March 3, 2024

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Carolyn VandenDolder; Zoom host – Bill H.

10:15 – 11:00 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. Zoom host – Marilyn J.

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Kate Wolfe-Jenson – speaker; care of meeting, Rae Beth Cornilius; Zoom host – Marilyn J.

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

Stay after semi-programmed worship TODAY for a potluck in the lower level! You are welcome, even if you didn’t bring a pot to contribute. For regulars – bring lots so we can be confident inviting newcomers and visitors to stay! And don’t forget to label your ingredients so participants can eat confidently. Potlucks are do-it-ourselves affairs. Look for opportunities to help the effort – clearing dishes; refilling water pitchers; refreshing the supply of plates or flatware; washing and drying dishes. Many hands make light work!

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Next Sunday at 9:45: Monthly meeting for business. The primary focus of monthly meeting is to worship together in discerning the will of God for the meeting. On the agenda:
~ worship sharing around the State of Society Report – some queries to be considered: How do you bear witness to Friends Testimonies in the wider world? And What hopes or fears do you have for the future of your meeting?
~ the proposed 2024-25 budget from the Stewardship and Finance Committee;
~ a proposed committee slate from Nominating Committee;
~ a request to use the meetinghouse for a fundraiser for the East Philips Neighborhood Institute Urban Farm initiative (a Winter Gift recipient this year.)

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.

Ministry and Counsel Committee is interested in your thoughts about the state of Minneapolis 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 or text Elizabeth S. to join. Young Adult Quakers are going bowling at Bryant Lake Bowl on March 16th at 1:30. Come for a round of bowling or to cheer bowlers on! Bowling is $5 per person plus $2 for shoes. Please RSVP to Elizabeth S. Save the date: the next YAQ gathering will be April 14th following the second worship. Young Adults Quakers are generally considered to be under 50.
Related: A 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.

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 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.

Congratulations to Mary L on her exhibit of hooked rugs, My Life in Rugs, at the Textile Center, 3000 University Ave SE. Showing now through April 6!

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

Established writers as well as dabblers will have an informal writing session Mon night, March 4th, 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.

Come on Wed, March 6th at 2PM (on Zoom ) to the afternoon Conflict Soiree! Gently explore conflict in your personal life and in our meeting life. Drop-ins and newcomers always welcome. Email Nettie S. for the zoom 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

Tracts for Our Times: Celebrating Ninety Years of Pendle Hill Pamphlets, a Pendle Hill first Monday lecture, will feature Mary Crauderueff, Doug Gwyn, and Janaki Spickard Keeler tomorrow night, Mar 4th, 6:30 PM (CT). Since 1934, some 485 Pendle Hill Pamphlets have provided witness to the depth and breadth of Quaker faith and practice in the 20th and 21st centuries. Register at https://pendlehill.org/events/tracts-for-our-times-celebrating-ninety-years-of-pendle-hill-pamphlets/

American Friends Service Committee hosts a worship with attention to peace in Palestine and Israel every Thurs, online, at 4:30PM. Sign up to get the link at https://afsc.org/events/meeting-worship-attention-peace-palestine-israel.

Friends for a NonVIolent World 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.

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. If you’d like to be part of the energy and life that is the plant sale, plan to volunteer!

Thee Quaker Podcast’s new season offers two thought-provoking programs: Black Quakers Build the Beloved Community on Their Own Terms – https://quakerpodcast.com/black-quakers-build-the-beloved-community-on-their-own-terms/ and What Do Quakers Wear – https://quakerpodcast.com/what-do-quakers-wear/

The Friends World Committee for Consultation, Americas Section Meeting, Living Ubuntu: Responding with hope to God’s call to cherish creation and one another, will be online March 16th. You can register to attend here. Go to the section website for the schedule, and advance documents. After you register, you will receive updates when materials are available. Register today!

Friends General Conference Spiritual Deepening Program is offering Encountering Spirit, an online retreat, April 12-14. For seasoned Friends as well as newcomers, explore the fundamental aspect of Quaker spirituality – the direct encounter with God. What can early Friends teach about finding Truth and feeling the principle of God? How do we open ourselves to the gift of direct relationship? Find out more here. Register by April 10.

Plan to attend Friends General Conference Gathering, Rooted in Story, this summer over the 4th of July weekend at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Advance programs usually come out in March. Look for more information in the weekly Minneapolis Meeting bulletin or online at https://www.fgcquaker.org/fgcprograms/the-gathering/.

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 mnchurches.org.

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 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.