Sunday, December 21, 2025

TODAY’S WORSHIP AND PROGRAM

For the Zoom link for Sunday programming, please email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org.

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Unprogrammed Meeting for Worship
Zoom host: Lavender J

10:15 AM – 11:00 AM Caroling Christmas
Musicians: Dave Bostrom, Jacque Wiersma
There will be refreshments and treats generously provided by Welcome and Outreach along with setup and cleanup. (Pitch in and help where you can). The format will be simple for this participatory Christmas mid-morning, anyone who feels like it can call out a carol number and we all play and sing that.
Zoom host: Kate W

11:15 AM – 12:15pm Semi-programmed Meeting for Worship
Speaker: Marilyn Johnson, Care of meeting: Jane Furnas, Musician: Jacque Wiersma
Zoom host: Kate W

Children’s First Day School takes place every week in the lower level during 11:15 AM meeting for worship.

Young Adult Quakers (YAQs) will head to Turtle Bread following semi-programmed worship today. Join for coffee or lunch and conversation! YAQs are generally 18-39 and children are welcome.

MORE WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AT MFM

Sharing the Spirit, held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, is a brief centering time that is open to everyone. We gather at approximately 8:57 AM for ten-minute worship (online, cameras off) beginning at 9:02 AM. Click here for zoom link; use ID 859 3925 1575, passcode 251345; or paste the following into your browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85939251575?pwd=1aHrNcUclfw3o99kyDnc9nAwzwkYGU.1

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

Linda and Joe G of TCFM, as Linda was hospitalized Thursday evening.

MFM ANNOUNCEMENTS

2026 Quaker Motto Calendars are available at the meetinghouse. Pick up a free copy from the information table at the meetinghouse. Our own Elise M is a contributor this year!

Bulletin deadline for next Sunday is Tuesday, December 23 at 3:00 PM (earlier than usual). Do you have news to share, an event to announce, or is there someone to hold in the light? Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org or leave a voicemail for the office at (612) 926-6159. If you miss the deadline to include your announcement in next Sunday’s bulletin, consider emailing MFM’s Google Group or making a short post-worship announcement.

Office manager is away December 20 – 29. Volunteers will check office voicemail and email twice a week for urgent needs, but most messages will be responded to when Ariel is back in the office.

Curious about the membership process? Any attender is invited to talk about membership with a member of the Ministry and Counsel Committee or anyone who’s been around a while! It can be an informal one-on-one conversation or a more formal request for a clearness committee. Some indications that it might be time to explore membership in the Society of Friends at Minneapolis Meeting:

You have worshiped among Friends and have sufficient understanding of Quaker values and practice to know if they are compatible with your experience.

You feel led to the Meeting and inwardly encouraged to embrace and grow in Quaker faith and practice here.

You feel an increasing commitment to the spiritual vitality and depth of the Meeting and to nurturing the members and attenders here.

You increasingly feel the importance of weekly worship and connection with the life of the Meeting to your spiritual well-being.

You feel an increasing commitment to participate in the life of the Meeting through monthly meeting and committee participation, and to contribute to the Meeting’s financial well-being, as you are able.

You feel that the outward expression of membership would match your internal experience of commitment and belonging.

To sign up as a second hour worship greeter, see Mary S at the rise of meeting. This is a great way to get acquainted with others.

Contributions update: First quarter contributions totaled $26,217, about 19% of our budget. Second quarter contributions totaled $14,549, about 10.5% of the budget. Contributions of $97,567 (70% of the budget) – or $16,261 per month – are needed to meet our budgeted obligations. Thank you, Friends, for your generous financial support of the meeting. There is now a donate tab on MFM’s website (click here). If you would like to set up automatic contributions to the meeting, contact Carolyn V, clerk of Stewardship and Finance Committee.

MFM EVENTS

In addition to the special events listed below, there are ongoing groups in the meeting. Pick up a flyer about these ongoing groups from the information table in the meetinghouse hallway, or email the office to request a copy.

Are you feeling led to explore protest or non-compliance in response to the current administration? Are you feeling unsure of how to proceed or would like to talk to other Friends as part of your discernment process? If so, please contact Lynda G. We’ll set up a meeting after the first of the year.

TODAY! December 21 (in person). Young Adult Quakers (YAQs) will head to Turtle Bread following semi-programmed worship this Sunday. Join for coffee or lunch and conversation! YAQs are generally 18 – 39, and children are welcome.

December 28 (hybrid). How can we heal from white body supremacy? At mid-morning program on Sunday, December 28 (10:15 AM – 11:00 AM), members of the Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice Group will facilitate discussions of white body supremacy. What is it? Where do see it in action? How can we begin to heal from it? Group members will describe their experiences, and we’ll discuss it in small groups. We’ll hear about how the group has been partnering with each other to practice embodied activism.

December 29 (in person). Minneapolis Friends participates in Loaves and Fishes. Please come serve a meal to feed the multitude. Prepare a nutritious meal alongside TCFM, Mayim Rabim, and members of the Ismaili community. Monday, December 29 from 2:00 – 6:30 PM, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church (2424 18th Avenue South, Minneapolis). Contact Greg L for details.

January 9 (in person). Ice skating with Young Adult Quakers (YAQ). Save the date for ice skating on Friday, January 9 from 5:30 – 7:30 PM at the Linden Hills Park (one block from the meetinghouse). We will join in on the fun at the Fire and Ice Skate Night with free rental skates, bonfires and snacks. YAQs are generally ages 18 – 39, and children are welcome.

January 25 (hybrid). Postcard writing with the Peace and Social Concerns Committee. Save the date for the next postcard-writing session after second worship on Sunday, January 25. The group will not meet in December.

WIDER COMMUNITY

In addition to these events, there are many Quaker events held on a regular schedule in the wider community, and national organizations that offer online resources. You can pick up a copy of a flyer about some of these opportunities from the information table in the meetinghouse hallway, or email the office to request a copy.

Save the dates for Nightingales in 2026. Next year’s dates for singing retreats are April 24-25, July 17-19, and October 23-25.

Applications encouraged by January 1: Pendle Hill spring residencies, on campus, beginning March 2026. Are you in a period of transition in your life? Are you seeking space for rest and reflection? The Spring Term is an immersive program designed to balance learning and worship, work and rest. Applications are encouraged by January 1, and a variety of attendance options plus financial assistance is available. Click here for info on Pendle Hill’s website.

December 27 (in person). Song Circle, which includes a few MFM friends, will be indoors on Saturday, December 27, 2:00 PM. If you’d like, bring a snack or a dish to share. Bring your own eating and serving utensils. Bring a friend, your voices, song books (e.g., “Rise Up Singing” or your favorite) and/or song sheets, guitars, ocarinas or basses. Contact Marilyn J with questions.

OFFICE

The Office Manager, Ariel E, will be on vacation December 20-29, returning December 30. Urgent messages will be answered during Ariel’s absence, but most emails and voicemails will receive answers after December 30.

The Children and Families Coordinator, Cathy N, is typically in the meetinghouse on Fridays 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM. She is also available by phone or email, working remotely, on Wednesdays 2:30 – 5:00 PM and Thursdays 3:30 – 5:00 PM.