The Friends School Plant Sale is going on NOW at the Fairgrounds in Saint Paul. For more about the sale, see https://www.friendsschoolplantsale.com/ . The catalogue is available online at https://www.friendsschoolplantsale.com/catalog.
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May 11, 2025
WORSHIP AND PROGRAM SCHEDULE TODAY
9:00 – 9:40 meeting for worship (unprogrammed): care of meeting, Carolyn VandenDolder; Zoom host – Bill H
9:45 – 11:15 monthly meeting for business: Stephen Snyder, clerk; Jeannette Raymond, recording clerk; Zoom host – Marilyn J
11:15 – 12:15 meeting for worship (semi-programmed): John Stuart – speaker; Zoom host – Marilyn J
Email office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org for the link to Sunday worship and programming.
HOLD IN THE LIGHT
Oak Flats and the Apache Stronghold, the judges who could halt the transfer and destruction of Oak Flat, and the Supreme Court Justices who could agree to hear the Oak Flats case.
Those who are suffering from fear, injustice, conflict, discrimination, colonialism, displacement, loss, and the climate crisis, including fire, and all those who are aiding victims and the dispossessed.
Those in positions of power.
NEWS FOR MINNEAPOLIS MEETING FRIENDS
HEADS UP: May 18th is the last Sunday of the school year schedule. Starting May 25th, there will be one worship at 10AM. In the summer months, potluck will follow worship on first Sundays; monthly meeting will follow worship on second Sundays.
Jon Watts will be the planned speaker at semi-programmed worship next Sunday, May 18th, and will be available to visit with interested Friends over a bag lunch at the rise of meeting at 12:30. Plan to stay and take advantage of this rich opportunity! Jon is the creator of QuakerSpeak and founder and current Executive Director of Thee Quaker Project, a network of online Quaker projects to support your spiritual journey and introduce Quakerism to a new generation of seekers.
Feeling stressed? Discouraged? Fearful? Come to mid-week worship, Wed nights, 7PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84938257185 (copy and paste into your browser); ID: 849 3825 7185; by phone: +1-651-372-8299.
Mid-Morning Program next Sunday at 10:15: Enjoy Our Increasingly Intergenerational Meeting! Come play, sing, and build a story of our future with the children and youth of the Meeting! Robust attendance will help feed the energy created by our young people. Plan to come! This is the last mid-morning program of the school year schedule.
The Shepherd Scholarship, created in 1977 by Roland and Zephra Shepherd, offers educational scholarships for members of a Quaker Meeting of at least five years standing, or their children. Interested adults and young adults can apply by filling out an application (available on the long table in the hall or on the website: https://minneapolisfriends.org/shepherd-scholarship-fund/) Application deadline, June 30. Return applications to the Shepherd Scholarship file in the blue box (on the long table) or email to Betsy Souther, southerbetsy(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)me.com.
The MFM Peace and Social Concerns Committee is hosting an INTERNATIONAL CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR DAY remembrance on May 15th, 7PM here at the meetinghouse. Gather to hold up the power of stories of objection/resistance to war with story circles where each person will have opportunity to tell a story of their own (five minute or less.) Discussion about what, if anything, to do next, too. It’s OK to just show up, but it’s helpful to know if you can come, just for planning. Questions, or to RSVP: Larry Johnson at larryjvfp(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com
Lavender and Jaide’s senior projects are on display at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design until May 17th.
Contributions update: $11,500 in monthly contributions is needed to meet this year’s budget. Contributions to general funds in April totaled $11,176. Thank you, Friends, for your generous support of the meeting!
SMALLER GATHERINGS AT MINNEAPOLIS MEETING
Sharing the Spirit, open to everyone, every Mon, Wed, and Fri AM on zoom, cameras off. This brief opportunity for worship is focused on healing, in a broad sense, gathering at approximately 8:57; ten-minute worship beginning at 9:02. Try it out! ID: 859 3925 1575; passcode: 251345;
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85939251575?pwd=1aHrNcUclfw3o99kyDnc9nAwzwkYGU.1 (copy and paste into your browser).
Come to thirty minutes of Lectio Divina, Divine Reading, followed by worship sharing on ZOOM, Tuesdays at noon. Hold a very brief reading from the Bible, Quaker, or other spiritual text to see how it might speak to us today: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82172920370?pwd=4v3zY9LtA79jzf5tGg24BDXb28Clkd.1 (copy and paste into your browser); ID: 821 7292 0370; passcode: 661188
The Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice Group meets every second Tues night, 7-8:30 and is exploring and practicing the inner and outer work of direct action using Resmaa Menakem’s book The Quaking of America: An Embodied Guide to Navigating our Nation’s Upheaval and Racial Reckoning. There is a core group; visitors / newcomers are warmly welcome. Contact Nettie S. for more and for the link.
Smaller gathering schedule: Lectio Divina – every Tuesday noon; Writing Group – first Monday night; Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice Group – second Tuesday night; LGBTQ Support Group – third Wednesday night; Reading Group – fourth Tuesday night; Conflict Soiree – last Tuesday afternoon.
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER WORLD OF FRIENDS
Northern Yearly Meeting registration continues with a small late fee. Becoming the Quakers the World Needs: How Is God Calling Me to Use My Gifts in a Challenging Time? NYM Annual Session (May 23-26) can be attended in person or remotely. Grounded in the legacy of Quakers, explore ways to stay centered while following God’s leadings to provide support and change in today’s world. Information, registration, and a special video (created by young adults) highlighting the Annual Session experience can be found at this link. We’ll hold business meetings; enjoy the company of old and new Friends; rest; seek spiritual growth; and enjoy campfires, walks in the woods, boating, swimming, singing, and much more. Children and youth participate in a lively and popular program. Visit https://northernyearlymeeting.org.
Northern Yearly Meeting pre-Annual Session meetings:
— A change to the Northern Yearly Meeting Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation will be brought to Annual Session this spring. Minneapolis Meeting, as a member of the corporation, should be part of the discernment. Please attend a discussion of the proposed changes on Tues, May 13, 6:30-8PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88322914736?pwd=IfaEr6PDiwUwIk5sbZgFPoRqbczKGs.1; ID: 883 2291 4736: passcode: 467494. To receive documentation in advance of the zoom meeting, register at https://forms.gle/wt9HDxtwRiPSfyXn7.
— Detailed budget review – Sun, May 18, 1-3PM. Get the link at https://northernyearlymeeting.org/budget-review-may-18-2025/
— State of Society reports – Sun, May 18, 6:30-8PM. Take advantage of this rich opportunity to hear from the meeting and worship groups in Northern Yearly Meeting – their accomplishments, challenges, and fears. Get the link at https://northernyearlymeeting.org/state-of-society-reports-2025/
Quaker Voluntary Service is hiring a local coordinator! May 19 is the application priority deadline; the position is scheduled to begin July 7. Find more at: https://quakervoluntaryservice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Copy-of-2024.01-Local-Coordinator-Job-Summary-MSP.pdf
Plan now to be part of People Camp this August 10-16! The theme will be How We WIN! Non-violent, direct action campaign planning. Author and activist, George Lakey, will share his experiences as we investigate non-violent, direct-action campaigns and how to apply them to the work of today. People Camp is a week-long, community-centered experience of cooperation, peacemaking , and exploring what we contribute to the world around us. This is a summer camp experience for the whole family with warm, supportive community, challenging workshops, and lots of recreation . For more, see https://www.fnvw.org/peoplecamp
Friends General Conference’s Young Adult and Youth (YAY) Gathering is an intergenerational Quaker event for children, youth, teens, and young adults (0-35). Come to Clarkson, MI, July 2-6 for play, connection, laughter, games, stories, music, walks in the woods, campfires, conversations, puzzles, and most importantly, a spiritual community of people who practice generosity, kindness, and curiosity. Learn more about the gathering on the FGC website here. Registration, housing, fees, and financial aid info are also on the FGC website here.
Pendle Hill and Friends Place offer Continuing Revolution, an annual gathering of young adults (ages 18-35) seeking to connect their spiritual, political, and interpersonal lives. This year’s Queer Liberation and Spirit-Rooted Justice will be held in person and online, June 12-14 at Friends Place on Capitol Hill. Participants will explore where their spiritual practice intersects with the collective pursuit for queer liberation. More at https://www.friendsplacedc.org/event/continuing-revolution-2025-queer-liberation-and-spirit-rooted-justice
Preparing for the Draft & Conscientious Objection with Wayne Finegar. A recording is now available via a Northern Spirit Radio interview. Wayne Finegar is Executive Director of QuakerHouse.
Camp Woodbrooke, a small camp in the BIG outdoors, is an overnight camp emphasizing a close relationship with nature. Registration is now open for this immersion-in-Quaker-values experience. Scholarships are available – look for the Financial Assistance Request form on the website: https://www.campwoodbrooke.org
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY
Song Circle with some MFM Friends, Sat, May 17th. Contact Marilyn J. for more. Start at 5, potluck supper or snacks around 6/6:30, then sing more if people want. Bring your voice, friend(s), Rise Up Singing or Rise Again songbooks, a lawn chair or blanket and a place setting and potluck dish if you wish.
Rise and Repair Communities are working to protect Minnesota’s wild rice and water. Send a letter to your legislators asking them to protect wild rice, an important environmental treasure and vital Indigenous entity, by supporting SF1247 and its companion bill: https://riseandrepair.org/protectwildrice#/54/.
Healing MN Stories Tour – the only remaining tour date with openings is Oct 18 (10-2). These tours are an effort to create understanding between Native and non-Native people. Native people have suffered deep trauma perpetrated with the full participation of Christian churches. Learn the less-told history of MN and come to better understand the need for healing. More and register at https://mnchurches.org/what-we-do/healing-minnesota-stories.
Boarding Schools and Cultural Genocide, a webinar that explores the policies meant to control or eliminate Indigenous people in the U.S, Canada, Australia, and China as well as the efforts for legal justice will be May 19, 7-8PM: https://worldwithoutgenocide.org/programs/upcoming-events/may-19-boarding-schools-and-cultural-genocides-the-us-australia-canada-and-china ($10 participation fee.)
Fix-it Clinics are a great resource for fixing those household items that would otherwise be trashed. Second Saturdays at varied sites: https://www.hennepin.us/en/residents/recycling-hazardous-waste/fix-it-clinics
OFFICE HOURS
The Meeting Coordinator will be in the office Wed – Fri afternoons. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur. Bulletin items can be phoned in to the office (612-926-6159) or emailed (office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org).
The Children and Families Coordinator can be reached at home: Mon and Wed, 2:30-5PM; Thurs, 3:30-5PM; Sun, 9AM-2PM, at the meetinghouse.