October 6, 2024

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

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

10:15 – 11:00 World Quaker Day! Hear the epistle written at the close of the Friends World Committee for Consultation World Plenary in South Africa and hear from Friends about how FWCC programming has deepened their understanding of Quaker faith and life. Zoom host – Marilyn J.

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Stephen Snyder – speaker; Dave Bostrom – musician; care of meeting, Clifford Goltz; 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

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Evan Welkin who is the new Executive Secretary of Friends World Committee for Consultation. You can read about Evan at fwccamericas.org/_wp/2024/07/08/fwcc-americas-announces-new-executive-secretary/

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition Healing Circle, facilitators, and participants, being held on Thurs, Oct. 10th.

The people of Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel, and the leaders who are unwilling to stop the expanding war.

Those who are suffering from injustice, conflict, racism, colonialism, displacement, loss, and the climate crisis, including those affected by Hurricane Helene. All those who are aiding victims and the dispossessed.

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Next Sunday at 9:45: monthly meeting for business. On the agenda – discernment on our financial situation. Please review the documents linked at the top of the electronic bulletin or attached to the paper one. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to be sent a copy.

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 (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.

THANK YOU to everyone who had a hand in cleaning the building last Sunday. So many helped that everyone had part of the afternoon to enjoy the gorgeous weather. THANK YOU! The Property Committee has been cleaning out storage rooms and has found a number of items unused since the turn of the century! Please visit the elementary classroom and consider giving unused items a new home / purpose, including: seven small folding card tables, 4-foot stainless steel wire shelf with wall brackets, “War is not the Answer” yard signs, (with metal stake,) jumper cables, vinyl floor tile, a couple plastic storage tubs, four green painted steel sign posts, candle-making wax and supplies, radio/CD player. There is also an aluminum flag pole outside. Any leftovers after today will be posted on Freecycle, given away, or recycled.

The Children and Families Committee invites Friends of all ages to help pack meals at the Coon Rapids Feed My Starving Children site on Sat, Oct. 19th at 2:30. Carpooling can be coordinated. Questions? Contact Tom W.

Autumn is in the air! Plan to attend 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 in the great outdoors! If you’re planning to come, please invite another Friend to come along! Personal invitations work best. Paper copies (orange) of the schedule are near the main meetingroom doors. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to have an electronic copy sent to you.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee reviews and makes recipient recommendations to monthly meeting for the meeting’s Winter Gift in December. If you have a suggestion of an organization that might be considered, please send an email to Deborah J. The meeting approved a P&SC focus on the Quaker testimony of Peace for this year.

Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow, Moses Atuhaire, wrote of his experience at orientation. Read it on the QVS blog here.

Paul Kinzer was recently a guest on Wisconsin Public Radio! Read a summary of his interview at wpr.org/culture/9-celestial-sights-october-november-fall-2024-stargazing-astronomy

Contributions status: Contributions from April 1 to August 31 totaled $44,870.50. Thank you, Friends, for your generous financial support. Contributions of $10,933 per month, through March, are needed to meet the curtailed budget which totals $132,335. . Contributions of $13,181 per month, through March, are needed to fund the aspirational budget, totaling $150,320. If you would like to set up automatic contributions to the meeting, contact Mike F.

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

Established writers as well as dabblers will have an informal writing session Mon night, Oct 7th, 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.

The Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice group meets every second Tues night, 7-8:30 and is exploring and practicing the inner and outer work of direct action using Resmaa Menakem’s book The Quaking of America: An Embodied Guide to Navigating our Nation’s Upheaval and Racial Reckoning. There is a core group; visitors / newcomers are warmly welcome. Contact Nettie S. for more and for the link.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER WORLD OF FRIENDS

Friends School of MN Fall Fest – Sat, Oct 5, 12-3PM in the FSMN parking lot, featuring music by Funk N Spuds, food trucks, a bounce house, face painting, a variety show, carnival games, a raffle with FANTASTIC prizes, a Variety Show, and more. Come celebrate community with FSMN! Register at this link.

Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns hosts a monthly online worship on first Saturdays, (THIS SAT, Oct 5) at 4PM(CT) and a monthly online worship sharing on fourth Saturdays, 4PM(CT). In addition, there is a Listening Line (listening support to queer Friends) from 4-11PM(PDT) every Saturday. And, Canadian Friends (U.S.ers invited) have a Queer Gender group, focusing on gender ID instead of sexual orientation. Email clerks(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)flgbtqc.org for more.

Too Queer to Be Quaker: The Limits of Liberal Quaker Inclusion of Lesbian and Gay People during the Cold War and Today, a Pendle Hill first Monday lecture will be offered tomorrow, Oct 7, at 6:30PM (CT) online. For more and the link, visit https://pendlehill.org/events/too-queer-to-be-quaker/

Northern Yearly Meeting (NYM) Fall Interim Session will be Fri, Oct 25 (7-9PM) and Sat, Oct 26 (9AM-3PM) and held at Twin Cities Meeting, 1725 Grand Ave. Consider how you might participate in some of NYM, despite devoting Saturday to Fall Together! Interim sessions will be hybrid. Hospitality is needed for the folks who come here in person. If you can offer an overnight stay on Friday Oct. 25 and breakfast Sat. morning, contact TCFM Office Coordinator Mindy Keskinen, 651-699-6995 / office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)tcfm.org. Everyone, please register for the parts you are able to attend at https://forms.gle/yUaPkZGipsmgsnG56

Save the Date for the Northern Yearly Meeting High School Retreat, Explorations and Curiosities…Dark of the Year Celebrations (Halloween; Dia de los Muertos, etc,) in Madison, Nov 1-3. Come with an open heart and a spirit for spelunking into the dark with your Inner Light to guide you. More soon. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to be put in touch with the H.S. Coordinator.

Friends General Conference Annual Gathering, A Spring Whose Waters Never Fail, will be February 1-9, online only. As of 2024, on-site Gatherings occur in even years while online Gatherings are held in odd years. Smaller, Young Adult & Youth (YAY) events are also held during odd years to offer continuity of programming for younger friends. Everyone – newborns to nonagenarians; life-long Friends to Quaker newcomers – are welcome to attend the Gathering of Friends. In structure, it’s part conference and part family camp. In content, it provides an abundance of opportunities to learn about Quakerism, foster spiritual life, and have fun. More at https://www.fgcquaker.org/fgcprograms/the-gathering/

Quaker Call To Action offers Priority Actions to Support Democracy. CLICK HERE to download. Friends are invited for a time of worship, reflection, inspiration and preparation two days before this consequential election; Sunday evening, November 3 from 6-7PM (CT). You can register HERE.

From Friends Committee on National Legislation: Over the past month, Israel’s bombs have killed more than one thousand civilians in Lebanon and displaced over a million more. Meanwhile, 30% of Palestinian children are on the brink of starvation in Gaza and the West Bank and sixty thousand Israelis have been displaced in northern Israel. Senators Bernie Sanders (VT), Peter Welch (VT), and Jeff Merkley (OR) introduced resolutions to block arms shipments slated to go to Israel. Contact your Senators today and urge their support for these resolutions for de-escalation at https://fcnl.quorum.us/campaign/75157/

Friends General Conference will offer Financial & estate Planning with Friends’ Values Tues, Oct 9, 7PM (CT). Designed for Friends of all income levels; free; register at https://fgc.tfaforms.net/

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

March Against One Year of Genocide TODAY, Oct 6th, 1:30PM. Meet at the Gateway Park Fountain, Hennepin & Washington, Minneapolis. Info at https://womenagainstmilitarymadness.org/events/protesting-1-year-of-genocide/

MN 350.0rg is offering Reparations Learning Labs, via Zoom, monthly on Weds, starting this Wed, Oct 9, noon-1PM. The first session, Truth Telling, will focus on how truth telling about the realities of our history and present is necessary for reparations work. View this introductory video on reparations before the first session. These sessions are intended for white-bodied people from across different identities, lineages, traditions, and geographies who are already committed to the work of repair and reparation, and who want to continue to learn, grow, and build community. We will focus on moving from ideas towards action, and on building personal, collective, and systemic reparations practices. Black, Indigenous, Brown, and Native folks and other people of color are also welcome to join. Learn more at https://www.mnipl.org/take-action/reparations/reparations-learning-labs/

The Minnesota Council of Churches will offer American Democracy at the Crossroads, Oct 10, 5:30-7:30PM at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1200 S. Marquette Ave, Mpls. Come consider the stakes of this election and discover how you can help our nation embrace a pluralistic future. RSVP at https://mnchurches.org/american-democracy-crossroads

“Reparations in Action” is the theme of this year’s Overcoming Racism Conference, at which MN Council of Churches Co-Directors of Racial Justice Rev. Pamela Ngunjiri and Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs will offer a keynote. Join the conference Fri, Nov 8th at Metro State University, Minneapolis. More at https://overcomingracism.org/programs/2024-orc/

OFFICE HOURS

The Meeting Coordinator will be in the office Wed – Fri afternoons. 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 will be available: Mon and Wed. 2:30-5PM via phone/computer; Thurs 3:30-5PM at the meetinghouse; Sun: 9AM-2PM at the meetinghouse.