May 19, 2024

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

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

10:15 – 11:00 My Spiritual Journey with Jeff Naylor; Zoom host – John K.

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Gayle Dreon – speaker; Dave Bostrom – musician; care of meeting, Terry Burke; Zoom host – John K.

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

Friends are reminded to silence your cell phone before entering the meetingroom.

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

HEADS UP: the summer schedule begins next Sunday, May 26th with one worship at 10AM.

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.

Come to the meetinghouse for an optimistic, upbeat evening on the topics of racism, organizing strategy, and how to work in coalitions and solidarity – THIS THURSDAY, May 23rd, 7PM. Author Garrett Bucks, a Milwaukee Meeting Quaker and Earlham College alumnus, will be discussing his new book, “The Right Kind of White”, as well as ‘The Barnraisers Project,’ an organization he founded which has trained nearly one thousand participants to organize majority-white communities for racial and social justice. As we approach the fourth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, we must continue to reckon with race and what role we play in dismantling systems of oppression. Sponsored by Southwest Alliance for Equity (SWAE), and co-hosted by MFM, FNVW, and Comma Bookshop. REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-conversation-with-author-organizer-garrett-bucks-tickets-895335140507
If you are able to help out with chairs, greeting folks, setting up a few tables, or just being available, please contact Roger M. For a sneak peak at the book, see: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Right-Kind-of-White/Garrett-Bucks/9781982197209

International Friends Church is twelve years old this month! Friends at Minneapolis Meeting supported and encouraged the start of the church, now affiliated with Iowa Yearly Meeting, Friends United Meeting. MFM Friends are warmly invited to give thanks for this community and see how far it has come at a celebration on June 16th at 11AM, at Waycross Evangelical Church, 7733 W.River Rd. Brooklyn Park, 55444. In aid of planning, please RSVP to Stephen S.

Save the date: Join Southwest Alliance for Equity (SWAE), East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) and MFM for a fundraiser at the meetinghouse Thurs, June 27th at 6:30PM. Help raise some money to support the EPNI Urban Farm and Neighborhood Hub at the old Roof Depot and, just as important, raise awareness of the project! There will be snacks, beverages, social time, and an update directly from EPNI. More to come . . .

We are grateful to be welcoming new children and families and offering relationship, care, and planned programming during worship! The time has come for the next step: additional adults coming forward to get to know the young folks now attending meeting. Ideally, we will develop a rotation of adult volunteers who will help once or twice every eight weeks. Implement a lesson already planned, or be interviewed about your experience of Quakerism! A sign-up sheet is on the elevator table. Questions? Email Cathy N. Haven’t gone through the clearness process to work with children of the meeting? Contact Rae Beth Cornelius of the Child Welfare Committee.

Minneapolis Meeting needs you! The Tech Committee will offer regular AV training and refresher sessions through this summer. Running the AV system is not about technology, it’s more like following a recipe. We’re the process easy with step by step ‘recipe cards’ to operate the system. This is a call to a ministry of making connections – helping connect people remotely with the meetinghouse and back again. Willing to help? Contact Marilyn J. or Roger M.

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.

Monthly Meeting approved a curtailed budget last week. In order to meet the curtailed budget, contributions will need to increase 10% over those of last year, and Meeting will still need to use $25,000 of general fund reserves. If we are to make our usual contributions to other organizations and support MFM programming at the usual level this year, contributions will need to increase by about 24% in addition to using the $25,000 in reserves. THANK YOU for your past giving to the meeting. Friends are asked to consider anew what financial support they are able to give to the meeting at this time. A contributions report was linked from the electronic bulletin. As this year progresses, Meeting will convene one or more threshing sessions to discern how we can best balance our vision for the future with our energies and finances.

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

The Right Relationship with Indigenous People group will not meet this coming Tues night. An in-person meeting is being planned for this summer. Contact Terry H. or Lin B. for more.

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; Reading Group, fourth Tuesday night.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER WORLD OF FRIENDS

Get Early Bird rates for Friends for a NonViolent World People Camp until May 31! People Camp is a rich experience of shared community life and work, recreation and connection, social justice learning, and action opportunities for children and adults. Camp runs from August 11-17. Find out more and register here.

Northern Yearly Meeting’s Annual Session – a great opportunity to meet with Quakers around the region! Come explore the theme Inward Guidance, Outward Action over Memorial Day weekend, May 24-27. Business meeting, time to enjoy the company of old and new Friends, opportunity to rest your mind and spirit, the opportunity for spiritual growth, campfires, walks in the woods, boating, swimming, singing, and much more. Children and youth participate in a lively and popular program. Take a look at the NYM Annual Session Brochure (on the NYM website.) Join virtually or in-person: Register for the weekend.
NYM – “A Great Place for Kids!” Last year, the Early Elementary group was running a restaurant with a very full menu. Later they were heard singing in the tent structure they had built. In Older Elementary the games often had physical elements like Electricity, Quaker Maze, Mirror a Partner’s Movement and Wacky Relay to mention just a few. During Middle School the activities often, but not always, became more complex: t-shirt tie-dyeing, archery, and folk dancing. And then of course Tag, You’re It and other chasing games. There are lots of activities to do during free time – intergenerational games like Everybody’s It, or Capture The Flag, and also boating, swimming, campfires and hiking. From the start the High School students know just what to do. They make an agenda to incorporate everyone’s desires for the session. They have meetings with serious discussions, but also they won’t miss a moment to play Mad LIbs or an impromptu board game. The Night Hike is a favorite joyful time for silent listening of night sounds and critters. There’s also time for stargazing. And many playful times, Belts ice cream excursion and the musical extravaganza playing homemade silly instruments made of grass whistles, bottles and something percussive. The last day saying their goodbyes is moving, exhausting and they fall asleep on the way home.

Northern Yearly Meeting will have two virtual pre-sessions TODAY, May 19 (before Annual Session gathering starts May 24). The Finance Committee Budget Review is a deep dive from 1-3PM, and the State of Society Reports are the topic from 6:30-8PM. Info at: https://northernyearlymeeting.org/events/.

Friends General Conference Annual Gathering: General registration for the in-person and virtual Gatherings at Haverford has re-opened! Workshop, housing, and program spots are first come, first serve, so please don’t delay in registering. For more and to register, see fgcquaker.org/fgcprograms/the-gathering/registration-and-logistics. FGC – Registration for on-campus housing will close May 31. Only 1/3 of the beds on campus remain available, so please do not wait! There are still some FGC scholarship funds available for Friends who register ASAP and a few people are needed to fill particular workgrant roles suitable for Friends with Gathering experience and flexible time: apply to be a High School counselor and be part of an experience that is formative for many young Quakers; Junior Gathering will also likely still need volunteers. . Please email gathering(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)fgcquaker.org if you have already registered but have not yet asked about a workgrant.

Friends General Conference offers monthly, virtual, worship for Friends of Color – third Sundays (TODAY,) 7PM. These worships offer a place for Friends of Color to come together in community and worship in an environment with Friends who experience marginalization in their lives and Quaker meetings because they are a Person of Color. For more and to request the link, go to https://www.fgcquaker.org/event/virtual-worship-for-friends-of-color-monthly-worship

Cannon Valley Friends invite us to learn about The Taking of Indigenous Lands for What Becomes Northfield May 29, 7PM, 512 Washington Ave (Cannon Valley Friends Meetinghouse) in Northfield. What do we mean when we say “This is Dakota Land?” Matt Rohn, retired St. Olaf professor and member of the Beyond Land Acknowledgement, will share what he has learned about the troubling history of land being taken from Indigenous people to make it possible for speculators to found towns, and churches in the area now called Northfield.

American Friends Service Committee
* join AFSC every Friday at 11AM for an Action Hour for a Cease-fire Now.
* worship with attention to peace in Palestine and Israel with Friends across the U.S. every Thurs, online, at 4:30PM. Sign up to get the link at https://afsc.org/events/meeting-worship-attention-peace-palestine-israel.
* urge Congress to resume U.S. funding for life-saving Palestinian aid. Palestinians in Gaza are starving and facing disease, and ongoing military attacks. The entire population is in urgent need of humanitarian aid. But the U.S. has suspended funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the main provider of aid in Gaza. The FY24 budget has made that cut permanent through this year. Stopping these funds deepens the humanitarian crisis.
* AFSC and partner organizations recently released a new resource documenting violations of U.S. and international law committed by Israel. The report highlights Israel’s illegal use of U.S. weapons against Palestinians over the last seven months. Read more.

Quaker Call to Action’s Steering Committee’s offers this List of Priority Actions (HERE,) short-term actions that can be taken in the months leading up to the November elections.

Pendle Hill is offering a hybrid, Young Adult (18-25) Conference, Continuing Revolution 2024: Restorative Justice as Spiritual Practice, June 7-10, online plus three in-person sites. Restorative Justice seeks to both repair harm and address the root causes of the actions perpetrating harm. There will be hybrid workshops and spiritual grounding exercises as well as site-specific sessions. Participants will gain foundational knowledge about historical and contemporary RJ practices, learning from groups currently organizing for systemic change around RJ in national, local, and interpersonal communities, gaining tools and strategies for practicing restorative justice in their own communities in ways that reflect their values and hopes for building abolitionist futures. Learn more here at https://pendlehill.org/events/continuing-revolution-2024-restorative-justice-as-spiritual-practice/

Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change: Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples, a two-hour participatory program, allows attenders to experience the history of the colonization of Turtle Island, the land now known as the United States. The story is told through the words of Indigenous leaders, European/American leaders, and Western historians. Engage with this history through experiential exercises and small group discussions. Sun, June 23, 3-5PM(CT). REGISTER HERE: https://friendspeaceteams.org/trr-workshop-jun-2024/

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).