State of Society Report
Minneapolis Friends Meeting
May 2026

Over the past year, Minneapolis Friends Meeting has sought to remain faithful to the Spirit’s
guidance, even as we have navigated both blessings and challenges. We continue to gather in
worship, to listen deeply, and to discern together how we are called to live as a community of
Friends in this time and place.

Movement of the Spirit Among Us
We have been heartened by the presence of many visitors this year, including younger people,
who have found their way to the meeting. Some have stayed, becoming regular attenders and
contributing their gifts to our shared life. The participation of local Quaker Voluntary Service
fellows at the meeting has also been a gift. Their engagement in worship and community life has
enriched us, bringing fresh perspectives and energy, and reminding us of the vitality of Quaker
witness across generations.
The Ministry & Counsel committee has continued to hold the meeting in prayerful care,
attending to the quality and depth of our worship. Both unprogrammed and semi-programmed
worship have offered spaces where attenders seek to center down together. Other worship
opportunities have emerged, such as a brief early morning centering time three days a week via
Zoom. The Care & Counsel committee has guided the meeting to provide pastoral care to
Friends facing many kinds of challenges.
We remain committed to welcoming children and families, recognizing them as an essential part
of our community. Though their numbers are small, we continue to reach out to them and offer
activities we hope will meet families’ needs, make them feel welcome, and attract additional
families. An important resource for our children and families program has been the work of the
Children’s Coordinator and volunteers who provide a weekly program for all children who
attend.
Small groups, some that have been around for a while and some that are new, have been
important vessels for spiritual growth and connection. Groups such as Joyful Aging, Experiment
with Light, the Watson Reading Group, and the LGBTQ+ group have provided opportunities for
Friends to encounter the Spirit in more intimate settings.
There has been a new emphasis within the Peace and Social Concerns committee that everyone
in the meeting is a part of the committee. A new format for the committee’s meetings, which are
open to everyone, offers a place where activists share what they are doing, creating opportunities
for support, accompaniment, and alliance in each other’s work. Friends have labored together to
articulate a Human Rights statement for the meeting website, making more visible our shared
convictions about the rights of all.

Weekly Mid-Morning Programs continue to offer a wide variety of topics for reflection,
discussion, and learning more about Quakerism. Three programs this year sponsored by Ministry
& Counsel have invited participants to reflect more deeply on Quaker testimonies.
We also experienced a significant transition in the meeting staff. We give thanks for the faithful
service of the long-time meeting coordinator, Carolyn VandenDolder, and welcomed the new
office manager, Ariel Edes, whose thoughtful and steady presence has already been a source of
support. During the most intense time of the ICE “metro surge,” Ariel responded individually to
the many messages of support we received and maintained steady communication to support the
meeting.
A new video about the meeting, created with the expertise of videographers from Thee Quaker
Project, offers a way to share who we are with the wider world. Now posted on the meeting
website, it extends an invitation to those who may be seeking a spiritual home.
We also celebrate the ongoing benefits of the solar panels we installed on the meeting house last
year, which reflect a commitment to a more thoughtful approach to our use of natural resources
and our desire to live more sustainably.
Connections with Twin Cities Friends Meeting have deepened through shared efforts to support
Direct Quaker Action and to form small social action teams. This collaboration has offered
specific ways for individuals to enact their commitments to peace and care for the community,
especially during the recent surge of ICE activity in the Twin Cities area.
During the ICE “metro surge,” we were deeply moved by the outpouring of support from within
and beyond the meeting. Messages of solidarity and care reminded us that we are not alone.
Many Friends felt led to take individual actions in response to ICE’s presence in our cities as acts
of witness, seeking to live out Quaker testimonies with courage and compassion.

Challenges and Continuing Discernment
At the same time, the meeting has been called to face difficult questions. Concerns about safety
in our changing social environment have led to the formation of an ad hoc group to discern how
best to care for our safety and improve the building’s security, for the meeting and in partnership
with Mayim Rabim, the Jewish congregation who rents the building.
Financial limitations have required us to make hard choices, testing the meeting’s priorities and
calling us to thoughtful stewardship of our resources.
We continue to experience challenges in filling the roles needed to sustain the work of the
meeting. Some committees have fewer members than would be ideal to fulfill the work they are
charged with, and it has been hard to recruit additional volunteers. This invites us to reflect on
how we share responsibility and support one another in service.
The small number of children and families among us remains a concern. While we celebrate their
presence, we are also mindful of the need to nurture and grow this part of the community.

Perhaps most deeply, we continue to wrestle with how we are called to respond as a corporate
body to the needs of the wider community. The events surrounding the ICE presence in the Twin
Cities have brought this question into sharp focus. We seek clarity about what it means to act not
only as individuals, but as a meeting, grounded in shared discernment and faithful obedience to
the Spirit.

Closing Reflection
Through all of this, we are reminded that we are a community that is continually engaged in
growing. We are grateful for the ways the Spirit has been present among us this year, and we
look forward with hope to the leadings that will continue to unfold.