May 18, 2025

WORSHIP AND PROGRAM SCHEDULE TODAY

9:00 – 10:00 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Mary Snyder; Zoom host – Sandy O.

10:15 – 11:00 Enjoy Our Increasingly Intergenerational Meeting! Come play, sing, and build a story of our future with the children and youth of the Meeting! Zoom host – Sandy O.

11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): Jon Watts – speaker; care of meeting, Ed Souther; Zoom host – Bill H.

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

TODAY: Jon Watts will be the planned speaker at semi-programmed worship and will be available to visit with interested Friends over a bag lunch at the rise of meeting at 12:30. Plan to stay and take advantage of this rich opportunity! Jon is the creator of QuakerSpeak and founder and current Executive Director of Thee Quaker Project, a network of online Quaker projects to support your spiritual journey and introduce Quakerism to a new generation of seekers. We’ll be downstairs and do our best to make it a Zoom visit too.

TODAY, May 18th is the last Sunday of the school year schedule. Starting May 25th, there will be one worship at 10AM. In the summer months, potluck will follow worship on first Sundays; monthly meeting will follow worship on second Sundays.

NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS

TONIGHT: Northern Yearly Meeting State of Society Reports, 6:30-8PM. Take advantage of this rich opportunity to hear from the meeting and worship groups in Northern Yearly Meeting – their accomplishments, challenges, and fears.

Next Sunday is the start of the summer worship schedule: one worship at 10AM.

Feeling stressed? Discouraged? Fearful? Come to mid-week worship, Wed nights, 7PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84938257185 (copy and paste link in your browser); ID: 849 3825 7185; by phone: +1-651-372-8299.

Next Sunday, at the rise of worship: stay for the last in Ministry and Counsel Committee’s introduction to Quakerism series: Quaker Practice. A panel will explore a variety of perspectives and experiences of Quaker practice. Facilitated by Ministry and Counsel Committee, this is the third in a series of mid-morning programs. The first explored Quaker worship, the second, Quaker faith. Potluck will follow the program, starting at noon.

Come to a celebration to honor Carolyn VandenDolder for her many years of commitment to the Meeting. After nearly 25 years of dedicated service, our friend Carolyn has decided to retire from her role as Meeting Coordinator. Please join us in celebrating with her on June 8th at 12 noon, following Meeting for Business.

The Shepherd Scholarship, created in 1977 by Roland and Zephra Shepherd, offers educational scholarships for members of a Quaker Meeting of at least five years standing, or their children. Interested adults and young adults can apply by filling out an application (available on the long table in the hall or on the website: https://minneapolisfriends.org/shepherd-scholarship-fund/) Application deadline, June 30. Return applications to the Shepherd Scholarship file in the blue box (on the long table) or email to Betsy S.

Attention committee clerks and recurring Zoom meeting hosts – these recurring Zoom meetings have been set to run until May, 2026: (office account) – LGBTQ group, P&SC, M&C; (re account) – Sharing the Spirit, mid-week worship, Women’s Healing Circle, W&O, Spiritual Nurture group B, C&F, (2nd Mon PM) EwL. If you do not see your meeting listed, contact the office with your desired meeting time. And remember to request continuation in April / May, 2026, shortly after the start of the 2026-27 service year.

Transition assistance: Minneapolis Meeting gets many notices around many areas of concern: clean energy initiatives, Indigenous rights, anti-racism work, immigration rights, LGBTQ protection / rights, anti-nuclear work, Palestinian rights, peace in Ukraine and more. If you would be willing to receive information from the office around these or other topics, and either disseminate it to interested others or create a bulletin announcement for it, please let the Meeting Coordinator know (office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org) so a list can be created for the in-coming Office Manager.

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, Jeff N, Mary B, and Jimbo L.

Contributions update: $11,500 in monthly contributions is needed to meet this year’s budget. Contributions to general funds in April totaled $11,176. Thank you, Friends, for your generous support of the meeting! If you would like to set up automatic contributions to the meeting, contact Carolyn V, clerk of Stewardship and Finance Committee.

SMALLER GATHERINGS AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING

Sharing the Spirit, open to everyone, every Mon, Wed, and Fri AM on zoom, cameras off. This brief opportunity for worship is focused on healing, in a broad sense, gathering at approximately 8:57; ten-minute worship beginning at 9:02. Try it out! ID: 859 3925 1575; passcode: 251345; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85939251575?pwd=1aHrNcUclfw3o99kyDnc9nAwzwkYGU.1 (copy and paste link into your browser).

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 link into your browser); ID: 821 7292 0370; passcode: 661188

LGBTQ Group meets monthly, every third Wed, in person, and for those who can’t make in person, you can join us via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83894939409?pwd=xDf2dSF20v7Sls3NaORiP6nEJjkXbU.1 (copy and paste link into your browser); ID: 838 9493 9409; passcode: 562310. Wed, May 21, Clifford G. is hosting a potluck at his home at 7PM. You can contact Clifford G, Bill H, or office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org for more information. We hope to see you there!

The Joyful Aging Group will take in a ball game in Miesville (halfway to Red Wing) on Sunday, June 1. Come have some classic summer fun, cheering the Mudhens play Northfield at 2PM. Leave from the meetinghouse at 12:30. Contact John S. for more.

Smaller gathering schedule: Lectio Divina – every Tuesday noon; Writing Group – first Monday night; Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice Group – second Tuesday night; LGBTQ Support Group – third Wednesday night; Reading Group – fourth Tuesday night; Conflict Soiree – last Tuesday afternoon.

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER WORLD OF FRIENDS

It’s not too late to register for Northern Yearly Meeting’s annual session, Becoming the Quakers the World Needs: How Is God Calling Me to Use My Gifts in a Challenging Time? Some special 50th anniversary activities are planned for this special gathering. For more, see https://northernyearlymeeting.org/nym-2025-annual-session-may-23-26/ (scroll down to find the brochure and registration information.)

Be a part of People Camp, August 10-16! The theme will be 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. People Camp is a week-long transformative experience of cooperation, community living, peacemaking , and the exploration of ideas and issues. For more, see https://www.fnvw.org/peoplecamp

Friends Committee on National Legislation continues to advocate for relief for Gaza, as the Israeli blockade of food, fuel, and medicine continues since March 2. Rep. Angie Craig, Betty McCollum, Kelly Morrison, and Sens. Klobuchar and Smith have signed Congressional letters calling for an immediate relief. Thank these Members of Congress with emails or phone calls, and ask them to speak out now and often.

Pendle Hill and Friends Place offer Continuing Revolution, an annual gathering of young adults (ages 18-35) seeking to connect their spiritual, political, and interpersonal lives. This year’s Queer Liberation and Spirit-Rooted Justice will be held in person and online, June 12-14 at Friends Place on Capitol Hill. Participants will explore where their spiritual practice intersects with the collective pursuit for queer liberation. More at https://www.friendsplacedc.org/event/continuing-revolution-2025-queer-liberation-and-spirit-rooted-justice

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

Song Circle with some MFM Friends, Sat, May 17th. Contact Marilyn J. for more. Start at 5, potluck supper or snacks around 6/6:30, then sing more if people want. Bring your voice, friend(s), Rise Up Singing or Rise Again songbooks, a lawn chair or blanket and a place setting and potluck dish if you wish.

Minnesota Repair Communities will meet via Zoom with scholar, author, activist for Dakota liberation, and Executive Director of Makoce Ikikcupi, Waziyatawin, to learn more about Makoce Ikikcupi (Land Recovery in South Dakota) and about the role of Repair Communities. May 20, 6:30P. Email Carolyn V. for the link and to get materials to review in preparation.

From the Robinsons to Floyd – The Long History that Got us Here, May 29, 6:30 – 8:30PM; Sabathani Community Center, Mpls. The Robinsons, the heart of the Star Tribune’s podcast “Ghost of a Chance,” help us deepen our understanding of how we got to where we are today, challenge us to confront the uncomfortable past, and help us think about our choices for the future. Sponsored in part by Minnesota Council of Churches.

Justice and Joy: Empowering Religious Support for Trans Lives; Fri, May 30, 9AM-3PM at United Theological Seminary, 767 N Eutis Str, Suite 140, St. Paul. Does your faith call you to speak up for those under attack right now, including non-binary and trans people? Learn why and how to speak out. Event is free, but register so lunch plans can be made: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWNrBtkYhjfC2YyPKtv38S18VOr_GSf-ybIh2POcmbk4Rhrw/viewform

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 at home: Mon and Wed, 2:30-5PM and Thurs, 3:30-5PM at home; Sun, 9AM-2PM at the meetinghouse.