Minneapolis Friends Meeting

Minutes of Monthly Meeting for Business – July 13, 2025

[names and some materials have been edited for publication on the website]

In attendance:  Stephen S. – presiding clerk, Tom W. – recording clerk, in person(33), on Zoom (18)

1.   Silent worship
2.   Land Acknowledgement—
3.   Approval of the agenda—Clerk
4.   Approval of June 8, 2025 Minutes – Clerk   Approved with some changes
5.   Stewardship and Finance 1^st Quarter Financial Report—Roland B   Our receipts, on average, have been almost identical to last year– a $16 difference.  Of note, our electric expenses are down $742 from last year. [with the new solar power collector on the roof]
   • Our annual budget for 2025-26 is $137,957
   • First Quarter contributions: $26,217 (about 19% of budget)
   • First Quarter Expenses: $20,652 (about 15% of budget) Current Balances:  $106,509 in savings and $52,000 in a CD
   • Generally, contributions in the first quarter have been about 20% of the budget so we are almost on track.  There was no discussion. Presiding Clerk requested that those of us who received a contribution card in the mail return it to Meeting in a timely manner so Stewardship can better plan for the remainder of the budget year. These are not pledge cards, but they reflect what we intend to give to Meeting this year. Friends are reminded to take advantage of the offering boxes in the meeting room, reflecting our on-going commitment to provide financial support to Meeting without the need for weekly reminders to contribute.
6. Mid- Morning Program (MMP) Committee Annual Report—Roger M   Lindy V is leaving the committee. She has been a great contributor to MMP and to the Meeting.  MMP Committee meets every other month during the year and once in the summer. Their mission is to maintain a full calendar of interesting topics throughout the year during the 45 minutes between un-programmed worship and semi-programmed worship on Sunday mornings. The format for each presentation may vary from a simple podium speaker to panel discussions, videos, slide shows and music. There is close coordination with the AV team. Last year we had four outside presenters. Outside presenters need an internal sponsor on a committee to work with them; and if someone brings an idea to MMP, they determine the appropriate committee to investigate and to sponsor the event. This past year there were 27 Mid-Morning Programs, including two children’s programs – one to open and one to close the year; and there were two social events at Christmas and Easter. The committee has computerized the MMP calendar to track the week-to-week assignment of committees to dates throughout the year, to track when planners go out to committees and when they are returned, and to keep track of time-lines for the bulletin to give timely notifications to sponsors and presenters. It is a challenge to keep up with all the notifications, and the committee apologizes for seeming to pester committees to make timely responses to their requests, but it takes a lot of coordination of many moving parts to be successful every week. A lengthy email is going to committee clerks with new procedures to mitigate scheduling challenges that are often associated with outside speakers and their more limited schedules. The MMP committee is short-handed and would like to hear from anyone interested in joining the committee so their name can be given to Nominating.  Discussion: Friend suggests it is limiting to have suggestions come only via committees.  Roger said they accept suggestions from anyone, but then they forward those suggestions to an appropriate committee to season the request and to sponsor it.  Another Friend asked that Zoom hosts be made aware whenever a break-out room is planned for small group discussions during a MMP presentation, so the hosts can prepare in advance.   When does the information have to be in to the committee?  Roger- instead of a yearly calendar, they are trying to do more of a quarterly calendar, giving them more flexibility adjusting to changes. They will try to send out monthly reminders when there are open dates; and, about every two months, they will leave an open date on the calendar to accommodate late requests or trades. Friend asked if an individual can take the initiative in setting up a speaker/program, if the MMP committee is not taking it on. To clarify this point, Presiding Clerk offered a minute stating that ideas for topics for Mid-Morning Program would go through the MMP committee for discernment. Individuals who want to set up other programs should follow the event planning guidelines that include discernment by another appropriate committee in Meeting. Friends APPROVED this minute.
7. Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology—Diane B   Diane was the recipient of a MFM Travel Fund Grant to attend the eighty-third occurrence of the conference on 5/25/2025. She started with a brief history. The conference was founded in 1943 during the Second World War and is the oldest conference in the U.S, focusing on Quaker spiritual seeking combined with Jungian Depth Psychology. There is a natural affinity between Quaker ideas and experiences with Jungian psychology. The exploration of the overlapping of the two could be beneficial in addressing Friends and other’s spiritual and emotional needs during unsettled and uncertain times. This year, at Pendle Hill, the conference explored the modality, “Internal Family Systems”. It featured Tom Holmes, a psychologist specializing in “Internal Family Systems”, who has adapted this process for trauma victims in Ukraine and the Middle East and had a leading to explore and add elements of spirituality to this work. Holmes’ work aligns with Diane’s own therapeutic orientation as a psychologist, particularly his exploration of the importance of spirituality in human development. She had the opportunity to do some personal healing and growth in the Spirit, and the whole weekend provided validation of her leadings related to her work in the world and possible pathways to facilitate these. Through newly formed connections with the Collaborative on Spirit and Psyche, Diane is hopeful she has found a Quaker community she can be part of and in which she can share and foster her vision on “inspiring inner journeys for change in the world”.  Discussion:  Presiding Clerk – this report makes us aware of the different communities of Quakers around the country and the world. Diane – The “experiment with light”, with which she has been a part, in terms of psychological depth, combines a lot of this with her experience.
8. Hennepin Connection Mentoring Opportunity—Lynda G is presenting this on behalf of Peace and Social Concerns Committee. Hennepin Connection links caring adults, as mentors, with students at Minneapolis Community Technical College (MCTC).  The program is run by Basilica of St Mary, although it is not a religious program, and it begins in September and ends in April, with mentors expected to meet twice a month with the student either at MCTC, or in Loring Park, or through hybrid meetings. The adult mentors are supported by their own program mentors. If interested in participating, you can contact Lynda. The deadline for registration is August 1^st.  Discussion:  What is the commitment?  There are always more interested students than mentors.  The commitment is for about 6 hours a month.  This is a wonderful opportunity for us to “walk cheerfully over the earth”.
9. Recommendation to put Zoom Link for worship on the website —  Lolly L: Ministry and Counsel is recommending a change in how we publicize the Zoom link for worship services. They are recommending that the link be posted on the web site and remain the same from month to month, not changing monthly as it does now. This will help bring in more people to Meeting and should make us more inclusive. Discussion: This makes us more accessible but doesn’t it make us more vulnerable?  This has been a big part of the discussion and it has been seasoned by M&C and two other committees.  There are some other avenues we can pursue to keep the link safe and some practices we can follow if there are problems.  Friend suggested it be done on an experimental basis for a few months. Another Friend said they attend Pendle Hill worship online in the morning and their link is on their website. They did have a problem, but resolved it by putting a robot check on the website, and that made a big difference. The speaker supports putting the link on the website and there are ways to make it safe. Bill H – Minneapolis Friends have been courageous in taking action in the past. We have rented space to a LGBTQ church group and the walls of the meeting house have been covered in graffiti. Many members were conscientious objectors during World War II, and we were active in establishing Friends for a Non-violent World. We have acted courageously, setting a good example for the community.  Clerk: let’s move ahead by treating this as an experiment.  Do Friends approve putting the Zoom link for worship on the Meeting’s website for the next four months, starting with the beginning of the fall schedule, while exploring ways to keep it safe?  Friends APPROVED.
10. Change to Minnesota marriage statutes—Clerk   The recent 2024-25 Minnesota Legislative session made changes in the MN statutes that cover marriages, with specific changes to language that recognized how Quakers solemnize their marriages and fulfill the civil marriage requirements of the county and state. The Clerk wanted Meeting to be aware of these changes and of the discussions some Minnesota Friends are having about what, if anything, we should do in response.  Unprogrammed Quaker Meetings, such as our Meeting, solemnize marriage during a meeting for worship where the couple pledge themselves to each other before God and in front of the assembled worshipers. The changes to the Minnesota statutes do not change how we perform and solemnize the spiritual marriage. But there is a second component to marriage – the civil marriage – that requires the couple wishing to be married to obtain a marriage license from the county registrar and for an authorized representative of Meeting to file the certificate of marriage with the county registrar after the completion of the marriage ceremony. Quaker meetings that have pastors, which Minneapolis Friends Meeting used to have, did not have a problem. However, for Quaker meetings without a pastor, the old statutes made the civil marriage legal by having a number of witnesses sign the license or by having the Meeting appoint a person to be an officiant, such as the presiding clerk, to sign the license. The language of the old statutes allowed Quakers some flexibility in how civil marriage is certified. Pat J shared that in the 45 years she was director of ministry at Minneapolis Friends Meeting we either had the director of ministry sign the marriage certificate or used the accepted non-pastoral Quaker practice of having six witnesses sign it. The new changes to statutory language reflect a social loosening of the old mandates about clergy officiating at weddings and stipulate that anyone who is 21 years old and has registered with the county as an “officiant” can preside over a marriage and sign the marriage certificate. Thus, the legislature seemed to feel it was unnecessary to have specific language recognizing how marriages by Quakers, Baha’i, Muslim, Hindu, or American Indians are recognized under Minnesota law. Our current presiding clerk has not registered as the “officiant” since there have been no marriages performed in the Meeting since he became clerk, but he does not see this to be a problem.  Discussion:  Friend wanted to clarify that officiant just has to be 21 years of age to register as the “officiant” and to sign the marriage certificate.   Yes. Although the statute still states that marriage is solemnized by the officiant, causing concern for Quakers, since it is not the “officiant” who solemnizes a Quaker marriage, but the Divine.  Clerk is seeking clarification on how Meeting feels about this. Our Meeting seems to be mostly okay with the change, but others, in the broader Minnesota Quaker community, are concerned.  Are we comfortable continuing, as is, with the new statutory language?  Demi M, from Twin Cities Friends, reported that, yesterday, Twin Cities Friends discussed this matter at their business meeting. They concluded that, under the new law, Quaker meetings would have to register an “officiant” prior to the marriage, whereas, under the old language, they did not need to pre-select an “officiant”, but could have six witnesses sign the marriage certificate after the ceremony. Pat J spoke in favor of MFM continuing to follow our previous practice and have an individual recognized as the “officiant”. Lolly L requested clarification on the difference between what we used to do and what the current law says we have to do.  Allen G said the law has not really changed in its recommendations of what needs to be done to certify the civil marriage.  Instead of having 6 witnesses or an officiant certify the marriage by signing the certificate, the law now states that the “officiant” solemnizes the marriage and signs the certificate. He believes there may be interest in resurrecting some of the old statutory language that addresses how Quakers, Baha’i, Muslims and Native Americans solemnize their marriages. John S thought the reworking of the marriage statute may have been a mistake and not well thought through. By contacting the bill writer, we may be able to get it corrected.  Clerk mentioned that Liz O has been motivated by the change in the statute and has reached out to us. She is not from our Meeting, but the clerk will forward names of interested individuals to her. Bill H and Pat Jones are interested. No further action was taken.
11. Correspondence and Announcements—Clerk
    • Demi M, from Twin Cities Friends Meeting, announced that Friends for a Non-Violent World (FNVW) will spin off the Alternative to Violence Project (AVP) to become an independent non-profit with 501C3 status.   AVP is working more and more with schools and they feel they will have more flexibility in what they do if they separate themselves from FNVW.  FNVW will continue to operate separate from AVP.  FNVW was created, years ago, when the American Friends Service Committee closed their Minneapolis office and moved to Iowa. Splitting the two programs will separate their funding streams. Going forward, we will receive separate requests for each program.  Friend asked if AFSC will continue to put on the Holiday Fair to raise money?  Another asked if the Holiday Fair will remain at the Friends School in St Paul or if it will return to Minneapolis Friends Meeting. One suggested this would be a way to strengthen our outreach to the community.  There is serious consideration given to returning the Holiday Fair to Minneapolis. Clerk will look into this.
    • Letter from Carolyn V, thanking us for the celebration we gave her on the 8^th, in honor of her retirement. She has been thinking of all those in Meeting who have labored on behalf of Meeting for as long as she has worked in the office. She thinks everyone should have a party – not just her. She extends her love and gratitude to Meeting.
12. Closing Worship