Prospect Hill Friends Meeting

The current version which was updated on 17 February 2009 describes certain aspects of Prospect Hill Friends Meeting. A brief, and yet quite complete, description exists in a brochure distributed to visitors and other interested persons. A copy of the text within that brochure has been posted as a separate web page titled About Prospect Hill Friends Meeting.  Prospect Hill Friends Meeting also maintains a small library. A listing of the library catalog is also posted; members and attenders of the Meeting are encouraged both to use the catalog to request to borrow books and also to suggest other appropriate titles.

Topics at the current site include, but are not limited to, those in the following list; each is linked to the appropriate section on this web page:

First Day (Sunday) Meetings

Our Meeting is now in the process of locating a new meeting space for our Meeting for Worship/Business. Please note the different meeting locations below.

On the first First Day (Sunday) of each month, the (unprogrammed) Meeting for Worship starts at 4:00 p.m. This is followed by a potluck at 5:00 p.m. and the Monthly Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business at 6:00 p.m. Next Monthly Meeting for business is scheduled for 1 March 2009.

On the other First Days of the month there is a program which starts at 4:00 p.m. This is followed by the (unprogrammed) Meeting for Worship which begins about 4:45 p.m. The programs are varied; usually related programs are spaced about one month apart. It is intended that the following list be updated frequently. If it is out of date, please do regard it as an indication of the types of programs at Prospect Hill Friends Meeting. A contact person for meeting location updates is Sigrid Coats who can be reached at 612-379-7398.

Meeting Location for will be at the St. Paul Council of Churches Headquarters, 1671 Summit Avenue, St. Paul. For Driving directions or more information please call one of the clerking team: Michael Russelle (co-clerk, 651-646-0758), David Coats (co-clerk 612-379-7398), Lyn Egolf-Grider (co-recording-clerk, 612-781-4560), or Ralph Jacobson (co-recording clerk, 651-647-0758).

Programs scheduled starting 15 February 2009 are (or were):
 
Date
 Topic Facilitator/Speaker Start/Introduce/Close
Feb 15th
 What is the Relationship between Mysticism and Activism? Howard Vogel Raquel Wood
Feb 22nd
 Singing - Songs we haven't heard lately
 Lyn Egolf Grider & David Grider
Mar 1st
 Meeting for Worship followed by Potluck and Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business Clerking Team
Mar 8th
 Book Review - Why God Won't Go Away
 Book Group
 Frank Wook
Mar 15th
 Mind Mapping - An exercise in preparation for the PHFM retreat
 Cynthia Bartoo & Jerry Wescott
 Raquel Wood
                       (tba = to be announced     na = not assigned)

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Yearly Meeting and Friends General Conference

Prospect Hill Friends Meeting is part of Northern Yearly Meeting. The latter is part of Friends General Conference. More information about Northern Yearly Meeting is available at the Northern Yearly Meeting website. However, please click here if you desire for more information about Friends General Conference.

Northern Yearly Meeting does not have Quarterly Meetings. Some of those functions are met by the Metro Friends Coordinating Committee which has representatives from the four Monthly meetings in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Their programs are listed as appropriate on their own page.

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Third Friday Meetings

Prospect Hill Friends Meeting schedules a potluck dinner at the home of one of the members or attenders at about 6:15 p.m. on the third Sixth Day (Friday) of each month. The potluck is followed by a program that lasts about two hours.

Third Friday in January will be on 16 January, "The Moon of Telling Stories" (as found in some American Indian traditions)will be an opportunity to tell some of our stories. Plan to meet at 7 p.m. at Cynthia and Ralph's home, 2126 Roblyn Ave. and share popcorn, hot cider, snacks, and stories around the fire. Cynthia says, "We'll have ideas to start the stories rolling! Also, we would like to know who can bring cider!"

(Please note: The Third Friday gathering in December usually is replaced by the Holiday Season Musical.)

These programs enable the members of the Meeting to get to know one another better. The potluck at the outset, serves to produce an informal, friendly aura. A somewhat related function is provided by the reading group.

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Appointments

Prospect Hill Meeting uses the calendar year as its fiscal year. All Meeting appointments are also scheduled for the calendar year. The co-clerks for calendar year 2009 are Michael Russelle and David Coats; the recording clerks are Lyn Egolf Grider and Ralph Jacobson; and the treasurer is Frank Wood. Appointments to other organizations and committee assignments include the following:
Ad Hoc Committees Audit and Budget Committee FCNL Representative
QEW Representatives
 Metro Friends Representatives Newsletter Editors
Nominating Committee NYM Representatives Program Committee

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Reading Group

Prospect Hill Friends Meeting has in the past, sponsored a reading group which met at various members' homes. The books read are quite varied.  For example, we once read material related to the Faith and Practice description being created by Northern Yearly Meeting and then parts of the books Dakota: A Spiritual Geography and The Cloister Walk, both by Kathleen Norris.

On 17th February, an informal group of Friends will meet at Marie Knowlton's home (1930 Laurel Avenue, St Paul), to discuss the book Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief, By Andrew Newberg, MD, Eugene D'Aquili, MD & Vience Rause.  These meetings will be on the 3th Tuesday of each month from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. The group will discuss the chapter on Mysticism. Some prior reading for the assigned night will be helpful to encourage group discussion. The book may be available in the public library or purchased for about $15.

The reading group has as its primary purpose to explore in a leisurely fashion the book or topic being considered. However, it also serves to allow the members of the Meeting to become better acquainted with one another and with the current faiths and practices of the other members of the Meeting. The third Sixth Day (Friday) gatherings also serve a similar function.

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Activism and Links

The members and attenders of Prospect Hill Friends Meeting have been active in a number of Quaker related organizations. These include: Click here to return to the top.

New Driving Directions

The location of Prospect Hill Friends Meetings for Worship and Meeting for Worship with attention to Business for the months of January thru December 31st will be at the St. Paul Council of Churches Headquarters, 1671 Summit Ave, St. Paul. Our Meeting can be reached by driving south on Snelling, from crosstown highway 94. At Summit Avenue turn right (west) and drive for two blocks. The building is located on the right northwest corner and parking is available on the street or in the parking lot in back.

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If you are away from home, check out locations of other meetings at (Quakerfinder).

Please send as e-mail to jwescott (at) bluebottle.com any comments or questions about this web site.