Sunday, March 1, 2026

TODAY’S WORSHIP AND PROGRAM

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

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

10:15 AM Making a Welcoming Environment for the LGBTQ+ Community
Today is the first mid-morning program in a two-part series about welcoming LGBTQ+ people into faith communities with authenticity and care. This morning, we’ll be in the company of Matt Lewellyn-Otten, Director of Religious & Community Organizing at OutFront Minnesota. We’ll explore how welcome is expressed not only through words, but through culture, practices, and relationships — and how communities can continue to grow in openness, understanding, and faithfulness. Part two will take place on Sunday, March 15.
Zoom host: Marilyn J

11:15 AM Semi-programmed Meeting for Worship
Speaker: Jane Furnas, Care of meeting: Diane Barrett, Musician: Tom Wells
Zoom host: Marilyn J

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

12:15 PM All-Meeting Potluck
Stay after semi-programmed meeting for worship for friendly food and conversation at the potluck downstairs. New attender or seasoned member – all are welcome whether you brought anything or not! If you brought a dish, please label ingredients so everyone can participate without worry. Families are making an effort to come on first Sundays. Don’t forget young palates when deciding what to bring! There is a potluck every first Sunday.

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

Let us hold in the Light Kate W’s loved ones and those in Meeting who were close to her. Kate died early on Thursday morning, February 26, 2026. Details about her memorial service are pending and will be made available as soon as possible.

MFM ANNOUNCEMENTS

Happy birthday to Ed S (March 3), Tom W (March 10), Cathy N (March 15), Lolly L (March 17), Lavender J (March 23), and Cindy A (March 27)! If you would like to have your birthday acknowledged by meeting Friends, please send the month and date of your birth (no year necessary) to Judith J.

Friends, we are excited to host Ellie Walton from Thee Quaker Project on Saturday February 28, and Sunday March 1. Ellie will visit us to shoot the video next weekend. She will be shooting some interviews on Saturday at the Meeting House. Some things to be aware of:

1. If you wish to be included in the video, please click here to sign the release form and date it March 1, 2026. Ellie will provide paper copies for those who need them on Sunday morning March 1 as well.
2. When you enter the Meeting House, there will be signage indicating that video shooting may be in progress in or around the Meeting room before, during, and after both Meetings. Ellie will capture video of people as they arrive and leave, and during potluck. If you do not wish to be in the video, you can wear a mask and/or let Ellie know. She is quite comfortable with editing people out if they do not wish to be included.
3. Ellie will shoot at the beginning and end of Meeting for worship, and will also capture the planned message during semi-programmed Meeting. She may ask a few people to stay after Meeting for worship to capture footage of people sitting in silence.
4. If you are on zoom and you do not wish to be included in the video, please leave your camera off. An announcement will be made at the beginning of both Meetings for worship to remind people of these requests and changes.
5. For those who do not wish to appear in the video, there will be signage indicating a section indicating seating to the right as you enter the Meeting room. Please sit in this section if you do not wish to be filmed.
6. During potluck, if you don’t wish to be filmed, you may choose to sit in one of the classrooms or find a place where you are comfortable.
7. For those on zoom during both Meetings, Ellie would like to capture the zoom portion of our community as well and may film some conversation briefly at the end of the zoom Meeting. Please be mindful of sharing during this filming.
8. Greeters will remain at the doors for 15 minutes after the start of worship to let late-comers know about the video filming.
9. Ellie has been doing this work for 20 years and has worked with many Meetings to provide beautiful insightful profiles for Thee Quaker Project. She is open to questions as well. You can see her work online at Quaker Videos (click here). This is a wonderful opportunity to show the warmth and welcoming spirit of Minneapolis Friends Meeting, and we are deeply honored to share our community with the broader Quaker community and the world at large.

Contributions to the general fund from the first three quarters (April 1 through Dec 31) totaled $117,016 — about 85% of the total budget ($138,000). January contributions totaled $2856. In order to meet our budget obligations, contributions need to average $9,045 in both February and March. 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. Thank you, Friends, for your generous financial support of the meeting.

Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is seeking input about where our Quaker lobby in Washington, DC should focus efforts with Congress in 2026 – 2028. Our Meeting representatives, Doug H and Jim H, have been asked to gather our Meeting’s thought about advocacy priorities. Please share your perspective by filling out their short questionnaire. There are printed copies in the meetinghouse. If you’re subscribed to the weekly e-bulletin, your email inbox also received the questionnaire on February 13.

Join an informal study group which will meet for five Saturdays, 4:00 – 5:30 PM, starting March 14. We will read and discuss Rufus Jones’ short intro to Quakers, The Faith and Practice of the Quakers (published 2018). Great for newcomers, rich for old-timers. Some copies are available. Contact Carolyn V for more or with interest.

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee recommends that we contact our state legislators to support legislation protecting wild rice. The indigenous peoples’ advocacy group Rise & Repair has more information and a good sample letter on their website.

MFM EVENTS

Below you’ll find special events held by Minneapolis Friends Meeting. In addition to events detailed here, 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. Ongoing groups’ meetings this month include:
Writing Group (online), 1st Mondays, 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Next: March 2
Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice (online), 2nd Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Next: March 10
LGBTQIA+ Group (in person), 3rd Wednesdays, 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Next: March 18
Joyful Aging coffee hour (in person), 3rd Fridays, 10:00 AM – noon. Next: March 20
Peace & Social Concerns Committee (online), 4th Mondays, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Next: March 23
Watson Reading Group (hybrid), 4th Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Next: March 24

March 8 (hybrid). Meeting for worship with attention to business is held every second Sunday. Participate at the meetinghouse or online next Sunday, March 8 from 9:45 AM – 11:15 AM.

March 15 (in person). Minneapolis Friends of all ages are invited to join Mayim Rabim for Puppet Making with In the Heart of the Beast! Gather with friends and family to spend time together as we make simple puppets from recyclable materials. Make a puppet from a recycled toilet paper roll, a crankie from a tissue box or make a mask into an animal character. Possibilities are endless! We will bring a variety of supplies and ideas to engage different ages! Let your imagination be your guide and you will be surprised how fast the afternoon flies in good company as your creative juices flow! Our storyteller and puppeteer will guide you in your creative process and might even do a few puppet shows (we never know what to expect when we are around her!) We will be supplying materials but you are welcome to bring recyclables as well. This activity will take place on Sunday, March 15, 3:00 – 5:30 PM, at the meetinghouse, facilitated by HOBT artists and staff.

March 15 (hybrid). Making a Welcoming Environment for the LGBTQ+ Community, continued. The second part of this two-session Mid-Morning Program will feature a panel of LGBTQ+ individuals from within our meeting. You’re invited to listen with open hearts as they share their stories, discuss what drew them to Minneapolis Friends, and reflect on how their identities help shape their spirituality and their participation in community. After semi-programmed worship, join Matt Lewellyn-Otten and others from our LGBTQ+ group for cookies, refreshments, and conversation downstairs.

March 22 (hybrid). Listening session on FCNL priorities. Doug H and Jim H are gathering views of Meeting members and attenders for the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), the Quaker lobby in Washington D.C. Every two years, FCNL defines its priorities for lobbying the next Congress on peace and justice issues. Doug and Jim continue to collect written surveys. On Sunday, March 22, they will hold a listening session from 12:30 – 1:15 PM in the main Meeting room, with hybrid Zoom. They invite all who wish to add their opinions about these priorities.

March 30 (in person). Our Loaves and Fishes ministry provides meals for hungry people in South Minneapolis. In 2026, we’ll serve meals during months with five Mondays. Please plan to assist with meals on Monday March 30, June 29, August 31, and November 30. Thanks for your support!

WIDER COMMUNITY

February 24 – March 1 (in person). Bring the Heat: Melt the ICE is a week of action hosted by Minnesotan neighbors and anti-ICE organizers. Community members, students, workers, people of faith, and people of conscience from around the country are asked to show up for rapid response networks and huge public protests. Click here for the website, where you can RSVP to receive details about actions, political education workshops, and other ways to participate.

March 3 (in person). Meet for lunch at Marhaba Grill. Join friends from Twin Cities Friends Meeting and MFM to support our immigrant business community along the Lake Street corridor in Minneapolis. We’ll do this by meeting for lunch on Tuesday, March 3 at noon at Marhaba Grill (2801 Nicollet Avenue). The restaurant offers both a lunch buffet and menu options. Parking is available in a lot adjacent to the building. Time and location for future weeks will be announced later. Questions? Contact Rob S.

March 21 (in person). Love as Action, an AFSC invitation. On Saturday March 21, 1:30 – 3:00 PM, Quakers will gather in Silent Worship for a Quiet Public Witness to hold our world in the Light and prayer, seeking love as guiding forward our work for our Immigration Neighbors in these dark hours. We will be silent as we acknowledge we are standing in the dark, seeking Light in our resistance actions. We will stand at the southeast corner of Grand and Snelling (a busy spot) on the sidewalk in front of Nothing Bundt Cake business side of street. Please bring a sign or small candle if you wish to ground yourself in this Silent Witness. If asked why we are doing this, in quiet conversation we will inform people of our what we are doing and then return to Silence. On this weekend, other Quaker Meetings or groups will also be engaged in their own Public Witness in Quaker Silence. We hope you will join us and invite those who know this is to be a Quiet Time…no chants, talking or strategizing. This is a silent public witness of strength, courage and love. All are welcome. Questions? Contact Becky F.

March 27 – 28 (online). Northern Yearly Meeting (NYM) Spring Interim Session will meet, online-only, on Friday, March 27, 7:00 – 9:00 PM, and Sunday, March 29, 1:00 – 5:00 PM. There will be two optional social hours: Friday 6:00 – 7:00 PM, and Sunday noon – 1:00 PM. In order to allow people to be involved in their local No Kings rallies and events on Saturday, there will be no Saturday programming.

“Thee Quaker” podcast: Minneapolis Quakers Stand Up to ICE. Four TCFM Quakers were recently interviewed about their response to ICE. Click here to listen to the episode or read the transcript.

Conversation during Ramadan. The Muslim American Society of Minnesota and Minnesota Council of Churches and extend an invitation to come together as neighbors. You are welcome to join a Taking Heart Ramadan Iftar, an evening rooted in hospitality, shared food, and relationship-building across difference. When you attend an Iftar, you will observe evening prayer, learn about the Muslim faith, and break fast with Muslim neighbors over a shared meal. Iftars will take place across Minnesota from February 18 – March 19, with new locations added regularly. Space is limited. Click here for dates, locations, and registration on MCC’s website.

Paid young adult leadership position working with Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). Young adults aged 19 – 30 will receive training and mobilize their communities to influence members of Congress. The time commitment is 25 – 35 hours/month from August through May. Applications for the 2026 – 2027 cohort are due March 2. Click here for details about Advocacy Corps on FCNL’s website. 

Find ways to support anti-ICE efforts in the Twin Cities from near and far. Ray Hommeyer, QVS’ Twin Cities Coordinator, is maintaining a list of calls to action. The document was updated today, and new information is added regularly. Click here for the document.

Jim Bear Jacobs’ presentation about the Doctrine of Discovery can be viewed online on YouTube. (Click here.)  Friends are encouraged to make time to listen to it!

OFFICE HOURS

The Children and Families Coordinator, Cathy N, has the following schedule:
Wednesdays 2:00 – 5:00 PM available by phone, text or email, working from home.
Thursdays 2:00 – 5:00 PM available by phone, text, or email, working from home. 
Fridays 12:00 – 3:00 PM available by phone or in person at Minneapolis Friends Meetinghouse.
Sundays 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM available in person or by phone at Minneapolis Friends Meetinghouse.

The Office Manager, Ariel E, will be in the office on Thursday, March 5, noon – 5:00 PM; Friday, March 6, noon – 5:30 PM; and Sunday, March 8, 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM. Is there something you’d like included in upcoming bulletins? Weekly deadline for bulletin items is noon Thursday. Please call the office (612-926-6159) or send your announcement by email (office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org).