June 23, 2024

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

10:00 – 11:00 AM meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Stephen Snyder, reader; Jacque Wiersma, musician; care of meeting, Dave Bostrom; Zoom host – Bill H.

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

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

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Upcoming special events:

Come to Seeding the Future – East Phillips Urban Farm Benefit, THIS Thurs, June 27th, 6:30PM, here at the meetinghouse! Be a part of building a more just and equitable Minneapolis by raising vital funds for the East Phillips Urban Farm project, a vibrant community hub and indoor urban farm right in the heart of Minneapolis. Powered by a massive rooftop solar array, the community’s vision for this development embodies the shared desire for environmental justice and a healthy future for the historically neglected communities of East Phillips and Little Earth. The evening will start with light refreshments and music and an opportunity to build community with your neighbors. This will be followed by a comprehensive overview of the project presented by The East Phillips Neighborhood Institute, highlighting its transformative potential, including state-of-the-art indoor farming facilities, communal spaces, affordable housing solutions, and more. A Q&A with the project organizers and description of how you can get involved will round out the evening. There is no cost to attend. For those able to contribute, suggested donation levels are $10, $20, $50, $100, $250, or $500. RSVP here for the June 27th event. If you can’t make it, consider donating to the project here and spreading the word about the event to your networks. Our goal is to raise $3,000 for this community-led project. Learn more about the East Phillip’s Urban Farm project at https://www.epnifarm.org/ The link for the event: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86299497759?pwd=V0ji6kozUbV1aSWvtJOVMbs7F4CIjF.1; ID: 862 9949 7759; passcode: 649807.

Hibbing native Jeff Halper will give a talk, “From Genocide in Gaza to Decolonizing Palestine: Towards a Democratic State for All Between the River and the Sea,” at 11:00 am following worship on Sun, July 7th. Jeff is an Israeli anthropologist who is a founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and the Palestinian-led One Democratic State Campaign. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize by the American Friends Service Committee in 2006 and has taught at the Friends World College (headed by George Watson before he came to Minneapolis Meeting.) His visit is being organized by the Minneapolis WAMM (Women Against Military Madness). A potluck will follow the talk. Available via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87395438569?pwd=sJa5MEzTnjPcdjZ8RbcHSIQidCMeCa.1; ID: 873 9543 8569; Passcode: 740961. In preparation, an AFSC-recommended film, Where Olive Trees Weep, is available to view online at https://whereolivetreesweep.com/. Where Olive Trees Weep offers a window into the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation, exploring themes of loss, trauma, and the quest for justice.

Meeting children and youth will attend the Twins vs Cubs baseball game on Aug. 4th! The Twins scoreboard will display that message: Welcome Quaker Youth from Minneapolis Friends Meeting, so get your picture taken at the game with the scoreboard displaying that message! The first 5,000 youth 12 years and under will get a free Twins backpack. Concession food is half price for kids on that Sunday. We will also get a chance to walk around the bases on Twins field. Let Coordinator Cathy Nagler know how many adult tickets ($18.00) and children (free) you want to reserve for this Aug 4th event. Our seats are reserved viewing third base, and the Twins dugout. This will be a game to remember!

Seems like next autumn is forever away – but mark your calendars now for Fall Together October 26th! Make time to gather with Friends at beautiful Fish Lake Park to rest, relax, renew, re-connect and RELISH time together!

News

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 asylum hearing for Ayuk will be Mon, July 8, from 8:30 to 10AM in the chambers of Judge Audrey Carr at the Whipple Building. Ayuk has spoken to Minneapolis Meeting about the civil war in his homeland of Cameroon, his dramatic journey to Ecuador, and then by foot through the Darien Gap and eventually to the U.S. In the five years since his arrival, he has earned computer and human relations certifications, he has acquired a job at Boston Scientific, and he has been consecrated a deacon at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Approval rates for asylum in Minnesota are under 20%. The presence of observers at asylum hearings, however, tends to increase the chances of asylum being granted. Friends are urged to attend this hearing, an important juncture in Ayuk’s life. If Ayuk was to be sent back to Cameroon, it would be to the only airport which is in enemy territory. It would likely result in his death. To get to the Whipple Bldg (2 Federal Drive, St. Paul,) from Mpls, head east on Crosstown and take the right-hand exit at Bloomington Road (not Ave,) just before the airport. Please see or talk to John D. if you have questions.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee will meet tomorrow night, June 24, 7PM via Zoom. If you are interested in Minneapolis Meeting’s peace and justice focus and witness, you are warmly welcome to come! ID: 899 1439 1038; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89914391038?pwd=WE1JOE9VdmpHWWJlSlVEMkFvSUprZz09; Passcode: 455959.

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.

Please remember to schedule committee meetings, events, and visits to the meetinghouse with the office to help avoid conflicts: 612-926-6159; office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org .

From the clerk: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor: 9:7 NIV). Or as the children’s song goes: “Love is something if you give it away, you end up having more.” Can we each see our giving as an act of love?

Monthly Meeting approved a curtailed 2024-25 budget. 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 reserves. 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. Progress report: With only a week to go in this first quarter, contributions to the general fund total $28,512.50. First quarter contributions usually cover 12-18% of the total budget. Contributions so far are 21.5% of the curtailed budget; and almost 19% of our aspirational budget. Thank you, Friends, for your generous support of the meeting.

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 co-clerks, John S, or Ellen S.
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, Jill F, and Jimbo L.

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

Help keep the meeting grounds tidy! Gardeners are gathering this Tuesday afternoon at 3PM to take on the thriving weeds! Come play in the dirt with them!

The Watson Reading Group meets on the fourth Tues of each month, 7-8:30PM via Zoom. Come this Tues to add your thoughts on the next selection to read together. Contact John D. for details.

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, suspended for the time being; Reading Group, fourth Tuesday night.

OPPORTUNITIES AMONG FRIENDS

The local Quaker Voluntary Service program is shaping up – QVS is on track to have about 20 Fellows serve across four cities, more than double the number of Fellows in the 2023-2024! Locally, a couple of the non-profit organization placements this year will require the use of a car, which the prospective Fellows don’t have. Do you have a car QVS can use for the months of September through mid-June? Please contact MSP Local Coordinator Kate Cowie-Haskell, kate(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)quakervoluntaryservice.org.

Friends World Committee for Consultation will host Quaker Earthcare Witness Director, Keith Runyan, as he offers Navigating the Storms: Prophetic Witness for an Earth Restored, tomorrow, Mon, June 24, 7PM online. How might we develop wisdom and global solidarity in the face of great change? How might we become students of the Living World? As Quakers, will we “garden as the world burns” or will we rise to the heights of our tradition, take bold action, and rediscover our Prophetic Voice? Register at this link.

Friends may still register to attend parts of the Friends General Conference Gathering remotely (June 30-July 6.) More at https://www.fgcquaker.org/fgcprograms/the-gathering/online-opportunities/

Register for Friends for a NonViolent World People Camp, Aug 11-17. 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 at the North Pines Retreat Center in Park Rapids.. Find out more and register here.

A Young Adult Quaker Gathering is being organized in the UK August 21-25! Come join a group of YAFs from around the world to wait on the living Spirit together, and to consider the transforming experience of early Friends and what this might mean for us today. There will also be lots of time for fun and fellowship. The Gathering will center on the promise around which early Friends gathered, ‘where two or three gather in my name, there I will be in the midst of them’ (Matt. 18:20). The Gathering will happen at the historic Jordans Friends meetinghouse & Quaker Centre, not too far from London, with some space for free accommodation nearby. Friends can attend for as much as they’re able to. Register at this link. If Friends in your area are led to support the Gathering, that can be done at this link. A longer write-up about the Gathering can be found in the Friend at this link.

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.

Gaza
* urge Congress to resume U.S. funding for life-saving Palestinian aid. The situation for Palestinians in Gaza continues to deteriorate though there is hope for a ceasefire. All parties involved need to restore food aid before mass starvation occurs. If starvation reaches an advanced stage, the human body loses the ability to utilize food, and death may occur even with medical treatment. Quakers need to continue to demand a ceasefire. Friends Committee on National Legislation action link: https://fcnl.quorum.us/campaign/51886/?utm_source=fcnlaction
* 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.
* 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.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

Healing Minnesota Stories Dakota Sacred Sites Tours have been scheduled for this summer on July 27, 9AM-1PM; and August 27, 10AM-2PM. Healing Minnesota Stories Dakota Sacred Sites Tours help people today more deeply understand the history and living legacy of Dakota Sacred Sites around the Twin Cities. Dozens of tours each year are organized for private groups. These two just-announced tours are open to the public. Register here: https://www.mnchurches.org/what-we-do/healing-minnesota-stories

OFFICE HOURS: the Meeting Coordinator, will be in the office Wed, Thurs and Fri, afternoons. Phone messages checked daily. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur.