A reminder that NYM’s Winter Interim Session is this Saturday. You are welcome to attend even if you have not registered; this is an all-virtual session. The final (as final as it gets) agenda is now posted to the session site, along with many of the reports: https://sessions.northernyearlymeeting.org/ password: quaker2024 The Zoom link is on the ‘Schedule with Links’ page of the site.

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February 25, 2024

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

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

10:15 – 11:00 Friends Committee on National Legislation: Update on the Quaker Lobby for Peace. FCNL has been the “Quaker lobby” for 80 years, advocating for peace and justice. This program reviews the priorities over the last year and seeks the views of MFM members about priorities for the next Congress. Zoom host – Kate W-J

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): no planned speaker; no planned musician; Zoom host – Kate W-J

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

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: Stories of Transition and Healing. Terry Hokenson and Ellen Swanson will share two stories of their own transition and healing, after which we will break into small groups to share our stories of transition and healing, framed by a few offered queries.

There is mid-week worship every Wed night, 7PM. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org by noon Wed to get the link.

Ministry and Counsel Committee is interested in your thoughts about the state of Minneapolis Meeting! The queries posed by Northern Yearly Meeting to consider include: How is the Spirit moving in your meeting? How do you care for one another and nurture connections within your meeting community? What are you doing to deepen the spiritual life of your meeting? How is it working? How do you bear witness to Friends Testimonies in the wider world? What hopes or fears do you have for the future of your meeting? Communicate comments about the state of society report to Lolly L, clerk of Ministry and Counsel Committee.

The MFM Young Adult Quakers have a Google Group. Email Elizabeth S. or office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to be put in touch with Elizabeth and join. The YAQs are also planning the next few months of activities. Take the survey at https://forms.gle/Gt8o6nrWRjyGzME89 to share your availability and preferences. Young Adults Quakers are generally considered to be under 50.

~ Related: The most recent Thee Quaker podcast, What Does Quakerism Look Like for the Next Generation? is available here: quakerpodcast.com/finding-a-spiritual-home-what-does-quakerism-look-like-for-the-next-generation/

Come DANCE March 23rd! Come as early as 6:45 – dancing starts at 7, runs til 9 PM; Twin Cities Meeting, 1725 Grand Ave. in St. Paul. Live music, contra dance callers, refreshments. Meet the Quaker Voluntary Service local volunteers and maybe the new coordinator for the upcoming program year. Families and children are welcome! We will ask for a donation to cover costs of refreshments.

Quaker Voluntary Service, a program supported by Minneapolis and Twin Cities Meetings, needs your help! Progress is being made toward re-launching the Quaker Voluntary Service program in the Twin Cities, but a few more partner non-profit site organizations are required. Please reach out to friends and family for ideas of possible local non-profits which could provide good professional work experience for a skilled young adult while supporting Quaker values. Contact Jane F, Ed S, or Tom W. with ideas.

Friends General Conference is doing an Institutional Assessment to develop statistical evidence to help measure the effectiveness of its anti-racism initiatives. Friends are heartily encouraged to participate by taking this survey: https://www.tfaforms.com/5068464?mc_cid=18ca52bb2b&mc_eid=899c69e8f5

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

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. If you have interest in joining, please let John D. know.

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

Friends for a NonVIolent World news highlights:

~ FNVW Annual Meeting – save the date, Sat, March 2nd, 9-noon at Twin Cities Meeting or via Zoom. Attend to connect with the network of FNVW supporters, celebrate the successes of the past year, and increase the impact in facing coming challenges. Register online for more details (and to be entered in a door prize drawing!)

~ FNVW is joining Earth Quaker Action Team’s online Thursday night Direct NonViolent Action training sessions. Find out more at eqat.org.

~ FNVW People Camp registration is now open! Get Early Bird rates (until May 31) to attend camp this summer – a rich experience of shared community life and work, recreation and connection, social justice learning and action opportunities for children and adults. Find out more and register here.

~ FNVW’s newest Everyday Nonviolence Podcast, Legacy of War, features Danae Henrickson, Chief of Mission Advancement and Communications at Legacies of War, the only US-based educational and advocacy organization dedicated to increasing awareness about the American Secret War in Laos and US involvement in Southeast Asia. Learn more at Legaciesofwar.org. Listen to the podcast at Everyday NonViolence podcast.

Scattergood Friends School is hosting a virtual open house on Sat, March 2, for families with rising 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students. Come hear from Scattergood staff, students, and parents while learning about the school’s distinctive academic programs and getting to know more about community life on campus. We look forward to sharing Scattergood with you! Register with this form so we can send you a link ahead of the event.

Volunteer registration for the 2024 Friends School of MN Plant Sale (May 10-12) has started! Get a sense of the different tasks to be done at FriendsSchoolplantsale.com. If you’d like to be part of the energy and life that is the plant sale, plan to volunteer!

Understanding Our Immigration Process, part of American Friends Service Committee’s webinar series of Protecting Immigrant Rights in an Election Year, will be on Tues, Feb 27, 3PM (CT). Look at what pathways exist for migrants to enter the U.S. lawfully and discuss the challenges that arise. There will be time for conversation about a vision for a process that would ensure that all migrants are treated with dignity and respect. Register at everyaction.com.

Black History month offers an occasion for Friends to learn more about Black Quakers whose lives were a profound witness: https://www.pym.org/making-a-difference-black-quaker-history/

The BlackQuaker Project gave a Pendle Hill First Monday Lecture earlier this month, The BlackQuaker Project Challenges Quakerism in the 21st Century. Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuxQdWN4RfE

The American Friends Service Committee’s special conversation on Nonviolence in Times of Crisis from last spring is now available through Friends General Conference’s Quakers Today podcast. To learn more, listen to the conversation, or read the transcript, click friendsjournal.org/podcast.

Camp Woodbrooke – Registration for 2024 has started! Camp Woodbrooke is a small summer camp for ages 7-15 on 162 acres in southwestern Wisconsin, rooted in Quaker traditions of simplicity, harmony, peace, responsibility, and equality. Secure your favorite session(s) before it’s too late at campwoodbrooke.org/dates-fees. Apply to be part of the summer staff at this link. More at campwoodbrooke.org.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

Ramadan falls between March 10 and April 9 this year. MN Council of Churches, in partnership with the Muslim American Society, is once again coordinating Taking Heart Ramadan Iftars. Sign up to observe the prayer, share a meal, and get to better know our Muslim neighbors. Check the dates and locations available at mnchurches.

Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light will be participating in this year’s Rally & Lobby Day in partnership with Rise & Repair. This is the biggest day of the year when it comes to demonstrating support for Indigenous Rights and climate justice in the upcoming Legislative Session! The event will include training, visits with legislators, a march, and a rally in the rotunda. Tues, March 12, 10AM-4PM, MN State Capitol. Register and more at riseandrepair-mnipl.nationbuilder.com/rally.

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).

The Children and Families Coordinator, is available Thurs, noon-3:30 and Sun, 8-9AM and noon-1PM. Cathy’s number is available in the MFM directory.