Meeting and put “Winter Gift” in the memo line.

Fun with Friends: January is a perfect time to enjoy the warm company of Friends! Gather on Thurs, Jan 18th at the Landmark Center, 75 Fifth St. W, St Paul, for bag lunches and conversation at 11AM; at noon, attend an Artaria String Quartet concert in Courtroom 317. After the one-hour concert, Friends may choose to stay to tour the music museum or other displays throughout the building.

Watch the documentary Healing from Hate, via Zoom, on Thurs, Jan 25th, at 6:30PM with other Friends at the Peace and Social Concerns Committee Movie Night. The film follows members of Life After Hate—an organization founded by ex-neo Nazis and Skinheads—in their work to help White Nationalists leave their hate groups and heal communities torn apart by racism. Healing from Hate examines the root causes of hate group activity and digs into what’s needed to return meaning, identity and tolerance to broken and angry young white men and women. Click here to watch the trailer. Click here to connect to Zoom; ID: 894 0415 7057; Passcode: 132235;

Quaker Voluntary Service:
~ SAVE THE DATE, Sat, Jan 27th, 5:30PM for Game Night with local Quaker Voluntary Service Alumni, and the Local Support Committee members, here at the meetinghouse! Eat pizza, play interactive games, including some from the Alternatives to Violence collection, and have cocoa and popcorn to round out the evening. All are welcome! Contact Jane F. to RSVP so we have an estimate of how much pizza is needed.
~ 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 on Jan 27th, 10AM at the Friends School of MN,1365 Englewood Ave, St Paul. Light refreshments will follow. Link available soon. Frank’s obituary can be read here. Hospitality is being sought for out of town family and friends. Contact Cynthia B. if you can help with hosting.

Loaves and Fishes, Jan 29th: 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); package and hand out the meals and clean-up (5:15-6:30.) Fruit donations needed. Volunteers wear hair covering/hats, closed toe shoes and work in small groups. Email Sue K. to sign up for a shift to make sure there is sufficient coverage or to arrange to drop off fruit. Sign up to come if you can!

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

Experiment with Light: Last Sunday’s mid-morning program focused on Experiment with Light process and groups. Friends who are interested in learning more about the Light Groups at MFM, either general questions or with thoughts about trying out a group, please contact Diane B, Also, the worldwide network of EwL has a website with a great deal of information about Light Groups, including various versions of the meditative process used: https://experiment-with-light.org.uk/

The Right Relationship with Indigenous People group will meet this coming Tues night, Jan 16th, at 7PM. Open to all interested, this group meets every third Tues night. Contact Rick V. for more and the link.

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, over 90% of the population in Gaza is facing crisis levels of hunger and critical water shortages. 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. Link to AFSC’s most recent update about Gaza and the West Bank here. Attend an AFSC weekly worship for peace in Palestine on Thursdays, 4:30 (CT) through at least January and February or until a permanent ceasefire is reached; ID: 858 3133 3364; Passcode: 759311.

Friends General Conference will be holding a Winter mini-conference, Changing Times, Jan. 18-21, to seek a path forward:
– how will we sustain and deepen our connection to Spirit?
– how will we work together to find a way through racism and to the blessed community we know Is possible?
– how will we strengthen and support monthly and yearly meetings in the midst of climate change, war, and political strife?
– how can we meaningfully structure our religious community?
Information about speakers and workshop and the schedule as well as a link to register can be found here.

The Northern Yearly Meeting Anti-Racism Working Group will next meet on Jan. 25th, 7PM. This group is open to all interested. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org for the link.

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 include affirmation, communication, cooperation, and creative conflict resolution. Learn more here.

Volunteer registration for the 2024 Friends School of MN Plant Sale (May 10-12) will begin on February 1st. You can get a sense of the different tasks to be done here. But there are some important roles to be filled before Feb! Coordinators and Lead Volunteers are needed for the following areas: Greeters, Line Management, Curbside Loading Area, Social Media / Promotions, Volunteer Desk, Plant Experts, Watering. If you’d like to be part of the energy and life that is the plant sale, plan to volunteer! If you’d like to learn a little more about any of the roles cited above, or if you have questions please reach out to Steve (stevem(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fsmn.org)

American Friends Service Committee Board member, Sa’ed Ashtan, speaks with NPR: Sa’ed, an associate professor of peace and conflict studies and anthropology, and chair of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College, spoke about leaning into his Quaker faith in times of conflict. “Seeing the violence that’s all around us is a reminder to me of why it is that we need pacifists in society who put a mirror to society; who say, we want to reflect back to you the harms of violence,” says Sa’ed. Listen to the full conversation here.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

“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 and ends TODAY, Jan 14. Can’t get to MIA before the exhibit leaves? Experience a small sample here.

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.

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).