October 26, 2016

As Way Opens

I have been thinking a lot about discernment since we heard the news that Ruthie will be retiring.  We are collectively entering a time of corporate discernment to take a wise and insightful path forward.  Corporate discernment is not easy as we must put aside our own desires and search out a path that is from God.  Proverbs 4:5-6 says Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.  Do not forsake her and she will keep you; love her and she will guard you.  But how do we get such wisdom and insight from God?  How do we truly hear God’s voice above our own voice and the voices of so many others?  I think it involves prayer, meditation, deep listening to each other and to the whispers of God within our center, being open to new ideas and never saying something won’t work.  God will not forsake us when we are in this space of searching.  This is not a process to fear but one to enter into prayerfully and with joy as new openings and possibilities could be before us.  We must trust each other and God as we come together in the precious faith community we call First Friends.

I found this quote from Quaker Eileen Flanagan written in 1999- “Spiritual discernment is the process of sifting Divine guidance from other influences:  from internal forces such as fear or selfishness to external pressures and expectations.  A willingness to listen and to let go of our own agendas can help us sift through all the voices we hear and discern how God is leading us.”  

Beth

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

GREETERS NEEDED! We are putting together a schedule for Friends willing to serve as Greeters on Sunday mornings. Please contact the office if you are interested in serving the meeting in this way.

This Sunday at First Friends Meeting we welcome guest speaker Dale Graves! He will be speaking about Belize Friends Mission. “When I took my first trip to Belize, I was part of a FUM short term work project. Since that time I have become more involved and am currently the FUM representative on the board of the Belize Friends School, a school that serves children who are unable to pass the entrance exam into high school. This has given me a chance to begin to make some Belizean friends and to begin — just begin, mind you — to understand some of the issues in the area where the school is located.” Come hear him speak this Sunday, October 30 at 10:15!

Fall Philanthropy for Mid-North Food Pantry – The Meridian Street Preschool Co-op and First Friends are partnering together to help Mid-North Food Pantry as MSPC’s fall philanthropy project. MSPC and FF will be holding this food drive Monday October 31st- Friday November 11th. Donations may be placed into the box in the hallway near the children's classrooms labeled Mid-North Food Pantry.

Shawn P. has served First Friends for 20 years as both Organist and Choir Director.  He has made the decision to leave his position as Choir Director at the end of this Choir year, in May 2017.  He intends to continue as our Organist.  What a gift he has given, serving First Friends in both positions!  Now, he looks forward to continuing his service to the Meeting, but in a new way.  We are grateful for Shawn’s gifted ministry among us.  The Monthly Meeting is interested to know what your thoughts are about a new Choir Director.  We welcome your comments about the music in worship of First Friends Meeting.  Representatives from the Music Committee will soon be meeting with Ministry and Counsel.  Please contact the office for contact info for the music committee members.

We need your blood! We are having a blood drive on November 6th from 9am-1pm in Fellowship Hall. The Blood Mobile will be everything necessary including cookies and juice so please save your blood donations until November 6th.  Please bring a picture ID for your donation. Every pint you donate can potentially help 3 people!

Community Soup! We will have Community Soup on the first Friday in November, November 4th, from 5:30 – 7 p.m.  Soups, rather than salads, will be featured. Everyone is welcome to bring a soup and/or dessert. We hope to see you there!

Free choral concert by VOCE (Carolyn T. is a member) at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church Sunday, Nov 6, 2016 at 3PM. VOCE is a 16 member choral ensemble dedicated to beautiful music that moves people and enriches their life.  VOCE will be performing John Rutter’s Requiem at St. Joan of Arc, located at 4217 Central Avenue, Indianapolis.

Join Us at Area Meeting Gathering for Central and West Central Areas on Sunday, Nov 6th.  Two areas will join together at 3:30 pm. at Valley Mills Friends Meeting.  Representatives and Friends from Amo, Fairfield, Hadley, Mooresville, Plainfield, West Union, First Friends, Second Friends, Valley Mills, and West Newton will all have a chance to do business together, hear Dale Graves speak, and do a Christmas Card project for Belize School students.  And… we’ll enjoy a pitch-in supper together.  What used to be set aside for an entire weekend is something we’ll enjoy together in just a few hours… don’t miss it! 

Mark your calendar! On November 12 at 9 am, we will have a meeting to review the previous pastor's search, and look at the meeting survey and other pertinent information from that time. Suggestions and interest in the search are much appreciated! -Dan R, Clerk. 

Follow the North Star! We have made a reservation for 16 to attend the Conner Prairie interactive experience called Follow the North Star on November 18th at 7:15 p.m.  This is a powerful immersion experience of being a slave trying to escape.  You must be at least 12 years old to attend this event.  The cost is $20 (funds are available for support).  We will leave from First Friends at 6:30 or meet at Conner Prairie at 7:00 p.m.  Please contact the office if you would like to join us.

It’s time to winterize your gardens! Autumn is here and the frost is on the pumpkin. If you have a plot in our community garden, please take the time to clean up the plot as soon as possible! In a community garden, each plot can affect other plots and other gardeners, and disease can spread easily. Feel free to use the large blue rolling receptacles behind the kitchen to clean up debris in your community garden. For more tips and information on winterizing your plot (either here or your own at home!) see these tips from Nancy S! https://goo.gl/hyLgmW

Did you know? “Joined together through our shared experience of God and united in common ministries, FUM forms a beloved fellowship that is powerfully at work in our local areas and through cross-cultural service.  From the Caribbean to Palestine, Africa to North America and scattered places in between, Friends United Meeting is building a global partnership in a season of history when much of the world is being stretched and strained by cultural, political and geographic differences. We are a collection of Christ-centered Quakers, embracing 34 yearly meetings and associations, thousands of local gatherings and hundreds of thousands of individuals.”  Save the date now for WICHITA 2017… the next Friends United Meeting Triennial – July 12-16 – with Quakers gathering from around the world!

October 19, 2016

As Way Opens

I have been thinking a lot about food security for our most vulnerable friends in the city.  I attended the gathering hosted by Christian Theological Seminary with David Brooks (one of my favorite writers) and Tavis Smiley who spoke about poverty. I then attended a gathering with Rev William Barber from North Carolina at Light of the World church who challenged us that the churches must take the lead during this time of moral crisis.  I have volunteered several times this month at the Food Pantry.  All of these experiences have been stirring something deep within me about how we incorporate the teachings of Jesus, our Quaker testimonies and the desperate need for food for so many people in our city.  One of my spiritual friends at seminary pointed out to me that food pantries used to be a place for emergency assistance to families in need.  However, today it is the source of regular food for so many families.  How did we let this happen?  When I hear statistics that 27 percent of our families live below the poverty level in Indianapolis, my heart breaks and I feel like I need to work to make a difference in these statistics.  

I had an amazing encounter with an 8 year old at the Pantry on October 7th.  She and her younger brothers were sitting in the hallway while her mom shopped in the pantry.  We sang a couple of silly songs together and shared some personal stories.  She engaged with me and we connected on a personal level in those 15 minutes in the hallway.   And then her mom finished shopping and came out in the hallway to tell me that they were homeless and she asked for wipes to take into the bathroom to clean up all of them.  All of a sudden this beautiful and smart young girl hid her head and we were no longer on an even level.  I was now a person that had a home and she did not have a place to live.  

I strongly believe in a sense of responsibility and accountability.  We teach our kids this and many of us have had to make tough decisions to live in this sense of accountability with our family members.  But I had a sense on October 7th that the only way I can help this amazing 8 year old was to help her mother.  I am guessing that her mother has made terrible decisions and it is hard to support her.  But she is the mother of an 8 year old that we need to love and care for so that she can break out of this cycle.  We can’t help young children that deserve our help without assisting their parents that we might reject.  

Food security transcends politics and theology.  I pray that we can all come together to help the Mid North Food Pantry and other organizations that continue to be a positive influence in our city and that we give our time and money to help our most vulnerable children.  I get inspired when I listen to our friends Ed Morris, Linda Lee, Barbara Oberreich and Amy Perry as they are working with the Peace Learning Center in our public schools to help our children learn to constructively deal with conflict and to give them a voice (ask them about what they are doing).  I am so thankful for all of the outreach that our Witness and Service committee is doing that is making an impact in our city.

I ask each of us to discern how we can help support other amazing 8 year olds that need us to be involved and connected.  

Beth

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Joys & Concerns

We had a very productive Meditational Woods Work day due to the help of four enthusiastic Boy Scouts. Krishan Coffman, Patrick Smith, Jackson Breman, Orion Brown and his father Lance, and Larry Coffman helped remove invasive plants, overgrown shrubs, fallen tree limbs and edge the path.  They even cleaned the memorial plaque and the peace pole plaque!  Other volunteers removed a dead pine and others weeded the peace pole area, meditational circle and courtyard.  Thanks to everyone who helped!

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

GREETERS NEEDED! We are putting together a schedule for Friends willing to serve as Greeters on Sunday mornings. Please contact the office if you are interested in serving the meeting in this way.

Can you spare an easel? Thanks to Nichole, next Sunday, October 23 we will be hosting the “Giving Voices to Ghosts” exhibit items. We will have the items on display throughout the meeting to view on your way into the Meeting and during Fellowship hour. We are asking everyone if we may ‘borrow’ their easels! Any size works—from standing easels to table easels! If you have a spare easel, we’d appreciate if you could bring it to the Meetinghouse by Thursday, October 20 so we can set up the displays! Thank you for your help!

This Sunday at First Friends Meeting:  "It was cocoa mainly that we were given. . . . This was warm and sweet, and the memory of that means that the early memory I have of the Quakers is of warmth and sweetness."  This is a quote from a German, remembering the care of Quakers who fed him and other children left devastated after World War 1.  Quakers had been aware of hunger and malnutrition for many years.  “In 1919, Friend Herbert Hoover asked the Service Committee to carry out his massive feeding program in Germany. Hoover had collected large sums of money through the American Relief Administration. This was placed at the disposal of the American Friends Service Committee, and, in four years' time, the AFSC was feeding one million German children per day. Money raised from other sources aided this effort.”  Read more about it here: https://www.afsc.org/story/warmth-and-sweetness-beginnings-postwar-feeding-program-germany Discover more about it, and see the thankyou notes from many of the children who were fed, at First Friends Meeting this Sunday, October 23rd in Meeting for Worship with Nichole .  Join us at 10:15. 

Opportunity to serve! We are currently in need of 2 ushers to serve every 5th Sunday (only 4 times a year!) and at least 2 others to be available on an as-needed basis when our current ushers cannot serve their scheduled time. Next to the minister, the organist, and choir, the ushers have the most important task to perform in the worship service.  The ushers are the representatives of First Friends to the people who come to worship here. The role of the usher should be seen as a ministry to men and women in fulfilling the call to be a servant like Jesus.  Please email the office for further information. 

Shawn has served First Friends for 20 years as both Organist and Choir Director.  He has made the decision to leave his position as Choir Director at the end of this Choir year, in May 2017.  He intends to continue as our Organist.  What a gift he has given, serving First Friends in both positions!  Now, he looks forward to continuing his service to the Meeting, but in a new way.  We are grateful for Shawn’s gifted ministry among us.  The Monthly Meeting is interested to know what your thoughts are about a new Choir Director.  We welcome your comments about the music in worship of First Friends Meeting.  Representatives from the Music Committee will soon be meeting with Ministry and Counsel.

Oak Leaf Friends:  We will be meeting in the parlor with Carolyn to discuss “All Fall Down" by Jennifer Weiner on Tuesday, October  25th at 7 pm.  For those interested, bring your E-Readers to explore the technology (wifi available), Carolyn will share her knowledge about Kindle, Goodreads and Bookbub.    If you or a friend are interested in being on the mailing list for the Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading please contact the office. 

‘Streams of Living Water’ sermon series has ended, but there will be one last Sunday School class to summarize and discuss all that we’ve learned these past weeks… Join Mary Ellen Lohr and the class this Sunday in the Coffee Circle Classroom! 

Would you like your car detailed?  Our young people are offering their services to detail your car on October 30th during the Sunday School hour (9:00 - 10:00 a.m.) Several of our young people practiced this service on Beth’s car and they did an amazing job.  Please contact the office if you would like to make a reservation.  The service will be provided for a donation to the youth group (a check can be made to First Friends designated for the youth group).

We need your blood! We are having a blood drive on November 6th from 9am-1pm in Fellowship Hall. The Blood Mobile will be everything necessary including cookies and juice so please save your blood donations until November 6th.  Please bring a picture ID for your donation. Every pint you donate can potentially help 3 people!

Community Soup! We will have Community Soup on the first Friday in November, Nov-4, from 5:30 – 7 p.m.  Soups, rather than salads, will be featured.  Everyone is welcome to bring a soup and/or dessert. We hope to see you there!

Join Us at Area Meeting Gathering for Central and West Central Areas on Sunday, Nov 6th.  Two areas will join together at 3:30 pm. at Valley Mills Friends Meeting.  Representatives and Friends from Amo, Fairfield, Hadley, Mooresville, Plainfield, West Union, First Friends, Second Friends, Valley Mills, and West Newton will all have a chance to do business together, hear Dale Graves speak, and do a Christmas Card project for Belize School students.  And… we’ll enjoy a pitch-in supper together.  What used to be set aside for an entire weekend is something we’ll enjoy together in just a few hours… don’t miss it!   Our hosts?  Marilee Gabriel and Della Stanley Green. 

Did you know? “Joined together through our shared experience of God and united in common ministries, FUM forms a beloved fellowship that is powerfully at work in our local areas and through cross-cultural service.  From the Caribbean to Palestine, Africa to North America and scattered places in between, Friends United Meeting is building a global partnership in a season of history when much of the world is being stretched and strained by cultural, political and geographic differences. We are a collection of Christ-centered Quakers, embracing 34 yearly meetings and associations, thousands of local gatherings and hundreds of thousands of individuals.”  Save the date now for WICHITA 2017… the next Friends United Meeting Triennial – July 12-16 – with Quakers gathering from around the world!

Chicken Yassa Recipe –There have been some requests for the Chicken Yassa (Senegalese Stew) recipe that Sue Mills brought to World Quaker Day.  Here it is!  Have fun!

Chicken Yassa (Senegalese Stew) from West Africa:  Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast.  Serves 4-6.  (I doubled for World Quaker Day)

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds Chicken Tenders, cut into bite-size pieces.  (Can also use whole chicken, beef, lamb, or fish) 

2 large Onions, sliced

¾ c. Lemon Juice (I used), or juice of 4 lemons

3 T. Dijon mustard

½ c. Olive Oil

2 t. minced garlic from jar (I used) or 1 head garlic

1 can (14.5 oz) Chicken Broth

1 t. Black Pepper

1 T. Chili Powder

1 Bell Pepper – Red or Yellow

Instructions:

1. Marinate the chicken with 2 T. mustard, half the garlic, ½ the lemon juice, and black pepper.  (I used a plastic bag).  Marinate for 1-2 hours (I did), or overnight.

2. Marinate the onions and bell pepper with 1 T. mustard, ½ the lemon juice, and black pepper.  (Plastic bag).  I did for a few minutes.

3. Heat chicken on the stove with 4 T. oil on high heat.  Remove when brown and set aside.

4. Heat 4 T. oil in a cooking pot and stir-fry the onions and pepper for a few minutes.  Add the remaining garlic.

5. Place onions and pepper in pot with the chicken.  Add 1 can chicken broth and chili pepper.  Simmer for 30 min. or until chicken is done and liquid is mostly absorbed. 

Serve with jasmine rice or couscous.

October 12, 2016

As Way Opens

In The Story of Doctor Dolittle, he finds an unusual animal in Africa - the pushmi-pullyu ("push-me—pull-you") - a "gazelle-unicorn cross" which has two heads (one of each) at opposite ends of its body.  The creature usually only uses one of its heads to talk, reserving the other for eating, thus allowing it to eat while speaking without being rude.  (This comes in very handy for pastors – who do a lot of eating, and a lot of speaking – often at the same time!)  But, along with their two heads, the creature comes with two sets of front legs… when one half wants to move forward, the other half has to move backward.  Do you see the dilemma?  

By now, most all of you have received a personal letter, telling of my intention to retire, leaving First Friends in March of 2017.  This has not been an easy decision to make, and yes, there have been many tears shed already.  I so love this Meeting.  I am so thankful for my call that came almost five years ago to this Meeting.  

At the same time that I feel pulled closer toward you, I feel pulled toward my life with my family.  How I wish we could all live together in Africa, or Indianapolis, or Wyoming, or Washington, or Oregon - with all our families, our beloved Meeting, near the Pacific Ocean, Mount Hood or Mount Rainier… but those things cannot be.  And so, as my family grows (we have two grandchildren now, and a new grandson due around Thanksgiving this year), as retirement beckons, as practical responsibilities for another home we own in Iowa mount, as Jon’s mother ages and needs more care, as personal concerns meet up with joyful daily practices in ministry and we share together here, something has to change.   

But there is one thing friends, that never changes, and you know what that is… God’s faithfulness.  God’s love for each one of us, and especially today, God’s love for this Meeting.  Before I came, long after I’m gone, and even yet while I’m here, God has blessed our Meeting, God will bless our Meeting, God will continue to bless us. And for that, you and I will always be grateful.  We have time still to celebrate our love for God, for one another, for the world that needs God’s love so much, and for what God has in store for this Meeting.  Let’s not waste a minute.  

Ruthie

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Joys & Concerns

Dear Friends,
     It is with sadness that Ministry and Counsel acknowledges Pastor Ruthie's letter of intent to retire from active ministry as of March 31, 2017. Sad that we will lose such an inspiring and able pastor who has brought us so much spiritual growth and inspiration. Sad that we will lose her caring ministry to all members of the meeting. But there is also joy for her because she will now be able to realize her desire to be more available to her family and especially to her grandchildren. We celebrate the turning of her life in the direction that God is leading her now. But there is also the potential for excitement and enthusiasm for us because now we have the opportunity to evaluate where we are and re-envision our mission and future; to ask, where is God leading us now?
     Ministry and Counsel in conjunction with the Clerk of the Meeting are ready to move forward in the process of discerning what is next for us. I think it is safe to say that we intend for this process to be expeditious but not hasty. We invite you to join us in this next phase of our journey together with prayer and enthusiasm.

Ed Morris
Clerk, Ministry and Counsel
Daniel Rains
Clerk of the Meeting

Thanks to all! ~ Thanks to all who helped to make the buddy bag program a success.  Thirty buddy bags were delivered to Allisonville Elementary School (“AES”) last week to go to kids who need food assistance during fall break.  The administrators at AES were amazed at the food that was in the bags and mentioned how much the kids would love them.  You at First Friends made this possible.  Thanks for your help.  And a special thanks to Jody for organizing this endeavor.

The MidNorth Food Pantry still has a great need for volunteers for the first Monday and Friday of each month.  If you could help support this need please let the office know.

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Opportunity to serve! We are currently in need of 2 ushers to serve every 5th Sunday (only 4 times a year!) and at least 2 others to be available on an as-needed basis when our current ushers cannot serve their scheduled time. Next to the minister, the organist, and choir, the ushers have the most important task to perform in the worship service.  The ushers are the representatives of First Friends to the people who come to worship here. The role of the usher should be seen as a ministry to men and women in fulfilling the call to be a servant like Jesus.  Please contact the office for further information.  

CPR/AED Defibrillator Training ~ Are you interested in becoming CPR/AED certified? Then join us Thursday October 13th at  6:30pm at the meetinghouse. The cost is $35 per person (Please, cash or personal checks only). This is an adult, infant, and ch ild CPR class as well as the AED Defibrillator training. The certification is good for two years. Please RSVP to the office.

Last Week!!! ‘Streams of Living Water’ theme for this Sunday will be the Incarnational Tradition: Sacramental Life.  This is the last of this sermon/study series.  Nancy Scott will lead the Sunday School Class in Coffee Circle and Ruthie will speak about this in Meeting for Worship. ‘We are creatures of sense and of spirit, and we must live an amphibious life.’   Evelyn Underhill 

Participate in our "Sponsor a College Student" project!
We still have 2 students that need to be sponsored! Just select a student off the board in the meetinghouse and send them notes, cards, treats, etc throughout the school year so they hear from someone at the Meeting and feel connected. Please call the office if you would like to participate in this important ministry.

IFCL presents a conversation on Islam and the Refugee Crisis with Michael Birkel and Cole Varga. Michael Birkel is a Quaker author, and Earlham School of Religion professor. Cole Varga is Executive Director of Exodus Refugee Immigration Inc. Join us this Friday, October 14 at 7:00PM in the parlor at First Friends Meeting. For more information, contact the office.

You are invited to see ‘Blood on the Mountain’, a showing at Epworth United Methodist Church this Friday, October 14, 7-9pm. Blood on the Mountain is an Eco-Film and searing investigation into the economic and environmental injustices that have resulted from industrial control in West Virginia. This new feature documentary details the struggles of a hard-working, misunderstood people, who have historically faced limited choices and have never benefited fairly from the rich, natural resources of their land. Blood On the Mountain delivers a striking portrait of a fractured population, exploited and besieged by corporate interests, and abandoned by the powers elected to represent them. This showing is free and open to the public! 

Meditational Woods Work Day ~ October 15, 2016 9am-12pm ~ Meet us in the Woods to help care for our trees and outdoor worship spaces! We will be picking up the fallen limbs and brush from our recent storms, removing weeds and invasive plants and edging the walking path. Wear long sleeves and bring your favorite gardening gloves and tools. You can help Terry Trierweiler tidy up the patio garden, assist Norma Wallman and Amy Perry weed the Peace Pole area or just help out where you prefer. Come join us afterwards at ThreeWiseMen where we will convene for lunch. Go West on Kessler to Compton and turn left into the parking lot before you get to Broad Ripple Avenue.

Fall Festival! ~ MSPC will be hosting their annual Fall Festival on Saturday October 15th from 4-6pm.  First Friends attenders and members are welcome to attend and be a part of this fun evening. There will be a bounce house, their annual chili cook-off, crafts and more! Info on RSVP’ing coming soon!

Poetry Group will hold its 2nd meeting of the season on Tuesday, October 18, at 2:00 p.m. in the Parlor. This is everyone's chance to bring his or her original poems and/or favorite poems to share with the Group. This type of program has been a pleasure in the past!

Can you spare an easel? Thanks to Nichole , on Sunday, October 23 we will be hosting the “Giving Voices to Ghosts” exhibit items. We will have the items on display throughout the meeting to view on your way into the Meeting and during Fellowship hour. We are asking everyone if we may ‘borrow’ their easels! Any size works—from standing easels to table easels! If you have a spare easel, we’d appreciate if you could bring it to the Meetinghouse by Thursday, October 20 so we can set up the displays! Thank you for your help!

Are you subscribed to Western Work?  Did you know that Western Yearly Meeting has their own newsletter? It’s called Western Work and it goes out monthly. They have information about the happenings at other Meetings, event photos, reports, announcements, and upcoming events. The September issue is available on the desk in the hallway, in the magazine holder. If you’re interested in subscribing, please contact the office if you’d like to subscribe! Let us know if you’d like to receive the print or electronic edition!

Indianapolis Center for Congregations Seminar at First Friends! Supporting and Encouraging Creativity in Congregations ~ You're invited to explore creativity and the arts in congregations. In this highly interactive workshop, you will gain confidence to lead your congregation into a more imaginative and creative culture while learning how to cultivate the "creatives" already in your midst. Because this workshop is using the First Friends Meetinghouse, we have been given 5 slots open for our members/attenders to attend for free! The workshop is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, October 26, 2016 in Fellowship Hall. Please let the office know if you are interested in attending. It will be first come first serve. For more information, please visit https://centerforcongregations.org/workshop/supporting-and-encouraging-creativity-congregations

Ecological Guidance and the Sense of the Divine (By Keith Helmuth) ~ The fate of the human now hangs on our engagement with ecological guidance; the task Thomas Berry calls “the Great Work.” The sense of guidance provided by the ecological worldview is not unlike a new revelation, perhaps even a new sense of the Divine. We may not have an adequate name for this new sense of the Divine, and that’s probably a good thing. A little caution is in order after several millennia of such certainty, and the often unfortunate results of this mindset. Rather than clamping onto a new sense of certainty, authentic ecological guidance seeks a fully rounded understanding of the Human-Earth relationship; it grows from a sense of presence and beauty; it responds with respect, cooperative reciprocity, reverence for life, and an ethic of right relationship. Read more at www.quakearthcare.com

Follow us on Twitter! Need some Quaker inspiration through the week? Follow @Indy1stFriends on Twitter for inspirational and informative postings on Quakerism and happenings within our meeting and community. Find us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/indy1stfriends

Leave a green footprint! ~ The Earth is an amazing and beautiful place. All its riches will last, so long as we learn to use only what we need. 
How can we help take care of the Earth?
Tip #1: We can start at home: doing chores, cleaning, and picking up our own things.
Tip #2: We can recycle cans, plastic, paper, and cardboard.
Tip #3: We can hold on tight to our plastic bags, balloons, toys, and other stuff outside, so they do not end up in trees or streams.
Tip #4: We can help pick up other people’s trash in our neighborhoods and parks.

 From 16 Things Kids can do to Help Care for the Earth, by Dana Kester-McCabe, 2006.

October 5, 2016

As Way Opens

Last Night, As I Lay Sleeping

   Last night, as I lay sleeping,
I dreamt - marvellous error! – 
that a spring was breaking
out in my heart.
I said: Along which secret aqueduct,
Oh water, are you coming to me, 
water of a new life
that I have never drunk?

   Last night, as I lay sleeping,
I dreamt – marvellous error! –
That I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.

   Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt – marvellous error! –
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.

   Last night, as I slept,
I dreamt – marvellous error! –
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.
            Antonio Machado 1875-1939

Ruthie

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Joys and Concerns

Thanks to all! ~ Thanks to all who helped to make the buddy bag program a success.  Thirty buddy bags were delivered to Allisonville Elementary School (“AES”) last week to go to kids who need food assistance during fall break.  The administrators at AES were amazed at the food that was in the bags and mentioned how much the kids would love them.  You at First Friends made this possible.  Thanks for your help.  And a special thanks to Jody for organizing this endeavor.
 
Food Pantry ~ Thanks to everyone who helped at the Mid North Food Pantry in September.  While some of our regular volunteers were not available, other folks at First Friends stepped up to fill this void.  We at First Friends truly are a family that is there to help each other when needed.

It was inspiring to have so many additional volunteers for our committed time (first and third Wednesday of each month) to support the Mid North Food Pantry.  Several of our committed volunteers were out of town and our Meeting responded with a strong showing of volunteers on Sept 21st.

The MidNorth Food Pantry has a great need for volunteers for the first Monday and Friday of each month.  If you could help support this need please let the office know.

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Please note: It seems that once again we have lost our connection for medically recycled pill bottles (the ones like you get you Rx pills in). The folks who were using them to fill medical prescriptions are no longer doing that. If you bring them to Meeting, we will recycle them as plastic just as we would any other plastic. 

Can you spare an easel? Thanks to Nichole, on Sunday, October 23 we will be hosting the “Giving Voices to Ghosts” exhibit items. We will have the items on display throughout the meeting to view on your way into the Meeting and during Fellowship hour. We are asking everyone if we may ‘borrow’ their easels! Any size works—from standing easels to table easels! If you have a spare easel, we’d appreciate if you could bring it to the Meetinghouse by Thursday, October 20 so we can set up the displays! Thank you for your help!

‘Streams of Living Water’ theme for this Sunday will be the Evangelical Tradition: Discovering the Word-Centered Life.  Mary Ellen will lead the Sunday School Class in Coffee Circle and Ruthie will speak about this in Meeting for Worship; seeing the good news lived and hearing the good news proclaimed.  What is the good news?  What is your good news?  Join us! 

Participate in our "Sponsor a College Student" project! Just select a student off the board in the meetinghouse and send them notes, cards, treats, etc throughout the school year so they hear from someone at the Meeting and feel connected. We still have 2 students that need to be sponsored. Please call the office if you would like to participate in this important ministry.

Join us at the Giving Voices to Ghosts exhibit tomorrow, Thursday, October 6th from 3 to 5 pm at the Marian University Art Gallery.  Friends will meet in the FFM parking lot at 2:30 pm and carpool from there.  Art Gallery Director, Crystal Vicars-Pugh will greet us at the gallery at 3 pm and Nichole will make every effort to be there by 4 pm to answer any questions we may have.  American Friends Service Committee gave aid and food to starving children and pregnant women in Germany after both World Wars.  As a ‘Thank You’, beautiful artworks, poems, stories and letters were sent from those children back to meetings in the States will be on exhibit.  

Have you met Nichole Mathews?  She sings in our Choir, is a treasured member of our Meeting, and is also getting a lot of press!  She’s the one, who along with the “students in her German honors and advanced placement classes [at Hamilton Southeastern High School] began translating the letters, poetry and artwork, and she double-checked their work last year. Crystal Vicars-Pugh, the Marian University Art Gallery director, agreed to exhibit the work at the MU gallery.”  So says an article in the Fishers paper “Current”.  If you haven’t visited the exhibit, it will be open through Friday October 7th.  AND, Nichole will be speaking in Meeting for Worship on Sunday, October 23rd, sharing about this incredible story.  Pieces of the exhibit will be on display throughout our Meetinghouse that day.  Don’t miss this part of our Quaker story!  http://currentinfishers.com/giving-thanks-german-class-translates-letters-exhibits-art-from-wwi-and-wwii-children/

Rick Juliusson, co-Director of the Monteverde Friends School in Costa Rica, will be joining us next Tuesday, Oct.11 at 7:00 in the First Friends meeting room to share stories and inspirations from their Quaker school in the cloudforest.  Established in 1951 by Friends from the Fairhope Alabama Meeting and elsewhere, Monteverde has become a model for environmental sustainability and intentional community.  The school is celebrating its 65th year and continues to provide bilingual Quaker education for 120 children ages kindergarten to grade 12.  Rick will talk about the history of the community and school, and opportunities such as study abroad, volunteering, gap year, and bilingual musical theater summer camp.  See more at:  www.mfschool.org

Seasoned Friends Annual Fall Luncheon with weenie roast in the courtyard and squash soup for all friends around retirement age will be Wednesday, October 12 at 11:30am.  Salads or desserts may be contributed if desired.  Special guests Beth and Dan will be coming to bring great music!  Please RSVP to the office.  Don’t miss out on this fun time with friends!

IFCL presents a conversation on Islam and the Refugee Crisis with Michael Birkel and Cole Varga. Michael Birkel is a Quaker author, and Earlham School of Religion professor. Cole Varga is Executive Director of Exodus Refugee Immigration Inc. Join us on Friday, October 14 at 7:00PM in the parlor at First Friends Meeting. For more information, contact the office.

You are invited to see ‘Blood on the Mountain’, a showing at Epworth United Methodist Church on Friday, October 14, 7-9pm. Blood on the Mountain is an Eco-Film and searing investigation into the economic and environmental injustices that have resulted from industrial control in West Virginia. This new feature documentary details the struggles of a hard-working, misunderstood people, who have historically faced limited choices and have never benefited fairly from the rich, natural resources of their land. Blood On the Mountain delivers a striking portrait of a fractured population, exploited and besieged by corporate interests, and abandoned by the powers elected to represent them. This showing is free and open to the public! 

Meditational Woods Work Day ~ October 15, 2016 9am-12pm ~ Meet us in the Woods to help care for our trees and outdoor worship spaces! We will be picking up the fallen limbs and brush from our recent storms, removing weeds and invasive plants and edging the walking path. Wear long sleeves and bring your favorite gardening gloves and tools. You can help Terry tidy up the patio garden, assist Norma and Amy weed the Peace Pole area or just help out where you prefer. Come join us afterwards at ThreeWiseMen where we will convene for lunch. Go West on Kessler to Compton and turn left into the parking lot before you get to Broad Ripple Avenue.

Fall Festival! ~ MSPC will be hosting their annual Fall Festival on Saturday October 15th from 4-6pm.  First Friends attenders and members are welcome to attend and be a part of this fun evening. There will be a bounce house, their annual chili cook-off, crafts and more! Info on RSVP’ing coming soon!

Indianapolis Center for Congregations Seminar at First Friends! Supporting and Encouraging Creativity in Congregations ~ You're invited to explore creativity and the arts in congregations. In this highly interactive workshop, you will gain confidence to lead your congregation into a more imaginative and creative culture while learning how to cultivate the "creatives" already in your midst. Because this workshop is using the First Friends Meetinghouse, we have been given 5 slots open for our members/attenders to attend for free! The workshop is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, October 26, 2016 in Fellowship Hall. Please let the office know if you are interested in attending. It will be first come first serve. For more information, please visit https://centerforcongregations.org/workshop/supporting-and-encouraging-creativity-congregations

Ecological Guidance and the Sense of the Divine (By Keith Helmuth) ~ The fate of the human now hangs on our engagement with ecological guidance; the task Thomas Berry calls “the Great Work.” The sense of guidance provided by the ecological worldview is not unlike a new revelation, perhaps even a new sense of the Divine. We may not have an adequate name for this new sense of the Divine, and that’s probably a good thing. A little caution is in order after several millennia of such certainty, and the often unfortunate results of this mindset. Rather than clamping onto a new sense of certainty, authentic ecological guidance seeks a fully rounded understanding of the Human-Earth relationship; it grows from a sense of presence and beauty; it responds with respect, cooperative reciprocity, reverence for life, and an ethic of right relationship. Read more at www.quakearthcare.com

Follow us on Twitter! Need some Quaker inspiration through the week? Follow @Indy1stFriends on Twitter for inspirational and informative postings on Quakerism and happenings within our meeting and community. Find us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/indy1stfriends

Leave a green footprint! ~ The Earth is an amazing and beautiful place. All its riches will last, so long as we learn to use only what we need. 
How can we help take care of the Earth?
Tip #1: We can start at home: doing chores, cleaning, and picking up our own things.
Tip #2: We can recycle cans, plastic, paper, and cardboard.
Tip #3: We can hold on tight to our plastic bags, balloons, toys, and other stuff outside, so they do not end up in trees or streams.

 From 16 Things Kids can do to Help Care for the Earth, by Dana Kester-McCabe, 2006.

September 28, 2016

As Way Opens

Psalms 4:1 " Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress." 

 One of my favorite devotionals is one from 1925 called Streams in the Desert.  It was compiled by Mrs Charles Cowman who was a missionary to Japan and China and took care of her dying husband the last six years of his life.  Her entry on September 8th really spoke to me and I share an excerpt with you: 

 “It is not a man’s thanksgiving that he has been set free from suffering.  It is a thanksgiving that he has been set free through suffering.  “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.”  He declares the sorrows of life to have been themselves the source of life’s enlargement. 

 And have not you and I a thousand times felt this to be true?  It is written of Joseph in the dungeon that “the iron entered into his soul.”  What Joseph needed for his soul was the iron.  He had seen only the glitter of the gold.  He had been rejoicing in youthful dreams; and dreaming hardens the heart.  We need the iron to enlarge our nature.  The gold is but a vision; the iron is an experience.  The chain which unites me to humanity must be an iron chain.  That touch of nature which makes the world akin is not joy, but sorrow; gold is partial, but iron is universal. 

 My soul, if thou wouldst be enlarged into human sympathy, thou must be narrowed into limits of human suffering.  Joseph’s dungeon is the road to Joseph’s throne.  Thou canst not lift the iron load of they brother if the iron hath not entered into thee.  It is the shadows of thy life that are the real fulfillment of thy dreams of glory.  Murmur not at the shadows; they are better revelations than thy dreams.  The door of thy prison-house is a door into the heart of the universe.  God has enlarged thee by the binding of sorrow’s chain.” 

Beth

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Participate in our "Sponsor a College Student" project! Just select a student off the board in the meetinghouse and send them notes, cards, treats, etc throughout the school year so they hear from someone at the Meeting and feel connected. We still have 8 students that need to be sponsored. Please call the office if you would like to participate in this important ministry. 

Join IFCL for a conversation & new book-signing  with environmentalist author Scott Russell Sanders and environmental advocate Jodi Perras! Scott Russell Sanders is the author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including A Private History of Awe and A Conservationist Manifesto. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Indiana University, where he taught from 1971 to 2009. The event is being held on Friday, September 30 at 7pm in the Parlor. For more information, contact the office.

 MSPC’s “Happy Feet” Family Movie Night! ~ This Friday, September 30th, the Meridian Street Preschool Co-Op (MSPC) will host a movie night on the playground. MSPC will provide popcorn, water, and juice. Families are welcome to pack their own picnic. If the weather is bad, we will hold this event in the Seeking Friends room or the basement. This will be $10 per family. Please invite other friends and family for this wonderful event.
Fall Festival! ~ Secondly, MSPC will be hosting their annual Fall Festival on Saturday October 15th from 4-6pm.  First Friends attenders and members are welcome to attend and be a part of this fun evening. There will be a bounce house, their annual chili cook-off, crafts and more! Info on RSVP’ing coming soon! 
 
  ‘Streams of Living Water’ theme for this Sunday will be the Social Justice Tradition: A Compassionate Faith.  Jeff Rasley will lead the Sunday School Class in Coffee Circle and Ruthie will speak about this in Meeting for Worship; life in and through the Spirit of God.  You’re welcome to join us!  

 This Sunday, October 2nd is World Quaker Day!  Friends World Committee for Consultation invites every Quaker meeting and church from around the world to celebrate WORLD QUAKER DAY (WQD) on October 2, 2016. The theme, Inspired by Faith - Witnessing Together in the World, focuses on Connecting Friends, Crossing Cultures and Changing Lives.  We will be celebrating Quaker Day during Fellowship Hour hosted by Ministry & Council. We are asking everyone to bring a snack or appetizer from one of the four corners of the globe where Quakers reside—The Middle East, Africa, Asia, and North and South America. Some of our own members will also be giving a World Quaker Day presentation in the parlor. We hope you will join us!  For more information, go to www.worldquakerday.org
 
 Follow us on Twitter! Need some Quaker inspiration through the week? Follow @Indy1stFriends on Twitter for inspirational and informative postings on Quakerism and happenings within our meeting and community. Find us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/indy1stfriends

 Join us at the Giving Voices to Ghosts exhibit on Thursday, October 6th from 3 to 5 pm at the Marian University Art Gallery.  Friends will meet in the FFM parking lot at 2:30 pm and carpool from there.  Art Gallery Director, Crystal Vicars-Pugh will greet us at the gallery at 3 pm and Nichole Mathews will make every effort to be there by 4 pm to answer any questions we may have.  American Friends Service Committee gave aid and food to starving children and pregnant women in Germany after both World Wars.  As a ‘Thank You’, beautiful artworks, poems, stories and letters were sent from those children back to meetings in the States will be on exhibit.

 Have you met Nichole?  She sings in our Choir, is a treasured member of our Meeting, and is also getting a lot of press!  She’s the one, who along with the “students in her German honors and advanced placement classes [at Hamilton Southeastern High School] began translating the letters, poetry and artwork, and she double-checked their work last year. Crystal Vicars-Pugh, the Marian University Art Gallery director, agreed to exhibit the work at the MU gallery.”  So says an article in the Fishers paper “Current”.  If you haven’t visited the exhibit, it will be open through Friday October 7th.  Or, you can travel with Friends to the exhibit on Thursday afternoon, October 6th (see above). AND, Nichole will be speaking in Meeting for Worship on Sunday, October 23rd, sharing about this incredible story.  Pieces of the exhibit will be on display throughout our Meetinghouse that day.  Don’t miss this part of our Quaker story!  http://currentinfishers.com/giving-thanks-german-class-translates-letters-exhibits-art-from-wwi-and-wwii-children/ 

Rev. Dr. William Barber II, Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. and other faith leaders will be in Indianapolis on Monday, October 3 for "The Revival: Time for a Moral Revolution of Values." This event seeks to ignite moral political activism. It starts at 6:30 pm at Light of the World Christian Church, 4646 North Michigan Road.  

Rick Juliusson, co-Director of the Monteverde Friends School in Costa Rica, will be joining us on Tuesday, Oct.11 at 7:00 in the First Friends meeting room to share stories and inspirations from their Quaker school in the cloudforest.  Established in 1951 by Friends from the Fairhope Alabama Meeting and elsewhere, Monteverde has become a model for environmental sustainability and intentional community.  The school is celebrating its 65th year and continues to provide bilingual Quaker education for 120 children ages kindergarten to grade 12.  Rick will talk about the history of the community and school, and opportunities such as study abroad, volunteering, gap year, and bilingual musical theater summer camp.  See more
at:  www.mfschool.org
 

Online Learning Opportunity!
Radical Spirituality:   The Early History of Quakers
Three week free online course starting October 3, 2016
Almost from nothing, the Quakers were to become the most successful sect of the 1650s and 1% of the population of England were to become Quakers. It was a radical spirituality which appealed to thousands of people, hungry for new ways of thinking. During the course, you will find out about what lies at the heart of Quaker beginnings, who its main characters were, and how in a few weeks during the summer of 1652 the Quaker movement was formed in the north of England. Created by Lancaster University in association with Woodbrooke Quaker Study Center. For more information and to register, visit https://goo.gl/7MVE67.

IFCL presents a conversation on Islam and the Refugee Crisis with Michael Birkel and Cole Varga. Michael Birkel is a Quaker author, and Earlham School of Religion professor. Cole Varga is Executive Director of Exodus Refugee Immigration Inc. Join us on Friday, October 14 at 7:00PM in the parlor at First Friends Meeting. For more information, contact the office.

 Indianapolis Center for Congregations Seminar at First Friends! Supporting and Encouraging Creativity in Congregations ~ You're invited to explore creativity and the arts in congregations. In this highly interactive workshop, you will gain confidence to lead your congregation into a more imaginative and creative culture while learning how to cultivate the "creatives" already in your midst. Because this workshop is using the First Friends Meetinghouse, we have been given 5 slots open for our members/attenders to attend for free! The workshop is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, October 26, 2016 in Fellowship Hall. Please let the office know if you are interested in attending. It will be first come first serve. For more information, please visit https://centerforcongregations.org/workshop/supporting-and-encouraging-creativitycongregations
 

Leave a green footprint! ~ The Earth is an amazing and beautiful place. All its riches will last, so long as we learn to use only what we need.

How can we help take care of the Earth?

Tip #1: We can start at home: doing chores, cleaning, & picking up our own things.
Tip #2.  We can recycle cans, plastic, paper, and cardboard.  

  From 16 Things Kids can do to Help Care for the Earth, by Dana Kester-McCabe, 2006. 

September 21, 2016

As Way Opens

What does that mean… “as way opens”?  It’s a lovely Quaker phrase, and as defined in the Dictionary of Friends Terms from Friends United Press, it is ‘in accordance with specific promptings of the Spirit, as the will of God becomes known, i.e. proceeding with a proposed project “as way opens,” taking one step at a time as it becomes clear what to do.’

The closest I can come to this in literature is Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken.  He tells us, in four stanzas, of his choice of two roads he might take, and finally in the last of the fourth stanza he says this: 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

As we travel through each day, each season, each passage of our lives, we as Quakers learn to rely more and more on the promptings of God’s Holy Spirit, especially when we find ourselves in the ‘deep woods’ with choices to make.  Would God abandon us if we took the wrong road?  Of course not.  God will never leave us or forsake us.  But, if we pay attention, God’s intention for us becomes clear, one step at a time.  

Are we afraid to step into the road less taken?  Is it easier to move along a well-worn pathway?  Do we step into the way that opens with a sigh, or with confidence in the leading of God’s Spirit, knowing that we are companioned by One who loves us dearly, who guards our way, and is faithful to walk with us… as way opens.

Ruthie

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

October 2nd is World Quaker Day!  Friends World Committee for Consultation invites every Quaker meeting and church from around the world to celebrate WORLD QUAKER DAY (WQD) on October 2, 2016. The theme, Inspired by Faith - Witnessing Together in the World, focuses on Connecting Friends, Crossing Cultures and Changing Lives.

Here at First Friends, we will be celebrating Quaker Day during Fellowship Hour hosted by Ministry & Council. We are asking everyone to bring a snack or appetizer from one of the four corners of the globe where Quakers reside—The Middle East, Africa, Asia, and North and South America. Terry Trierweiler and Norma Wallman will also be giving a World Quaker Day presentation in the parlor. We hope you will join us!  For more information, go to www.worldquakerday.org

Adult Sunday School Classes
Couples Tune-Up
Our Life is Love
Streams of Living Water
Friends and the Bible; Amos

Lost a necklace? Is this necklace yours? It was found in the Meetinghouse this past weekend. It’s a gold colored chain necklace with half of a heart that seems to have half of an inscription on it. If it’s yours, please come pick it up from the counter in the office hallway. 

Participate in our "Sponsor a College Student" project! Just select a college student off the board set up in the meetinghouse and send them notes, cards, treats, etc throughout the school year so they hear from someone at the Meeting and feel connected. 

The Peace Group of Shalom Mennonite Church would like to host a screening of the documentary film, “The Armor of Light.”  This powerful film is about Rev. Rob Schenck, a prominent Evangelical minister and anti-abortion activist who questions whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life, and Lucy McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, an unarmed teenager whose murder in Florida led to a challenge of the “Stand Your Ground” laws.  It was aired on the PBS series “Independent Lens” several months ago.  For more information, see http://www.armoroflightfilm.com/. We would like to invite our fellow PCC congregations to join us in making this screening possible.  Please join us at a planning meeting at Shalom Mennonite Church on Sunday, September 25, 12:00 noon.  Feel free to bring a brown bag lunch.  If your congregation is interested in participating but no one is able to attend the meeting, please let us know of your interest.  We hope to have a representative from Hoosiers Concerned About Gun Violence with us at the meeting.  If you have any questions or comments, contact the office.  Hope to see you on September 25th!

Oak Leaf Ladies:  We will be meeting in the parlor with Linda Lee to discuss "The Elegance of a Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery on Tuesday, September 27 at 7 pm.  If you or a friend are interested in being on the mailing list for the Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading please contact the office. 

Join IFCL for a conversation & new book-signing
with environmentalist author Scott Russell Sanders and environmental advocate Jodi Perras! Scott Russell Sanders is the author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including A Private History of Awe and A Conservationist Manifesto. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Indiana University, where he taught from 1971 to 2009. The event is being held on Friday, September 30 at 7pm in the Parlor. For more information, contact the office.

MSPC’s Family Movie Night! ~ On September 30th, the Meridian Street Preschool Co-Op (MSPC) will host a movie night on the playground. MSPC will provide popcorn, water, and juice. Families are welcome to pack their own picnic. If the weather is not cooperative we will hold this event in the Seeking Friends room or the basement. This will be $10 per family. We will be watching Happy Feet. Please invite other friends and family for this wonderful event. 

Secondly, MSPC will be hosting their annual fall festival to be held on Saturday October 15th from 4-6pm.  First Friends attenders and members are welcome to attend and be a part of this fun evening.

Rev. Dr. William Barber II, Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. and other faith leaders will be in Indianapolis on October 3 for "The Revival: Time for a Moral Revolution of Values." This event seeks to ignite moral political activism. This is a national, multi-state tour to redefine morality in American politics. It starts at 6:30 pm at Light of the World Christian Church, 4646 North Michigan Road.

If you haven’t read it yet, there’s a fine article from Dr. Barber in the September 2016 issue of Friends Journal. See the article online here: http://www.friendsjournal.org/william-j-barber/. Adapted from a talk given to the American Friends Service Committee’s Corporation Meeting in March of this year, the AFSC has been supporting Reverend Barber’s “Repairers of the Breach’ revival tour in several cities. The full talk is available at http://www.afsc.org/barber. The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II, president of the North Carolina chapter of the North Carolina NAACP, is founder of Repairers of the Breach, chief architect of the Forward Together Moral Mondays Movements and author of The Third Reconstruction (Beacon Press).

Online Learning Opportunity!
Radical Spirituality:   The Early History of Quakers
Three week free online course starting October 3, 2016

Almost from nothing, the Quakers were to become the most successful sect of the 1650s and 1% of the population of England were to become Quakers. It was a radical spirituality which appealed to thousands of people, hungry for new ways of thinking. In this three-week course, we will see how the events of 1652 unfolded and visit the key sites of Pendle Hill, Firbank Fell, and Swarthmoor Hall in the northwest of England. Each of these places marks a critical piece of the dramatic story of May and June 1652. During the course, you will find out about what lies at the heart of Quaker beginnings, who its main characters were, and how in a few weeks during the summer of 1652 the Quaker movement was formed in the north of England. Created by Lancaster University in association with Woodbrooke Quaker Study Center. For more information and to register, visit https://goo.gl/7MVE67.

IFCL presents a conversation on Islam and the Refugee Crisis with Michael Birkel and Cole Varga. Michael Birkel is a Quaker author, and Earlham School of Religion professor. Cole Varga is Executive Director of Exodus Refugee Immigration Inc. Join us on Friday, October 14 at 7:00PM in the parlor at First Friends Meeting. For more information, contact the office.

Friends United Meeting has open positions! FUM in Richmond, IN is accepting applications immediately for two part-time positions in the Department of Communications: ‘Editorial Administrative Assistant’, and ‘E-Commerce and Web Assistant’. Application deadline is October 1. A complete description of the jobs can be downlaoded (respectively)
here: http://friendsunitedmeeting.org/assets/e-commerce-and-web-assisant.pdf; and here: http://friendsunitedmeeting.org/assets/editorial-administrative-assistant.pdf
Application for either position may be made by sending a cover letter and resume to danielk@fum.org or by postal mail to Dan Kasztelan at 101 Quaker Hill Drive, Richmond, IN 47374.

Indianapolis Center for Congregations Seminar – Supporting and Encouraging Creativity in Congregations ~ You're invited to explore creativity and the arts in congregations. In this highly interactive workshop, you will gain confidence to lead your congregation into a more imaginative and creative culture while learning how to cultivate the "creatives" already in your midst. Because this workshop is using the First Friends Meetinghouse, we have been given 5 slots open for our members/attenders to attend for free! The workshop is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, October 26, 2016 in Fellowship Hall. Please let the office know if you are interested in attending. It will be first come first serve.

IFCL now has a newsletter! ~ IFCL’s very first monthly newsletter is now available! IFCL will use this means to share updates on their work lobbying as a Quaker voice at the Indiana Statehouse and to share the issues, legislation status, and events that are on their radar.  This month’s articles include information about summer study committees, a recap on a conversation with Rep. Ed DeLaney, a look into what events the IFCL has planned for September, and more! To view the newsletter, you may use this link: http://goo.gl/E4RVpQ. To sign up to receive the newsletter monthly, visit http://www.quakerifcl.org/NewsletterSubscribe.htm.

SAVE THE DATE! We need your blood on Sunday, November 6th. We are having a blood drive from 9:00-noon in Fellowship Hall. More details later. 

Leave a green footprint! ~ The Earth is an amazing and beautiful place. All its riches will last, so long as we learn to use only what we need. 
How can we use energy wisely?
Tip #1: We can turn off: games, computers, lights, TV’s, stereos, and other appliances when we’re not using them.
Tip #2: We can close doors behind us, so we don’t let out the heat in winter or air conditioning in summer.
Tip #3: We can share rides to shopping, movies, and other places to reduce gas use and pollution.
Tip #4: We can play outside when the weather is nice to reduce electricity use.

 From 16 Things Kids can do to Help Care for the Earth, by Dana Kester-McCabe, 2006.

September 14, 2016

As Way Opens

Mark 10:13-16- People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them.  But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.  Truly I tell you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”  And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

I have always loved the image this passage of scripture creates.   These people knew there was something really special about Jesus and they just wanted their children to be touched by him.  Kind of like how people bring their children to the Pope to lay hands on them. Yet Jesus own disciples are authoritatively telling them to keep their kids away from Jesus.    And Jesus admonishes them by saying that the only way into the kingdom of God is to receive this kingdom as a child.  What is Jesus talking about?  Obviously the disciples were still not clear about what Jesus was teaching about God.   Could it be that the characteristics of children are the characteristics we need to go back to in our own lives with God?  Children aren’t worried about being productive, they don’t look for status by owning things and having power.   They haven’t yet learned to be distrustful, cautious, and fearful.  They give and receive love with an openness and honesty.  Maybe that is just the sort of kingdom of God that we are called to establish.

It was a joy to see our beloved children return to Sunday School last Sunday.  May we all step into these childlike qualities that bring us closer to God and each other.  

Beth

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Joys & Concerns

Great thanks to our volunteers! 47 lbs. of food.  We were very busy...119 families were served.  Thanks to all for helping during this busy time!

A big thank you to the Christian Education and Fellowship Committee for a wonderful breakfast last Sunday to help fuel us for the re-start of Sunday School.  A few folks dressed in their pajamas and there were 69 kids and adults that went to a variety of different classes.  We hope you will continue to come for this special time of connection each Sunday as available. 

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

‘Streams of Living Water’ theme for this Sunday will be Holiness –  Discovering the Virtuous Life.  Ann will lead the Sunday School Class in Coffee Circle and Ruthie will speak about this in Meeting for Worship.  “Holiness is goodness on fire.”  Walter Rauschenbusch - a key figure in the Social Gospel movement that flourished in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

SPONSOR A STUDENT! Participate in our "Sponsor a College Student" project! Just select a college student off the board set up in the meetinghouse and send them notes, cards, treats, etc throughout the school year so they hear from someone at the Meeting and feel connected. 

3B: Body · Brain · Belief ~ Our neighboring church, the Northminster Presbyterian Church, is offering a new exercise program for anyone 55 years old and over. The program is called 3B, which stands for: Body – balance and flexibility; Brain – challenge and build new cells; Belief – nurturing one’s faith. This is free and everyone is welcome! The Church is located at 1660 Kessler Blvd E Dr. Sessions are Mondays & Thursdays at 1:30 P.M. in the boardroom. The program is on-going. If you have any questions, you can contact Denise at 317-251-9489.

Who shops at MidNorth Food Pantry?  Lots of people!

Where is MidNorth Food Pantry?  3333 North Meridian Street.  Who serves at MidNorth Food Pantry from First Friends?  A team of 6-8 people. 

When do they go?  The 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month.  Why do they do this?  Because Christ asks us to… ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’   “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:37-40 If you can serve, and would like to join the team, please contact the Office.  Thanks!

SHALOM ZONE ELECTRONICS RECYCLING EVENT IS SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 24th at ST. PIUS!

7200 Sarto Drive, Indianapolis from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

If an item runs (or used to run) with a plug or a battery you can recycle it! This includes (but is not limited to) appliances, TVs, DVD/VCRs, gaming consoles, fax machines, Christmas tree lights, calculators, toner cartridges, hair dryers, and more!  You can also bring the items to St. Pius on the day of the event. A $10 donation is requested fir CRT type monitors/TVs; a $20 donation is requested for appliances containing freon (fridges, freezers, A/C units, etc).If you’re unable to attend, you can drop off items at First Friends no later than September 23rd (contact the First Friends office to do this). You can also bring the items to St. Pius on the day of the event!

Friendly Visitors Luncheon ~ Save the date for the Friendly Visitors Luncheon on Sunday, September 25! The Visiting Ministry of First Friends has long been a valued part of our outreach. The Circle of Care Committee wants to thank those who have been visiting folk from our Meeting who are homebound, lonely, or otherwise distanced from us. We also hope to welcome those who might be interested in joining this ministry of visitation. More details coming soon.

Buddy Bags ~ The Witness and Service Committee has partnered with Shalom Zone to put together Buddy Bags for needy students at Allisonville Elementary School for their Fall Break this year.  Why?  Some students face insufficient food needs, and will not be in school to receive assistance over their break. We can help them, and their families.  We will need to gather very specific food for this event. If you are interested in donating food, please put it on the stage in Fellowship Hall. We need to have all the food at the meeting house by September 25th so we can put together the bags to be delivered on the following Thursday. Here is a list of what we need:

·         Microwaveable Entrees 2-4oz size qty 90

·         Chicken or Tuna Salad with Crackers qty 60

·         Peanut Butter Box of 8 small cups or 15 oz plastic jar qty 30

·         Fruit cups 4 or 6 pack qty 30

·         Vegetable cups 4 or 6 pack qty 30

·         Pudding cups 4 pack qty 10

·         Raisins qty 180 small boxes

·         Applesauce squeezable pouches or plastic cups 4 or 6 pack qty 120 pouches or 30 packs

·         Oatmeal packets qty 250 packets

·         Pop Tarts qty 60 foil packages

·         Protein or Granola bars qty 180 bars

·         Peanut butter or Cheese Crackers 4 or 6 crackers in an package qty 60 packages

·         Fruit roll up or Fruit snacks 1 oz qty 60

·         Saltine crackers qty 6 boxes

·         Goldfish 6.6 oz qty 20

·         Activity items like Coloring Books and Crayons, Puzzle Books, Flashcards, PlayDoh, or Books qty As many as we can get

There is a bulletin board outside of the parlor that also illustrates everything that’s needed. Cash donations will also be accepted and we will go shopping. Please contact the office if you have any questions.

Oak Leaf Ladies:  We will be meeting in the parlor to discuss "The Elegance of a Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery on Tuesday, September 27 at 7 pm.  If you or a friend are interested in being on the mailing list for the Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading please contact the office.

Join IFCL for a conversation & new book-signing with environmentalist author Scott Russell Sanders and environmental advocate Jodi Perras! Scott Russell Sanders is the author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including A Private History of Awe and A Conservationist Manifesto. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Indiana University, where he taught from 1971 to 2009. The event is being held on Friday, September 30 at 7pm in the Parlor. For more information, contact the office.

MSPC’s Family Movie Night! MSPC invites you to bring your whole family to their movie night on Friday, September 30 at 7pm. We will be watching a movie underneath the stars outside on the playground! Admission is $10 per family. The movie showing is Happy Feet. In case of inclement weather, the event will be moved indoors. We hope to see you there!

Carmel Friends Church Invites You to hear Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, who will be speaking about Bible Teaching from a Messianic Jewish perspective. Dr. Fruchtenbaum is the founding director of Ariel Ministries and a much respected biblical authority in evangelical and messianic circles. He shines a bright light on the life of Yeshua (Jesus) and the land of Israel, interpreting the Gospels from a Messianic Jewish view. He will be speaking on Saturday October 1, 3:00-5:00pm (“The Logos and the Rabbi” John 1 & 3; “The Baptism and Temptations of Jesus”) and Sunday, October 2, 10:30am (“The Three Messianic Miracles”) and 3pm-5pm (Q&A and “The Transfiguration of Jesus”). Carmel Friends Church is located at 651 W. Main Street, Carmel. Please email carmelfriends@aol.com if you have any questions.

Giving Voices to Ghosts - After both World Wars, American Friends Service Committee gave aidand food to starving children and pregnant women in Germany.  As a ‘Thank You’, these beautiful artworks, poems, stories and letters were sent from those children back to meetings in the States. An exhibit at Marian University, including these Post WWI and II German Children's Thank You Art, Stories and Poems has been mounted. Giving Voices to Ghosts highlights some of the pieces in the collection.  Here is a link to the entire collection: http://goo.gl/xzAZCa. The exhibit runs from runs from now through October 7th. This exhibit is free and open to the public daily from 9-5.  If you are interested in visiting, please contact Marian University Art Gallery Director, Crystal Vicars-Pugh, 317-955-6664, cvicarspugh@marian.edu.

IFCL now has a newsletter! ~ IFCL’s very first monthly newsletter is now available! IFCL will use this means to share updates on their work lobbying as a Quaker voice at the Indiana Statehouse and to share the issues, legislation status, and events that are on their radar.  This month’s articles include information about summer study committees, a recap on a conversation with Rep. Ed DeLaney, a look into what events the IFCL has planned for September, and more! To view the newsletter, you may use this link: http://goo.gl/E4RVpQ. To sign up to receive the newsletter monthly, visit http://www.quakerifcl.org/NewsletterSubscribe.htm.

SAVE THE DATE! We need your blood on November 4th. We are having a blood drive from 9:00-noon in Fellowship Hall. More details later.

Leave a green footprint! ~ The Earth is an amazing and beautiful place. All its riches will last, so long as we learn to use only what we need.

How can we use energy wisely?

Tip #1: We can turn off: games, computers, lights, TV’s, stereos, and other appliances when we’re not using them.

Tip #2: We can close doors behind us, so we don’t let out the heat in winter or air conditioning in summer.

Tip #3: We can share rides to shopping, movies, and other places to reduce gas use and pollution.

 From 16 Things Kids can do to Help Care for the Earth, by Dana Kester-McCabe, 2006.

September 7, 2016

As Way Opens

I have so enjoyed my connection with scripture this past few months.  I’ve been reading through The One Year Bible in the English Standard Version.  Each day, a series of readings are given from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs.  The Holy Spirit has blessed me, finding connections between the readings at times, and feeding my soul and spirit.  Recently, I read a portion from the Song of Solomon, and then Second Corinthians.  In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul writes about ‘cheerful giving’.  This is something I’m used to hearing when any church or meeting is urging people to give financially for the work of God.  But, juxtaposed against the readings in the Lover’s Tale, I found much more. 

It struck me that in this beautiful love story, there is a generosity of giving and caring – you can’t miss it.  There is a devotion to one another, exceeding anything else.  And then, Paul writes this to friends in Corinth: “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  When I read it a second time, I added this… “whoever sows their life sparingly, will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows their life bountifully will also reap bountifully.”  What am I sowing/planting with my life?  Am I generous in my care and devotion to others? Have I been mindful about this?  Does my giving of self come from a place of love that can’t be missed, or from compulsion?  What is the fruit of the harvest of my life?
  
And then, another thought… Do I sow love into my own life?  Am I generous and caring with myself?  Am I mindful of how I care for myself, and do I remember how much the Lord cares for me?  Just as Paul encourages us to sow bountifully, I must remember how bountiful God’s love has been sown into my own life.  It is from this place of abundance that I can live and move and be –  cheerfully sharing God’s love in me – a love that can’t be missed - with everyone around me.

God bless you, as you discover with me, the bounty, depth, and goodness of God’s love.  God bless you, as you become more and more mindful of the generosity of God, in your soul, your spirit, your heart, and your life.

Ruthie

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
 

Rotation teachers needed for our 3rd through 5th Grade Sunday School Class.  You would teach once/month!  Class begins Sunday September 11th. It will be from 9:00 - 10:00 and we have a curriculum provided for volunteers. If interested, please contact the Office. Your help is appreciated!

Adult Sunday School at First Friends Meeting begin Sunday, September 11th at 9:00am.  Here are the choices for Fall Semester.  Take a look and see what interests you most!

• Coffee Circle/Wired Word; current news events discussed in the light of scripture, and our response as Quakers to what’s happening in the world today.
• Seeking Friends; ‘Our Life is Love: The Quaker Spiritual Journey’ by Marcelle Martin focuses on ten elements of spiritual transformation as revealed in the lives of Friends past and present. "Questions for Reflection" at the end of each chapter invite exploration of personal spiritual life.  Ten copies are available in the office. By going to the web site Inner Light Books, electronic copies can be downloaded.
• Old Testament Overview; a consideration of the writings of the Old Testament - their stories and significance in our lives today.  
• Couples Tune-Up; a chance to check ‘under the hood’ and consider challenges that all couples face.  A query-based group discussion class.  
• Choir; rehearses each Sunday morning at 9:00 in the Choir Room

3B: Body • Brain • Belief ~ Our neighboring church, the Northminster Presbyterian Church, is offering a new exercise program for anyone 55 years old and over. The program is called 3B, which stands for: Body – balance and flexibility; Brain – challenge and build new cells; Belief – nurturing one’s faith. This is free and everyone is welcome! The Church is located at 1660 Kessler Blvd E Dr. Sessions are Mondays & Thursdays at 1:30 P.M. in the boardroom. The next session starts on September 12 for 12 weeks. The program is on-going. If you have any questions, you can contact the church at (317) 251-9489.

We’d love to have you in our pool! The 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month give us an opportunity to “jump in” and help those who struggle for food, through our ministry at Mid North Food Pantry.  Working from 10:00 to 2:00, teams of six to eight people work together to serve clients who come in to ‘shop’. We need a bigger pool of volunteers, and we’d love your help! Some of our ‘swimmers’ travel, become ill, have other responsibilities at times, and need others to take their place.  Please consider suiting up, and jumping in – even for a quick dip!  Please contact the Office if you’re able to help!

Festival of Faiths!  Coming Sunday, September 18th! The festival is held from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. at the Veteran’s War Memorial. The Indy Festival of Faiths is an annual gathering in downtown Indianapolis designed to recognize, highlight, and celebrate the diverse religious landscape in central Indiana. Let’s represent Quakerism! We are looking for volunteers to help with our booth. If you are interested in assisting or want more information, contact the office.

SHALOM ZONE ELECTRONICS RECYCLING EVENT ~ The Shalom Zone will be hosting an Electronics Recycling Event on Sep-24 at St. Pius X, 7200 Sarto Drive, Indianapolis, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.  Contact the office for more info.

Buddy Bags ~ The Witness and Service Committee has partnered with Shalom Zone to put together Buddy Bags for needy students at Allisonville Elementary School for their Fall Break this year.  Why?  Some students face insufficient food needs, and will not be in school to receive assistance over their break. We can help them, and their families.  We will need to gather very specific food for this event. If you are interested in donating food, please put it on the stage in Fellowship Hall. We need to have all the food at the meeting house by September 25th so we can put together the bags to be delivered on the following Thursday. Here is a list of what we need:

•    Microwaveable Entrees 2-4oz size qty 90
•    Chicken or Tuna Salad with Crackers qty 60
•    Peanut Butter Box of 8 small cups or 15 oz plastic jar qty 30
•    Fruit cups 4 or 6 pack qty 30
•    Vegetable cups 4 or 6 pack qty 30
•    Pudding cups 4 pack qty 10
•    Raisins qty 180 small boxes
•    Applesauce squeezable pouches or plastic cups 4 or 6 pack qty 120 pouches or 30 packs
•    Oatmeal packets qty 250 packets
•    Pop Tarts qty 60 foil packages
•    Protein or Granola bars qty 180 bars
•    Peanut butter or Cheese Crackers 4 or 6 crackers in an package qty 60 packages
•    Fruit roll up or Fruit snacks 1 oz qty 60
•    Saltine crackers qty 6 boxes
•    Goldfish 6.6 oz qty 20
•    Activity items like Coloring Books and Crayons, Puzzle Books, Flashcards, PlayDoh, or Books qty As many as we can get 

There is a bulletin board outside of the parlor that also illustrates everything that’s needed. Cash donations will also be accepted and we will go shopping. Please contact Jody Long at jody.long@sbcglobal.net if you have any questions. 

Join IFCL for a conversation & new book-signing with environmentalist author Scott Russell Sanders and environmental advocate Jodi Perras! Scott Russell Sanders is the author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including A Private History of Awe and A Conservationist Manifesto. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Indiana University, where he taught from 1971 to 2009. The event is being held on Friday, September 30 at 7pm in the Parlor. For more information, contact the office.

Giving Voices to Ghosts - After both World Wars, American Friends Service Committee gave aid and food to starving children and pregnant women in Germany.  As a ‘Thank You’, these beautiful artworks, poems, stories and letters were sent from those children back to meetings in the States. An exhibit at Marian University, including these Post WWI and II German Children's Thank You Art, Stories and Poems has been mounted. Giving Voices to Ghosts highlights some of the pieces in the collection.  Here is a link to the entire collection: http://goo.gl/xzAZCa. The exhibit runs from runs from now through October 7th. This exhibit is free and open to the public daily from 9-5.  If you are interested in visiting, please contact Marian University Art Gallery Director, Crystal Vicars-Pugh, 317-955-6664, cvicarspugh@marian.edu. 

IFCL now has a newsletter! ~ IFCL’s very first monthly newsletter is now available! IFCL will use this means to share updates on their work lobbying as a Quaker voice at the Indiana Statehouse and to share the issues, legislation status, and events that are on their radar.  This month’s articles include information about summer study committees, a recap on a conversation with Rep. Ed DeLaney, a look into what events the IFCL has planned for September, and more! To view the newsletter, you may use this link: http://goo.gl/E4RVpQ. To sign up to receive the newsletter monthly, visit http://www.quakerifcl.org/NewsletterSubscribe.htm.

The Friends Journal is available online! Did you know that you can read articles from the magazine Friends Journal for free online? The September issue is available now! Just visit http://www.friendsjournal.org/2016/september-2016/. Current subscribers can also download a PDF version by logging into the site. 

Leave a green footprint! ~ The Earth is an amazing and beautiful place. All its riches will last, so long as we learn to use only what we need. 
How can we use energy wisely?
Tip #1: We can turn off: games, computers, lights, TV’s, stereos, and other appliances when we’re not using them.
Tip #2: We can close doors behind us, so we don’t let out the heat in winter or air conditioning in summer.

August 31, 2016

As Way Opens

    This past Friday, we had one whopper of a wind storm that passed through our grounds!  It took out a huge hackberry tree that has stood for many years.  It was full and beautiful, standing tall and providing shade.  It looked beautiful, but looks can be deceiving.  Five years ago, the tree was cabled together. As it turns out, it was weak and rotten. 

    When I was a little girl, I used to watch ‘Captain Kangaroo’.  I loved that show! Mr. Green Jeans, Grandfather Clock… such a great show for children.  They ran a cartoon with Tom Terrific, and his arch-enemy Crabby Appleton whose motto was, “I’m rotten to the core!”  This was Crabby Appleton's theme song:

My name is Crabby Appleton,
and I am simply awful.
It does my heart a lot of good
to do a deed unlawful!
I'm fond of gloom, impending doom,
I think good deeds are sappy!
I laugh with glee, it pleases me
when everyone's unhappy.

    Let’s face it… there’s a lot of gloom and doom, unhappiness, and absolute rot that masquerades as strength.  Until a big wind blows through, it’s hard to tell whether something is based on truth or falsehood. What is at the core of who we are?

    Quoting Thomas Kelly, a 20th century Friend, in A Testament of Devotion, “If the Society of Friends has anything to say, it lies in this region primarily: Life is meant to be lived from a Center, a divine Center.” The Quaker testimony of integrity might be compared to a circle, the definition of which is “a locus of points, each of which is equidistant from an invisible point—the center.” For Friends, God is that invisible Center. The circle of one’s life is to be organized around the will and nature of that Divine Presence: a will characterized by the desire for a restored harmony in creation; a nature defined by love. Quaker integrity is about integrating those values into one’s life.

    What defines who we are?  What, who, is at our core?  Are we easily broken, or can we withstand even the greatest storms?  This is not a ‘sappy’ question… the invisible Center, the Divine Presence, the core of love, is rooted deeply, and is life-giving. 

Ruthie

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Join us this Sunday, for our Labor Day Weekend “Worship in the Woods’ - a lovely time of gathering with God in nature! If it’s raining, or the ground is too wet there, we’ll meet in Fellowship Hall. Please also note that the Office will be closed on Monday, September 5th in observance of the holiday.

Rotation teachers needed for our 3rd through 5th Grade Sunday School Class.  You would teach once/month!  Class begins Sunday September 11th. It will be from 9:00 - 10:00 and we have a curriculum provided for volunteers. If interested, please contact the Office, or Beth Henricks. Your help is appreciated!

Giving Voices to Ghosts - An exhibit at Marian University, including Post WWI and II German Children's Thank You Art, Stories and Poems. Giving Voices to Ghosts highlights some of the pieces in the collection.  Here is a link to the entire collection: http://goo.gl/xzAZCa. After both World Wars, American Friends Service Committee gave aid and food to starving children and pregnant women in Germany.  As a Thank You, these beautiful artworks, poems, stories and letters were sent from those children back to meetings in the States. The exhibit runs from runs from today, August 31st -October 7th. The reception is Thurs 9/1 - 4:00 at the Michael A. Evans Center for Health Sciences (3200 Cold Spring Road, Indianapolis, In 46222).
This exhibit is free and open to the public daily from 9-5.  If you are interested in visiting, please contact Marian University Art Gallery Director, Crystal Vicars-Pugh, 317-955-6664, cvicarspugh@marian.edu.

We’d love to have you in our pool! The 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month give us an opportunity to “jump in” and help those who struggle for food, through our ministry at Mid North Food Pantry.  Working from 10:00 to 2:00, teams of six to eight people work together to serve clients who come in to ‘shop’. We need a bigger pool of volunteers, and we’d love your help! Some of our ‘swimmers’ travel, become ill, have other responsibilities at times, and need others to take their place.  Please consider suiting up, and jumping in – even for a quick dip!  Please contact the Office if you’re able to help!   

Which stream do you swim in most easily? Sign up for discussions about six different streams of faith, as we move through “Streams of Living Water’ in sermons and study this September/October.  It all begins Sunday, September 4th!  Streams of Faith, The Prayer-Filled Life – Contemplative Tradition, The Virtuous Life – Holiness Tradition, The Spirit-Empowered Life – Charismatic Tradition, The Compassionate Life – Social Justice Tradition, The Word-Centered Life – Evangelical Tradition, The Sacramental Life - Incarnational Tradition.  Contact the Office or Ruthie if you’d like to lead or join.  Times?  TBA!

Adult Sunday School at First Friends Meeting begin Sunday, September 11th at 9:00am.  Here are the choices for Fall Semester.  Take a look and see what interests you most!

• Coffee Circle/Wired Word; current news events discussed in the light of scripture, and our response as Quakers to what’s happening in the world today.
• Seeking Friends; ‘Our Life is Love: The Quaker Spiritual Journey’ by Marcelle Martin focuses on ten elements of spiritual transformation as revealed in the lives of Friends past and present. "Questions for Reflection" at the end of each chapter invite exploration of personal spiritual life.  Ten copies are available in the office. By going to the web site Inner Light Books, electronic copies can be downloaded.
• Old Testament Overview; a consideration of the writings of the Old Testament - their stories and significance in our lives today.  
• Couples Tune-Up; a chance to check ‘under the hood’ and consider challenges that all couples face.  A query-based group discussion class.  
• Choir; rehearses each Sunday morning at 9:00 in the Choir Room

MSPC has some openings! Meridian Street Preschool now has two available spots for children in the Tuesday/Thursday 3/4 class for the 2016-2017 school year. Interested families can email the office.

Festival of Faiths!  Coming Sunday, September 18th! The festival is held from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. at the Veteran’s War Memorial. The Indy Festival of Faiths is an annual gathering in downtown Indianapolis designed to recognize, highlight, and celebrate the diverse religious landscape in central Indiana. Let’s represent Quakerism! We are looking for volunteers to help with our booth. If you are interested in assisting or want more information, contact the office..

Join IFCL for a conversation & new book-signing with environmentalist author Scott Russell Sanders and environmental advocate Jodi Perras! Scott Russell Sanders is the author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including A Private History of Awe and A Conservationist Manifesto. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Indiana University, where he taught from 1971 to 2009. The event is being held on Friday, September 30 at 7pm in the Parlor. For more information, contact the office.

Leave a green footprint! ~ The Earth is an amazing and beautiful place. All its riches will last, so long as we learn to use only what we need.

How can we use energy wisely?

Tip #1: We can turn off: games, computers, lights, TV’s, stereos, and other appliances when we’re not using them.

 From 16 Things Kids can do to Help Care for the Earth, by Dana Kester-McCabe, 2006.

August 24, 2016

As Way Opens

How do we connect our inward and outward selves?  I have been reading Parker Palmer’s book The Active Life and reflecting on the story he shares from Chuang Tsu called The Woodcarver:  "Khing, the master carver, made a bell stand of precious wood.  When it was finished, all who saw it were astounded.  They said it must be the work of spirits.  The Prince of Lu said to the master carver:  What is your secret? Khing replied:  I am only a workman:  I have no secret.  There is only this:  When I began to think about the work you commanded I guarded my spirit, did not expend it on trifles, that were not to the point.  I fasted in order to set my heart at rest.  After three days fasting, I had forgotten gain and success.  After five days I had forgotten praise or criticism.  After seven days I had forgotten my body with all its limbs.    By this time all thought of your Highness and of the court had faded away.  All that might distract me from the work had vanished.  I was collected in the single thought of the bell stand. Then I went to the forest to see the trees in their own natural state.  When the right tree appeared before my eyes, the bell stand also appeared in it, clearly, beyond doubt.  All I had to do was to put forth my hand and begin.  If I had not met this particular tree there would have been no bell stand at all.  What happened?  My own collected thought encountered the hidden potential in the wood; from this live encounter came the work which you ascribe to the spirits.”  I have been unpacking the elements to this story over the last week as I reflect on my life.  Why am I doing what I am doing?  Do I move from an internal sense of authority or driven by expectations of others?  Do my fears paralyze me from action?  How am I spending my time to nurture my inner being?  How do I develop an inner awareness to really listen to God?   Important queries to ask ourselves as we seek to live into an authentic, spirit filled life of meaning and action.

Beth   

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Joys & Concerns  

Thanks to all who contributed to the FUM Summer Project...Power To Pastors.  Individuals of First Friends gave $1,068.38 to this project and this total will be matched by monies from the Howard Taylor fund.  That’s over $2,100 towards this worthy cause.  A big THANK YOU to all who helped to make this effort a smashing success! 

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities  

Our 3rd through 5th Grade Sunday School Class is in need of a teacher.  Class begins Sunday September 11th. It will be from 9:00 - 10:00 and we have a curriculum provided for volunteers. If interested, please contact the Office. Your help is appreciated!

Travel with Tippin! ~ Sunday, August 28th during Fellowship Hour:  Jon will be sharing stories and pictures from the Tippin’s recent trip to England, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Barra.  Of particular interest are pictures from ‘1652 Country’ – the area of England where Quakerism began.  Grab a cup of ‘joe’, and visit Jon… in the Parlor!  

Underneath It All – First Friends eighth annual underwear drive ends August 31st!  We are asking for donations of new underwear, as well as socks, t-shirts, bras, etc, from toddler to adult sizes! Cash or checks are also accepted and may be made out to First Friends and placed in offertory plates if labeled as donations to the Underwear Drive.  Contact the office if you have questions.  

Tutors needed! - We are looking for volunteers to help tutor children in grades 1, 3, and Kindergarten. Tutoring is done at the Lawrence North Library, helping kids with reading and homework. Time slots are available on Mondays and Thursdays, 4pm-5:15pm. Any time you can give is appreciated, even once per week, twice per month, etc. Anyone who wants to volunteer for any number of times is appreciated. It all helps! If interested, contact the office.

Which stream do you swim in most easily? - Sign up for discussions about six different streams of faith, as we move through “Streams of Living Water’ in sermons and study this September/October.  It all begins Sunday, September 4th!

Streams of Faith, The Prayer-Filled Life – Contemplative Tradition
The Virtuous Life – Holiness Tradition
The Spirit-Empowered Life – Charismatic Tradition
The Compassionate Life – Social Justice Tradition
The Word-Centered Life – Evangelical Tradition
The Sacramental Life - Incarnational Tradition

Contact the Office or Ruthie if you’d like to lead or join.

Adult Sunday School at First Friends Meeting begin Sunday, September 11th at 9:00am.  Here are the choices for Fall Semester.  Take a look and see what interests you most!

• Coffee Circle/Wired Word; current news events discussed in the light of scripture, and our response as Quakers to what’s happening in the world today.
• Seeking Friends; ‘Our Life is Love – The Quaker Spiritual Journey’ describes the transformational spiritual journey of the first Quakers, who turned to the Light of Christ within and allowed it to be their guide. Focusing on ten elements of the journey, this book is a guide to a Spirit-filled life that affects this world.
• Old Testament Overview; a consideration of the writings of the Old Testament - their stories and significance in our lives today.  
• Couples Tune-Up; a chance to check ‘under the hood’ and consider challenges that all couples face.  A query-based group discussion class.  
• Choir, directed by Shawn Porter: rehearses each Sunday morning at 9:00 in the Choir Room

Oak Leaf Ladies:  Book club will be meeting at Pat's home to discuss “Olive Kitteridge” by Elizabeth Strout on Tuesday, August 30th at 6:30 pm.  Please feel free to bring a friend.  Pat will be serving a lovely dessert for all to enjoy during the discussion.   If you plan to attend, or if you are interested in being on the mailing list for the Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading please contact the office.

MSPC has some openings! Meridian Street Preschool now has two available spots for children in the Tuesday/Thursday 3/4 class for the 2016-2017 school year. Interested families can email the office.   
 
Leave a green footprint! ~ The Earth is an amazing and beautiful place. All its riches will last, so long as we learn to use only what we need.  How can we make our water supply last?
Tip #1: We can turn off faucets so they don’t drip.
Tip #2: We can take shorter showers – and baths with less water – and still get very clean.
Tip #3: We can save water when we brush our teeth – by turning it off until we need to rinse.
Tip #4:  We can take good care of our clothes so they don’t need to be washed so often. 
From 16 Things Kids can do to Help Care for the Earth, by Dana Kester-McCabe, 2006.