Sunday, September 20, 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: AV Tech (mfmzoom2(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com)

10:15 AM Back-to-School Musical Celebration
Come to a special, singing mid-morning program. We’ll sing from the first day school songbook, have some treats, and learn a new (really short) song that we’ll sing together each Sunday before departing. Treat donations will be gratefully received.
Zoom host: Bill H

11:15 AM Semi-programmed Meeting for Worship
Speaker: Allen Gibas, Closer: Deborah Jones, Musician: Dave Bostrom
Zoom host: Bill H

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
— Matthew 22:37-39

Children’s First Day School takes place downstairs every Sunday during 11:15 AM meeting for worship. “Stories of God” is the theme for First Day School curriculum in the month of September. Today, the class will connect with Moses, Elijah, and George Fox’s searches for new beginnings to their own experiences of starting in a new grade in school. Kids will play charades, acting out one thing they hope to learn or do in the next year. Class members will guess what they’re doing.

12:15 PM Committee Clerks Meeting
Committee Clerks, please meet with the Presiding Co-Clerks and Office Manager in the Conference Room or via Zoom at the same link as you used for Sunday programming this morning. You’ll receive information on committee responsibilities, and we’ll discuss challenges in support of the life and work of the meeting. Contact Jane or Lolly if you have questions.

MORE WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Sharing the Spirit, held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, is a brief centering time, open to everyone. We gather at approximately 8:57 AM for ten-minute worship (online, cameras off) beginning 9:00 AM. This space is always open during this time for worship and meditation, for one or for many. Attendance varies. Join on Zoom.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Today is the first day of the fall/winter/spring schedule! Every Sunday will include two meetings for worship: unprogrammed 9:00 AM and semi-programmed 11:15 AM. Between them, there will be a mid-morning program at 10:15 AM, except for second Sundays of the month, when there will be a meeting for business at 9:45 AM instead.

Registration forms for First Day School are on the table near the elevator. Please fill one out for each child/youth who will participate in the FDS program this coming year.

MFM will host the Northern Yearly Meeting fall interim session on September 25 – 26, 2026. Please, we need volunteers willing to provide lodging for some attendees on Friday night, September 25. We also need help with lunch on Saturday, September 26. The lunch will be vegetarian soups, salads, cheese, fruit and cookies. We ask that volunteers making soup (your choice) to make enough for 10. If you are available for lodging or lunch, please contact Mary B.

Want to donate funds to the Meeting? Gifts of all amounts are meaningful and appreciated. Donations are used for operational expenses and to support programming, outreach, and ministry. One-time and recurring contributions are accepted. Click here to donate online or learn about financial giving.

Joining the MFM Google Group is an easy way to engage with the Meeting – to share and see articles of interest, participate in informal discussion, to receive reminders from other Friends about upcoming events. To sign up, simply send an email request to Roland B. Guidelines for the Google Group on the Meeting’s website. The MFM website, where you can find bulletins, events, and monthly meeting minutes, is another resource to keep abreast of Meeting news.

Care and Counsel Committee facilitates pastoral care for Minneapolis Friends Meeting members and attendees, understanding the Quaker tradition that Friends minister to each other. If you’re 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.

EVENTS

This section contains special events held by Minneapolis Friends Meeting. Additionally, there are ongoing groups in the meeting. Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to request a digital flyer about ongoing MFM groups or pick up a printed copy from the information table in the meetinghouse hallway. Upcoming dates include:

• Watson Reading Group (hybrid), 4th Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Next: September 28
• Peace & Social Concerns Committee (online), 4th Mondays, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Next: September 27
• Writing Group (online), 1st Mondays, 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Next: October 5
• Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice (online), 2nd Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Next: October 13
• Joyful Aging coffee hour (in person), 3rd Fridays, 10:00 AM – noon. Next: October 16

The Watson Reading Group will meet Tuesday, September 22 from 7:00 – 8:30 PM in the conference room at the meetinghouse and on Zoom. The group will finish reading “Patterns of Racial Wounding and Racial Justice in Quaker Communities,” beginning on page 26.

October 4 (in person). Kaitlin Ziehr, the Program Manager for Quaker Direct Action, will attend Meeting and share a brief informal presentation during the post-Meeting potluck on Sunday, October 4. Join her in a First Day School classroom during potluck to learn more about QDA’s current goals and programs, including an upcoming open Training Workshop on Nonviolent Direct Action (October 17). Please be sure to bus dishes in a timely manner, to support the potluck committee’s cleanup.

October 10 (in person). Fall Together, an annual retreat held by MFM, is a wonderful opportunity to gather with Friends and rest, relax, renew, re-connect and relish time together in the great outdoors. Camp Committee has reserved the Pavilion at Fish Lake Regional Park in Maple Grove, MN, a beautiful setting familiar to those who have attended Fall Together in recent years. Look at the brochure to find out what’s on the schedule, what to expect, and what to bring. You can find a printed copy in the meetinghouse on the hallway table. Contact Wina M with questions.

October 17 (in person). Quaker Direct Action is hosting a training for all QDA participants and interested community members. This workshop is an introduction to nonviolent direct action and will support participants to better understand systems of power, think strategically to affect systemic change, participate in nonviolent direct action campaign development, and take action for social change. Participants will engage with interactive elements throughout the workshop and are invited to stay for an optional social hour and lunch provided by QDA after the training. Register for the training workshop by October 12 by emailing info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)quaker-action.org. There is no cost to participate. The workshop will take place at Minneapolis Friends meetinghouse on Saturday, October 17. Training will be held from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, followed by an optional social hour and lunch provided by QDA from 1:00 – 2:00 PM.

WIDER COMMUNITY

This section highlights events and news in the local community and among Friends beyond MFM. Additionally, you can email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org to request a copy of the flyer about national Quaker organizations’ online resources.

September 19 (in person). Song Circle will be in Susie K’s backyard on Saturday, September 19, from 4:30 – 7:30 PM. Bring a friend, your voices, song books, and instruments. Sunset will be about 7:15 PM, so bring a headlamp if you have it. In case of rain, singing will move indoors to Susie’s house. If you’d like, bring a snack or a dish to share, for after we sing. Susie will provide paper plates and cups. She has some chairs, but extra lawn chairs are helpful. Call or text Marilyn J with questions.

September 21 (in person). Special screening of the film “The Last Wintercount” tomorrow, Monday, September 21 at the Parkway Theater (4814 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis). Doors open 5:00 PM; the film starts 6:00 PM. Through historical accounts, legal struggles, and personal narratives, the film traces the devastating impact of U.S. westward expansion on the Dakota people. It is a story of resilience, survival, and the pursuit of justice across generations of the Mdewakanton Dakota Sioux and their lineal descendants. After the film, stay for a Q&A that includes locals in the Dakota lineal decedents plaintiff class in the lawsuit against the Federal government to get compensation for 500 miles of land along Lake Pepin that was stolen from their ancestors. The Q&A ends at 9:30PM. Advance tickets available.

September 25 – 26. (in person). Northern Yearly Meeting fall interim session. Please register to attend by September 18. On Friday night, John Greenler will lead exploration, through creative expression, how we find and take steps toward Active Hope as articulated by author and activist Joanna Macy. Friends will have the opportunity to explore singing, visual art, and written and spoken words. Highlights of our explorations will be shared throughout Saturday as a living report.

September 25 – 27 (in person). Middle School Gathering. Northern Yearly Meeting’s fall middle school gathering will be held at Cannon Valley Friends Meeting House. The gathering will explore the concept of Quaker simplicity. Why live simply? What does it mean to live simply? What even is simplicity? Tuition is a sliding scale $25 – $75 with a suggested contribution of $50 but no one will be turned away for lack of funds! Registration is open. The next NYM middle school gathering will take place December 11 – 13 at Milwaukee Friends Meeting.

The legal battle to protect Oak flats, sacred to many Indigenous tribes, from mining was lost this past year. The land rights were transferred to  Resolution Copper last March. But mining companies need a place to put the tailings, the toxic detrius from the mining activity. Sign this letter to Arizona Governor, Katie Hobbs, urging her to protect Arizona state trust land in Dripping Springs Valley at Skunk Camp from Resolution Copper’s plans to dump a mountain of toxic waste there. Protecting Dripping Springs Valley at Skunk Camp would also help protect sacred land at Oak Flat from utter and irremediable destruction.

OFFICE HOURS

The Office Manager will be in the office on Sunday, September 20, 9:30 AM – 12:15 PM; Thursday, September 24, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM; and Friday, September 18, 12:30 – 5:30 PM. Want something 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).

The Children and Families Coordinator has the following office hours: On Thursdays noon – 4:30PM, she is available by text, phone call or email (canagler(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com, 507-261-9462). On Sundays 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM, she is at the Meetinghouse in person.