Cannon Valley Friends Meeting
Cannon Valley Friends Meeting is an unprogrammed meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. We are located in Northfield, MN, about 35 miles south of Minneapolis/St. Paul.
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Thank you for visiting the website for Cannon Valley Friends Meeting. The main front entrance and all public spaces in the Meetinghouse, including the main-floor and gender-neutral restrooms, are wheelchair-accessible.
Please Note: Only the first 1-2 sentences of entries posted to the website are displayed on this home page. Click on the title of the posting to see the entire announcement or story.
Cannon Valley Friends Meeting has suspended all meetings at the Meetinghouse due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are holding virtual Meeting for Worship each Sunday at 10:30 via Zoom. If you are not on our distribution list for the link and would like to join us, please contact Ricky Peterson, co-clerk, ([email protected]). She will provide you with the link. Anyone having difficulties getting the Zoom app or using it can also contact Ricky.
The meetinghouse will be open on Sunday, March 15, for Meeting for Worship. Cindy will open the meetinghouse, and Kay will be there for childcare. There will be no First Day lesson. We encourage people who choose to attend to continue the practice we began last week of greeting each other without touching and of maintaining a social distance during worship. The Forum scheduled for this Sunday, on becoming an anti-racist meeting, will be postponed until April 26.
Rainfall in Northfield has set records this year, which brings to mind our RAIN GARDEN… an inviting surprise tucked behind the Meetinghouse at 512 Washington.
Each morning Emily Walser-Kuntz helped the early-birds create a collage inspired by that day's topic.
Participants were introduced to five young inventors on the second day of Peace Camp. Many of these ideas were inspired as ways to help other children facing special challenges (image 1).
Louis Braille was just a boy when an eye injury made it difficult to continue reading. Ricky shared the story of how he developed the system of raised dots that is still used by blind people. He was only 12 when he started to develop his system. She also had some familiar children's books with braille. Then each camper made a braille name tag for themselves (image 2).
Starting the first day of Peace Camp 2019, Pat Johnson led a discussion with the twelve participants (ages 6-9) about what makes each of them feel safe.
The camp's theme is about how children have been effective in working for change. This first day focused on Human Rights and Peace. Pat read a book about Sadako Sasaki who worked for peace following WWII by trying to fold a thousand origami cranes. We all folded cranes together.
After outdoor games and snacks, the children created a storyboard about the things we talked about.
When: AUG 25, 2-5 pm
Where: 3241 Park Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55407 (second and third floors)
What: Quaker Volunteer Services Twin Cities is beginning its second year with six new fellows placed in local nonprofit organization working for peace and justice and living in a cooperative household. The Open House is an opportunity for Friends from the local meetings to see the QVS house and give it a final blessing before the fellows arrive.
After Meeting for Worship on July 28th, Charley & Chris Skinner, former members of Cannon Valley Friends Meeting, presented an update on their work at the University For Peace https://www.upeace.org in Costa Rica. They invite people to learn more about the school and support its efforts to work for peace throughout the world.
The 2018-2019 Nominating Committee has updated the committee's job description. The meeting is asked to consider the document and bring any suggested changes to the August 11, 2019 Meeting for Business, where the committee will ask the meeting to approve it.
You can view a copy of the revised job description by clicking on the link below.
Kessa Andrews graduated from Carleton on June 15th. In the fall, she is going on to work with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps' Restorative Justice Program in St. Paul. She sent a note and created a watercolor for members of the CVFM!
Giovanna Fjelstad
April 13, 1932 - June 20, 2019
Nancy Cantwell
March 23, 1930 - November 16, 2018
[Please Note: The following obituary was copied from the Northfield News, Nov. 29, 2018].
Long-time Northfielder Nancy Cantwell died on the morning of Nov. 16 in Timonium, Maryland, where she had been in an assisted living community for the past two years. Her son Jim, who lives nearby, had been with her for much of the previous evening.
Alden T. "Mac" McCutchan
April 10, 1921 - December 23, 2018
[Please Note: The following obituary is from the Northfield News, Dec. 27, 2018.]
Alden T. “Mac” McCutchan, 97, passed away peacefully December 23, 2018 at his Sogn Valley farm home with family by his side. He was born on April 10, 1921 to Blaine Ross and Josephine Layman McCutchan.
LaNelle Olsen
August 31, 1929 - March 6, 2019
[Note: The following obituary was written by the Olsen family]
LaNelle Olsen, campaigner for peace and social justice, passed away March 6, 2019, at Three Links Care Center at the age of 89. Those who knew LaNelle admired her energy, humor and positive outlook on life.
[Please Note: This article/poem originally appeared in the January issue of Friends Journal. Reprinted/republished with permission. You can read the original article at https://www.friendsjournal.org/fgc-racism-task-force/ and subscribe to Friends Journal at www.friendsjournal.org/subscribe/.]
The Final Report of the Friends General Conference Institutional Assessment on Racism is available, along with a summary version.
Please click on the links below to see both versions of the report.
QuakerSpeak, a project of Friends Journal, has created a series of videos on topics of particular interest to Friends. Anyone who is interested in learning more about Quakers may find these videos informative, as well.
Northern Yearly Meeting has completed its own version of Quaker "Faith and Practice", after more than 17 years of work by many dedicated individuals.
CVFM held another successful session of Peace Camp in August. This year Peace Camp included 12 6-8 year olds. They were energetic, curious, kind, and conscientious. The focus for the week was Building Peace by Caring for the Earth. Each day had a different theme and focus, including water, soil, wind, plants, and energy. Most days included a field trip to nearby sites, ending with the planting of a tree and Central Park on Friday.
Photos and text courtesy of Corinne Smith
Wren sings and scolds
until her brood fledges,
So ordered, bound
to earth we walk away.
--Poem by Sam Johnson
Meeting Times
Meeting for Worship begins at 10:30 am on Sundays at the Cannon Valley Friends Meeting's Meetinghouse at 512 Washington St., Northfield. All are welcome.
Mailing Address: We do not receive mail at our street address. Please use the following address for mail: Cannon Valley Friends Meeting, PO Box 805, Northfield, MN 55057
Contact us by email at: [email protected]
Monthly Calendar of Events
CVFM Newsletters
CVFM Committees
What's New
Cannon Valley Friends Meeting has suspended all meetings at the Meetinghouse due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are holding virtual Meeting for Worship each Sunday at 10:30 via Zoom. If you are not on our distribution list for the link and would like to join us, please contact Ricky Peterson, co-clerk, ([email protected]). She will provide you with the link. Anyone having difficulties getting the Zoom app or using it can also contact Ricky.
The meetinghouse will be open on Sunday, March 15, for Meeting for Worship. Cindy will open the meetinghouse, and Kay will be there for childcare. There will be no First Day lesson. We encourage people who choose to attend to continue the practice we began last week of greeting each other without touching and of maintaining a social distance during worship. The Forum scheduled for this Sunday, on becoming an anti-racist meeting, will be postponed until April 26.
Cannon Valley Friends Meeting has saved a number of handwritten minutes recorded at Meetings for Business from 1982-1987. These minutes have been scanned by our Archivist, Jean Vick, and are now available via the CVFM website.
Rainfall in Northfield has set records this year, which brings to mind our RAIN GARDEN… an inviting surprise tucked behind the Meetinghouse at 512 Washington.
Worship with us!
Meeting for Worship begins at 10:30 am on Sundays at the Cannon Valley Friends Meeting's Meetinghouse at 512 Washington St., Northfield. All are welcome.
Mailing Address: We do not receive mail at our street address. Please use the following address for mail: Cannon Valley Friends Meeting, PO Box 805, Northfield, MN 55057
Contact us by email at: [email protected]
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