February 16, 2025

MEETING SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM

TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Mary Bosserman; Zoom host – John K.

10:15 – 11:00 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. Zoom host – John K.

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Judith James – speaker; Dave Bostrom – musician; care of meeting, Allen Gibas; Zoom host – John K.

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

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!

TODAY at the rise of semi-programmed worship: Peter B, John D, and Rick V. will facilitate a short informal meeting to review the guidelines from the UNIDOS Rapid Response training booklet, provide UNIDOS contact information for follow up trainings or materials, and give info for applying to be on their Rapid Response Text Notification List. Lower level. Bring a sandwich if you like, but this is meant to be short.

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

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

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.

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

Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: What is Quaker Worship. Silence is something Quakers share but what we do in the silence may be different for each of us. A panel of Friends will talk about their styles / methods of worship in the silence. How do they enter the state of silence? How do they experience the silence and find that state of worshipfulness? For newcomers and seasoned Friends alike! Offered by Ministry and Counsel Committee.

Stone Soup Meal coming up March 2nd: The Potluck (aka Social) and Welcoming & Outreach Committees are hosting a Stone Soup meal in place of the usual first Sunday potluck. Friends are invited to bring ingredients, already prepped, (cooked or canned, and cut up in bite size pieces,) to put in a pot. One pot of soup will have meat (if it is contributed) and one pot will be vegan, dairy free, and gluten free. This simple meal is meant to bring more awareness of Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR). RSWR gives micro loans to women in India, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Guatemala. More information about RSWR will be available on March 2.

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! General funds income, from April 1 to Jan. 31, was $118,251. Contributions of $7,042 are needed in February and in March to meet the curtailed budget ($132,335). Contributions of $16,035 are needed in Feb and in March to meet the aspirational budget ($150,320). Checks/cash so far in Feb: $1686; EFTs expected: $840 = $2526. 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

LGBTQAI+ Group will meet Wed, Nov 20, 7PM. Welcome to the LGBTQAI+ individuals visiting our meeting! This LGBTQAI+ group meets monthly at the meetinghouse, and for those who can’t make in person, you can join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83894939409?pwd=xDf2dSF20v7Sls3NaORiP6nEJjkXbU.1 (copy and paste into your browser); ID: 838 9493 9409; passcode: 562310. The group requests that attendance be limited to those who are part of the LGBTQAI+ community at this time. You can text or email Bill H. for more.

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

Friends School of MN has released a short, new video about its successful conflict resolution program. See it at https://youtu.be/kv2dCQn-YdA

Friends Committee on National Legislation’s Quaker Changemaker Event on Feb 19 at 5:30PM (CT) will focus on urgent advocacy for migration rights. Register to participate in this conversation of on how we, as Friends, can live and act on the call to love our neighbors without exception. Register at: https://www.fcnl.org/events/urgent-action-migration-rights

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, 6-8PM. 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.

Quakers for Peace will present an online panel discussion: Liberation in Palestine & Lessons from S. Africa with a Swarthmore College professor, a S. African-born journalist and the AFSC Director for Corporate Accountability Thurs, Feb 20th, 6:30-8PM(CT). More from quakersforpeace(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com. Register at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/1wl3J78EQMC_jfz9z6-CGQ#/registration

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. More details available from coordinator, Cynthia D. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to be put in touch.

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/

Citizen George, a just-released, feature-length film that uses the drama of George Lakey’s life and witness to show the impact of one Quaker’s dedication to peace and social change, is available to stream, free, Feb 22-28. Come for an inspiring hour with George, himself, and hear about his remarkable experiences on Feb 27, 10AM(CT). Register to watch the film and/or join the discussion through zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/_1opU7XcRZSvM0oOKfPJNQ#/registration

Quaker Voluntary Service is launching a five-week summer program in Philadelphia for young adults aged 18-20 years old, July 7 – Aug. 10. Summer Fellows will do service projects, 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 discernment through virtual pre-sessions in the spring. Let the young people in your life know of this new opportunity! Apply for the QVS Summer Lab Applications due March 1, 2025.

Quaker Voluntary Service is a 9.5-month Fellowship program for young adults aged 21-30 in Boston, Philadelphia, Minneapolis / Saint Paul, and Portland, OR. Fellows are guided through an experiment at the intersection of transformational spirituality and activism, living in intentional community, working for social justice nonprofits, and engaging in Quaker spiritual practices. Fellows report that they 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.

Plan now to take part in People Camp next August 10-16! The theme: How We WIN! Non-violent, direct action campaign planning. Author and activist, George Lakey, will be at camp to share his experiences as we investigate non-violent, direct-action campaigns and how to apply them to the work for today. For more, see https://www.fnvw.org/peoplecamp

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

We Make MN rally at the State Capitol, Tues, Feb 18, 3-5PM (meet at 2:45 at Clouds) to call for a government that funds critical programs like Minnesota Care, Pre K education, free school lunches, and programs to help address climate change. Representatives need to know that we do not want tax cuts that will jeopardize all the progress we made in 2023. Register at https://secure.everyaction.com/Y4Sbtp1V7EOGrAikw3dMaw2

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.