Sunday, January 18, 2026

TODAY’S WORSHIP AND PROGRAM

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

“Violence is what happens when we don’t know what else to do with our suffering.”
 — Parker J. Palmer
“And so I resolve: I will not let violence — outward or inward — have the last word.” 
— Bill H

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

10:15 AM – 11:00 AM HIV & Homelessness 101
Learn about HIV and Homelessness, and how Clare Housing is making a difference. In the ongoing effort to end the HIV epidemic, why does housing matter? How does housing radically improve HIV health outcomes? And why is it a crucial element in stopping the epidemic for good? This program explores how a Housing First model not only enhances the lives of residents with HIV but also plays a key role in preventing HIV transmission and protecting the community.
Zoom host: Kate W

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM Semi-programmed Meeting for Worship
Speaker: Bill Hendricks, Care of meeting: Joanne Esser, Musician: Dave Bostrom
Zoom host: Kate W

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

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

Please hold Connie A in the Light.

Please hold Rain N, of Duluth Friends Meeting, in the Light, and her family including her husband, child, and parents Jay and MaryB, as she is undergoing treatment after recently being diagnosed. Some Friends know them from involvement with NYM over the years, as they are longtime Friends. She has a Caringbridge site where anyone can get more information or add support.

MFM ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nominating Committee Update: At Business Meeting, Friends requested that the Nominating Committee provide a list of committee contacts — identifying who is reaching out to committees — so that members, clerks, and volunteers know whom to contact. This will support conversations about committee membership and service, and enable the Nominating Committee to better serve the community. Here are committee assignments for 2026, as of 12/18/25. Committees were assigned for the next nominating cycle.
Clerk and Assistant Presiding Clerk and Recording Clerk – Judith
Trustees –  Elizabeth
Auditor – Betsy
Other Non committee volunteers – Bill
Fall Together – Betsy
Care and Counsel – Bill
Children and Families – Elizabeth
Liaison and Review – Clifford
Mid Morning Program – Judith
Ministry and Counsel – John K
Death and Memorial – Clifford
Nursery – Judith
Peace and Social Concerns – John K
Property – Clifford
Potluck – Betsy
Stewardship – Betsy
Technology – John K
Welcoming and Outreach – Elizabeth

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.

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.

Follow-Up to Experiment with Light MMP: Friends who are interested in exploring the EwL process for spiritual deepening and possible participation in a monthly Light Group at the Meeting, please contact Diane B. Those of us involved in the Light Groups have found the monthly gathering to practice this Quaker meditative process, deeply connecting spiritually and with one another. You can also find more information on the EwL website. Click here for that website.

Individuals who feel led to share a prepared message or a reading during semi-programmed worship are asked to contact Lolly L or other members of Ministry and Counsel Committee (M&C). The committee is also looking for closers for semi-programmed worship. Serving as a closer is a ministry of service to the meeting.

MFM EVENTS

January 21 (in person) LGBTQ+ Potluck Lite & Game Night. At Minneapolis Friends Meeting from 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Come when you can — some pie is better than no pie at all.

January 23 (hybrid). Labor Church. We are hosting a “Labor Church” evening of protest songs on Friday, January 23 from 7:30 – 9:00 PM at the Meetinghouse. The workshop will be led by Salem H, a recent Quaker Voluntary Service fellow and attender at Multnomah Friends Meeting in Portland, OR. The Labor Church workshop is essentially a time for singing and reflection, based on the idea that labor itself is a holy act. Participants learn to sing union and protest songs, with silence between each song when attenders can share thoughts that have come up from the songs. Participants are encouraged to bring instruments if they’d like to play along in accompaniment as the songbooks have chords along with lyrics. Snacks will be available. Join us at the meetinghouse or click here to attend on Zoom. Please invite others in the wider community.

January 25 (hybrid). Learning about the Jewish Faith. Join us for the next Mid-Morning Program on Sunday, January 25 from 10:15 – 11:00 AM. Robin C, Jean H, and Virginia R from Mayim Rabim will talk about branches of Judaism. There will be 20 minutes for Q & A.

January 25 (hybrid). Postcard writing with the Peace and Social Concerns Committee. Join us 12:30 PM on Sunday, January 25 in the meetinghouse’s conference room or on Zoom to write postcards and other communication together. Collective action is powerful! You can bring your own postcards, or use those provided by the P&SC committee.

February 1 (hybrid). Youth and children lead intergenerational worship. Twin Cities Friends middle school is joining Minneapolis Friends Meeting youth for the first time on Sunday, February 1 at 11:15 AM for intergenerational worship at our meetinghouse. Our middle schooler Elise M will speak on Testimonies. Groups will play/collaborate to answer a child-guided query. Please come to this wonderful gathering! Send your questions to Cathy N.

WIDER COMMUNITY

There are many ways to help and donate to those affected by the ICE surge. Email the office to request a link to Minneapolis Community Response Reference Doc, a living collection of resources and updates related to immigration response, community support, and mutual aid. The document organizes information, highlights current needs, and makes it easier to understand what’s happening as situations evolve.

Lunch invitation from some TCFM Friends: “Please join Friends from TCFM and Minneapolis Friends to support, in a small way, our immigrant business community along Lake Street in Minneapolis. We’ll do this by meeting for lunch on Tuesday, January 20 at 11:30 AM at Mercado Central marketplace (1515 East Lake Street). You’ll find the entrance on the southwest corner of Bloomington Avenue and Lake Street. Expect the entrance to be locked to keep ICE out, but staffed by a person who will let you in. There are at least two restaurants where you can get take-out food with plenty of tables inside for seating and fellowship. We plan to do this weekly as long as it’s needed. Time and location for future weeks to be announced.”

January 21 (online) 4:30 PM. The group Toward Right Relationship with Indigenous Peoples, of Twin Cities Friends Meeting (TCFM), invites Friends in the Twin Cities area to a Zoom discussion with special guest Laura Kildow, the Development Officer of Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF). TCFM and individuals within TCFM have made payments to ILTF’s Beyond Land Acknowledgement Fund for three years (2025-2027) in the spirit of reparations for our occupation of land unjustly taken from Dakota people. Laura will address what projects ILTF is supporting, how to maximize our impact, and whether she sees opportunities for us to coordinate with other communities of faith and of social conscience towards Indigenous land recovery. Click here for Zoom link. If you have questions, reach out to the MFM office to request contact info for a TCFM organizer.

January 22 (hybrid). Gathered in Love: An Interfaith Service of Trans Solidarity, affirms the sacredness of trans and nonbinary lives. People of faith and allies will come together at Creekside United Church of Christ (106 E Diamond Lake Road, Minneapolis), and there is a livestream option online. This service will include music, poetry, and reflections from trans and BIPOC faith leaders, clergy, and community members across traditions. Masks will be required (barring a medical need) and provided. Sponsors include Mayim Rabim and Outfront Minnesota. Click here for information on Outfront Minnesota’s event page.

OFFICE HOURS

The Office Manager, Ariel E, will be in the office this Sunday, January 18, 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM; Thursday, January 22, 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM; and Friday, January 23, 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM. He just found out there is a General Strike called for on January 23 and is considering participating, in which case he will come to the office on Wednesday instead, and send the bulletin on Thursday. Is there something you’d like included in upcoming bulletins? Weekly deadline for bulletin items is noon Thursdays. Please call the office (612-926-6159) or send your announcement by email (office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org).

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.