Sunday, October 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

Worship begins when the first person walks into the meeting room. If you arrive late, be mindful that worship is already in progress. Enter the room quietly and get your body settled right away so as not to disturb others who are already centered in worship.

9:00 AM Unprogrammed Meeting for Worship
Zoom host: AV Tech (mfmzoom2(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com; secondary contact, if you need help, is Bill H)

10:15 AM The LGBTQ+ Game Show: Getting to Know Us
Who are our LGBTQ+ mentors, heroes, artists, activists, and troublemakers — the people who have given us strength and determination? Join us for a fun, interactive game show as we discover some of the people who have been, in the words of the song, “the wind beneath our wings.” Come ready to guess, laugh, and learn a little about LGBTQ+ history — and about one another.
Zoom host: Roger M

11:15 AM Semi-programmed Meeting for Worship
Speaker: Steve S, Closer: Benton R, Musician: Jacque W
Zoom host: Roger M

Children’s First Day School takes place downstairs every Sunday during 11:15 AM meeting for worship. “God and Play” is the theme for First Day School curriculum in the month of October. On Sunday, October 18, the focus is on stories of Quakers John Woolman and Maria Mitchell, the first female astronomer, Nantucket science teacher, and the first woman to discover a comet. Family questions: “Which story did you choose for your figures to tell today? Why did you choose that character?”

12:30 PM Storytelling
We gather again at the meetinghouse and on Zoom (please note that this is a different Zoom link than the rest of Sunday programming). Each person gets five minutes to share a story about “What Happened at Dinnertime.” This prompt invites memories about food, family, dinner table conversation, ritual, just about anything. Come have fun!

HOLD IN THE LIGHT

People who are grieving or suffering from injustice, violence, racism, colonialism, displacement, loss, and the climate crisis, and all those who are aiding victims and the dispossessed.

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

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.

An updated directory of members and attenders was printed last month. Everyone whose name is listed is eligible to have their own copy. If you’d like a printed copy, pick it up from the office on Sunday. Or ask the office manager to mail it to you — email your request to office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org or leave a voicemail at 612-926-6159. Digital copies are also available by email.

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 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:

• LGBTQ+ Group (in person), 3rd Wednesdays, 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Next: October 21
• Peace & Social Concerns Committee (online), 4th Mondays, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Next: October 26
• Watson Reading Group (hybrid), 4th Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Next: October 27
• Writing Group (online), 1st Mondays, 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Next: November 2
• Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice (online), 2nd Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Next: November 10
• Joyful Aging coffee hour (in person), 3rd Fridays, 10:00 AM – noon. Next: November 20

Terry H’s longtime friend, Jean Anderson, will read from her book All That Matters at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, October 20 at the meetinghouse. Refreshments will be served and the grand piano played. Jean is eager to meet some of these Quakers that have had such a grip on Terry for over 30 years! Catch the flavor on her blog at jean-anderson.net.

October 17 (in person). Quaker Direct Action — Nonviolent Direct Action Introductory Training. This interactive workshop takes place on Saturday, October 17, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Minneapolis Friends Meetinghouse, followed by an optional social hour and lunch provided by QDA, 1:00 – 2:00 PM. The deadline to register, by emailing info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)quaker-action.org, was October 12.

October 17 (in person). Song Circle sing-along at Minneapolis Friends Meetinghouse. Come sing with Friends and friends old and new on Saturday, October 17, 7:00 – 9:00 PM. This month we’ll focus on songs of support, empowerment, and community — anything uplifting or inspiring. Bring a friend, your voices, song books (e.g., “Rise Up Singing” or “Rise Again” or your favorite) and/or song sheets. You’re welcome to bring a guitar, ocarina, bass or other acoustic instrument. If you’d like, bring a finger food snack or non-alcoholic beverage to share. Call Jimbo L with questions.

October 21 (in person). LGBTQ+ Group is a casual, drop-in space on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, at the meetinghouse. It’s a potluck — come eat, and if you’d like to bring food to share, that’s welcome too.

October 25 (hybrid). Greeting Newcomers: Games and Practice is the topic of the mid-morning program on Sunday, October 25 at 10:15 AM.

October 27 (hybrid). Watson Reading group will begin to read a new text on Tuesday, October 27: “God Bless the Grass: Liturgies of Empire, Liturgies of Resistance” by C. Wess Daniels, just published by Pendle Hill. This pamphlet offers practical insights for communities looking to build spiritual resilience in the face of today’s injustices. The reading group welcomes current and new participants.

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. It contains virtual events such as:

• 1st Mondays 6:30 PM — Pendle Hill’s lecture series focuses on themes including peace, social justice, and environmental justice. Register on Pendle Hill’s website.
• 3rd Tuesdays 7:00 PM — Protect, Resist and Build, a monthly webinar to learn how to support just peace, just migration, and just economies. Register through Mobilize for this American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) event.
• Every Wednesday 4:00 PM — Witness Wednesdays, a time for silent reflection. Register on Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)’s website.
• Every Thursday 6:30 PM — Worship with Attention to Peace. Friends gather to bring their attention to witnessing injustice in our world and bolster their solidarity with people facing oppression. Register on AFSC’s website.
• Every Friday 11:00 AM — Action Hour for Palestine provides weekly updates on what’s happening in Gaza and an invitation to take action by calling Congress. Register on AFSC’s website.

Northern Yearly Meeting Friends are greatly troubled by plans of the U.S. military to conduct and livestream an execution by firing squad that had been scheduled to occur December 3. Thankfully, the live streaming of the execution has been dropped. Nevertheless, Friends may be moved to contact their Senators, Representatives and the President and ask them to work against the violence and cruelty evident in many other actions of the current administration, and support the statement made by the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), provided below. In addition to the option of calling offices directly, FCNL has a link “Write Your Own Letter to Congress.” For phone calls, the Congressional Switchboard number is (202) 224-3121.

The following statement is by FCNL’s rapid action committee:
“We are deeply disturbed and sickened by the U.S. military’s plans to broadcast a public execution. As a Quaker organization, our opposition to the death penalty is rooted in our belief in the inherent dignity of all people. Carrying out a public execution as if for entertainment would inflict a terrible and shameful wound on the moral soul of our nation.

Our faith teaches us that violence harms all those who partake in it, and we are dismayed by all the ways that life is cheapened and discarded by state violence carried out in all of our names — from police killings of Black people, to lawless ICE violence in our streets, to the endless wars our government inflicts on people abroad.

We call on members of Congress to strongly oppose this execution, and to act to abolish the death penalty for good.”

March 5 – 6, 2027. NYM spring interim session will be at the Madison Meetinghouse on the usual schedule: Friday night 7:00 – 9:00 PM and Saturday 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM at the latest. There will be more information as we get closer, and updates can always be found on NYM’s website. Save the dates!

OFFICE HOURS

The Office Manager is temporarily working remotely. You can reach the office manager by email (office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org) or voicemail (612-926-6159). Responses may be slower than usual. Want something included in upcoming bulletins? Weekly deadline for bulletin items is noon Thursday.

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.