Sunday, March 15, 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

10:15 AM Making a Welcoming Environment for the LGBTQ+ Community (part 2)
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.
Zoom host: Bill H

11:15 AM Semi-programmed Meeting for Worship
Speaker: Lolly Lijewski, Care of meeting: Joanne Esser, Musician: Dave Bostrom
Zoom host: Bill H

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

12:15 PM Cookies and coffee with LGBTQ+ Group
Everyone is invited to join Matt Lewellyn-Otten and others from our LGBTQ+ group for cookies, refreshments, and conversation downstairs.

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

Dan J, a long-time member of our Meeting, died Monday, March 9, 2026, following his recent discovery of terminal cancer and a brief emergency hospitalization. A few members from our Meeting and Twin Cities Friends were able to visit him and offer comfort shortly before he died. Dan provided live-in assistance to Friends from both our Meeting and Twin Cities Friends and will be missed by many. Arrangements for a memorial service are pending.

Please hold Beau in the light. He is recovering from an appendectomy and has had some minor complications with his recovery. He is still in the hospital, but all are hopeful that he will be home soon. Cards, emails, texts, and occasional phone calls are all welcome.

The people of Iran, and all people in the world suffering from acts of war.

MFM ANNOUNCEMENTS

Puppet-making is POSTPONED due to blizzard forecast. Mayim Rabim had invited Minneapolis Friends to join their puppetry worship on Sunday March 15. This is postponed, and will be rescheduled.

Kate W’s memorial service will take place on Saturday, April 25, at 1:00 PM. Attend at the meetinghouse or on Zoom. Please contact office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org for the Zoom link.

May we take your photo? Welcoming and Outreach is photographing individuals and families in order to refresh the portraits on the bulletin board in the meetinghouse. Please meet Sue K in the south hall immediately after semi-programmed meeting for worship this Sunday March 15, and she’ll take your photo. We’d love to include as many members and attenders as possible, to help folks recognize others in community.

The women of Property Committee want to thank the noble men of Property. David, Ed, Mike, and Rick have each taken one week per month, for snow removal responsibility (when less than 2 inches). Thank you!

Budget Matters: Preliminary numbers show that contributions to the general fund from April 1 through March 1 totaled $125,908 – about 91% of the total budget ($138,000). We are about $12,000 short of meeting our budget obligations. There is a donate tab on the MFM website (click here), offering boxes are at the entrances of the meetingroom, and checks can be received by mail. 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 support of the meeting!

March 31 marks the end of the current fiscal year. If you have reimbursements requests for the current fiscal year, please submit the request to the appropriate committee clerk (for their initial) and to the Office Manager so reimbursement can happen before the end of the fiscal year. Reimbursement request forms are in the top of the blue box on the long table in the east hallway. Thank you, Friends.

Our own Isaac G is performing in a skit and co-organizing a variety show on Sunday, March 29, from 7:00 – 9:00 PM at Fat Pants Brewing Company (8335 Crystal View Rd., Eden Prairie). Click here for the website of Headwaters Collective of Performing Arts, which has details about the performance and tickets.

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. For more about the MFM Google Group, click here. Also, to keep abreast of Meeting news, you can find bulletins, events, and monthly meeting minutes on the MFM website (click here).

Snow emergency parking rules. When the city of Minneapolis declares a snow emergency, parking rules take effect so plows can clear the streets. Click here for the city’s webpage with more detailed information about these rules, or to sign up for text, email, and phone alerts. You can also stay informed by calling 612-348-SNOW (7669), texting MPLSAlerts to 77295 for Snow Emergency Alerts, or download the MPLS Parking smartphone app.

MFM EVENTS

Below you’ll find special events held by Minneapolis Friends 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 include:
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
Writing Group (online), 1st Mondays, 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Next: April 6
Deep Inner Work of Racial Justice (online), 2nd Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Next: April 14

March 22 (hybrid). Now that you’re here… During this mid-morning program, participate in a community-building exercise about feeling welcome. It will include queries and small group role-playing.

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, using the same link as other Sunday programming. They invite all who wish to add their opinions about these priorities.

March 25 (hybrid). Joyful Aging annual meeting. Come talk about what the group will do this year. Attend at the meetinghouse or Zoom on Wednesday, March 25, 7:00 – 8:30 PM.

March 30 (in person). Loaves and Fishes meal will be prepared at Great Is Thy Faithfulness Church (1115 30th Ave N, Minneapolis) on Monday, March 30. Choose a shift — 2:00 PM prep ingredients, 5:00 PM meal serving, 6:00 PM clean up — or stay all afternoon. We will prepare food to serve 150 people a takeout-style meal. The entrance to the kitchen is in the alleyway. The church is on the corner of Emerson Ave N and 30th Ave N. Contact Greg L for information, or to donate fruit.

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. Please save the date.

WIDER COMMUNITY

March 17 (in person). Meet for lunch at Sonora 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 17 at noon at Sonora Grill (3300 E Lake Street). Questions? Contact Becky F.

March 21 (in person). Square dance, hosted by Quaker Voluntary Service, 7:00 – 9:00 PM at Twin Cities Friends Meeting. Live band! All are welcome. There is a suggested contribution ($10 – 20 sliding scale) to pay for the band. Children attend free. Refreshments provided. Address: 1725 Grand Ave, St. Paul. 

March 21 (in person). Love as Action, an AFSC invitation. On Saturday March 21, 1:30 – 3:00 PM, Quakers will stand in Silent Worship for a Quiet Public Witness to hold our world in the Light and prayer, seeking love to guide our work for our immigrant neighbors in these dark hours. We will be silent as we acknowledge we are standing in the dark, seeking Light in our resistance actions. Meet at the southeast corner of Grand and Snelling (a busy spot) on the sidewalk in front of Nothing Bundt Cake. Please bring a sign or small candle to ground yourself. If asked why we are doing this, in quiet conversation we will inform people what we are doing and then return to silence. No chants, talking or strategizing. Join us and invite others. Questions? Contact Becky F.

March 22 (online). Quaker Call to Action national Zoom call: “Resistance to the Trump onslaught — where are we now?” will conversation with Daniel Hunter, co-founder and trainer with Choose Democracy, a US-based organization focused on preventing and stopping undemocratic power grabs. Click here to register.

March 27 – 28 (online). Northern Yearly Meeting (NYM) Annual 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. Click here to register to attend. Please complete one registration form for each person attending. For the sessions website, click here, and enter password quaker2026. Questions? Contact NYM Clerk Robin Greenler (clerk(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)northernyearlymeeting.org).

April 10 – 12 (in person). Northern Yearly Meeting Youth Retreat, grades 8 – 12, at Scattergood’s School and Farm. Northern Yearly Meeting youth will participate in Scattergood’s retreat! Disconnect from technology, doom-scrolling and the 24-hour news cycle to make space to re-connect with your intrinsic, creative selves and each other through art-making, storytelling, music, and community. Attendees will also have plenty of downtime to enjoy games, bonfires, and more. There might be transportation made available, depending on interest. Click here for more on Scattergood’s website. Registration deadline is April 3. Contact Carolyn V about transportation.

April 11 (in person). Join with other past and prospective People Campers for song, games, and a potluck at Twin Cities Friends Meeting House (1725 Grand Ave, St Paul) on Saturday, April 11, from 3:00 – 6:30 PM. Renew past friendships and invite others who may be interested in joining our summer community in refreshing our body, minds and spirit of Peacemakers. Everyone has been under stress with recent events, so come ready to relax and laugh with kindred spirits. The schedule is meet and greet and setup 3:00 – 3:30, singing and games 3:30 – 4:30 PM, potluck meal 5:00 – 6:00 PM, cleanup 6:00 – 6:30 PM. Questions? Contact Karen V.

April 24 – 25 (in person). Nightingales is a group of Friends from Northern Yearly who love to sing. We gather in the evenings at Northern, and also spring, summer, and fall at a camp near Prairie du Chien, WI. Our spring gathering is set for April 24 – 26. All interested singers from NYM meetings are welcome. We sleep in bunkrooms or tent. We eat potluck, and everyone contributes. Besides singing, there is time for walks, bird-watching, worship, and much sharing. For more information, contact Janet Anderson (jcainstp(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)icloud.com, 651-219-8429). Please register soon; ask office(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)minneapolisfriends.org for the registration link. Save dates for other Nightingales weekends in 2026: July 17 – 19 and Oct 23 – 25.

May 22 – 25 (hybrid). Northern Yearly Meeting Annual Session is a great opportunity to meet with Quakers around our region. Join the gathering over Memorial Day weekend to explore the theme Courage in Witness, Stronger Together: How do we partner to make change in the world as Quakers? 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. Attendance via Zoom is available for key portions of the weekend. Click here for more information on NYM’s Annual Session website. The brochure and registration materials will be available by late March. 

July 7 – 12, 2026 (in person). FGC Gathering of Friends. The Gathering of Friends is a week of Quaker community for all ages, organized by Friends General Conference. It’s typically in the summer, at varied locations, and every other year is online. In 2026, the event will take place in Burlington VT. Click here for details on FGC’s website.

August 9 – 15, 2026 (in person). People Camp. Save the dates for People Camp, a week from Sunday August 9 to Saturday August 15 in Northern Pines Camp in Park Rapids, Minnesota. Click here for a flyer.

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 Sunday, March 15, 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM; Thursday, March 19, noon – 5:00 PM; and Friday, March 20, noon – 5:00 PM. 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).