May 24, 2017

As Way Opens

I was reminded this past Sunday that while most of our lives are a collection of ordinary and mundane moments, there are a few times where we have big and important decisions to make that can send us down one path over another or can have a lasting impact on our life and our family/community. We heard on Sunday about Mary Bateman Clark, an indentured servant living in Vincennes IN in the early 1800’s who decided to challenge the establishment and file a lawsuit against the State arguing that indentured servitude was illegal in IN.  She won the case at the Indiana Supreme Court and likely prevented slavery from becoming legal in IN. Mary had a moment to decide to just get along and live with the way things were and wait for change, or to stand up and say I will challenge the status quo for justice.  Her decision helped change the future course of this state in terms of slavery.

I thought about this as I saw our previous pastors Stan Banker, Ruthie Tippin and our new pastor Bob Henry lined up together in the aisle on Sunday.  We have had moments of decision in the last 27 years that have set our Meeting on a course for the future.  Choosing to build a meditational woods, opening our building to a preschool co-op, investing in a Quaker Affirmation curriculum for our youth were all decision points that will have a lasting impact on our faith community.  We all know that we stand on the shoulders of those that have come before us and I pray that in those moments of big decisions that we choose for the future.  That we don’t let fear, conserving resources, tradition and fitting in overcome our sense of future, destiny and purpose.  Quakers have a strong tradition of making decisions that go against the establishment, against the accepted norms and leading our communities to changes that result in a more loving and just world.  As our new pastor Bob joins us this summer, may we continue on a path of impacting Indianapolis with love, acceptance and service.

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Joys & Concerns

Many thanks to Joyce B, Helen D, Amy P and of course Nichole M. for their work with the German children exhibit items! These ladies have been working hard salvaging and preparing these items for preservation and exhibition. It is wonderful that these items will be taken care of as the historical treasures they are.

Thank-you to our Mid North Food Pantry volunteers: Phil K, Jim K, Bill and Kathy F, and Carol and Jim D. Your work is greatly appreciated!

The Medidational Woods plaque had a makeover! We’d like to send a big thank-you to all who helped revamp the plaque near the entrance of the Meditational Woods, including Mary B, Dan M, Amy P, Mindy S, and Terri T. They planted switchgrass, foxglove beardstongue (AKA smooth penstemon), purple coneflower, and smooth aster on the mound. They planted wild stonecrop as a ground cover just in front of the plaque. All five species are native to Indiana, in keeping with the meditational woods committee's philosophy. They aimed for a Quaker-like, simple, low-key appearance, medium height so it wouldn't block the view of the butterfly garden, and for successive blooms of different colors for beauty.

Ben W, our youth leader has been selected to join the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) advocacy corp team to help mobilize communities to influence members of Congress.  15 individuals from across the country were selected to take part in the year long program kicking off with a 12 day summer intensive training in August in Washington DC.  The program runs September through May and participants do receive a small stipend for their work.  We are really excited for Ben and look forward to his work here in Indiana.

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Make Plans for Memorial Day Weekend! Join us Sunday, May 28th for Worship in the Big Oval! Memorial Day Sunday’s are really special at First Friends Meeting – we gather in Fellowship Hall, and enjoy our own ‘Indy 500’ experience in the Spirit!  Eric B. will provide music and Beth will be speaking about forgiveness. 

Please note: There will be no Monday Meditational Worship at First Friends on Memorial Day. You are, as always, welcome to worship wherever you are. The Office will be closed.

Temporary Home Needed for Our New Pastor! Bob and his family have found a home in Fishers but they can’t move into it until September 1st.  Does anyone know of a need for house sitters for the summer or have room for a family of four or know of a place to rent?  They will need this from July 1st to September 1st.  Please ask around and contact the office if you have any possibilities.

The Pastoral Excellence Fund of Western Yearly Meeting depends on donations to fund its benefits to WYM pastors, which have including Stan, Beth, and Ruthie, and will benefit Bob if funded adequately. Please send donation to the office for PME, or place in the offering.

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading: Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan will be held Tuesday, May 30th at 7 pm in the Parlor. All are welcome! Vicki W. will be leading the discussion.  If you'd like to read ahead for next month, the June 27 title will be: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.

Friends Education Fund is a Quaker college scholarship program for African American students. If you know of a student who might be interested in applying, please ask them to contact the Meeting Office or visit our website at https://www.indyfriends.org/friends-educational-fund/. Applications are being accepted through June 2nd, 2017. The selected applicants will be celebrated later in June.

Join us for Worship in the Woods on Sunday, June 4th. Worship will be at the normal time, 10:15am, in the Meditational Woods. Jim and Leslie K. will be leading the service. Please note that we will not have a church picnic at this time. Keep an eye out for news on a picnic in July, after Bob arrives!

We need volunteers for the Mid North Food Pantry! ~ A few of our “regulars” will not be able to volunteer at the food pantry on Wednesdays, June 7 and 21. These are all days that First Friends regularly staffs the pantry. If you are in town and available during any of these dates, please consider volunteering. Let the office know if you are interested. Thank you for your assistance!

Babysitting Co-Op ~ Our babysitting co-op is happening on Saturday June 10th from 5:30 - 9:30. Dinner will be provided for the kids. Please contact the office if you would like to have your kids join in the fun that evening!

Volunteers for WYM Pancake Breakfast - Dale Graves is asking for each meeting to send one or more Quaker men to assist with the pancake breakfast at Western Yearly Meeting. This would be Saturday, July 29, starting at 7 am to set up, and continuing to 10:30 or so. YM sessions start at 9 am and men are excused if attending the sessions. Please let the office know if you will do this, and we will connect you with Dale. 

Hello, my name is Nutmeg.  My beloved owner passed away last week.  I am 13 years old.  I am cared for by the VCA hospital at 4030 W. 86th Street.  I eat Hill's CD wet and dry food, and am currently taking one medication, which is mixed in my food. I have been living alone for nearly two weeks, although I am an affectionate and playful cat.  I have been depending on the kindness of strangers to feed me, toss my toys for me, and, sometimes, let me sit on their lap. I'd do best in a home without other animals, but a girl can't be too picky. Look at my big eyes and give me a thought, please. Contact the office if you know of a home.

Quaker Life magazine is being offered to us for renewal at a group rate of $30.00 per year. Published by Friends United Meeting, issues come out quarterly, that will “inspire, inform and teach you.” The journal is normally priced at $40.00 annually. We keep one copy in our Library. Please let the office know if you would like to add your name to the list of subscribers. Thank you!

Vacation Bible School is coming up this July! We will kick off on Sunday, July 16 from 12:00-2:00pm and will continue Mon.-Thurs. from 6:00pm-8:00pm. Lunch will be provided for all who attend on the 16th. We are currently looking for volunteers to help! If you are interested in being a teacher, station leader, or bringing snacks, please contact the office.

IFCL News ~ Now that the 2017 Indiana General Assembly session has concluded, the Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation (IFCL) would like to report to Friends on the legislative accomplishments of our bipartisan Quakerly lobbying. We are positively surprised and elated by the effective influence that our faith-based IFCL organization has been able to have at the Statehouse - both in terms of substantive impact on legislation, and in terms of building personal relationships and mutual respect with lawmakers (on both sides of the aisle) that should pay rich dividends for years to come. We want to share IFCL's good news with you, and to thank you for your interest and support of IFCL - now flourishing in its 46th year.  To read the legislative summaries, visit http://www.quakerifcl.org/legislativenews.htm

Shalom Zone Garage Sale ~ On Saturday, June 3, from 8:00 am to noon (set up beginning at 7 am) the Shalom Zone churches (Cross and Crown, Allisonville Christian, Epworth, First Friends and St. Pius X) will be sponsoring "garage sale" and “craft sale” opportunities for individuals in the Cross and Crown parking lot at 79th and Allisonville Road. You will be able to reserve a space for $10 in advance ($15 day of sale). The rest is up to you - bring your own table or use the trunk of your car. You get to keep whatever you earn.  The adjoining neighborhood of Ivy Hills will have its annual garage sale the same day so there should be no shortage of folks looking for a deal.  The Shalom Zone will donate the reservation fees to School on Wheels, a voluntary program which tutors homeless children throughout Marion County.  For more information or to reserve a space contact the office.

Indy Pride Parade - It is now, more important than ever that we stand-up for what is right in our community.  We will be walking as Quakers of Indy in the Indy Pride Parade on June 10 in support of the LGBTQ people we love.  If you are interested in walking with us, you can contact the office.  We will be meeting downtown around 9am.  Hope to see you there!

SCHOOL ON WHEELS ~ The School on Wheels (which provides tutoring help for homeless children) is, once again, sponsoring the Run 317 through Broad Ripple on Thursday, June 15 and needs the help of over 100 volunteers.  Details for the volunteer positions as well as signup can be found here:
https://raceroster.com/events/2017/11126/broad-ripple-run317.  Thanks for your consideration.  

Rise Up – A Youth Empowerment Summit – This summer Peace Learning Center will be hosting the Youth Empowerment Summit, Rise up!, on Thursday, June 15 from 8am-2pm. It is free and open to ages 8-12. Because it is free it does fill up quickly, interested individuals and groups are encouraged to register in a timely fashion! Breakout sessions will include peer norming & bullying, upstander skills, restorative practices, and peer meditation. Along with all the learning that takes place it is very neat for students to be able to enjoy a catered meal through the Rathskeller Restaurant! For more information and to register, visit https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ee4fbw7af533bd80&oseq=&c=&ch

SAWS ~ The Shalom Zone has scheduled a SAWS build for Saturday morning, June 24, 2017.  SAWS (Servants At Work) is an all-volunteer organization that designs and builds (with YOUR help) wheelchair ramps to homes for lower income individuals at no cost to such individuals.  No prior construction experience is necessary.  Details of exactly where and what time to meet on June 24 will be forthcoming.  In the meantime, if you would like to participate in this build (or any build in the future), you need to be registered with SAWS.  You can complete the volunteer form, located on the SAWS website (www.sawsramps.org).  When registering, please indicate that you are with Shalom Zone and would like to do builds in Marion and surrounding counties.  Those who have previously registered need not register again.  Children under 16 are welcome but need to be accompanied by a parent.  We need to know who is available to help with the June 24 build.  If you are available to help on the morning of June 24, please notify the office as soon as possible so we can coordinate the Shalom Zone team.  If enough folks are available, we could form 2 or more teams and build multiple ramps at different locations.  Please consider if you are able to help with this worthwhile cause.

2017 ESR Leadership Conference--Online Registration Now Available! The compelling urge to create new venues for service and ministry rises from deep within. A call beckons with an invitation to consider something new—a different path, a fresh venture, a new vocation. With courage the entrepreneur moves forward into a mysterious unknown with as many questions as answers, but with a certainty that the risk is worth taking. Join with others who wrestle with such callings at this year's ESR Leadership Conference, August 11-13. For more information and to register, visit http://esr.earlham.edu/news-events/events/leaders17.

AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project) Indiana is planning a Community Basic Workshop to be held in Indianapolis. It will be at West Newton Friends Meeting (6800 S. Mooresville Rd.) on Saturday and Sunday, August 26-27. They will meet from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm both days. Lunch and dinner will be provided. They are using a sliding fee scale to cover food and expenses of the workshop: $10 to $40, depending on your financial means. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. AVP seeks to help those interested in learning new and creative ways to respond to conflict in personal relationships and groups. The workshops use the shared experience of participants, interactive exercises, games and role-plays to examine the ways in which we respond to situations where injustice, prejudice, frustrations and anger can lead to aggressive behavior and violence. The training is highly experiential and fun, with participants choosing many of the ways in which the exercises and skill-learning occurs. For more information and to register, visit their website at www.avpindiana.org/registration. Please register by August 18. 

May 17, 2017

As Way Opens

While we are in an interim period, some of our members will contribute to our publication. This piece comes to us from Leslie Kartholl.

When I am Weak
Written by Leslie Kartholl

I attended a worship service a week ago while visiting a client in rehab. I have never been in a situation where the congregation, as well as the staff, was so blatantly, so vocally, so unquestionably humbled and laid bare. It stirred something in me; it made me think of all the times I pretend to have it together, all the times I rely upon myself instead of God and other people because I don't want to be honest and vulnerable, I don't want to be judged, I don't want to be shamed. I felt as though I were witnessing something truly holy; men and women who had reached the point in their lives where they were willing to throw up their hands in front ofGod and man and say I can't do this, I am weak, help me. Help me.

It is when we are willing to drop all pretense of power that we find our sure footing. It is our unwillingness to acknowledge our frailty that keeps us in bondage. We try to cut a swath through life with a rubber machete; we end up bitten and broken and lost in the jungle. We develop addictions and neuroses, we struggle with anxiety, with fear, with anger and dejection because we are trying so hard to control what we cannot.

In II Corinthians 12, Paul refers to a weakness in his life that he has repeatedly asked God to remove. He says the response he got from God was this "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness." He goes on "That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

That worship service at the rehab center was not polished or refined. The band that played the music was iffy, the words to the songs flashed off and on due to a faulty projector, the speaker was all over the place with his message, the congregants showed up in pajama pants and stocking feet, some of them still in the throes of detox. Despite this, there was an atmosphere of holiness, a sense of the sacred, an awareness of the Presence born of humility and hope. And there was truth; the truth that we are meant to seek God's sufficient grace, for it is when we admit that we are weak that we find our strength.

Leslie Kartholl

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Joys & Concerns

Andy Cunningham recently had an article published on KevinMD.com titled, ‘Am I the only doctor who isn’t burned out?’ The article is a short piece that explores how he feels nine years into his medical career in comparison to other current medical professionals. Andy writes, “Throughout my premed and medical training, I’ve been deluged with a steady stream of negative thoughts regarding medicine as a career from outspoken, burnt-out physicians. To this day, nine years since I’ve finished my residency in family medicine, I remain passionately opposed to this sentiment.” To read the whole article, visit http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2017/05/doctor-isnt-burned.html

Our office admin, Rebecca and her husband Michael would like to send their sincerest thanks to clerks, members, and attenders at First Friends for all their wedding wishes, cards, and also for their generous gift of paid time off for their honeymoon! They had a wonderful time! Rebecca loves being at First Friends and is touched by their kindness!

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Friends Education Fund is a Quaker college scholarship program for African American students. If you know of a student who might be interested in applying, please ask them to contact the Meeting Office. Applications are being accepted through June 2nd, 2017. The selected applicants will be celebrated later in June.

Quaker Life magazine is being offered to us for renewal at a group rate of $30.00 per year. Published by Friends United Meeting, issues come out quarterly, that will “inspire, inform and teach you.” The journal is normally priced at $40.00 annually. We keep one copy in our Library. Please let the office know if you would like to add your name to the list of subscribers. Thank you!

Transplanting Demonstration and Open House- DATE ADJUSTMENT~ All are welcome to a transplanting demonstration and open house on Thursday, May 18th, 12:30-1:30pm (rescheduled from May 11th due to weather). Topics include learning to transplant vegetable starts into mulched raised beds, and trying out interseeding techniques to plant cover crop seeds along with veggie transplants. This event is open to the public! Held at Indy Urban Acres, 7700 E 21st Street, Indianapolis. For questions, contact Kevin Allison at kevin-allison@iaswcd.org.

Are you coming to Carrie and Shawn's wedding this week? We thought it would be fun to do an old church tradition of a "pounding" for the couple as a fun way to give something of ours to them.  You're invited to bring a pound of something from home for them for their new life together. They are a very creative couple so the possibilities are endless: soup mix or soup for the freezer, pound of yarn or fabric, a pound of records, flour, rice etc. See you there! 

Please join us this Sunday, May 21st for a special day of Worship. We will be honoring our 2017 high school and college graduates. We will also take some time to thank our teachers, leaders and volunteers throughout the past year. Not only that, but we will have guest speakers Ethel McCane and Eunice Trotter who will be giving a presentation on the life of their ancestor, Mary Bateman Clark, former slave whose lawsuit changed the history of slavery in Indiana (see below for more information). Please note it will also be the last day of Sunday School for all ages. We hope to see you there.

We welcome Ethel McCane and Eunice Trotter to Meeting for Worship this Sunday, May 21st to provide a lecture and reenactment of Mary Bateman Clark’s life.  Mary Bateman Clark was born a slave in Kentucky and brought to Indiana where she sued one of the most significant leaders in the Old Northwest Territory in the early 1800s.  Her lawsuit, seeking her freedom from an indentured servitude contract, was filed in 1821 in the Knox County Circuit Court in Vincennes, IN.  She lost, but appealed to the Indiana Supreme Court at Corydon and won the precedent-setting case affirming Indiana’s legal standing on the issues of slavery and indentured servitude.  Her case helped stop slavery, under the guise of indentured servitude, from becoming acceptable in Indiana.  Ethel and Eunice are her great, great, great granddaughters and have made this presentation to many groups and churches and had a video made for public television.

First Friends Library Book Sale ~ For the past several months the First Friends Meeting Library Committee has been removing library materials from the Library as per the guidelines given the committee last year by the Ministry and Counsel Committee.

The next sale date is Sunday May 21 during the Fellowship Hour. Materials will cost $2.00 for Quaker books and $1.00 for non-Quaker books. Proceeds from the sale will enable the purchase of new materials for the Library.

The committee recognizes that some of the material discarded from the collection due to condition, not meeting Ministry and Counsel Committee guidelines, or being duplicate copies in poor condition, will have donation information. The committee understands the sensitive nature of this material and suggests that members purchase such material for their home collections where the recognition may continue to be of personal value.

Make Plans for Memorial Day Weekend! Join us Sunday, May 28th for Worship in the Big Oval! Memorial Day Sunday’s are really special at First Friends Meeting – we gather in Fellowship Hall, and enjoy our own ‘Indy 500’ experience in the Spirit!  Bring your family and friends, and join us at 10:15. 

Please note: There will be no Monday Meditational Worship at First Friends on Memorial Day. You are, as always, welcome to worship wherever you are. The Office will be closed.

IFCL News ~ Now that the 2017 Indiana General Assembly session has concluded, the Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation (IFCL) would like to report to Friends on the legislative accomplishments of our bipartisan Quakerly lobbying. We are positively surprised and elated by the effective influence that our faith-based IFCL organization has been able to have at the Statehouse - both in terms of substantive impact on legislation, and in terms of building personal relationships and mutual respect with lawmakers (on both sides of the aisle) that should pay rich dividends for years to come.  Indeed, lawmakers (up to and including the Governor) have sought us for conversations and advice.  We want to share IFCL's good news with you, and to thank you for your interest and support of IFCL - now flourishing in its 46th year.  To read the legislative summaries, visit http://www.quakerifcl.org/legislativenews.htm

The First Friends Meeting Library Catalog is now accessible through the Meeting webpage. Go to indyfriends.org then click on attenders. Once there click on library. You have now entered the Library Catalog. It is searchable by author, title and tag. Tags include, history, worship, sermons, autobiography, biography, youth collection, spirituality, and missionaries. To check out materials come to the library and complete the charge out sheet. At a later time, if demand warrants it, the checkout process will be automated as well.

Shalom Zone Garage Sale ~ On Saturday, June 3, from 8:00 am to noon (set up beginning at 7 am) the Shalom Zone churches (Cross and Crown, Allisonville Christian, Epworth, First Friends and St. Pius X) will be sponsoring "garage sale" and “craft sale” opportunities for individuals in the Cross and Crown parking lot at 79th and Allisonville Road. You will be able to reserve a space for $10 in advance ($15 day of sale). The rest is up to you - bring your own table or use the trunk of your car. You get to keep whatever you earn.  The adjoining neighborhood of Ivy Hills will have its annual garage sale the same day so there should be no shortage of folks looking for a deal.  The Shalom Zone will donate the reservation fees to School on Wheels, a voluntary program which tutors homeless children throughout Marion County.  For more information or to reserve a space contact the office.

SCHOOL ON WHEELS ~ The School on Wheels (which provides tutoring help for homeless children) is, once again, sponsoring the Run 317 through Broad Ripple on Thursday, June 15 and needs the help of over 100 volunteers.  Details for the volunteer positions as well as signup can be found here:
https://raceroster.com/events/2017/11126/broad-ripple-run317.  Thanks for your consideration.  

Rise Up – A Youth Empowerment Summit – This summer Peace Learning Center will be hosting the Youth Empowerment Summit, Rise up! It is free and open to ages 8-12. Because it is free it does fill up quickly, interested individuals and groups are encouraged to register in a timely fashion! Breakout sessions will include peer norming & bullying, upstander skills, restorative practices, and peer meditation. Along with all the learning that takes place it is very neat for students to be able to enjoy a catered meal through the Rathskeller Restaurant! For more information and to register, visit https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ee4fbw7af533bd80&oseq=&c=&ch

SAWS ~ The Shalom Zone has scheduled a SAWS build for Saturday morning, June 24, 2017.  SAWS (Servants At Work) is an all-volunteer organization that designs and builds (with YOUR help) wheelchair ramps to homes for lower income individuals at no cost to such individuals.  No prior construction experience is necessary.  Details of exactly where and what time to meet on Jun-24 will be forthcoming.  In the meantime, if you would like to participate in this build (or any build in the future), you need to be registered with SAWS.  You can complete the volunteer form, located on the SAWS website (www.sawsramps.org).  When registering, please indicate that you are with Shalom Zone and would like to do builds in Marion and surrounding counties.  Those who have previously registered need not register again.  Children under 16 are welcome but need to be accompanied by a parent.  We need to know who is available to help with the June 24 build.  If you are available to help on the morning of June 24, please notify the office as soon as possible so we can coordinate the Shalom Zone team.  If enough folks are available, we could form 2 or more teams and build multiple ramps at different locations.  Please consider if you are able to help with this worthwhile cause.

AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project) Indiana is planning a Community Basic Workshop to be held in Indianapolis. It will be at West Newton Friends Meeting (6800 S. Mooresville Rd.) on Saturday and Sunday, August 26-27. They will meet from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm both days. Lunch and dinner will be provided. They are using a sliding fee scale to cover food and expenses of the workshop: $10 to $40, depending on your financial means. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. AVP seeks to help those interested in learning new and creative ways to respond to conflict in personal relationships and groups. The workshops use the shared experience of participants, interactive exercises, games and role-plays to examine the ways in which we respond to situations where injustice, prejudice, frustrations and anger can lead to aggressive behavior and violence. The training is highly experiential and fun, with participants choosing many of the ways in which the exercises and skill-learning occurs. For more information and to register, visit their website at www.avpindiana.org/registration. Please register by August 18. 

May 10, 2017

As Way Opens

I attended an inspiring Carrie Newcomer concert last Saturday evening.  I went with three dear women from First Friends (Ruth Kelly, Kathy Rhyne and Kristyn Greenawald) and was invited to take advantage of an unexpected ticket to this sold out show. This concert was what my heart needed.  Her first song, I Heard an Owl, was powerful for me and I had tears streaming down my face listening to the words.  (here is a youtube video with the lyrics - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8WC2Y3CS8Y). Don’t tell me hate is ever right or God’s will. These are the wheels we have put in motion ourselves. The only peace this world will know can only come from love. 

I purchased a book of her poems and essays that evening.  I shared this on Sunday and it is worthy of having it in writing for all of us:

Showing Up

You

Are holy

And sacred

And utterly unique.

There are gifts you were born to give.

Songs you were born to sing.

Stories you were born to tell.

And if you do not give it,

The world will simply lose it.

It is yours alone to offer,

No one can give it for you.

And dearest,

Listen, because this is important,

This wounded world

Needs all the songs we can pull from the air,

Every story that helps us to remember.

It needs every single gift,

Large and small.

And yes,

Dearest,

This grateful world does rejoice

Every courageous time

We are true to ourselves and to our gifts.

And so it is,

Dear heart,

We embrace the song

And the story

And all our gifts

Because the world has such great need

And because the world exceedingly rejoices

And because there is no sadder thing

Than to leave this world

Having never really shown up.

         ~Carrie Newcomer

Beth

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Joys & Concerns

Many thanks to our food pantry volunteers - Volunteers at the last pantry visit were as follows:  Ray G, Kathy and Bill F, Phil K, Jim K, and Carol and Jim D.

We are thankful for a gift from the Emmett Lamb family, an Elizabeth Fry print from the Amboy Church. Also, thank you to Clarence and Judy D for bringing it to the Meeting. It was in Judy’s grandmother’s possession in Amboy but might have come through Olive Lamb, another Amboy Lamb cousin.  It eventually made its way to the home of Judy’s sister, who sadly died 3 years ago in Valparaiso. Thank you to everyone who was involved in bringing it to our Meeting!

The Garden Committee would like to thank Sam R and Gabe for planning and delivering a new raised garden bed, and to Gabe again for building it. They would also like to thank all who helped with the garden cleanup and those who have been attending the garden committee’s meetings. Please also be sure to save your eggshells, teabags, and coffee grounds for compost!

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

The First Friends Meeting Library Catalog is now accessible through the Meeting webpage. Go to indyfriends.org then click on attenders. Once there click on library. You have now entered the Library Catalog. It is searchable by author, title and tag. Tags include, history, worship, sermons, autobiography, biography, youth collection, spirituality, and missionaries. To check out materials come to the library and complete the charge out sheet. At a later time, if demand warrants it, the checkout process will be automated as well.

Transplanting Demonstration and Open House ~ All are welcome to a transplanting demonstration and open house on Thursday, May 11th, 12:30-1:30pm. Learn from the specialists of the Marion County Soil & Water Conservation District as well as Indy Urban Acres. Topics include learning to transplant vegetable starts into mulched raised beds, and trying out interseeding techniques to plant cover crop seeds along with veggie transplants. This event is open to the public! Held at Indy Urban Acres, 7700 E 21st Street, Indianapolis. For questions, contact Kevin Allison at kevin-allison@iaswcd.org.

We welcome Ethel McCane and Eunice Trotter to Meeting for Worship on May 21st to provide a lecture and reenactment of Mary Bateman Clark’s life.  Mary Bateman Clark was born a slave in Kentucky and brought to Indiana where she sued one of the most significant leaders in the Old Northwest Territory in the early 1800s.  Her lawsuit, seeking her freedom from an indentured servitude contract, was filed in 1821 in the Knox County Circuit Court in Vincennes, IN.  She lost, but appealed to the Indiana Supreme Court at Corydon and won the precedent-setting case affirming Indiana’s legal standing on the issues of slavery and indentured servitude.  Her case helped stop slavery, under the guise of indentured servitude, from becoming acceptable in Indiana.  Ethel and Eunice are her great, great, great granddaughters and have made this presentation to many groups and churches and had a video made for public television.

Sunday, May 21st will also be a notable Sunday as it will be the last day of Sunday School, as well as the day we will honor high school and college graduate students, as well as our Sunday school teachers and children’s worship leaders. Please join us.

WYM Pastoral Ministry Excellence Project ~ This is a Western Yearly Meeting (“WYM”) project that helps support currently active WYM pastors with health care funding, retirement funding, and financial education. This project has helped Ruthie Tippin (former pastor at First Friends) as well as Beth Henricks who currently serves as interim pastor at First Friends.  Our incoming pastor, Bob Henry, should also benefit from this fund.  WYM needs your help to complete its fundraising goal of $100,000 by December 31, 2018.  Presently, WYM needs about $12,000 to achieve its goal.  First Friends’ pastors have typically each received several thousand dollars of assistance from this fund each year.  The goal of WYM is to create an endowment to support these needs of pastors into the future.  Your gift would certainly be appreciated by WYM and also by the pastors at First Friends.  Checks can be sent to the First Friends’ office with a notation that the check is for the Pastoral Ministry Excellence (“PME”) Project.  Thanks for your consideration of support for this project.

You’re Invited to the Wedding! Carrie S & Shawn H are extending an open invitation to the meeting for their wedding. It is being held Saturday, May 20 at 10:30am in the Meditational Woods, with brunch immediately following in Fellowship Hall (in case of inclement weather, the ceremony will also be held in Fellowship Hall). Dress casually and comfortably according to your delight. If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP to the office by May 13.

First Friends Library Book Sale ~ For the past several months the First Friends Meeting Library Committee has been removing library materials from the Library as per the guidelines given the committee last year by the Ministry and Counsel Committee.

The next sale date is Sunday May 21 during the Fellowship Hour. Materials will cost $2.00 for Quaker books and $1.00 for non-Quaker books. Proceeds from the sale will enable the purchase of new materials for the Library.

The committee recognizes that some of the material discarded from the collection due to condition, not meeting Ministry and Counsel Committee guidelines, or being duplicate copies in poor condition, will have donation information. The committee understands the sensitive nature of this material and suggests that members purchase such material for their home collections where the recognition may continue to be of personal value.

An Opportunity to Support Changing Footprints: Changing Footprints, a local nonprofit group that collects gently used shoes for those less fortunate, has applied for a grant sponsored by Gannett (owner of USA Today and The Indy Star).  Could you please help us get the votes we need?  Just do this (you can vote every day through May 12):

1.  Use Google and type in act.usatoday.com. 
2.  Click on A Community Thrives-USA Today, then click on Vote Now. 
3.  Find our entry by clicking on the magnifying glass, then type Changing Footprints next to the magnifying glass. 
4.  Click on the “Vote” button on our entry page, and fill out the required information.

We appreciate the past support you have given Changing Footprints.  Please continue to donate the footwear you no longer need in our Donation Station bin in the corner of Fellowship Hall!  Thanks!

Shalom Zone Garage Sale ~ On Saturday, June 3, from 8:00 am to noon (set up beginning at 7 am) the Shalom Zone churches (Cross and Crown, Allisonville Christian, Epworth, First Friends and St. Pius X) will be sponsoring "garage sale" and “craft sale” opportunities for individuals in the Cross and Crown parking lot at 79th and Allisonville Road. You will be able to reserve a space for $10 in advance ($15 day of sale). The rest is up to you - bring your own table or use the trunk of your car. You get to keep whatever you earn.  The adjoining neighborhood of Ivy Hills will have its annual garage sale the same day so there should be no shortage of folks looking for a deal.  The Shalom Zone will donate the reservation fees to School on Wheels, a voluntary program which tutors homeless children throughout Marion County.  For more information or to reserve a space contact the office.

SCHOOL ON WHEELS ~ The School on Wheels (which provides tutoring help for homeless children) is, once again, sponsoring the Run 317 through Broad Ripple on Thursday, June 15 and needs the help of over 100 volunteers.  Details for the volunteer positions as well as signup can be found here:
https://raceroster.com/events/2017/11126/broad-ripple-run317.  Thanks for your consideration.  

Local Gardening Guide Now Available! Thanks to Rebecca and the garden co-chairs and others who have helped make a gardening guide available to us. This guide has gardening information specific to central Indiana! Members and attenders can find a copy of this guide in the shed behind the meetinghouse and also in the donation station in fellowship hall.

SAWS ~ The Shalom Zone has scheduled a SAWS build for Saturday morning, June 24, 2017.  SAWS (Servants At Work) is an all-volunteer organization that designs and builds (with YOUR help) wheelchair ramps to homes for lower income individuals at no cost to such individuals.  No prior construction experience is necessary.  Details of exactly where and what time to meet on Jun-24 will be forthcoming.  In the meantime, if you would like to participate in this build (or any build in the future), you need to be registered with SAWS.  You can complete the volunteer form, located on the SAWS website (www.sawsramps.org).  When registering, please indicate that you are with Shalom Zone and would like to do builds in Marion and surrounding counties.  Those who have previously registered need not register again.  Children under 16 are welcome but need to be accompanied by a parent.  We need to know who is available to help with the June 24 build.  If you are available to help on the morning of June 24, please notify the office as soon as possible so we can coordinate the Shalom Zone team.  If enough folks are available, we could form 2 or more teams and build multiple ramps at different locations.  Please consider if you are able to help with this worthwhile cause.

AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project) Indiana is planning a Community Basic Workshop to be held in Indianapolis. It will be at West Newton Friends Meeting (6800 S. Mooresville Rd.) on Saturday and Sunday, August 26-27. They will meet from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm both days. Lunch and dinner will be provided. They are using a sliding fee scale to cover food and expenses of the workshop: $10 to $40, depending on your financial means. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. AVP seeks to help those interested in learning new and creative ways to respond to conflict in personal relationships and groups. The workshops use the shared experience of participants, interactive exercises, games and role-plays to examine the ways in which we respond to situations where injustice, prejudice, frustrations and anger can lead to aggressive behavior and violence. The training is highly experiential and fun, with participants choosing many of the ways in which the exercises and skill-learning occurs. For more information and to register, visit their website at www.avpindiana.org/registration. Please register by August 18. 

May 3, 2017

As Way Opens

I was reading one of my favorite Quaker authors, Rufus Jones this week and his words were an encouragement to me to be more childlike in how I view the world.   I watch our kids each Sunday and they always inspire me with their sense of wonder, mystery and insight.  May we all be more aware of our child within as we approach the mystery of God and each other.

“I am convinced by my own life and by wide observation of children that mystical experience is much more common than is usually supposed.  Children are not so absorbed as we are with things and with problems.  They are not so completely organized for dealing with the outside world as we older persons are.  They do not live by cut-and-dried theories.  They have more room for surprise and wonder.  They are more sensitive to intimations, flashes, openings.  The invisible impinges on their souls and they feel its reality as something quite natural. The poet William Wordsworth was no doubt a rare and unusual child, but many a boy, who was never to be a poet, has felt as he did.  “I was often unable,” he says, in the preface to his great Ode, “to think of external things as having external existence, and I communed with all that I saw as something not apart from, but inherent in, my own immaterial nature.  Many times while going to school have I grasped at a wall or tree to recall myself from this abyss of idealism to the reality.”  The world within is just as real as the world without until events force us to become mainly occupied with the outside one.”   Rufus Jones

Beth

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Please be advised that because the parlor will be in use by another group, Wednesday Night Worship tonight, May 3rd will instead be held in the Seeking Friends room.

The sign-up sheet for special Summer Music is now on the bulletin board in the hallway. Please sign-up to share your music with us.

Morning Messages available online! For those who enjoyed Bruce Birchard’s message on April 23rd, it’s available online! You can find it, along with previous morning messages, on our website at https://www.indyfriends.org/sunday-morning-messages/.

First Friends Courtyard ~ Thank you to everyone who helped plant the Easter flowers! More work is always needed to maintain the courtyards. We welcome all who’d like to help to do so. Before you start, please be sure to coordinate with Terry T., who is knowledgeable on the layout, content, and interactivity of plants in the courtyard and around the building. Thank you!

WYM Pastoral Ministry Excellence Project ~ This is a Western Yearly Meeting (“WYM”) project that helps support currently active WYM pastors with health care funding, retirement funding, and financial education. This project has helped Ruthie Tippin (former pastor at First Friends) as well as Beth Henricks who currently serves as interim pastor at First Friends.  Our incoming pastor, Bob Henry, should also benefit from this fund.  WYM needs your help to complete its fundraising goal of $100,000 by December 31, 2018.  Presently, WYM needs about $12,000 to achieve its goal.  First Friends’ pastors have typically each received several thousand dollars of assistance from this fund each year.  The goal of WYM is to create an endowment to support these needs of pastors into the future.  Your gift would certainly be appreciated by WYM and also by the pastors at First Friends.  Checks can be sent to the First Friends’ office with a notation that the check is for the Pastoral Ministry Excellence (“PME”) Project.  Thanks for your consideration of support for this project.

First Friends Library Book Sale ~ For the past several months the First Friends Meeting Library Committee has been removing library materials from the Library as per the guidelines given the committee last year by the Ministry and Counsel Committee.

The sale was cancelled last Sunday, April 30, so sale dates will now be held on Sundays May 7 and 21 during the Fellowship Hour. Materials will cost $2.00 for Quaker books and $1.00 for non-Quaker books. Proceeds from the sale will enable the purchase of new materials for the Library.

The committee recognizes that some of the material discarded from the collection due to condition, not meeting Ministry and Counsel Committee guidelines, or being duplicate copies in poor condition, will have donation information. The committee understands the sensitive nature of this material and suggests that members purchase such material for their home collections where the recognition may continue to be of personal value.

Community Soup ~ Witness & Service will host the next Community Soup this Thursday, May 4, from 5:30 pm – 7 pm.  Please note that again we are hosting on a Thursday instead of Friday. Everyone is invited to this very informal dinner.  Soups and/or salads are welcome but not necessary.  Our motto is: No cooking, no cleanup, no cost! Hope to see you there.

You’re Invited to the Wedding! Carrie S & Shawn H are extending an open invitation to the meeting for their wedding. It is being held Saturday, May 20 at 10:30am in the Meditational Woods, with brunch immediately following in Fellowship Hall (in case of inclement weather, the ceremony will also be held in Fellowship Hall). Dress casually and comfortably according to your delight. If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP to the office by May 13.

An Opportunity to Support Changing Footprints: Changing Footprints, a local nonprofit group that collects gently used shoes for those less fortunate, has applied for a grant sponsored by Gannett (owner of USA Today and The Indy Star).  Could you please help us get the votes we need?  Just do this (you can vote every day through May 12):

1.  Use Google and type in act.usatoday.com. 
2.  Click on A Community Thrives-USA Today, then click on Vote Now. 
3.  Find our entry by clicking on the magnifying glass, then type Changing Footprints next to the magnifying glass. 
4.  Click on the “Vote” button on our entry page, and fill out the required information.

We appreciate the past support you have given Changing Footprints.  Please continue to donate the footwear you no longer need in our Donation Station bin in the corner of Fellowship Hall!  Thanks!

SCHOOL ON WHEELS ~ The School on Wheels (which provides tutoring help for homeless children) is, once again, sponsoring the Run 317 through Broad Ripple on Thursday, Jun-15 and needs the help of over 100 volunteers.  Details for the volunteer positions as well as signup can be found here:
https://raceroster.com/events/2017/11126/broad-ripple-run317.  Thanks for your consideration.  

Local Gardening Guide Now Available! Thanks to Rebecca and the garden co-chairs and others who have helped make a gardening guide available to us. This guide has gardening information specific to central Indiana! Members and attenders can find a copy of this guide in the shed behind the meetinghouse and also in the donation station in fellowship hall.

SAWS ~ The Shalom Zone has scheduled a SAWS build for Saturday morning, June 24, 2017.  SAWS (Servants At Work) is an all-volunteer organization that designs and builds (with YOUR help) wheelchair ramps to homes for lower income individuals at no cost to such individuals.  No prior construction experience is necessary.  Details of exactly where and what time to meet on Jun-24 will be forthcoming.  In the meantime, if you would like to participate in this build (or any build in the future), you need to be registered with SAWS.  You can complete the volunteer form, located on the SAWS website (www.sawsramps.org).  When registering, please indicate that you are with Shalom Zone and would like to do builds in Marion and surrounding counties.  Those who have previously registered need not register again.  Children under 16 are welcome but need to be accompanied by a parent.  We need to know who is available to help with the June 24 build.  If you are available to help on the morning of June 24, please notify the office as soon as possible so we can coordinate the Shalom Zone team.  If enough folks are available, we could form 2 or more teams and build multiple ramps at different locations.  Please consider if you are able to help with this worthwhile cause.

April 26, 2017

As Way Opens

As an alumni of Taylor University, I receive their quarterly magazine and the latest issue had a wonderful article about living out convicted civility in our local community after such a divisive election.  The article was a summary of a lecture that J.R. Briggs, pastor, author and speaker from Philadelphia gave to the students in chapel last fall.  I am including some excerpts from this because I felt it speaking to me and I hope to all of you.

Our most recent presidential election has bruised just about everyone in its aftermath.  We have passed through one of the most divisive election years in modern American history and we need to ask ourselves as Christians how can we move forward with faith, hope and love.  The phrase Convicted Civility popularized by Christian thinkers, Martin Marty and Richard Mow, captures the heart of the Christian posture of faithful presence in our world today.

While the scriptures help guide our lives, they are not a step-by-step paint-by number quick-reference almanac to guide our everyday decisions.  We must pray for equal measures of wisdom and courage.  As the Apostle Paul points out in Galatians 5, kindness and self-control are fruits of the Spirit.  C.S. Lewis wrote that “Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.  When understood properly, other people should be able to look at you after a discussion, debate or disagreement and say, I adamantly disagree with you, but I am deeply grateful that you have respected me through the process"  

Unfortunately, we live in a culture that preys upon people’s fears.  The political machine thrives on making people scared, and when we are fearful and feel unsafe, we can become unkind.  Yes, there are issues, wars, poverty, racism and other complex situations that require attention, concern and care, but we do not need to be afraid.  Christians are called to be more than civil - we should be known by our love, kindness, humility and compassion.  Jesus said it’s easy to love those like us.  But what really matters is how we treat others who aren’t like us at all.  This is the way in which we will be known.   True Biblical community is not the absence of conflict; it is the presence of Jesus in the midst of the conflict.  In this time in our nation’s history, one of the most counter-cultural ways a follower of Jesus can live is to humanize those who are different than you.  We must bring a humility and dignity to our conversations with others.  This is our call as Christians in this world.

 Beth

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Joys & Concerns

A BIG Thanks to our food pantry volunteers last week: Kathy and Bill F; Jim K; Phil K; Sarah R; Carol and Jim D.  15 lbs of food were delivered.  Very busy....101 families were served.

First Friends hosted the 50th anniversary jubilee celebration of Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) last Saturday evening.  Over 50 people joined together for a delicious meal with foods representing India, Kenya and Sierra Leone and heard the general secretary Jackie Stilwell share about some of her experiences as well as Colin Saxton.  It was a wonderful evening of fellowship and sharing as we all reflected on the abundance of resources that we share here in the US and how we might positively impact women in these countries through RSWR.

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Please be advised that because the parlor will be in use by another group, Wednesday Night Worship on May 3rd will instead be held in the Seeking Friends room.

Connor Prairie Youth Trip ~ Our youth will be going to Connor Prairie this Friday evening, April 28, for follow the North Star, a participatory experience in which attendees travel back to the year 1836 and assume the role of fugitive slaves that are seeking freedom on the Underground Railroad through Indiana.  We have 5 extra tickets and would love to have others join us this evening.  We will leave at 6:45 from the Meeting and return around 10:00.  Please let Beth know if you would like to use one of these free tickets.

Citizen Lobbyist Training April 29 ~ IFCL is hosting a citizen lobbyist training event on Saturday, April 29 at First Friends in Fellowship Hall, 11am-1:30pm. If you would like to attend please contact the office. The training session and lunch are free but you will need to contact Bill to reserve a spot.

Garden Plots Still Available! Nancy Scott and Sam Ryan want to thank all of the gardeners and helpers who came out last weekend to help fix up the community garden! We've made great progress! A few garden plots are still up for grabs. Contact the office NO LATER THAN SUNDAY APRIL 30TH if you would like a garden plot.

First Friends Library Book Sale ~ For the past several months the First Friends Meeting Library Committee has been removing library materials from the Library as per the guidelines given the committee last year by the Ministry and Counsel Committee.

The sale will be held on Sundays April 30 and May 7 during the Fellowship Hour. Materials will cost $2.00 for Quaker books and $1.00 for non-Quaker books. Proceeds from the sale will enable the purchase of new materials for the Library.

The committee recognizes that some of the material discarded from the collection due to condition, not meeting Ministry and Counsel Committee guidelines, or being duplicate copies in poor condition, will have donation information. The committee understands the sensitive nature of this material and suggests that members purchase such material for their home collections where the recognition may continue to be of personal value.

Community Soup ~ Witness & Service will host the next Community Soup on Thursday, May 4, from 5:30 pm – 7 pm.  Please note that again we are hosting on a Thursday instead of Friday. Everyone is invited to this very informal dinner.  Soups and/or salads are welcome but not necessary.  Our motto is: No cooking, no cleanup, no cost! Hope to see you there.

You’re Invited to the Wedding! Carrie S & Shawn H are extending an open invitation to the meeting for their wedding. It is being held Saturday, May 20 at 10:30am in the Meditational Woods, with brunch immediately following in Fellowship Hall (in case of inclement weather, the ceremony will also be held in Fellowship Hall). Dress casually and comfortably according to your delight. If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP to the office by May 13.

We are excited to welcome Bob Henry, his wife, Sue, and their three sons to First Friends! Bob will begin serving as our Pastor the first week of July. After much consideration, our Pastoral Search Committee, Ministry & Counsel, Clerks' Council, and Monthly Meeting were pleased to extend the call to Bob, who has over twenty years of experience in various ministries, and has most recently served as the Pastor at Silverton (OR) Friends Meeting. Please keep his family in your prayers as they head (back) to the Midwest, and look out for your invitation to a Welcome Picnic for the entire Henry family later this summer!

Furniture for sale! Ruthie left some furniture to the meeting that is for sale. We still have the oak bookcase available; it’s currently on display in the office hallway. It is 7ft x 3ft x 1ft, selling for $50 or best offer. If you’re interested in purchasing, please contact the office. The purchase price will be donated to First Friends.

An Opportunity to Support Changing Footprints: Changing Footprints, a local nonprofit group that collects gently used shoes for those less fortunate, has applied for a grant sponsored by Gannett (owner of USA Today and The Indy Star).  Could you please help us get the votes we need?  Just do this (you can vote every day through May 12):

1.  Use Google and type in act.usatoday.com. 
2.  Click on A Community Thrives-USA Today, then click on Vote Now. 
3.  Find our entry by clicking on the magnifying glass, then type Changing Footprints next to the magnifying glass. 
4.  Click on the “Vote” button on our entry page, and fill out the required information.

We appreciate the past support you have given Changing Footprints.  Please continue to donate the footwear you no longer need in our Donation Station bin in the corner of Fellowship Hall!  Thanks!

April 19, 2017

As Way Opens

My mind and heart have been heavy as I wrote these words yesterday on April 18th as it was one year ago that I lost my husband Jerry to a six-year journey of Alzheimer’s.   The year since his death has been filled with so many moments of joy and sorrow.  I can’t express to all of you the importance of this faith community in my grieving process and healing.  You have shown me love, grace, care and compassion and I will be eternally grateful for how you surrounded me with your presence in so many tangible ways.

Part of my sorrow this year has been the experience of trying to sell the home that Jerry and I built 20 years ago and raised our son Greg in as we moved there when he was two.  I have had two buyers back out of offers for the house and it’s been on the market for quite some time.  With these negative experiences, I had come to resent the house and felt hatred to an asset that it seemed like no one wanted.  The house was interlinked with the pain of watching Jerry decline and I felt like I didn’t want to step foot into it again.  

I decided I had to go there last Friday morning and check things out as this is the prime time to sell one’s home.  I pulled into the driveway and saw the beauty of early flowers and flowering tress throughout the grounds.  There were lots of weeds to pull and I got to work digging out weeds and trimming things. I worked up a sweat and felt some satisfaction from my work.  I sat on the front porch of the house and for the next hour I remembered the big events and the everyday ordinary events that happened in our home.  We had amazing neighbors with kids our age that could play in our cul de sac with everyone watching out for each other.  I sat there and thought about the incredible experiences that Jerry, Greg and I had in that home.  I was breathing in the experience of the beauty of creation in and around the home.  I felt a love and connection to the home that I had pushed away. And I was remembering Jerry without dementia and the life we had together.

Friends, sometimes when things seem out of control we just need to go pull weeds.  And we need to sit silently and remember God’s love and care and reflect on the goodness of our lives. 

Beth

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Joys & Concerns

Elena J. recently won second place in the chess club competition at her school. Elena is in third grade and we are so proud of her. Great job, Elena!

Thanks to Susan R. and the Fellowship Committee for creating a festive atmosphere and providing a wonderful brunch for all to share this past Easter.  This group helps generate our sense of community and fellowship throughout the year.

Our youth leader, Ben Wertz created Something Story, a music and multimedia project that he has been working on for a while. It's a story about finding home in a friend and the journey back from heartache. Hfell in love with the creative process and made an artifact to encapsulate his experience. He is releasing this project in four phases, CHAPTER ONE was released on April 10th. CHAPTER ONE is love. It's the euphoric warmth that comes with finding yourself in someone else. It's an homage to the moments when your dreams feel real and you have someone to share them with. Enjoy. Somethingstories.com. CHAPTER TWO will be available Monday, April 24th.

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

We are excited to welcome Bob Henry, his wife, Sue, and their three sons to First Friends! Bob will begin serving as our Pastor the first week of July. After much consideration, our Pastoral Search Committee, Ministry & Counsel, Clerks' Council, and Monthly Meeting were pleased to extend the call to Bob, who has over twenty years of experience in various ministries, and has most recently served as the Pastor at Silverton (OR) Friends Meeting. Please keep his family in your prayers as they head (back) to the Midwest, and look out for your invitation to a Welcome Picnic for the entire Henry family later this summer!

Please note that Monthly Meeting to Conduct Business will be this Sunday, April 23 after worship. As always, all are welcome to attend.

Please be advised that the Meridian Street Preschool Co-op’s annual rummage sale this year has been cancelled due to low vendor interest.

Requiem Choir Performance ~ The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Indianapolis Symphonic Choir are performing Brahms' Requiem Friday at 8 and Saturday 5:30. Bill P. and Dan R. sing in the choir. If not involved with Right Sharing, Friends would find this a meaningful performance and message of hope. 

You’re invited to RSWR’s anniversary jubilee!! You are invited to join others in the 50th anniversary celebration of Right Sharing of World Resources this Saturday, April 22nd (please note the corrected date) at First Friends at 5:00 p.m.  Dinner will be provided and you will hear about the exciting work of the organization and its future.  Colin Saxton will give a message that evening.  Please let Beth know if you can attend.

The Meditational Woods Committee is meeting Saturday, April 22 to tackle the invasive euonymus (winter creeper) and honeysuckle. Winter creeper is an invasive ground cover that smothers the native wildflowers that we are trying to restore to the landscape. Come join us from 9- 12 noon or any time you have to share. Contact Mary or Mindy for questions.

Community Garden Work Day ~ The community garden will have a community work day to prepare for spring time. We will meet and work Saturday, April 22nd from 1-5 pm. We will rebuild some boxes in need of repair and weeding. We will finish up our work Sunday, April 23rd from 1-3 pm. Please join us! Also if you had a garden bed last year but are not interested in having a garden bed this year please clean your garden bed and/or join us for the work day on 4/22/17. If you are interested in having a garden plot or attending the garden day please contact the office.

Shalom Zone - Love Your Block Community Clean-Up ~ On Saturday, April 22, in conjunction with the IMPD and area churches and community groups, Shalom Zone will participate in the "Love Your Block Community Clean Up Day". This is a wonderful opportunity to go out into the community and work side by side with both residents and other groups, to help make a difference, one neighborhood at a time. Volunteers will assemble at 8:30 am that morning at the Avondale Meadows YMCA at 3908 Meadows Drive, and clean-up will last until about noon. If you’re interested, please sign up online at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f094facaa22a75-love.

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead will be held Tuesday April 25th at 7 pm in the Parlor. All are welcome! Carolyn T. will be leading the discussion.  If you'd like to read ahead for next month, the May 30th title will be: Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Asian.

Furniture for sale! Ruthie left some furniture to the meeting that is for sale. In the office hallway you’ll find a beautiful oak bookcase, 7ft x 3ft x 1ft, selling for $50 or best offer. In fellowship hall you’ll see a lovely wooden desk, approx. 3.25ft x 2ft x 2.5ft tall, $50 or best offer. It’s an antique arts & crafts desk, handmade in 1916. It can be used as a desk, side table, TV stand, etc. If you’re interested in purchasing either of these items, please contact the office. The purchase price will be donated to First Friends.

First Friends Library Book Sale ~ For the past several months the First Friends Meeting Library Committee has been removing library materials from the Library as per the guidelines given the committee last year by the Ministry and Counsel Committee.

The sale will be held on Sundays April 30 and May 7 during the Fellowship Hour. Materials will cost $2.00 for Quaker books and $1.00 for non-Quaker books. Proceeds from the sale will enable the purchase of new materials for the Library.

The committee recognizes that some of the material discarded from the collection due to condition, not meeting Ministry and Counsel Committee guidelines, or being duplicate copies in poor condition, will have donation information. The committee understands the sensitive nature of this material and suggests that members purchase such material for their home collections where the recognition may continue to be of personal value.

An Opportunity to Support Changing Footprints: Changing Footprints, a local nonprofit group that collects gently used shoes for those less fortunate, has applied for a grant sponsored by Gannett (owner of USA Today and The Indy Star).  Could you please help us get the votes we need?  Just do this (you can vote every day through May 12):

1.  Use Google and type in act.usatoday.com. 

2.  Click on A Community Thrives-USA Today, then click on Vote Now. 

3.  Find our entry by clicking on the magnifying glass, then type Changing Footprints next to the magnifying glass. 

4.  Click on the “Vote” button on our entry page, and fill out the required information.

We appreciate the past support you have given Changing Footprints.  Please continue to donate the footwear you no longer need in our Donation Station bin in the corner of Fellowship Hall!  Thanks!

Our building is available for rent! Did you know that you can rent rooms at First Friends Meeting for your own events? Besides weddings, our building has been rented for meetings, seminars, performances, and more! Fellowship hall is great for large groups and presentations. The Parlor and other rooms can also be rented for smaller groups as well. There are discounted rates available for members! If you’re interested in booking our space, please contact the office.

April 12, 2017

As Way Opens

Matthew 5:44 - Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you……

Henri J.M. Nouwen Daily Lenten Devotions

What my enemy deserves is not my anger, rejection, resentment or disdain, but my love.  Spiritual guides throughout history have said that love for the enemy is the cornerstone of the message of Jesus and the core of holiness.  For us fearful people, loving our enemy is the greatest challenge, because our fears make us divide the world between people who are for us and people who are against us, people to love and people to hate, friends and enemies.

All these distinctions are based on the illusion that others decide who we are and that our very being depends on their words, thoughts and actions.  Loving our enemy thus compels us to unmask this illusion by acting according to the knowledge that God loves all human persons regardless of their sex, religion, race, color, nationality, age or intelligence - with the same bold, unconditional love.

When I am in the grip of my deepest fear and doubt, dear Jesus, show me how to love my enemies.

Beth

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Join us for our Easter Sunday Celebrations!
10:15 Meeting for Worship, message from Beth Henricks
Children’s Easter Egg Hunt after the Children’s Message
Easter Brunch following Worship

Please note that due to Easter, we are moving Monthly Meeting to Conduct Business to Sunday, April 23 after worship. As always, all are welcome to attend.

The Pastoral Search Committee invites you to contemplate and provide feedback on the following query this week: In your opinion, what else should we consider? Please provide your thoughts on the query (or past queries, or any other feedback on the search process) to the office at office@indyfriends.org or (317) 255-2485.   

Our own Dan Lee has written an article for Friends Journal about the incredible exhibit that Nichole Matthews put together from art work from German children after World War I.  The exhibit is called Giving Voice to Ghosts and features the drawings of German children receiving aid from the Quakers. An amazing history for us to continue to pursue today and tomorrow. You can read the article online here: https://www.friendsjournal.org/the-art-of-gratitude/

Eco-Film: ‘Bidder 70’ ~ The next eco-film will be shown on Friday evening, April 14 at 7 p.m. at First Friends.  The film is Bidder 70 which is a story of how a college student managed to win a federal auction of 22,000 acres of pristine Utah land which was intended to be used for mining.  But the student had other ideas for this land and was ultimately sentenced to two years in federal prison for his act of civil disobedience.

“The Gospel Mass” Good Friday Service ~ Irvington United Methodist Church invites you to a Good Friday service, April 14, 7:00pm, featuring ‘The Gospel Mass’ by Robert Ray. “VOCE” (of which Carolyn T. is a member) and “Sounding Joy” choirs will collaborate during the service. The traditional Mass is given a Gospel flavor by the composer. It features the choirs, soloist and a jazz combo of piano, bass and percussion. This event is free to the public. A free will offering will be taken. Located at 30 N. Audubon Rd, Indianapolis, 46219.

 Western Yearly Meeting is having its annual Spring Retreat at Quaker Haven Camp on April 28th-April 30th. This year’s retreat will be led by Joyce Shroeder, M.S.. She was the keynote speaker at the Earlham School of Religion Leadership Conference in both 2012 and 2015. In 2014, She was the Plenary Speaker at New York Yearly Meeting’s Summer Sessions. Working as a consultant, she has a masters degree in Organizational Development and Leadership. She has been a member of Purchase Friends Meeting (New York YM) for nearly 20 years. This year’s retreat theme is Flex Your Mind, Build Your Body. For more information or to register, please visit https://www.westernyearlymeeting.org/wymretreat or contact Della Stanley-Green (dellasgwym@gmail.com). The registration deadline is April 15. JUST A FEW DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER!!

College Care Packages ~ We ask for help to provide treats for our 10 college students as we will send a care box to our students as they prepare for finals.  Or let Beth know that you want to contribute money to provide treats. Please bring contributions in by April 18.

Poetry Group ~ Our next Poetry Group meeting will be on Tuesday, April 18th at 2:00 p.m. in the Parlor.  Carolyn G.  will present a program on Langston Hughes, poet, social activist, playwright, and columnist. A currently popular restaurant in downtown Washington D.C. "Busboys and Poets" serves great food and remembers Mr. Hughes.

You’re invited to RSWR’s anniversary jubilee!! You are invited to join others in the 50th anniversary celebration of Right Sharing of World Resources on April 23rd at First Friends at 5:00 p.m.  Dinner will be provided and you will hear about the exciting work of the organization and its future.  Colin Saxton will give a message that evening.  Please let Beth know if you can attend.

The Meditational Woods Committee is meeting Saturday, April 22 to tackle the invasive euonymus (winter creeper) and honeysuckle. Winter creeper is an invasive ground cover that smothers the native wildflowers that we are trying to restore to the landscape. Come join us from 9- 12 noon or any time you have to share. Contact Mary or Mindy for questions.

 Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead will be held Tuesday April 25th at 7 pm in the Parlor. All are welcome! Carolyn T.  will be leading the discussion.  If you'd like to read ahead for next month, the May 30th title will be: Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Asian.

Music Survey Results! We now have the results from the survey you filled out to help us find a new music director. The music committee is now in the process of writing up a job description. If you have any questions about this or know of anyone interested in the position, please contact me Mindy S or Carolyn T. To view the survey results, please visit https://goo.gl/cT4vFU.

 Please clean your garden plots! It’s that time of year! Things are starting to warm up and greenery is starting to bloom! Nancy S and Sam R, co-coordinators for the gardens, would like to remind everyone to please clean up your garden plots! Please contact the office if you are interested in continuing to keep your garden plot, or if you don’t currently have one and are interested in signing up!

Would you like to start to garden? Do you wish you had a green thumb? Do all your plants die? Try the City Gardener Program! Purdue Extension-Marion County is offering a series of classes for new or inexperienced gardeners, with a focus on gardening in urban areas. You’re welcome to come to any single classes or attend the entire series. Sessions are on Wednesdays, 6-8:30pm from March 22-April 26, Discovery Hall, Indiana State Fairgrounds. Fee is $5 per session or $20 for all 6 sessions. For more information, call 317-275-9286 or email: dschelsk@purdue.edu.

Our building is available for rent! Did you know that you can rent rooms at First Friends Meeting for your own events? Besides weddings, our building has been rented for meetings, seminars, performances, and more! Fellowship hall is great for large groups and presentations. The Parlor and other rooms can also be rented for smaller groups as well. There are discounted rates available for members! If you’re interested in booking our space, please contact the office.

April 5, 2017

As Way Opens

While we are in an interim period, some of our members will contribute to our publication. This poem comes to us from Linda L. Linda has enjoyed writing since 5th grade. Her first publications were during high school. Sometimes poems come easily, sometimes she hangs a poem on the refrigerator and revises it for weeks. Among mystics there is often a “holier than thou” problem; Fried Mystic offers an antidote.

Fried Mystic

In those days

I heard the planets sing,

I lived in the yolk

of the universe—

quivering, tender, raw—

formed yet fluid. I was

sunny side up,

perfect, and luminous

with Love,

smiling at everyone

in the manner

of a saint.

One day,

beyond the floodlight

of eternal oneness,

I saw the frying pan.

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

This Sunday we will be selling coffee, chocolate, and tea to support Youth Group! We hope to see you there!

Join us for our Easter Sunday Celebrations!
10:15 Meeting for Worship, message from Beth
Children’s Easter Egg Hunt after the Children’s Message
Easter Brunch following Worship

Please note that due to Easter, we are moving Monthly Meeting to Conduct Business to Sunday, April 23 after worship. As always, all are welcome to attend.

A Few Notes from the Office… During this time of transition the office will now be open from 9am-3pm Monday through Thursday. Please note that office staff will be unavailable on Tuesdays from 1:30-3:00pm for our weekly staff meeting. Also, to help things run smoothly during this time, we’d like to remind everyone that the deadline for Friend to Friend submissions is Tuesday, and the deadline for Bulletin announcements is Thursday! Thank you!

The Pastoral Search Committee invites you to contemplate and provide feedback on the following query this week: In your opinion, how can our new pastor best participate in Quaker activities beyond First Friends? Please provide your thoughts on the query (or past queries, or any other feedback on the search process) to the office at office@indyfriends.org or (317) 255-2485.   

Our own Dan Lee has written an article for Friends Journal about the incredible exhibit that Nichole Matthews put together from art work from German children after World War I.  The exhibit is called Giving Voice to Ghosts and features the drawings of German children receiving aid from the Quakers. An amazing history for us to continue to pursue today and tomorrow. You can read the article online here: https://www.friendsjournal.org/the-art-of-gratitude/

 ‘Disturbing the Peace’ Film Showing ~ All are invited to attend a film debut at West Newton today, April 5th.  DISTURBING THE PEACE, a film that follows former enemy combatants - Israeli soldiers from elite units and Palestinian fighters - who have joined together to challenge the status quo and say “enough." This film reveals their transformational journeys from soldiers committed to armed battle to nonviolent peace activists, leading to the creation of Combatants for Peace. It will be premiered at West Newton Friends Meeting 6800 S. Mooresville Rd. The evening will begin with a soup supper at 6 p.m. and then follow with film and discussion at 7:00 p.m. The film runs approximately 90 minutes. There is no charge for the film or the supper, but donations will be accepted to help pay for the food and film. A trailer for the film is available here: https://youtu.be/A95PDQWr4xs

Join us for Seasoned Friends luncheon and fellowship for all who are retired or of retirement age on Wednesday, April 12, 11:30-1:30. Lunch will consist of spring soup and tuna or egg salad sandwiches. Additional salads and desserts are welcome but not required. Afterward we will hear a presentation from the Marion County Public Health Department about Isolation & Seniors. Please contact the office if you’ll be able to join us. Hope to see you there!

Eco-Film: ‘Bidder 70’ ~ The next eco-film will be shown on Friday evening, April 14 at 7 p.m. at First Friends.  The film is Bidder 70 which is a story of how a college student managed to win a federal auction of 22,000 acres of pristine Utah land which was intended to be used for mining.  But the student had other ideas for this land and was ultimately sentenced to two years in federal prison for his act of civil disobedience.

“The Gospel Mass” Good Friday Service ~ Irvington United Methodist Church invites you to a Good Friday service, April 14, 7:00pm, featuring ‘The Gospel Mass’ by Robert Ray. “VOCE” (of which Carolyn T is a member) and “Sounding Joy” choirs will collaborate during the service. The traditional Mass is given a Gospel flavor by the composer. It features the choirs, soloist and a jazz combo of piano, bass and percussion. This event is free to the public. A free will offering will be taken. Located at 30 N. Audubon Rd, Indianapolis, 46219.

Easter Egg Hunt – Treats Needed! We are asking for contributions for our Easter Egg hunt on April 16th. Please consider bringing in treats and putting them in our basket in the front hallway.

College Care Packages ~ We ask for help to provide treats for our 10 college students as we will send a care box to our students as they prepare for finals.  Or let Beth know that you want to contribute money to provide treats. Please bring contributions in by April 18.

 Our next Poetry Group meeting will be on Tuesday, April 18th at 2:00 p.m. in the Parlor.  Carolyn G will present a program on Langston Hughes, poet, social activist, playwright, and columnist. A currently popular restaurant in downtown Washington D.C. "Busboys and Poets" serves great food and remembers Mr. Hughes.

 Western Yearly Meeting is having its annual Spring Retreat at Quaker Haven Camp on April 28th-April 30th. This year’s retreat will be led by Joyce Shroeder, M.S.. She was the keynote speaker at the Earlham School of Religion Leadership Conference in both 2012 and 2015. In 2014, She was the Plenary Speaker at New York Yearly Meeting’s Summer Sessions. Working as a consultant, she has a masters degree in Organizational Development and Leadership. She has been a member of Purchase Friends Meeting (New York YM) for nearly 20 years. This year’s retreat theme is Flex Your Mind, Build Your Body. For more information or to register, please visit https://www.westernyearlymeeting.org/wymretreat or contact Della Stanley-Green (dellasgwym@gmail.com). The registration deadline is April 15. JUST 10 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER!!

Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) board will be holding their semi-annual board meeting at First Friends from April 20th – 22nd.  Our Meeting approved hosting this Meeting with Quakers from around the country.

Beth (who serves on the board) needs a few people to bring in a pot of soup or salad on April 20th and 21st.  A sign up sheet is in the front hallway or contact Beth.

You’re also invited to RSWR’s anniversary jubilee!! You are invited to join others in the 50th anniversary celebration of Right Sharing of World Resources on April 23rd at First Friends at 5:00 p.m.  Dinner will be provided and you will hear about the exciting work of the organization and its future.  Colin Saxton will give a message that evening.  Please let Beth know if you can attend.

Music Survey Results! We now have the results from the survey you filled out to help us find a new music director. The music committee is now in the process of writing up a job description. If you have any questions about this or know of anyone interested in the position, please contact me Mindy S or Carolyn T. To view the survey results, please visit https://goo.gl/cT4vFU.

Please clean your garden plots! It’s that time of year! Things are starting to warm up and greenery is starting to bloom! Nancy S and Sam R, co-coordinators for the gardens, would like to remind everyone to please clean up your garden plots! Please contact the office if you are interested in continuing to keep your garden plot, or if you don’t currently have one and are interested in signing up!

Would you like to start to garden? Do you wish you had a green thumb? Do all your plants die? Try the City Gardener Program! Purdue Extension-Marion County is offering a series of classes for new or inexperienced gardeners, with a focus on gardening in urban areas. You’re welcome to come to any single classes or attend the entire series. Sessions are on Wednesdays, 6-8:30pm from March 22-April 26, Discovery Hall, Indiana State Fairgrounds. Fee is $5 per session or $20 for all 6 sessions. For more information, call 317-275-9286 or email: dschelsk@purdue.edu.

Church Ladies with Typewriters

They're Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank God for the church ladies with typewriters. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced at church services: 

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water. 'The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'

Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Next Thursday there will be try-outs for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

Pot-luck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.

The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

March 29, 2017

As Way Opens

What an incredible day we spent together this past Sunday!  Thank you all for sharing my last Sunday at First Friends with me – whether in presence or in spirit.  So many lovely expressions of love and kindness were shown, and I can’t thank you all enough.  The lovely choir piece at the opening of Meeting for Worship, the tender reading given as the Morning Meditation, the Children’s Message with hand-delivered notes from the heart, Shawn and the Men’s Chorus and their stirring rendition of ‘The Lord’s Prayer’… so many gifts in worship.  And then, the party started!  Thank you, Dan M., for the ‘sheepish’ backdrop filled with love – one ‘ewe’ could have pulled that off!  And then Susan R. and her Fellowship Committee, and Ed M. with Ministry and Counsel, put together such a wonderful feast for our family of Friends.  (Did you try one of Carrie’s cupcakes?)  The decorations, all those photos (thank you Kathy R.!), Eric Baker at the piano, that beautiful song that Leslie K. wrote and sang with Jim, and the poem you all wrote with Linda L… and then the ‘wave’ of love that spread across the tables as Dan R.  and Jim K. sang.  And then… the print!  The Sangrey/Jacobs print of ‘The Presence in the Midst’ will hang in a very special place in our home.  Thank you for your generous gifts and your love. I will never, ever forget that day, nor will I forget you.

Retiring will certainly give me more time to thank God for the past five years of ministry at First Friends Meeting, and the entire twelve years of pastoral ministry that God has granted me.  So much has happened in my life during this time, and I am grateful.  I’m especially grateful to Jon for his encouragement, and for changing his life and work to support the changes in my life and calling.

Jon has reminded me that I will no longer be a pastor, but I will continue to minister, which gives me a sense of ease about leaving the work I’ve loved among people I’ve loved, and it’s given me a purpose in moving forward.  I will wait to see what God will call me to do, other than enjoying my children and grandchildren, and building a life centered around my family. 

I cannot say how long we will be in Iowa, but I can say that by moving there I will be more easily giving your new pastor the gift of absence that our friend Stan Banker has given me.  To have been able to establish myself among you with the freedom to be myself was a good and generous gift.  This is my intention for your new pastor, and one I hope you will honor with me, as well.   

Your welcome, support, and care for me has made me feel like a part of a greater team of generous persons who care deeply about ministry with and for one another, and for those who have not yet understood the Quaker story of the direct experience of Christ’s presence, love, and light filling their lives.  I look forward to hearing more of your story as you move forward in ministry.  Thank you for all you have given me and my family.   I will no longer be your pastor, but I hope to always be your friend.

For Good,

Ruthie

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Joys & Concerns

A BIG thank you to all our Mid-North Food Pantry volunteers on Wendesday, March 15! Volunteers included Ruthie Tippin, Helen D., Phil K., Ed M., Jim K., and Carol and Jim D. 10 lbs of food were delivered!

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

There will be a Called Meeting for Business on Sunday April 2nd right after worship to discuss a pastoral candidate. The Pastoral Search Committee will report at this Meeting the results of their search and their recommendation for the new pastor.   We encourage members and attenders to join us that day.

Art Committee Meeting ~ The Art Committee, who is looking after the German Children's Giving Voices to Ghosts collective, will be meeting 4/2 at 9:45am in the Fellowship Hall in front of the stage.  We will be talking about what we'd need to do to make this a traveling exhibit, possible places it could show and a possible permanent home. We are also looking for someone to do a good write up on Clarence Picket for the exhibit. Please send questions to the office.

A Few Notes from the Office… During this time of transition the office will now be open from 9am-3pm Monday through Thursday. Please note that office staff will be unavailable on Tuesdays from 1:30-3:00pm for our weekly staff meeting. Also, to help things run smoothly during this time, we’d like to remind everyone that the deadline for Friend to Friend submissions is Tuesday, and the deadline for Bulletin announcements is Thursday! Thank you!

2017 Short Play Festival: IndyFringe and the Indiana Writers Center have put together an emerging playwrights' showcase featuring ten-minute plays by exciting new playwrights who have been honing their craft at the Indiana Writers Center and presented by your favorite local theatre companies. Gary R.'s ten minute play is being showcased this weekend March 31-April 2nd.  Anyone interested in attending, go to: http://www.indyfringe.org/2017-short-play-festival  or contact the office for more information.

Easter Egg Hunt – Treats Needed! We are asking for contributions for our Easter Egg hunt on April 16th. Please consider bringing in treats and putting them in our basket in the front hallway.

College Care Packages ~ We ask for help to provide treats for our 10 college students as we will send a care box to our students as they prepare for finals.  Or let Beth know that you want to contribute money to provide treats. Please bring contributions in by April 18.

The early-bird registration deadline for the Friends United Meeting Triennial is coming soon! Register before THIS FRIDAY, March 31st and save $30! To register, please visit: https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1877598

Every three years, the global community of Friends United Meeting gathers to celebrate our life together, to grow in our ability to serve the world, and to worship Christ our Lord!  Along with our Triennial host, Great Plains Yearly Meeting, FUM invites and welcomes Quakers from all over the world to join us in Wichita, Kansas, on July 12–16, 2017. We will meet on the campus of Friends University, and look forward to seeing you there.  Messages will spring from Thomas Kelly’s book, “The Eternal Promise.”

The Indiana Daylily and Iris Society invites you! The IDIS is now hosting their monthly meetings at  First Friends, and everyone is welcome! Their second meeting of the year will be Tuesday, April 4 at 6:30. The presentation, “Daylilies” will be given by Scott Elliott from Maneki Neko Gardens in Georgia. Please join us in the Parlor!

Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) board will be holding their semi-annual board meeting at First Friends from April 20th – 22nd.  Our Meeting approved hosting this Meeting with Quakers from around the country.

Beth (who serves on the board) needs 4 or 5 more homes to be available for board members to stay with them. This will be for 3 nights starting April 20th and going through the night of April 22nd/morning of April 23rd - it includes a bed for these evening and breakfast each morning - please let Beth know if you would be willing to provide home hospitality. We also need a few people to bring in a pot of soup or salad on April 20th and 21st.  A sign up sheet is in the front hallway or contact Beth.

You’re also invited to RSWR’s anniversary jubilee!! You are invited to join others in the 50th anniversary celebration of Rig ht Sharing of World Resources on April 23rd at First Friends at 5:00 p.m.  Dinner will be provided and you will hear about the exciting work of the organization and its future.  Colin Saxton will give a message that evening.  Please let Beth know if you can attend.

Music Survey Results! We now have the results from the survey you filled out to help us find a new music director. The music committee is now in the process of writing up a job description. If you have any questions about this or know of anyone interested in the position, please contact me Mindy S. or Carolyn T. To view the survey results, please visit https://goo.gl/cT4vFU.

Please clean your garden plots! It’s that time of year! Things are starting to warm up and greenery is starting to bloom! Nancy S. and Sam R., co-coordinators for the gardens, would like to remind everyone to please clean up your garden plots! Please contact the office if you are interested in continuing to keep your garden plot, or if you don’t currently have one and are interested in signing up!

Would you like to start to garden? Do you wish you had a green thumb? Do all your plants die? Try the City Gardener Program! Purdue Extension-Marion County is offering a series of classes for new or inexperienced gardeners, with a focus on gardening in urban areas. You’re welcome to come to any single classes or attend the entire series. Sessions are on Wednesdays, 6-8:30pm from March 22-April 26, Discovery Hall, Indiana State Fairgrounds. Fee is $5 per session or $20 for all 6 sessions. For more information, call 317-275-9286 or email: dschelsk@purdue.edu.

"Would you like to help a guy earn his Eagle?" Purchase Spring Flowers, Vegetables & Herbs and Help Support an Eagle Scout Project! Fritz C. has begun his Eagle Scout project and needs to raise funds for a trail of trees that he will be working on this summer at Koteewi Park. Visitors to the park will be able to follow the trail and learn about 16 native Indiana trees and how the Native Americans used them as tools, clothing and even transportation. You can place orders online here: https://goo.gl/YinO6b. Thank you for your support!

April Worship Schedule

Come join us in April for guest speakers and a wonderful time of worship sharing!

April 2nd – Message by Beth Henricks
April 9th – Message by Dan Lee
April 16th – Message by Beth Henricks
April 23rd – Message by Bruce Birchard, former General Secretary of Friends General Conference and the Clerk of the Right Sharing of World Resources Board
April 30th - Worship Sharing

‘Disturbing the Peace’ Film Showing ~ All are invited to attend a film debut at West Newton on April 5th.  DISTURBING THE PEACE, a film that follows former enemy combatants - Israeli soldiers from elite units and Palestinian fighters - who have joined together to challenge the status quo and say “enough." This film reveals their transformational journeys from soldiers committed to armed battle to nonviolent peace activists, leading to the creation of Combatants for Peace. It will be premiered in Indianapolis at West Newton Friends Meeting 6800 S. Mooresville Rd, Indianapolis on April 5th. The evening will begin with a soup supper at 6 p.m. and then follow with the film and discussion at 7:00 p.m. The film runs approximately 90 minutes. There is no charge for the film or the supper, but donations will be accepted to help pay for the food and film. A trailer for the film is available here: https://youtu.be/A95PDQWr4xs

Western Yearly Meeting is having its annual Spring Retreat at Quaker Haven Camp on April 28th-April 30th. This year’s retreat will be led by Joyce Shroeder, M.S.. She was the keynote speaker at the Earlham School of Religion Leadership Conference in both 2012 and 2015. In 2014, She was the Plenary Speaker at New York Yearly Meeting’s Summer Sessions. Working as a consultant, she has a masters degree in Organizational Development and Leadership. She has been a member of Purchase Friends Meeting (New York YM) for nearly 20 years. This year’s retreat theme is Flex Your Mind, Build Your Body. For more information or to register, please visit https://www.westernyearlymeeting.org/wymretreat or contact Della Stanley-Green (dellasgwym@gmail.com). The registration deadline is April 15.

From Linda Lee – “Several people have asked for the group poem that was read at Ruthie's farewell luncheon printed in Friend to Friend. So here it is. Some of you will recognize lines you contributed.”

Views from the Pews

For Ruthie by Friends at First Friends

Her voice is like a bird singing of spring,

her spirit as cheerful as the good news she brings.

She always lifts my spirits,

            reminding me of my amazing mother.

Her beautiful voice permeates my soul.

She spoke to me in God's voice: music.

Sweet sister of the spirit, yours is the voice we love.

Exuberance personified. Jumping for joy.

Mystic mother, exuding excitement.

Creator of powerful worship experiences.

That elegant signature.

Through mind, voice, and life she praises God.

Woman of God.

Literate deliverer of Love, Ruthie is warm, caring,

            comforting, inviting.

Her love lifted me, reminded me of God's Love.

She visited every activity and program at First Friends.

She invited people to share their skills and talents.

Passionate faith, creative intelligence.

Her kindness, her maternal spirit.

Strong opinions thoughtfully expressed.

Small dynamo with an aura of grace.

Spontaneous singer. Creating harmony.

Open to change, she is helps us be moved by spirit,

            not confined by rigid programs.

Around her you can't help but be your best self.

Ruthie was my bridge over troubled waters.

Warm tender hugs sent me on my way.

Her love gave me space to be myself.

Love your spontaneity. You are a walking, smiling hug.

Jesus calmed the water. Ruthie calmed the little children.

She is caring friendly, happy, concerned.

Lillian singing in the balcony; Ruthie joining her from the pulpit,

            a beautiful duet.

Bright spirit of welcome and grace, thank you

            for giving us a way to begin the week in love, in truth, in happiness.

I am grateful for her visiting and reading Rain Cloud after my surgery.

She invited me to visit First Friends and now I'm a member.

            "Welcome Home"

The magnetic power of her presence.

She brought Quaker history into present worship.

Grateful for Ruthie's positive welcoming spirit and the way she beautified the         meeting house.

She connected us to churches in our community.

Running toward the double doors after a gurney calling "Stop, stop! I am here

            to pray.

Silver streak with auto-smile, you are the real deal. You will sail away soon,

            but leave an effervescent wake.

Thank you for being our spirit of song, our shepherd of joy,

            our leader of love.

God bless you, Ruthie.

                                    "Go in Peace, Walk in Love"

March 22, 2017

As Way Opens

I feel many emotions as I write today, knowing this is our last week with Ruthie here.  I remember being on the search committee six years ago and traveling to West Branch Iowa with Brenda Rodeheffer and Mary Blackburn to visit with Ruthie and Jon.  I remember the clarity I had that God was calling Ruthie to our Meeting.  I had no idea at that time that I would join the First Friends staff and work together in ministry with Ruthie. Ruthie has nurtured me in ministry and I am deeply grateful for our time together.  She has been a role model and mentor for me in how to be in public ministry.  My time on staff here has been joyful and heart opening because Ruthie treated me as a trusted and respected colleague. 

Ruthie brought her whole self to us and she lit a spark of God’s spirit within our faith community.  The ease that she connects with people, listens to them and prays with them is a living example of Christ’s love to us.  She has walked beside us through births, deaths, marriages, illness, surgery and other significant moments in our lives.  She honored many of our traditions here at First Friends but also created some new ones that have become part of our community fabric.  Her contagious laugh, her beautiful voice and her insights have made their impact here.  We all have our own “Ruthie” stories where she has touched us in significant ways.  I have many but the one that comes to the forefront of my mind is the day that I lost Jerry.  Ruthie came to visit him as he was slipping away that day.  Ruthie took off her shoes and climbed into bed with him.  She started talking to him and then started singing to him.  Jerry was unconscious at this point but that didn’t matter.  The moment was so intimate and so full of genuine love that I shall never forget it.  

The one thing that is certain in our lives is change.  Nothing will ever stay the same and we must embrace change in all its sadness and anticipation.  First Friends has been changed by Ruthie’s ministry in many ways.  We know that God brought her here because we needed her skills, energy and vision during this past five years.  We are deeply grateful to Ruthie for her passion to First Friends, her care for us and her love.

Beth

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 Joys & Concerns

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Kris and Erin P. who were married in our Parlor on Tuesday evening, March 21st in a joyful family ceremony by Pastor Ruthie.  Shirley P. was the proud and delighted mother of the groom, and blessed new mother-in-love! 

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Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Ruthie’s goodbye celebration is coming up this Sunday, March 26th.  We will have a pitch in lunch and program right after Meeting for Worship. Please bring a dish; sides and salads for last names A-M, desserts for N-Z. (Feel free to bring more than one dish!) If you can, we’re asking that you send in a copy of a photo of meeting activities and people during Ruthie's tenure (for her to keep). Send or drop off your photos to the office; if you’re unable to get the photos to the office in time you may bring the pictures that day, to put on a board at the party. We will also be collecting notes for Ruthie in a memory jar. Please share fond memories you have, and be sure to mark on your note whether it may be read aloud. To show our appreciation for Ruthie’s time and energy here at First Friends, we are also welcoming any love offering or contribution for this purpose. Please send in your contribution to the office or with your regular offering identifying it is for Ruthie.

There will be a Called Meeting for Business on Sunday April 2nd right after worship to discuss a pastoral candidate. The Pastoral Search Committee will report at this Meeting the results of their search and their recommendation for the new pastor.   We encourage members and attenders to join us that day.

Poetry Group will meet on Tuesday March 28th at 2:00 p.m. in the Parlor.  Linda L. will be reading some of her poems along with poetry by other contemporary poets living in Indiana.

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving will be held next Tuesday (March 28) at 7 pm in the Parlor. All are welcome.  Pat P. and Dan R. will be co-leading the discussion.  Feel free to join us!   If you'd like to read ahead for next month, the April 25th title is: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. 

The Indiana Daylily and Iris Society invites you! The IDIS is now hosting their monthly meetings at  First Friends, and everyone is welcome! Their second meeting of the year will be Tuesday, April 4 at 6:30. The presentation, “Daylilies” will be given by Scott Elliott from Maneki Neko Gardens in Georgia. Please join us in the Parlor!

 The early-bird registration deadline for the Friends United Meeting Triennial is coming soon! Register before March 31st and save $30! To register, please visit: https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1877598

Every three years, the global community of Friends United Meeting gathers to celebrate our life together, to grow in our ability to serve the world, and to worship Christ our Lord!  Along with our Triennial host, Great Plains Yearly Meeting, FUM invites and welcomes Quakers from all over the world to join us in Wichita, Kansas, on July 12–16, 2017. We will meet on the campus of Friends University, and look forward to seeing you there.  Messages will spring from Thomas Kelly’s book, “The Eternal Promise.”

 Meridian Street Preschool Co-op Movie Night!
What: MSPC family movie night
When: Friday March 24th, 6pm
Where: MSPC/FF basement
Cost: $10/ family
RSVP: by Wed March 22

Please join MSPC for a fun filled evening. Pizza, drinks and the viewing of Toy Story are all included in your "admission". Wear your p.j.'s and bring your favorite stuffed animal too.  Feel free to bring blankets to stretch out on also. 

Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) board will be holding their semi-annual board meeting at First Friends from April 20th – 22nd.  Our Meeting approved hosting this Meeting with Quakers from around the country.

Beth (who serves on the board) needs 4 or 5 more homes to be available for board members to stay with them. This will be for 3 nights starting April 20th and going through the night of April 22nd/morning of April 23rd - it includes a bed for these evening and breakfast each morning - please let Beth know if you would be willing to provide home hospitality.

We also need a few people to bring in a pot of soup or salad on April 20th and 21st.  A sign up sheet is in the front hallway or contact Beth.

"Would you like to help a guy earn his Eagle?" Purchase Spring Flowers, Vegetables & Herbs and Help Support an Eagle Scout Project! Fritz C. has begun his Eagle Scout project and needs to raise funds for a trail of trees that he will be working on this summer at Koteewi Park. Visitors to the park will be able to follow the trail and learn about 16 native Indiana trees and how the Native Americans used them as tools, clothing and even transportation. You can place orders online here: https://goo.gl/YinO6b. Thank you for your support!

April Worship Schedule

Come join us in April for guest speakers and a wonderful time of worship sharing!

April 2nd – Message by Beth Henricks
April 9th – Message by Dan Lee
April 16th – Message by Beth Henricks
April 23rd – Message by Bruce Birchard, former General Secretary of Friends General Conference and the Clerk of the Right Sharing of World Resources Board
April 30th - Worship Sharing

‘Disturbing the Peace’ Film Showing ~ All are invited to attend a film debut at West Newton on April 5th.  DISTURBING THE PEACE, a film that follows former enemy combatants - Israeli soldiers from elite units and Palestinian fighters - who have joined together to challenge the status quo and say “enough." This film reveals their transformational journeys from soldiers committed to armed battle to nonviolent peace activists, leading to the creation of Combatants for Peace. It will be premiered in Indianapolis at West Newton Friends Meeting 6800 S. Mooresville Rd, Indianapolis on April 5th. The evening will begin with a soup supper at 6 p.m. and then follow with the film and discussion at 7:00 p.m. The film runs approximately 90 minutes. There is no charge for the film or the supper, but donations will be accepted to help pay for the food and film. A trailer for the film is available here: https://youtu.be/A95PDQWr4xs

Western Yearly Meeting is having its annual Spring Retreat at Quaker Haven Camp on April 28th-April 30th. This year’s retreat will be led by Joyce Shroeder, M.S.. She was the keynote speaker at the Earlham School of Religion Leadership Conference in both 2012 and 2015. In 2014, She was the Plenary Speaker at New York Yearly Meeting’s Summer Sessions. Working as a consultant, she has a masters degree in Organizational Development and Leadership. She has been a member of Purchase Friends Meeting (New York YM) for nearly 20 years. This year’s retreat theme is Flex Your Mind, Build Your Body. For more information or to register, please visit https://www.westernyearlymeeting.org/wymretreat or contact Della Stanley-Green (dellasgwym@gmail.com). The registration deadline is April 15.