February 9, 2025

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:40 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Keitha Herron; Zoom host – Bill H.

9:45 – 11:15 monthly meeting for business: Stephen Snyder, clerk; Jeannette Raymond, recording clerk; Zoom host – Rae Beth C.

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Mary Bosserman – speaker; care of meeting, Jimbo Lovestar; Zoom host – Rae Beth C.

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

TODAY: Two minutes will be recommended for approval – one on Palestine; one on the Quaker lawsuit against the Dept of Homeland Security. These have been well-seasoned by Friends. Please be familiar with them. To read, see the text at the end of the bulletin.

TODAY: Contribution statements and letters to members and attenders are available on the table by the elevator. Save the meeting $0.77 and pick yours up!

Bake sale TODAY: Elementary-aged children have been busy! Enjoy the delicious fruits of their efforts – just-baked peanut butter blossoms and Rice Krispy bars – TODAY at the rise of semi-programmed worship. First Day School discussion has been about teamwork and the rich tradition of Quaker children doing service projects. Free will donations will be split between the MFM general fund and Habitat for Humanity’s low-income housing project, in honor of the late President Carter. Habitat for Humanity is currently building 147 low-income housing units in the metro area for house-less and low-income families.

It’s wet, salt, and grit season! Do the floors, carpets, and building care-givers a favor and clear your boots and shoes of accumulations before venturing far into the meetinghouse.

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Those who are suffering from fear, injustice, conflict, discrimination, colonialism, displacement, loss, and the climate crisis, including fire, and all those who are aiding victims and the dispossessed.

Those in positions of power.

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

Our Experience with Aging: the Care and Counsel Committee of Minneapolis Meeting and Mayim Rabim are hosting a discussion on Mon, Feb 10, 6:30PM at the meetinghouse and on Zoom. We will introduce ourselves, then, in small groups, talk about how both our faith communities could create support and connection among seniors. All are welcome: ID: 843 9486 8677; passcode: 720080; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84394868677?pwd=ErzERL9PhKoBOPJrmaLbGnyF8A2nr5.1 (copy and paste the link into your browser).

Feeling stressed? Discouraged? Fearful? Come to mid-week worship, Wed nights, 7PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84938257185 (copy and paste the link into your browser); ID: 849 3825 7185.

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: What Would You Do? Nominating Committee will help the meeting better know our committees – their staffing and scope. Surprising fun (prizes!), small groups, and sharing will be at least half the time.

Join MFM young adults for ice skating at Viking Lakes in Eagan on Feb. 15th at 2:30. Skating is free with $5 skate rentals. There is a refrigerated rink, so we can skate regardless of temperature. Warming tent with food is available. Kids are more than welcome! Email or text Elizabeth S. to RSVP – or contact the office to be put in touch with Elizabeth.

Being a Zoom Host is a great way to support the Meeting’s worship. Feel like you need help getting started? Just want to find out more? Contact Marilyn J.

Doris Tyldesley, a member of Minneapolis Meeting from 2008-2015, died on Sun, Dec 29, 2024. There will be a memorial service for her on Sun, Feb 16 at 3PM (CT) at Tempe Friends Meeting and via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82929601570?pwd=bmg2QnovMUxCcE9MNVp3UVZtL0lMUT09#success.

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 Mary G, and Jimbo L.

Contributions update: Thank you, Friends, for your generous financial support! Quickbooks shows that general funds income, from April 1 to Jan. 31, was $117,401 (Jan. electronic transfer figures not yet included). Contributions of $7,467 are needed in both February and in March to meet the curtailed budget ($132,335). Contributions of $17,460 are needed in both Feb and in March to meet the aspirational budget ($150,320). If you would like to set up automatic contributions to the meeting, contact Mike F. or Carolyn V, co-clerks, Stewardship and Finance Committee.

SMALL GROUP OPPORTUNITIES AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

Come to thirty minutes of Lectio Divina, Divine Reading, followed by worship sharing on ZOOM, Tuesdays at noon. Hold a very brief reading from the Bible, Quaker, or other spiritual text to see how it might speak to us today: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82172920370?pwd=4v3zY9LtA79jzf5tGg24BDXb28Clkd.1 (copy and paste into your browser); ID: 821 7292 0370; passcode: 661188

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.

Small group line-up: Lectio Divina – every Tuesday noon; Writing Group – first Monday night; Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice Group – second Tuesday night; LGBTQIA+ Support Group – third Wednesday night; Reading Group – fourth Tuesday night; Conflict Soiree – last Tuesday afternoon.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER WORLD OF FRIENDS

Calling Alternatives to Violence Project Facilitators and those who are concerned with the future of AVP in MN – meet THIS AFTERNOON, 2-5PM at Twin Cities Meeting, 1725 Grand, St. Paul. Please come meet with Friends for a NonViolent World Board, FNVW / Quaker Liaison Group, and Joann Perry (AVP) for a community conversation about the FNVW Board’s Proposal to split AVP and FNVW into separate organizations. The agenda will include a presentation about future plans for FNVW, information from the Board about their vision for FNVW and AVP, and plenty of time for questions, discussion and feedback. This is an in-person, hybrid meeting. In-person participation is strongly encouraged. There is nothing like working face-to-face! If you must Zoom in: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84930124740?pwd=YAd8XavU6bc5caAMqLLrbSRk2f46zo.1

Seeking the Light Together, a worship-sharing opportunity, will be offered, online, by Northern Yearly Meeting’s Ministry and Nurture Committee on Thurs, Feb 20th, 6 to 8PM. We are living in a period of extraordinary change and challenge. How do we find the spiritual strength and refreshment to navigate that? Come center ourselves with inspirational poems and music and do worship-sharing about how we seek guidance and nurture from the Light. ID: 828 7608 6357; passcode: 004521; https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82876086357?pwd=j08hbtu5qY2mGSRXnHb98bAZWUqzfi.1.

Northern Yearly Meeting will host a high school Winter Retreat, Everything Soup, Feb 21-23, in Eau Claire, WI. Come with an open heart and a spirit for cozying up with soup, stories, games, books and handcrafts. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to be put in touch with coordinator, Cynthia, for more details.

Friends General Conference hosts a monthly worship for Newcomers and Seekers. It introduces Quaker worship practices as well as allowing for questions and reflection. Every second Monday evening, 7-8PM(CT); next meeting on Feb 10th. Register at https://www.fgcquaker.org/event/newcomers-worship/

Quaker Earthcare Witness will offer a virtual roundtable on state-level climate advocacy and its role in advancing environmental justice at 3PM on Sat, Feb 22. Featuring Quaker leaders from across the U.S., the discussion will cover strategies for engaging policymakers, addressing environmental injustices, and building community resilience. Together, we’ll explore practical tools and spiritual grounding to inspire collective action. Register: https://quakerearthcare.org/event/state-level-advocacy/

Feeling overwhelmed with the rapid governmental changes? Take a look at Friends Committee on National Legislation’s action page, select an issue you prioritize and take action. More at https://fcnl.quorum.us/

Quaker Voluntary Service is launching a five-week summer program in Philadelphia for young adults ages 18-20 years old. Summer Fellows will be on site July 7 – Aug 10 to do service projects together, live in intentional community, and participate in workshops and spiritual deepening activities. Fellows will also be involved in shaping the program through a process of group discernment conducted through five virtual pre-sessions in the spring. Let the young people in your life know of this new opportunity! Apply for the QVS Summer Lab. Application due date is March 1, 2025

Quaker Voluntary Service is a 9.5-month Fellowship program for young adults ages 21-30 in Boston, Philadelphia, Minneapolis / Saint Paul, and Portland, OR. This program guides Fellows through an experiment at the intersection of transformational spirituality and activism. Fellows live in intentional community, work for social justice nonprofits, and engage in Quaker spiritual practices. Through the program, we find that Fellows create relational networks that support their personal and professional development for years to come. Apply for the QVS 9.5 month Fellowship. Spread the word! Applications due March 1, 2025.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

The Joint Religious and Legislative Coalition will have a Majority in the Middle legislative kick-off webinar stressing how to make advocacy bi-partisan for everyone’s benefit, Feb 13, 7PM. Register for the webinar through zoom. Then it’s on to Day on the Hill Feb. 27, 8AM-3PM. The focus this year is advocating for women, children and families living in poverty. The morning session will be held at Central Presbyterian Church in Saint Paul followed by a rally in the Capitol rotunda. To register and for more, see https://www.jrlc.org/day_on_the_hill_2025

Taking Heart Iftar Meals build bridges of relationship across divides of faith. Observe an evening prayer, learn about the Muslim faith, and break fast with your Muslim neighbors over a delicious meal. Many different locations, space fills quickly so please sign up in advance: https://mnchurches.org/what-we-do/taking-heart

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 can be reached Mon and Wed, 2:30-5PM; Thurs, 3:30-5PM; Sun, at the meetinghouse.

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Recommended minute on Palestine 2025,02-09

Minneapolis Friends Meeting asks for peace in Israel and Palestine. Our Quaker gathering has pursued peace and alternatives to wars since our beginning in the 1850s. We believe in the sacred worth of each being.

We condemn all violent attacks and inhumane treatment of civilians in conflict. We pray for the continued release of Israeli hostages.

We are heartbroken because our government, with our tax payments, funds a war that has destroyed most of the housing and infrastructure in Gaza, and has killed tens of thousands of men, women, and children. The war leaves millions without adequate food, water, shelter, hygiene, and medical care for trauma and disease. Those trapped in Gaza live in fear of attack at any time, anywhere. Our hearts break to learn that a generation of children expects to die.

The current fighting does nothing to address the causes of the conflict, and will not resolve anything.

We ask that our government stop supplying funding and weapons to Israel, and to any government that has provided weapons to other combatants in this war.

We ask that our government not only support humanitarian aid to Gaza, but also demand that aid reaches those in need.

We ask that our leaders state their vision for achieving peace in Israel/Palestine now. To endure, peace must result in freedom and agency for the Palestinian people. We ask that our government support rules-based international order as defined through diplomacy, including through the United Nations.

We are called to act in faith and love, with persistence, patience, and courage. We ask our leaders to join us in working and praying for lasting peace.

Statement on Quaker Lawsuit against the Dept. of Homeland Security

Updated on February 6, 2025

Northern Yearly Meeting supports the efforts of several Quaker Meetings across the nation who have brought suit against the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to rescind the long-standing practice of not invading houses of worship to apprehend individuals without legal documentation. This unnecessary change to the nation’s fundamental and constitutionally established protections of religious freedom means that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other enforcement officers may now enter meetings, churches, and other worship gatherings at any time they might choose. Creating conditions that intimidate or prevent Friends—and all people—from gathering with members of their faith communities to share in worship together is a fundamental violation of the freedoms of religion and association guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Like our fellow Quakers, we remain committed to religious liberty and peace and support the use of the legal process to ensure that participants in all faith communities are free to gather and worship together without fear of intimidation, threats, and violence.

While the lawsuit focuses on houses of worship, we also express opposition to ICE officers entering schools and hospitals. The threat of these actions will keep children from pursuing their education and all who are ill from receiving needed care. Communities are all poorer if everyone is not well-educated and healthy. And most importantly, Quakers believe that every individual, regardless of identity, national affiliation or circumstances is deserving of dignity, respect and basic human rights

Finally, we reject the lies underlying these actions that immigrants, whether here legally or undocumented, are a threat to us as individuals or as a society. Immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, are significantly less likely than native-born Americans to be incarcerated in prisons, convicted of crimes, or arrested. Immigrants, as has always been the case, bring diversity, talents and relationships that enrich our communities as neighbors, as co-workers, and as friends. We recognize what our Quaker Washington lobby, Friends Committee on National Legislation, reminds us: Love Thy Neighbor: No Exceptions.