Friend to Friend July 5 2018

July 5, 2018

As Way Opens

This week’s As Way Opens come to us from Sam, Pastor Bob’s son, who recently went on a mission trip to Tennessee.

For those of you who don’t know about Service Over Self, here is an introduction. SOS was first launched in 1986, by Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. The program’s intention was to spread the gospel while protecting and repairing the homes of Memphis’ most vulnerable home owners. Over the last three decades, SOS has dedicated their time to repairing over 900 homes in Memphis, employing over 24,000 volunteers to complete the work at each one of those sites. Currently, SOS operates as its own non-profit organization with the objective of serving low-income homeowners in the Binghampton and Orange Mound neighborhoods of Memphis. Orange Mound was the very first neighborhood in America built exclusively by freed African Americans in the 19th Century, with Binghampton being one of the first racially integrated communities in the 19th and 20th Centuries. In addition to the SOS Summer Camp program in which I served, SOS also has Spring Break, Summer Staff, and yearlong Academy programs for young. It was extremely visible in my week serving down in Orange Mound that the services provided by SOS are among the most appreciated and integral parts of the Binghampton and Orange Mound communities as residents will consistently honk their horns while passing the worksites or express their gratitude to the organization while walking by. Working alongside them was truly a pleasure and an experience that I am bound to be a part of again. I would like to thank all of you here at First Friends for all you did to support me both through funds and prayer as I set off on my trip. You might be wondering, how did I get involved with SOS in the first place and how, exactly, did I grow through this experience?

Last December, I was invited to serve with SOS for the summer of 2018. Several people in my friend group at Fishers High School had brought up the name, SOS, a number of times before, referring to it as what I thought to be a Summer Camp they had attended in the past. What I didn’t know, however, was that these people were traveling six hours down south every summer to Memphis, Tennessee to work on dilapidated homes in the blistering heat. It wasn’t anything glamorous or inherently fun and, by my definition, did not sound like a Summer Camp in the least bit. Slowly but surely, my friends sold me on the fact that I would enjoy the experience and that, by what they had seen of my character as a Quaker, I would value the simplicity and community provided throughout. I knew little about the organization itself, but I decided to trust it because I had been to the host church, Northview, a couple of times and wanted to enjoy this experience with my friends.

Some greatly appreciated support, funds, and one tightly packed bag later, I was ready to embark on my first journey to SOS. The whole trip down with the five charter buses seemed somewhat overwhelming. Though I was excited, I felt worried and concerned a bit that I didn’t have enough to offer or wouldn’t fit in. After much speculation, I decided that that thought process wouldn’t get me anywhere and chose instead to take the week head on and really capture the chance that God had given me. Later that night, at our first chapel, I was introduced to my work group, comprised of three of my friends from Fishers High School, the youth pastor at Northview Fishers, and one of the great Summer Staffers at SOS. We later found out that we’d also be working alongside a group of middle school boys and girls from Carmel and Westfield. That night, I got little sleep, but I woke up in the morning ready and excited to serve.

Every morning at SOS is spent very slowly. Though you are constricted to a tight schedule, it seems as if you are a human walking around in a group of zombies until breakfast. After breakfast, a group member will take the lunch orders of those in their group, making their sandwiches for that afternoon, getting the water and food coolers ready. You will then dance or hobble, depending on if you are carrying the water cooler or not, off the premises and set off for the worksite. Since the primary focus of SOS Summer Camp is reroofing houses, your first job at SOS is always to un-tarp. Un-tarping and re-tarping are among the most grueling and difficult jobs offered and requires that you remove deck nails from a roof two stories off the ground. If you don’t manage to fall off the ladder from your own forceful yanking, you can begin the day’s work by taking a harness, a nail belt, and a hammer. There, you will spend 6-7 hours of your day scraping shingles, laying underlayment, and, one by one, replacing old shingles with brand new ones, all while solving problems and building friendships along the way. Because I was a quick learner and a trusty worker, I was tasked with showing rookies how to roof, allowing me to stay and work on the roof almost all day every day. Once lunch is over, your work is complete, and your daily SOS devotion is finished, you are delivered from the heat to a nice cold shower and Jerry’s Sno Cones (the best walk up restaurant I’ve ever been to). Following the refreshments, you are granted an hour of recreation time before dinner is served. Once dinner and recreation are complete, you can make your way over to chapel at SOS Binghampton, where we worshipped every day with leaders from a local interracial church and heard from Northview’s youth leaders.

Throughout the whole week, I found myself at times alone and avoiding people. On Thursday night, after one of the youth pastors had finished giving his message, the campers were all invited into a time of silent reflection and worship. Once they started playing music, I realized that this wouldn’t be your average Quaker Silent Worship and ventured out of the room, finding a quiet place in the cafeteria to sit alone. I sat there, wrestling with my thoughts about who I wanted to be, what I wanted to gain from this experience, what I wanted from my faith experience as a Quaker, and how deeply I wanted to share my love for people. Through talking with the homeowners, playing with their dog, serving and worshipping alongside friends and strangers, eating and playing with others, and putting in my physical best, I discovered how much I really wanted to work for and with people. I learned that, sometimes, you just must get over yourself and allow yourself to find more about you and God through others, and, by doing that, helping yourself learn how to help them better. By the end of the week, I had made it my goal to make that possible. The experience I had in those last three nights won’t soon be forgotten and I will forever stay committed to that goal thanks to SOS. I’d like to thank you all for what you’ve done in sending me down to SOS Memphis this year and I hope to help others both here in my own community and in Binghampton for years to come.

Sam

Joys & Concerns

Friends from First Friends, Valley Mills Friends, Fairfield Friends, Iglesias Amigos, and AFSC Indiana all represented at the Families Belong Together March on the statehouse on Saturday, June 30th.

Last Week Seasoned Friends traveled to Columbus, Indiana to take in the Modernist Architecture and see the beautiful city. They broke into two groups - one by van and one on foot. It was a great time!

Women at the Well meets Threshing at the Tap! Last Thursday both groups met on the deck of Rick’s Cafe Boatyard! (Not pictured: Tom Fisher.) What fun!

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

IFCL members are taking a breather as the Legislature is not in session at this time. However, our hard-working underpaid lobbyist continues to stay connected to our state legislators. Summer study committees will be meeting this Summer. If you would like a study committee information sheet, please contact Ed Morris at meeting or call (317) 691-5542. Our next meeting will be on July 7th at the Meetinghouse from 9am-11am.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Please note: The weekend of July 12-15, all are encouraged to attend Western Yearly Meeting’s Annual Sessions. As such, on Sunday, July 15, we will hold unprogrammed worship in the Parlor at the usual time of 10:15. Childcare will be provided. Thank you to Mary Blackburn for leading us in worship that day.

Worship in the Woods & Path Dedication~ Join us on Sunday, July 8th at for our annual Worship in the Woods and picnic. We will start at our normal time, 10:15am, in the Meditational Woods. If you are able to bring your own folding chairs, please do. We will also hold a dedication for the new Meditational Woods path, in memory of Bob Hadley. Afterward, we will have our picnic! Rolls, fried chicken, hot dogs (beef and veggie), ice cream, drinks and some macaroni and baked beans provided. Anyone with last names of A-I are asked bring desserts; J-Z sides and salads, though feel free to bring both! We hope to see you there!

Threshing at the Tap: (def.) a gathering of men who mull over current issues or topics, where all points of view are heard, no decisions are made, and beverages and food are enjoyed. This month we will be meeting at the new Sun King Spirits. It will be Thursday, July 19th at 7pm. The address is 351 Monon Blvd, Carmel, 46032. We hope to see you there!

VBS- Registration open! This year’s theme is Shipwrecked: Rescued by Jesus. At Shipwrecked Vacation Bible School, kids discover how Jesus rescues us through life’s storms. Shipwrecked is filled with incredible Bible-learning experiences kids see, hear, touch, and even taste! Sciency-Fun Gizmos, team-building games, cool Bible songs, and tasty treats are just a few of the standout activities that help faith flow into real life. Be sure to register your children for this life-changing adventure! This year we will kick off on Sunday July 22nd from 12:00-2:00pm, and then VBS will take place 6:30-8:30pm Monday July 23rd through Thursday, July 26th. If you are interested in signing up your children or would like to help with snacks, please see forms on the table in the hallway corner outside the Meetingroom or email the office at office@indyfriends.org.

WYM and FUM 2018 Summer Mission Projects ~ Western Yearly Meeting and Friends United Meeting have announced their mission projects for 2018.

The FUM project is “Rebuilding a Friendly Place.” In the early 1900s, a school was started in the Cuban town of Puerto Padre by Quakers from Wilmington Yearly Meeting. In 1961, all private schools in Cuba were nationalized. The school subsequently fell into ruin. In 2014, the Cuban government agreed to return control of the school to Cuba Yearly Meeting. Although it’s in disrepair, it can be refurbished... “Rebuilding a Friendly Place.” Your contribution will help FUM achieve its goal of $25,000 for the restoration of the Wilmington School. For more information, visit http://www.friendsunitedmeeting.org/assets/2018-smp-cuba_4pg.pdf

The WYM project is to assist Tanzania Yearly Meeting continue to grow and develop as a yearly meeting. In 2009, the yearly meeting had only seven Quaker meetings in Tanzania, all in the Mara region along the Kenyan border. Today, Tanzania Yearly Meeting covers eight regions and includes 26 meetings...and continues to grow. Monies will be used to train Kenyans interested in mission work in Tanzania, scholarships for one year for 4 students in a pastoral ministry program at Friends Theological College, Kenyan mission outreach in Tanzania, and regional workshops in Tanzania in discipleship and Quakerism. WYM’s goal for this Tanzania project is $14,000. These are the major Quaker missionary projects for 2018. For more information, visit the WYM website at https://www.westernyearlymeeting.org/missionsandprojects/

Please prayerfully consider how you are able to help our fellow Quakers who are trying to establish and reestablish themselves in Tanzania and Cuba. Checks can be made payable to First Friends with a notation for the WYM and/or FUM 2018 projects. Additional information about these projects is under the Witness & Service section of the bulletin board.

First Friends Meal Ministry ~ First Friends offers a meal ministry to those who need meals for a short period of time due to illness, the birth of a child, a death in the family or any other situation where meals would be helpful to support the family. This ministry is a tangible and important way to journey with each other through life’s circumstances.

We need more people to sign up in the meal ministry network for providing meals. It is easy to do and we only need your email address. The meal ministry process is online and a notification is sent out asking for meals along with an electronic calendar to be filled in when a need is identified. If I am in the network, I can see if the needed meals fit within my schedule and can sign up if available. Meals do not have to be home cooked as there are plenty of options to take out and deliver to the family. The meals can be dropped off or folks can stay and chat with the person. It’s all up to you. Please consider signing up for the network by providing the office (office@indyfriends.org) your email.

Insects in the Community Garden

Q. Why do bees have sticky hair?
A. Because they have honeycombs.

Mother Nature’s abundance is apparent in the Community Garden. We benefit from Her generosity; so do the critters as Brad J noted in last week’s Bird of the Month article. He pointed out that our local hawks are snacking on some of the small animals. Birds chow down on many harmful insects. Gardeners need to pitch in too.

Japanese beetles are chowing down on our crops. In 1916 Japanese beetles arrived on the east coast in shipments of Iris bulbs and have been spreading west ever since. They have copper backs, green heads and white dots trimming their back ends. They feed voraciously for six weeks. Females lay eggs in grassy areas. Their eggs hatch into grubs that feed on roots. In the Fall larvae burrow four to ten inches to overwinter. As spring warms the soil the larvae pupate and emerge as beetles in early summer.

Some tips to stem their appetites include:

Harvest regularly and clean up overripe and rotting plant debris.
Rake garden forks over soil to handpick grubs in late spring and fall.
Adult beetles will attempt to fly away when one tries to handpick them. Spread a tarp beneath infested plants in the early morning before they are inclined to fly. Shake them off the plant onto the tarp and dump them into a bowl of soapy water. DO NOT CRUSH insects or more may come, attracted by the release of pheromones.
Apply nematodes to soil during the larvae stage. Nematodes are parasitic insect-eating roundworms that feed on grubs. They are not harmful to people, animals, plants or earthworms. Garden stores sell them; marigolds attract nematodes.
Spray soapy solution (not harmful detergent) on tops and bottoms of leaves. Look up specific recipes. The solution should be sprayed directly on insects and be reapplied after rain. Spray every four to seven days.
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth of eggshells in garden near beetle-attracting plants.
Use row cover barriers before grubs appear. Using them afterward may trap them with the plants.
Grow yellow tulip poplars which host a beneficial Tiphia wasp that parasitizes Japanese beetle grubs.
Warning: commercial Japanese beetle traps often attract more beetles!

Our squash and cucumbers are at harvest stage. To deter squash bugs, scatter eggshells around the plants. This acts like diatomaceous earth and has a cutting effect on the bugs. Holding a flashlight behind the stems when it is dark will show if bugs are inside the stems. If so, slit the stem section and remove bugs. Afterward, cover the slit with soil to aid in healing the plant. Squash bug damage occurs unseen. Damage occurs underground and inside. One day plants appear healthy. Suddenly they wither and die. Be wary! Go out and harvest those crops!

Join our Oak Leaf Meeting for Reading book group for July’s pick ~ Testimony by Scott Turow. The discussion will be led by Rhonda C. Visit this link if you’d like to take a look at the New York Times review: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/books/review/testimony-scott-turow.html. If you are interested in being on the Oak Leaf email list or would like the book list, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. Oak Leaf meets on the last Tuesday of each month in the Parlor at 7 pm, we would love to see you there.

Rise Up Singalong! Enjoy an evening of fun and songs old and new. Experience the retro delight of making music together. The next Sing Along will be July 20th, at 7:00 in the parlor. Those who have Rise Up Singing and Rise Again songbooks, please bring them. We are planning a song list ahead of time and will have enlarged copies of the selections for those who lack books. Those who want to purchase books may get them directly from riseupandsing.org. Or, if you must, through Amazon. You may save a few dollars from Amazon, but you support the authors more by going directly. Learn more about the books on the website. Contact Linda L if you have questions.

Shalom Zone’s 5th Tuesday Event
Art and Spirituality: Interpreting, Seeing, and Engaging the Divine

In this 90 minute gathering put on by the Shalom Zone churches for the Fifth Tuesday Gathering on Tuesday, July 31 at 7pm at First Friends (3030 Kessler), Bob Henry, pastor of First Friends and local artist will engage the participants in an exploration of the importance of interpretation in one’s spiritual journey, present ways to see from new perspectives, and experience the Divine through art. Bob plans for this to be an interactive experience as well as a teaching, so bring an open mind and your creativity.

Save the Date! The Shalom Zone plans to have its yearly recycling event with Recycle Force on Saturday, October 13, 2018. If an item runs (or used to run) with a plug or a battery you can recycle it! This year it will be held at Epworth United Methodist Church, 6450 Allisonville Rd. Look for more details as we draw closer to the event.

Comment

Friend to Friend June 27, 2018

June 27, 2018

As Way Opens

I ran across this article in Bloomington Friends monthly newsletter and it really got me thinking about the web of life, imagination, knowledge and community, and so I am sharing an excerpt from it here. This writing is from a published article by Professor David Haskell, Biology professor at University of the South in Tennessee - Life is a Network, Not a Self:

"I reach up into a sugar maple tree’s low branches and pluck a leaf. My fingers hold a seemingly unremarkable leaf, grown on a tree next to a suburban driveway. This leaf is not what it seems.

I dip the leaf in alcohol, then in dilute bleach, long enough to kill fungi and bacteria on the surface. Then, with a sterile knife I sliver the leaf and lay the cut segments onto Petri dishes filled with sugar-infused agar. I’m using this simplest of microbiological techniques to query what might be living inside the leaf. Maple cells will not grow in the Petri dishes, but fungi will. I’m luring them out of hiding and, by feeding them, bringing them to a scale that my human senses can apprehend.

Days later, fungal growth spills out of the sliced leaf: toffee-colored lava flows, bright orange flecks, rippled cream, tangled puffs of white filaments, sulfurous shags, and purple velvet. The colorful growths revealed that my high school and college textbooks had told a half-truth. Elegant diagrams of leaf cross-sections depicted only plant cells. But a leaf is a community of fungus, bacteria, protist, alga, nematode, and plant. Just as diagrams of human skin or gut usually omit the microbes that are essential components of human bodies, our images of plants, seemingly so objective, missed the essential nature of a leaf. A maple is not an individual made of plant cells, but a community of cells from many domains and kingdoms of life. Microbe-free plants likely do not exist in nature and, if they could be constructed, would quickly die for want of the vital connections that sustain life…

The colorful fungal growths swarming my Petri dishes have a lesson beyond the immediate practical benefits of managing and studying living networks. Every textbook diagram and every written metaphor shape how we imagine the world. Microbiology and genetics are calling us to expand that imaginative space. When we gaze at a maple leaf, we now see not an individual made of plant cells, but a thrumming conversation, embodied network. The ‘self’ is a society.”

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Many thanks to our food pantry volunteers last week - Christie M, Phil K, Dan H, Ray G, Kathy and Bill F, Carol and Jim D. 26 lbs. of food were delivered to the pantry. Also, a check in the amount of $4,360 was delivered to the pantry. The folks who manage the pantry were absolutely thrilled and thankful for the monies donated by First Friends. Thanks to all at First Friends who helped to make this possible.

Our own Tyler R, son of Ann and Steve, is currently living in Nashville Tennessee and has just released his first single! If you’d like to listen to it, you can find it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_1e8vrywQg&feature=youtu.be. We are so proud of you Tyler, great work!

A message from Mary Ellen L:

“To all my Friends, I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support during the last few months. Thank you seems inadequate but I don't know any better expression of my gratitude. Truly, you have lived the Quaker testimony of Community. I know you will be with me as my journey continues. Peace & love, Mary Ellen L”

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

IFCL members are taking a breather as the Legislature is not in session at this time. However, our hard-working underpaid lobbyist continues to stay connected to our state legislators. Summer study committees will be meeting this Summer. If you would like a study committee information sheet, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. Our next meeting will be on July 7th at the Meetinghouse from 9am-11am.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Monthly Meeting Notice ~ Due to holidays and events, we will be holding Monthly Meeting for Business this Sunday, July 1st after worship in the Parlor. Please plan on joining us that afternoon.

Please note, in observance of Independence Day there will be no Unprogrammed Worship in the Parlor on Wednesday, July 4th. Also due to the holiday, next week’s Friend to Friend will be sent out on Thursday, July 5th. We hope you have a wonderful holiday.

Women at the Well AND Threshing at the Tap ~ A gathering of women/men who ponder current issues and topics, where differing views are discussed, no decisions are made, and food and drinks are enjoyed. This month Threshing at the Tap and Women at the Well will have a COMBINED gathering this Thursday, June 28 at 7pm. That means all women and men are welcome! It will be held at Rick’s Café Boatyard (4050 Dandy Trail, Indianapolis). Join other men and women of First Friends and enjoy a wonderful night of conversation together.

The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for applications is June 30th, 2018. For an application please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Community Garden Update

“Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold….” – Robert Frost

So far, the green is lush in the Community Garden and the raised beds are thriving while producing oxygen for our environment, food and homes for wildlife, beauty for the neighborhood and food for people. Gardeners are getting exercise and vitamin D from the sunshine. Take a walk and see our garden!

A few crops we are harvesting include beets, greens, peas, tomatoes, radishes and herbs. Flowers sprinkled throughout add color; some are edible.

We want to thank Rebecca, our office administrator, for her contributions to our efforts. Her assistance with communications and creativity with graphics help put the “C” in Community. Thank you for your efficiency and skills, Rebecca. Also, thank you to those folks who contribute garden photos!

Tips from the Garden Committee

· To pit cherries: Hold cherry firmly and twist a plastic straw through the stem end to the bottom of the fruit. Usually the pit stays in the straw as you lift it out. By not boring completely through the fruit more juice is preserved.

· Ideas for Radishes:

Radishes are a root vegetable related to cabbage and full of vitamin C. They contain cancer-fighting antioxidants and flavonoids.

Sautee Radishes – Trim and halve them. Add olive oil and cook in a skillet over medium high heat until tender. Stir in baby spinach, lemon juice, pepper and garlic. Cook until spinach is wilted. Enjoy!

Sautee Radish Greens – Wash, chop and cook over medium-high heat. In approximately two minutes they will wilt. Add minced garlic, lemon juice and herbs. Add roasted radishes if desired. Yum!

Roast Radishes – (Roasting calms the peppery taste of radishes and brings out their sweetness. They have fewer carbs and calories than potatoes. Roast radishes with other types of root veggies for a super tasty treat!) Coat radish halves with butter or ghee, garlic, salt and pepper and then roast sliced-side down on a foil-covered baking sheet. Roast at 400 for about 15 minutes until radishes are golden brown. Then top them with lemon juice and fresh parsley, dill or chives. Create a side salad by adding foods such as green onions, peas, almonds, avocado, poultry and dressing.

Fresh summer veggies are so delish!

Is He Dead? Community Performance ~ The Carmel Community Players presents, “Is He Dead?” A “new” comedy by Mark Twain, adapted by David Ives. All are invited to performances June 8th-24th. Friday and Saturday shows at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for seniors. Come see one of our newer attenders, David B, as he plays a number of roles in this performance. Held at Ji-Eun Lee Music Academy, 10029 E 126th St D, Fishers. For more information, visit www.carmelplayers.org or call 317-815-9387.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for June

Red-shouldered Hawk

Have you ever worked at a place that had an Anonymous Angel, that is, someone who anonymously did positive things around the office that made others’ lives run more smoothly? For example, on a day when the person who normally made coffee was gone, the coffee still got made. At our school one of the guidance counselors slipped out in the afternoon after a mid-day ice storm and scraped all of the car windshields. Everyone tried to guess who the angel was! The secret was revealed after the third ice storm!!

We have such an angel in the garden patch here at First Friends Indy! I do not know if our gardeners have noticed the lack of rabbits, chipmunks, moles, and other lesser known rodents that otherwise would have fed on the crops. Three different mornings in the last few weeks I have arrived early (before 6 am) to walk the woods and hear the dawn chorus. Each time I saw this large hawk in the area. Once it flew from the woods to the back lot, and the other times it was already there. It sits on the garage roof or the basketball backboard or the large blue trash can, waiting for breakfast to show up. Now don’t feel too sorry for the animals consumed by the hawk. If they all survived, we would be overrun by them.

Red-shouldered Hawks are recognized by the black and white speckling on the back, reddish patch on the shoulder, red bands on the front, and black and white bands on the tail. Its call is, “Kee-yurr, kee-yurr, kee-yurr,” which I have heard here once or twice. Once the hawk flew into a tree between the street and the parking lot and was negatively greeted by one of the Fish Crows I wrote about last month. [By the way early in June I saw a Fish Crow carrying a large stick, which is a good sign of a nesting attempt. This hawk would be considered a threat to any fish crow nestlings.]

I have pictured the hawk on its perch on the basketball goal. Say hello next time you see it and say thank you if you have a garden here.

Brad J

WYM and FUM 2018 Summer Mission Projects ~ Western Yearly Meeting and Friends United Meeting have announced their mission projects for 2018.

Adopt an Apartment! Coburn Place is a local nonprofit organization that offers supportive services and housing options to survivors of intimate partner violence. They have an Adopt an Apartment program, which is a great way for individuals and groups to become involved in providing a welcoming home to new Coburn Place families. $1500-$5000 covers the cost of completely readying an apartment for a new family to move in for one year. First Friends has for the past two years “adopted an apartment” at Coburn. FF has also decorated an apartment earlier this year. Thanks to all who have helped make Coburn a safe and helpful place for those who have been subject to domestic abuse. For more information about this program, you can read their latest news here: https://goo.gl/jJkXQx or visit their website at www.coburnplace.org.

Comment

Friend to Friend June 20, 2018

June 21, 2018

As Way Opens

This week's week’s As Way Opens is written by Nichole Yaconis Mathews on behalf of the Friends Education Fund Committee.

Come this Sunday, June 24th, to congratulate our Friends Education Fund scholarship winners! The Friends Education Fund, a Quaker college scholarship program for African American Students was able to award 42 scholarships this year. There will be a short reception with light refreshments following Meeting for Worship. This fund has a fascinating history. The program was created in the mid-1940’s by several members of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting who were the surviving governing board of the only orphanage for African American children in the state of Indiana.

The orphanage was also created by First Friends members after the Civil War. By the 1920’s, when it was closed, the orphanage had provided care for over 3000 African American children.

The educational program was funded by the assets which remained following the closing of the orphanage. These included a bequest from John Williams, a former slave, who was a successful farmer and tanner in 1860’s Washington County, Indiana. In his will, he requested that his assets be used to educate “poor Negro children” and, after his death, his assets were transferred by the courts to the Friends Orphanage in Indianapolis. The 1940’s decision for educational scholarships was influenced by his bequest.

The founding directors from First Friends invested the orphanage assets and used the proceeds to assist African American students. Since that time, the directors have continued to invest and use the income generated to provide nearly $800,000 in scholarships to over 1500 students since its beginnings.

Nichole Yaconis Mathews

Friends Education Fund Committee

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Monthly Meeting Notice ~ Due to holidays and events, we will be holding one Monthly Meeting for Business for both June and July. It will be held Sunday, July 1st after worship in the Parlor. Please plan on joining us that afternoon.

Community Garden Update:
Wedding Bells for Gardeners Sam and Gabe; Fun Fruit and Veggie Tips

Community Garden Friends thank Samantha R for her gracious service as co-clerk last year and this year. Her leadership skills helped enhance our garden and guide our community. We appreciate her joyous and gentle spirit. Her computer skills and hands-on eager participation are inspiring.

Reluctantly, Sam resigned her clerking position since she and her fiancé, Gabe are in a busy season of their lives. They are converting their new house into a home, working, and planning a wedding soon. We wish them a memorable day and a long and happy life together. We look forward to their continued involvement in the community garden when their lives are less hectic.

We thank Gabe for lending his excellent woodworking skills as we built and rebuilt raised bed frames, including a new one for them. With some sadness they passed on their plots to this season’s gardeners who are already tending to the beds.

The couple’s plot #3 is being converted into the Hope Garden, a shared community plot. It is at the south end of the Community Garden rather than the north side as originally planned before #3 became available. Ask Garden Clerk Nancy Scott how you can help with the Hope Garden plot.

Thanks to Dan M for mowing between the boxes. Gardeners, thank you for keeping the pathways free from rocks and anything that blocks the lawn mower! Thanks to everyone pitching in to help vacationers and under-the-weather gardeners. That’s why we are a community garden!

Fun Tips from the Garden Committee:

Put green onions, bulb-first, into a jar with water or soil. Store on the counter or in the fridge as roots continue to grow. Snip off onion leaves as needed; they regrow.
To revive salad greens, rinse in ice water.
Store tomatoes longer by keeping them away from the sun at room temperature, stem-side down, or put scotch tape over stems.
Cool off with frozen treats; eat frozen—not thawed: peeled bananas or whole grapes.
Keep berries fresher longer by washing them in 1 part white vinegar and 3 parts water. Dry berries and store in a paper towel lined container. Vinegar is a natural disinfectant and helps prevent mold.
To pit cherries: Hold cherry firmly and twist a plastic straw through the stem end to the bottom of the fruit. Usually the pit stays in the straw as you lift it out. By not boring completely through the fruit more juice is preserved.

Seasoned Friends Open Film Showing and Field Trip: Columbus ~ Everyone is invited to our Seasoned Friends events this month. First, we will be viewing the film Columbus, held Thursday, June 21st at 6:00pm in the Parlor. Soup and salads will be served during the film. If you are interested in attending the showing, please let the office know at office@indyfriends.org so we can be sure to have enough food for everyone.

The following week, on Wednesday, June 27th, we will be taking an actual field trip to Columbus, Indiana. We will meet at the Meetinghouse and leave at 8:45am and will return around 5pm. We will be touring the town and having lunch there as well. Please contact the office if you’d like to RSVP. We still have space available on our 90-minute walking tour (walking no more than 8 blocks) at $10 per person. We will also eat lunch together and tour one of the churches in Columbus. We hope to see you there!

Rise Up Singalong! Enjoy an evening of fun and songs old and new. Experience the retro delight of making music together. The next Sing Along will be June 22nd, at 7:00 in the parlor. Please note that this month we are holding it on the fourth Friday of the month as opposed to our usual third Friday of the month due to scheduling conflicts. Those who have Rise Up Singing and Rise Again songbooks, please bring them. We are planning a song list ahead of time and will have enlarged copies of the selections for those who lack books. Those who want to purchase books may get them directly from riseupandsing.org. Or, if you must, through Amazon. You may save a few dollars from Amazon, but you support the authors more by going directly. Learn more about the books on the website. Contact Linda L if you have questions.

The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application is June 30th, 2018. For an application please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

WYM and FUM 2018 Summer Mission Projects ~ Western Yearly Meeting and Friends United Meeting have announced their mission projects for 2018.

Women at the Well AND Threshing at the Tap ~ A gathering of women/men who ponder current issues and topics, where differing views are discussed, no decisions are made, and food and drinks are enjoyed. This month Threshing at the Tap and Women at the Well will have a COMBINED gathering on Thursday, June 28 at 7pm. That means all women and men are welcome! It will be held at Rick’s Café Boatyard (4050 Dandy Trail, Indianapolis). Join other men and women of First Friends and enjoy a wonderful night of conversation together.

VBS Volunteers Needed! This year we are having Vacation Bible School from Sunday July 22nd through Thursday, July 26th. This year’s theme is Shipwrecked: Rescued by Jesus. We are looking for just a few more people to volunteer! We are in need of group leaders and people to bring snacks. This is a wonderful event that children look forward to each year and we are able to offer it free of charge thanks to volunteers like you! If you can help, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Summertime Special Music! Do you have a musical gift in ministry you’d like to share in our Meeting for Worship? As our choir takes a well-deserved hiatus for the summer, we are looking for volunteers to share their music. We need performers most Sundays from June 3rd through September 2nd. Please consider signing up for a date when you’d be willing to offer it in Meeting. Your ministry can be a blessing during this season of the year. Thank you!

Native American Crafts Needed! WYM Outreach Board is looking for donations for the Native American table during WYM annual sessions July 12-15. Items they would like: handcrafts (new) food, needlework, etc. Items need to be priced. Contact Norma W or Terry T for questions.

Save the Date! Shalom Zone Garage Sale ~ On Saturday, July 28, from 8 am to noon (set up beginning at 7 am) the Shalom Zone churches will be sponsoring “garage sale’ and “craft sale” opportunities for individuals in the Cross and Crown parking lot at 79th and Allisonville Rd. 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 info or to reserve a space contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

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 or renew if you already subscribe. Thank you!

Comment

Friend to Friend June 13, 2018

June 13, 2018

As Way Opens

I have lately been thinking a lot about our definition of God. I have met a new friend that has written a couple of folk tale books that reflect on our ideas of God and our place in the world. We have been engaging in discussion about some of the deep philosophical questions about evil, the kingdom of heaven on earth and our perceptions of ourselves and the universe. He believes that "God is a shorthand term we’ve coined to collectively refer to the mysterium tremendum and now have come to mistake it for a being or entity. Because language is seductive to our way of thinking, the less we say about it, the better: to ascribe values, attitudes or predispositions to God is the ultimate commission of hubris.” In the scriptures, God is defined as Love so we should be still and know love.

I can appreciate this viewpoint but language is our human attempt to describe things we cherish, experience and question. Jesus came to earth to show us in flesh and blood the character of God. While God is eternal and transcends our humanity, we still need adjectives and descriptors that we can relate to express this mystery and share our experience of the Divine.

Ever since our own Eric B sang the Bob Dylan song Blowin in the Wind during Meeting for Worship, I have been reflecting on how powerful the description of wind is for me in thinking about God. The wind is real but we never actually see it or can contain it. What we see are only the results of the wind. Even when we don’t feel the wind, it is present. The wind is constantly changing and can be both powerful and gentle. The wind creates and destroys. The wind comforts me and helps me remember my humanity and connection to all creation.

How do you describe God? Is your idea of God big enough to blow like the Wind? And does our description of God challenge us in the Wind to love our brothers and sisters, value all life and seek peace?

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man?

Yes, and how many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand?

Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly

Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind

The answer is blowing in the wind

Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist

Before it is washed to the sea?

Yes, and how many years can some people exist

Before they're allowed to be free?

Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head

And pretend that he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind

The answer is blowing in the wind

Yes, and how many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, and how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind

The answer is blowing in the wind

By Bob Dylan

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Thank you so much to our food pantry volunteers last week: Ray G, Linda L, Phil K, Christie M, Kathy and Bill F, Carol and Jim D. It was very busy and our volunteers worked hard as about 100 families were served.

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

IFCL members are taking a breather as the Legislature is not in session at this time. However, our hard-working underpaid lobbyist continues to stay connected to our state legislators. Summer study committees will be meeting this Summer. If you would like a study committee information sheet, please contact Ed M at meeting or contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. Our next meeting will be on July 7th at the Meetinghouse from 9am-11am.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Monthly Meeting Notice ~ Due to holidays and events, we will be holding one Monthly Meeting for Business for both June and July. It will be held Sunday, July 1st after worship in the Parlor. Please plan on joining us that afternoon.

First Friends Library Books for Summer Reading Pleasure

Holy Silence: The Gift of Quaker Spirituality
By J. Brent Bill
WM B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI 2005, revised and expanded 2016

An exploration of silences, Brent Bill "uses a practical tone to anchor reflections on what is essentially a matter of mystery: how God speaks in and through individual and communal silence." (Publishers Weekly)

Brent Bill has written about a dozen books at his home in Mooresville, IN and many articles, plus a blog. I'm hoping the library has or will have his book about Bad Quakers.

The World Within: Essays on Prophetic Quaker Faith
By Patricia Dallmann
Foundation Publications, PA, 2009

Dallman uses scriptures as a guide to self-transcendence in a series of essays on topics such as discernment, prophetic ministry, the cross in Quaker faith, spiritual unity. She has taught among liberal Quakers in Philadelphia and Europe and edits the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Hope bulletin on social justice.

Citizenship: A Christian Calling
By Lon Fendall with an introduction by former Senator Mark Hatfield
Barclay Press, 2003

Through lively biblical and modern stories Fendall delights, encourages, and instructs people as they find ways to become more politically involved. He is dean of biblical studies at George Fox college. He served as Hatfield's campaign manager and director of peace studies.

Down a Winding Road: A Life-Story from Missions
By Betty M. Hockett, George Fox Press, 1985

One of a series about the "feet on the ground" experiences of Tina and Roscoe Knight who began their mission work in Bolivia in 1945. Eventually they set up Friends schools and did missionary work in Peru, Mexico, and other places.

This little book is an easy read of risky, adventurous, faith-led and faithful Friends.

American Friends Service Committee: A Centennial History
By Gregory A. Barnes, Friends Press, 2016

A chronological, thoroughly researched account of what the AFSC was and is doing to improve this world wherever help was needed. Food relief, education of men about rape, peace building, emergency supplies, etc. Two maps, one 1942 and another 2008, show the world-wide reach of AFSC, with brief descriptions of accomplishments.

Barnes researched this 450 page book at Friends Center in Philadelphia. He is the author of four other books.

Community Gardening Practices and Resources ~ From drought to flooding, gardening is fraught with challenges. In the Indianapolis area we have clay soil which needs infrequent watering, while adjusting for individual plant needs. One can dig down to observe and feel the soil’s water-holding capacity.

Fortunately, the raised beds in our community garden help drain water faster. Many gardeners have transformed the clay into a rich loam by adding lots of organic matter. Practices include hand picking pests, plant rotation, mulching and composting. Ingredients can include aged organic fertilizers; sawdust; ground bark; grass clippings and fall leaves; peat moss; wood ashes; eggshells and coffee grounds. Sometimes we use cover crops like hairy vetch and clover to add soil nutrients between seasons.

In our community garden we rely on one another to learn more. Our soil has been professionally tested and pronounced lead-free. In the current weather conditions our plots are more vulnerable to fungi, rot, disease and insect damage so it is important to weed well, watch and share information. We use our local extension office City Gardener Program at (317) 745-9260 and the Marion County notebooks in the Meetinghouse and garage. Happy gardening!

Women at the Well AND Threshing at the Tap ~ A gathering of women/men who ponder current issues and topics, where differing views are discussed, no decisions are made, and food and drinks are enjoyed. This month Threshing at the Tap and Women at the Well will have a COMBINED gathering on Thursday, June 28 at 7pm. That means all women and men are welcome! It will be held at Rick’s Café Boatyard (4050 Dandy Trail, Indianapolis). Join other men and women of First Friends and enjoy a wonderful night of conversation together.

What’s Your Plan? Carmel Friends Church invites everyone to a relaxed interactive event that helps people prepare for their day of passing. It will be held on Saturday, June 23rd at 11:30am. This is done in conjunction with Bussell Funerals, who have a close relationship with their church. Donna Bussell with some of her staff will share all the information needed to help be prepared for the time when we are "promoted to glory"! This is not a sales pitch for Bussell Funerals, but more of an information sharing event, with an interactive and relaxed talk about the things that will help take away uncertainty for you and your family and give you peace of mind. This is for people of all ages! A light lunch is included, so RSVPs are required. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP by Wednesday, June 13 with Carmel Friends Church, 651 West Main St, Carmel, 317-846-5090 or carmelfriends@aol.com.

Join us in Honoring our Friends Education Fund Scholarship Recipients! On Sunday, June 24th we will honor our scholarship recipients in Meeting for Worship and also hold a special reception to honor them, hosted by the Friends Education Fund Committee. We hope you will join us that day!

The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application is June 30th, 2018. For an application please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Worship in the Woods & Path Dedication~ Join us on Sunday, July 8th at for our annual Worship in the Woods and picnic. We will start at our normal time, 10:15am, in the Meditational Woods. We will also hold a dedication for the new Meditational Woods path, in memory of Bob Hadley. Afterward, we will have our picnic! Rolls, fried chicken, hot dogs (beef and veggie), ice cream, drinks and some macaroni and baked beans provided. Anyone with last names of A-I are asked bring desserts; J-Z sides and salads, though feel free to bring both! We hope to see you there!

Comment

Friend to Friend June 6, 2018

June 6, 2018

As Way Opens

I recently heard about the Pickett Endowment Fund that has supported many Quakers and Quaker organizations over the years. I checked out their website and began to read about Clarence and Lilly Pickett whom this fund was named after. I had heard their names before and knew they were significant Quakers but didn’t really know much about them.

Wow - these were two remarkable Friends that should be inspiring all of us today! Clarence was born in 1884, the youngest of nine children in a Quaker family in Iowa. He was educated at Penn College, Hartford Theological Seminary and Harvard University, then was a Quaker pastor in Toronto and Oskaloosa Iowa and joined the staff of Earlham College teaching Biblical Literature. He became the General Secretary of American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in 1929 and remained in that position until 1950. Under Pickett’s leadership, AFSC became quite influential in supporting social justice change, representing the forgotten and the poor and working to remove causes of human suffering. Herbert Hoover, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John F Kennedy all consulted with Pickett on various policies and programs and Eleanor Roosevelt was quoted as saying, “I always try to do the things Clarence asks because I have great trust in his judgement.” There is another great story from 1962, when Pickett was a frail 77-year-old, picketing the White House in the morning to bring attention to ending the nuclear arms race while he and his wife attended a formal dinner in the White House that evening representing AFSC as a past Nobel Prize winner.

The adjectives used to describe him are respected, wise, enthusiastic, humble, hopeful, practical, and that he brings out the best in people and spirit led. AFSC won the Nobel Prize in 1947, representing Quakers in the United States and Britain. When the staff first learned of the announcement, Pickett held a silent meeting for worship asking them to ponder the query, “Beware when all men speak well of you!”.

I just read the speech given by the Nobel Foundation in making this award to the Quakers in 1947. I was struck by this phrase in the speech, "’We weren't sent out to make converts,” a young Quaker says: “we've come out for a definite purpose, to build up in a spirit of love what has been destroyed in a spirit of hatred. We're not missionaries. We can't tell if even one person will be converted to Quakerism. Things like that don't happen in a hurry. When our work is finished, it doesn't mean that our influence dies with it. We have not come out to show the world how wonderful we are. No, the thing that seems most important is the fact that while the world is waging a war in the name of Christ, we can bind up the wounds of war in the name of Christ. Religion means very little until it is translated into positive action.”

May we consider in our lives how we build things up in a spirit of love and bind up the wounds of war, discrimination and poverty in the name of Christ? Clarence and Lily Pickett devoted their lives into positive action for the world. Where do I take my stand in the name of love?

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Many thanks to those who volunteered for the SAWS project this past Saturday. The Shalom Zone had enough volunteers to divide into two groups and do two projects. Kathy and Bill F and John M worked on one of the projects. Derek S and Eric, Chelsea and Kendall T worked on another project. They helped build ramps for two homes that enabled the homeowners to more easily access their homes. Thanks to Kathy, Bill, John, Derek, Eric, Chelsea and Kendall for “doing unto others” in a way that has given help and hope to folks who needed it.

A Big Thank-You to John & Ileen M who recently repaired chairs in the Meetinghouse library. The Meetinghouse is able to run because of volunteers like you! Thank you so much!

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Babysitting Co-Op ~ Our babysitting co-op is happening on Saturday June 9th from 5:30 - 9:30, hosted by Katie & Michael H. Dinner will be provided for the kids. Please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org if you would like to have your kids join in the fun that evening!

Our Community Garden Update! Our community gardeners range in age from elementary schooler to senior. Together we learn and teach environmental stewardship as we raise organic crops. Some of us have grown up on farms; others are urbanites with little or no garden know-how. We learn through experiments, mistakes and shared experience. We keep resource materials specific to Marion County next to our garden equipment. Our water supply is collected from roof runoff. A large cistern stores it and we encourage watering underneath plants so they are less likely to harbor bacteria that could cause illness sine our water is untreated. We do clean the tank regularly.

A few tips:

Water in the morning or in the evening—not in the heat of the day or at night. This reduces evaporation, but allows enough moisture so plants are not drenched at day’s end and fungi growth is less likely.
Allow ample space for plants to grow; thin seedlings so they don’t compete for nutrients.
Pluck and destroy weeds when they are small.
Work with Mother Nature so watering is consistent.

The Indianapolis Pride Parade will be June 9th beginning at 9am this year. We will be walking in support of the LGBTQ community. If you are interested in walking with us, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. For more information about the parade, please visit https://indypride.org/

What’s Your Plan? Carmel Friends Church invites everyone to a relaxed interactive event that helps people prepare for their day of passing. It will be held on Saturday, June 23rd at 11:30am. This is done in conjunction with Bussell Funerals, who have a close relationship with their church. Donna Bussell with some of her staff will share all the information needed to help be prepared for the time when we are "promoted to glory"! This is not a sales pitch for Bussell Funerals, but more of an information sharing event, with an interactive and relaxed talk about the things that will help take away uncertainty for you and your family and give you peace of mind. This is for people of all ages! A light lunch is included, so RSVPs are required. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP by Wednesday, June 13 with Carmel Friends Church 651 West Main St, Carmel, 317-846-5090 or carmelfriends@aol.com.

VBS Volunteers Needed! This year we are having Vacation Bible School from Sunday July 22nd through Thursday, July 26th. This year’s theme is Shipwrecked: Rescued by Jesus. We are looking for volunteers that can help either one night or the whole week. On Sunday VBS will be from 12-2pm, and the rest of the week will be from 6:30-8:30pm. This is a wonderful event that children look forward to each year and we are able to offer it free of charge thanks to volunteers like you! If you’d like to help, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org

Summertime Special Music! Do you have a musical gift in ministry you’d like to share in our Meeting for Worship? As our choir takes a well-deserved hiatus for the summer, we are looking for volunteers to share their music. We need performers most Sundays from now through September 2nd. Please consider signing up for a date when you’d be willing to offer it in Meeting. Your ministry can be a blessing during this season of the year. Thank you!

The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application is June 30th, 2018. For an application please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Comment

Friend to Friend May 30, 2018

May 30, 2018

As Way Opens

Have you ever spent time on the Britannica Encyclopedia website (www.britannica.com)? For the younger folks, the Britannica Encyclopedia used to be a large set of multi-volume books that most classrooms or libraries had for student research. Actually, you could say it was Google before the internet. (Oh, the irony of looking up Britannica Encyclopedia on the internet.) What I was doing on this site was researching some background information about the season of “summer” which some would say we just entered, even though it doesn’t officially start until later in June.

Not only does Britannica Encyclopedia say Summer is the warmest season of the year between spring and autumn, that it is usually defined as the period between the summer solstice (year’s longest day), June 21 or 22, and the autumnal equinox (day and night equal in length) Sept. 22, but it also said this: “The concept of summer in European languages is associated with growth and maturity.”

Obviously, the growth and maturity were most likely focused on plants and crops – not so much human growth and maturity. Yet it made me begin to think about Summer in our culture. We tell our children that Summer is the time to “turn off our brains” because school is out! We go on vacations where we relax and put our cares and worries aside. Summer is time to give education and learning a break and let our inner-child loose! If anything, the season of Summer is just the opposite of that European concept.

Even though Summertime seems to be the opposite of a season for “growth and maturity,” I believe it should afford us some time for personal reflection. I like to take the Summer months to ask myself some deeper queries – ones that may actually allow me to grow and mature in my spiritual journey.

As I head out this weekend with my family on vacation, I would like to challenge each of you to do some personal reflection during the summer months with me. Here are some queries to ponder.

What’s one joy and one struggle you experienced in your life, recently?
How would you describe your walk with God this past year?
Where do you feel you would most like to grow as a Quaker?
What is something new about God you’ve recently discovered?
How would you finish this sentence: I feel good about my journey with God when . . . ?
What have been some of the ups and downs of your spiritual life since you began your journey?
How has First Friends helped you on your spiritual journey?
What do you need from this community to continue your maturity?

These queries may be the catalyst you and I need to prompt some needed growth in our spiritual journeys. Take time to process each question (maybe take one question a week and journal your thoughts during the summer months) and let’s see if this Summer can be a season of growth and maturity for us at First Friends!

Grace and peace,

Bob

Joys & Concerns

This past holiday weekend we held a special Memorial Day worship in “The Big Oval” in Fellowship Hall. This year, we changed it up and had a labyrinth, an ancient symbol of the Church. As we walked the labyrinth, we meditated on our spiritual journey in life. If you’d like to learn more about the labyrinth and our time on Sunday, you can read Bob’s sermon online at https://www.indyfriends.org/messages/.

The year’s Hope Garden will be in the northeast section of our community garden north of the Meetinghouse. Hope Garden is designed to bring joy and beauty to all by means of a floral display. We invite anyone and everyone to help care for it.

Hope Garden honors our ill and deceased Friends/friends. It is also devoted to the living in the belief that gardens promote growth, healing and hope. People can enjoy the colors, textures and scents and pick the flowers!

Freshly-painted numbers on bricks and rocks are placed in each plot of the community garden to help track which plots belong to which gardeners. AT the beginning of the season when crops are gone, gardeners can more easily identify their plots. When plots are added or subtracted, rocks can be relocated. We can also keep track of each year’s crop layout to aid in planning crop rotations and keeping soil healthy.

Have you noticed our community garden bulletin board in the main hallway? It includes a chart showing when to plant specific crops in our growing zone. You may recognize gardeners featured in the photo display.

Contact Samantha R or Nancy S if you want to help with the Hope Garden once or regularly. Feel free to participate in the seasonal cycle of life and to share nature’s bounty.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application is June 30th, 2018. For an application please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

SAWS Ramp Build- Volunteers Needed! The Shalom Zone is planning another SAWS ramp build for the morning of Saturday, June 2nd. If you would like to volunteer to help or need more information, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. Volunteers must complete the volunteer form before their first build. This form can be found on the SAWS website at http://www.sawsramps.org/.

VBS Volunteers Needed! This year we are having Vacation Bible School from Sunday July 22nd through Thursday, July 26th. This year’s theme is Shipwrecked: Rescued by Jesus. We are looking for volunteers that can help either one night or the whole week. On Sunday VBS will be from 12-2pm, and the rest of the week will be from 6-8pm. This is a wonderful event that children look forward to each year and we are able to offer it free of charge thanks to volunteers like you! If you’d like to help, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Seasoned Friends Open Film Showing – Columbus ~ Everyone is invited to this Seasoned Friends event where we will be viewing the film Columbus. This will be in preparation for a field trip Seasoned Friends will later be taking to Columbus, Indiana. It will be held Thursday, June 21st at 6:00pm in the Parlor. Everyone, even those not in Seasoned Friends, are invited. Also keep your eye out for more information regarding the Seasoned Friends field trip to Columbus shortly after the film showing. We hope to see you there!

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for May
Fish Crow – Immigrant: Welcome or Not?
By Brad J

Note: In the drawing of the all-black Fish Crow, I tried to show how the sunlight causes a sheen on the feathers.  Besides the call, the shorter legs and smaller bill help distinguish it from the larger American Crow. — Note: In the drawing of the all-black Fish Crow, I tried to show how the sunlight causes a sheen on the feathers. Besides the call, the shorter legs and smaller bill help distinguish it from the larger American Crow.

It took me a long time to choose my Bird of the Month for May. After all, the middle of May is the part of the year when one can find the largest number of species in Indiana. Ducks and other early migrants may still be around, while late migrants may have already arrived. Then there are all of the regulars in between. But while sitting in the Meditational Woods, once at the end of April, and again in early May I heard a sound from the north, beyond the woods.

Fish Crows are common on the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast from New England southward. Many years ago they began moving up the Mississippi River, and I remember driving all the way to the southwest tip of Indiana to see the first Fish Crows in Indiana. Since then they have continued northward and have a colony at Eagle Creek Reservoir. Once at the end of April and a second time in early May, I was sitting in the woods when I heard the unmistakable nasal call “Ehn” of a Fish Crow. Quite unlike the “Caw” of an American Crow. Fish Crows have arrived on our side of town! I rushed out of the woods so I could find the bird, which had perched atop the giant power line tower just beyond the meeting’s north property line. Later this bird flew into the neighborhood to the east, calling continuously.

Most species that are forced immigrants, that is, brought in to a place for dubious reasons and released, cause havoc, often to themselves (such as released pet birds), but often to the detriment of other birds. Examples of this are House Sparrow and European Starling, both brought from Europe and released in the United States on purpose.

Fish Crows, on the other hand, have arrived by themselves. They hang around with the American Crows, and, so far, seem to be holding their own. Building a wall won’t keep them out. Besides, I like the addition of their nasal voices to the chorus of all of the other birds which one hears in and from the Meditational Woods. They blend in nicely but retain their identity. I say, “Welcome!”

Comment

Friend to Friend May 23, 2018

May 24, 2018

As Way Opens

This extended weekend we celebrate Memorial Day and the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500. With these events on my mind, I began pondering the roots of this special holiday weekend. My research uncovered more than expected. And yes, there was a racetrack involved back in May of 1865 on what historians have begun to consider the very first Decoration/Memorial Day.

In the book Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory, Professor David W. Blight made a case for Charleston, South Carolina, as Memorial Day’s birthplace. Charleston was the site of an obscure (possibly suppressed) May 1865 event held at a racetrack turned war prison where freed slaves properly reburied hundreds of Union dead found there and then held a ceremony to dedicate the cemetery. This event took place almost 3 years prior to Civil War General John Logan’s call for a national holiday in 1868.

To think that African American freed slaves founded Decoration Day at a graveyard of 257 Union soldiers is astonishing and an important story that needs to be known.

In recalling the day, David W. Blight compiled the following details from articles which appeared in the Charleston Daily Courier of that day.

The “First Decoration Day,” as this event came to be recognized in some circles in the North, involved an estimated ten thousand people, most of them black former slaves. During April, twenty-eight black men from one of the local churches built a suitable enclosure for the burial ground at the Race Course.

At nine o’clock in the morning on May 1, the procession to this special cemetery began as three thousand black schoolchildren (newly enrolled in freed slave schools) marched around the Race Course, each with an armload of roses and singing “John Brown’s Body.” The children were followed by three hundred black women representing the Patriotic Association, a group organized to distribute clothing and other goods among the freed people. The women carried baskets of flowers, wreaths, and crosses to the burial ground. The Mutual Aid Society, a benevolent association of black men, next marched in cadence around the track and into the cemetery, followed by large crowds of white and black citizens.

All dropped their spring blossoms on the graves in a scene recorded by a newspaper correspondent: “when all had left, the holy mounds — the tops, the sides, and the spaces between them — were one mass of flowers, not a speck of earth could be seen; and as the breeze wafted the sweet perfumes from them, outside and beyond … there were few eyes among those who knew the meaning of the ceremony that were not dim with tears of joy.”

The official dedication ceremony was conducted by the ministers of all the black churches in Charleston. With prayer, the reading of biblical passages, and the singing of spirituals, black Charlestonians gave birth to an American tradition. In so doing, they declared the meaning of the war in the most public way possible — by their labor, their words, their songs, and their solemn parade of roses, lilacs, and marching feet on the old planters’ Race Course.

After the dedication, the crowds gathered at the Race Course grandstand to hear some thirty speeches by Union officers, local black ministers, and abolitionist missionaries. Picnics ensued around the grounds, and in the afternoon, a full brigade of Union infantry, including Colored Troops, marched in double column around the martyrs’ graves and held a drill on the infield of the Race Course. The war was over, and Memorial Day had been founded by African Americans in a ritual of remembrance and consecration.

To the African American freed slaves, these Union soldiers had paid the ultimate sacrifice for their freedom. Too often today, Memorial Day is overly focused on glorifying war and promoting a glamorous patriotism through parades and family cookouts, while missing stories like this one. Quakers have always wrestled with supporting the goals of war and lives being given, but I believe if we promoted stories like this, we could honor the sacrifices made while giving credit where it is due. Let us respond on this weekend as the freed slaves did in 1865, together in honor, benevolence, and peace.

Grace and peace,

Bob

Joys & Concerns

Let’s give many thanks to our food pantry volunteers for the food pantry last week: Christie M; Dan H; Beth S; Linda and Rik L; Kathy and Bill F; and Carol and Jim D. Thanks for volunteering!

It is a late-start gardening season and the gardeners are happy to be planting! Soon you will see more plants as the seeds reveal the miracles they have stored inside over the winter. A little kiss from the sun and some life-giving rain tend to renew. That which was dormant is now growing and bursting with life. Out of darkness, God has called creation into the light… again.

Meanwhile, our compost bin is full of fall leaves. We are adding coffee grounds, eggshells and tea bags—no diseased or parasitic plants, weeds or pest-attracting garbage. Weeds go in a trash bin or in a pile behind the cistern to be hauled away later.

Rebuilt and new raised beds are coated with non-toxic butcher oil to preserve the woods. Tools are sanitized and somewhat rust-proofed when we dip them into a mixture of sand and linseed oil stored in a galvanized, lidded garbage can (prevents fire).

We share seeds, work, knowledge, laughs and produce. Thank you, Friends, for supporting our efforts. Take some walks around our plots throughout the growing season and be inspired as you watch the magic!

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Friends Peace Teams: AVP and Healing Communities – Friends Peace Teams, a spirit-led organization working for intergenerational transformation, is holding a workshop. They will be breaking cycles of oppression through investing in people-to-people exchanges and healing trauma. Here you can meet coordinators of the Asia West Pacific initiative: John Machaelis from Sydney Australia, and Nadine Hoover from New York. Please join us at Earlham School of Religion, Quigg Worship Room, on May 24, 2018, 7:00-8:30pm. For more information and to RSVP, please contact jeannemariemudd@gmail.com.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application is June 30th, 2018. For an application please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Women at the Well: A gathering of women who ponder current issues and topics, where differing views are discussed, no decisions are made, and food and drinks are enjoyed. It will take place every fourth Thursday of the month, and our next gathering will be on Thursday, May 24th, 7pm, at Redemption Aleworks (7035 E 96th St, Indianapolis/Fishers). Join other women of First Friends and enjoy a wonderful night of conversation together.

Make Plans for Memorial Day Weekend! Join us on Sunday, May 27th 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.

Happy Memorial Day! Memorial Day Sunday is an opportunity for us to remember those we love, especially those who have died in service to our country—whether in the military or in non-combat support and care of our troops. In observance of Memorial Day on May 28th, please note that there will be no Monday Meditational Worship as the church/office will be closed that day. We hope you have a good holiday.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for May

Fish Crow – Immigrant: Welcome or Not?
By Brad Jackson

VBS Volunteers Needed! This year we are having Vacation Bible School from Sunday July 22nd through Thursday, July 26th. This year’s theme is Shipwrecked: Rescued by Jesus. We are looking for volunteers that can help either one night or the whole week. On Sunday VBS will be from 12-2pm, and the rest of the week will be from 6-8pm. This is a wonderful event that children look forward to each year and we are able to offer it free of charge thanks to volunteers like you! If you’d like to help, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Climate Change Policy Planning Workshop: POSTPONED ~ Please note that the workshop on climate change policy that was scheduled for Tuesday, May 29th is being postponed. Please keep an eye out for an update on the rescheduled event.

Fifth Tuesday: An Introduction to Human Trafficking in Indianapolis ~ The five churches of the Shalom Zone, Allisonville Christian Church, Cross & Crown Lutheran Church, Epworth United Methodist Church, First Friends Meeting, and St. Pius X Catholic Church, will be sponsoring “Fifth Tuesday Presentation” this year. Each month that contains a 5th Tuesday, a special presentation will be offered. The initial event is May 29, 2018. Subsequent presentations will be scheduled for July 31 and October 30, 2018.

On Tuesday, May 29, join us for our first presentation at Epworth United Methodist Church, 6450 Allisonville Rd. The topic is “An Introduction to Human Trafficking in Indianapolis”. An officer from IMPD and Sven Schumacher from Lutheran Child and Family Services will share information about Human Trafficking in Indianapolis.

The Indiana Attorney General’s Office has said human trafficking—which involves both labor and sex trafficking—is one of the largest and fastest-growing problems in the world, just behind the drug trade. Shalom Zone hopes to raise awareness about human trafficking and provide education on how to address the problem in our community.

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading: Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South by Beth Macy will be held Tuesday, May 29th at 7 pm in the Parlor. If you'd like to read ahead for the June 26th discussion, the title is In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson.

AVP Annual National Gathering ~ All are invited to join the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) annual conference held this year at Earlham College in Richmond. It will be on Memorial Day weekend, May 25-28. If you’re interested in registering, please visit https://goo.gl/7Mhh9K. In an attempt to bring their work to high school students, AVP is also trying to raise funds to help send some of their students to the conference as well. They have included in the program a youth panel discussion which their students will participate with youth from AVP programs in New Jersey and New York. They have invited the Peace Learning Center to be a part of this as well. This is an exciting opportunity for the students. It costs $100 to send one high school student to the entire weekend conference where they will have the opportunity to meet and learn from experienced AVP facilitators from across the country. If you’re interested in donating, please visit https://avpindiana.org/.

Worship in the Woods – Mark Your Calendars! Please note that our annual Worship in the Woods and picnic will be held Sunday, July 8. We will also hold a dedication of the new Mediational Woods path, in memory of Bob Hadley. We hope you will join us on that day.

Comment

Friend to Friend May 16, 2018

May 17, 2018

As Way Opens

This past Sunday morning I showed up to Meeting feeling sad and tired. It had been a long week full of difficult emotions and a busyness that had left me depleted. My expectations were low for the day and I felt an emptiness of God’s presence.

And then I entered into what we Quakers call a “gathered meeting”. Thomas Kelly describes a gathered meeting as “A blanket of Divine covering that comes over the room, and a quickening Presence pervades us, breaking down some part of the special privacy and isolation of our individual lives and blending our spirits with a super-individual Life and Power - an objective, dynamic Presence which enfolds us all, nourishes our souls, speaks glad, unutterable comfort within us, and quickens in us depths that had before been slumbering. The Burning Bush has been kindled in our midst and we stand on holy ground.”

In our semi-programmed tradition, I think a gathered meeting can happen during song, messages, fellowship and open worship. For me on Sunday It started during Sunday School as the Tinsley girls asked if we could sort stamps for Right Sharing of World Resources. We all sat around the ping pong table, sorting stamps, talking and singing. And then Erin Tinsley wanted to sit with me during Meeting for Worship and we joyfully sang Morning Has Broken (one of my favorites) as our opening hymn. The choir, Eric’s vocal offertory, the children, Bob’s message encouraging us to come alive, the open worship, the closing hymn Come and Go With Me…. the time together was so full of joy and lifted my spirit. I felt I was standing on holy ground.

This is why I am a Quaker and why our world needs what Quakers can offer. I come to worship with all of you never knowing how God’s spirit will move. I don’t come to be entertained or hear a performance. I come with an expectant heart listening for God’s voice and being connected with all of you in this amazing faith community. Thank you all for how you minister to me each week.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Fun & Successful Garden Work Day ~ Several new garden plots are expansions for the First Friends vegetable garden. An enthusiastic crew gathered to build, paint, and ready the space during our Cinco de Mayo work day. The happy crowd wrapped up the day with a feast of authentic Mexican tacos, a tres leche cake, delicious homemade salsa and more. We are trying out a large used wagon to aid in moving water, soil and plants. The compact bin is in use and a small rototiller donated by Culver G is a perfect size for our small plots. Thank you everyone for your work and generous contributions!

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Friends Peace Teams: AVP and Healing Communities – Friends Peace Teams, a spirit-led organization working for intergenerational transformation, is holding a workshop. They will be breaking cycles of oppression through investing in people-to-people exchanges and healing trauma. Here you can meet coordinators of the Asia West Pacific initiative: John Machaelis from Sydney Australia, and Nadine Hoover from New York. Please join us at Earlham School of Religion, Quigg Worship Room, on May 24, 2018, 7:00-8:30pm. For more information and to RSVP, please contact jeannemariemudd@gmail.com.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Threshing at the Tap: (def.) a gathering of men who mull over current issues or topics, where all points of view are heard, no decisions are made, and beverages and food are enjoyed. This month we will be meeting at Big Lug Canteen. We will meet TOMORROW, Thursday, May 17th at 7pm. The address is 1435 E 86th St, Indianapolis, 46240. We hope to see you there!

The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application is June 30th, 2018. For an application please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Rise Up Singalong! Enjoy an evening of fun and songs old and new. Experience the retro delight of making music together. The next Sing Along with Jim K and Dan H will be May 18th, the third Friday of the month, at 7:00 in the parlor. Those who have Rise Up Singing and Rise Again, please bring them. We are planning a song list ahead of time and will have enlarged copies of the selections for those who lack books. Those who want to purchase books may get them directly from riseupandsing.org. Or, if you must, through Amazon. You may save a few dollars from Amazon, but you support the authors more by going directly. Learn more about the books on the website. Contact Linda L if you have questions.

Spring Cleaning in the Woods: Put on your work gloves and join us in the Woods on Saturday, May 19th @ 9 AM! We will freshen up the Woods for Spring! Our Woods is becoming a haven for local and migrating birds. Come enjoy the fellowship of working with others to care for creation. If you have questions please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Mid North Food Pantry - Food Drive ~ Folks from First Friends have financially supported the Mid North Food Pantry for many years. November has been the month when we have typically held our food pantry drive. For a couple of reasons, we are now having our food pantry drive in May this year. We have learned that the pantry has its biggest need in the summer since kids are out of school and are not receiving breakfast and/or lunch from their schools during the summer. A collection earlier in the year also helps the pantry better plan its budget for the calendar year. Please do what you can to help those who rely on the pantry and donate as you are led. Checks can be made to First Friends with “food pantry” noted in the memo section. We will hold the food drive through this Sunday, May 20th. Thank you for your support!

Jeff Rasley’s New Book “Island Adventures” ~ “Want a break from angst-causing daily headlines? If you would enjoy an escape through tales of adventure on exotic islands, this little book is for you” (Midsummer Books). Jeff Rasley has a new book out! It is called Island Adventures - Disconnecting in the Caribbean and South Pacific. It is intended to be amusing, informative, and spiritually renewing. The paperback only costs $9.99 and the eBook $3.99.

You can order it through your favorite book store, or find it on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/ISLAND-ADVENTURES-Disconnecting-Caribbean-Pacific-ebook/dp/B07CVL8VJ7

A callout for some native shade tolerant plants! If you have some extra wild ginger, may apples, trillium, etc that you’d love to donate to the Woods, please bring them this Sunday or anytime it’s convenient. Don’t know what’s native? Check out the INPAWS.org website. We are trying to recreate a native habitat that will nurture our native birds and insects. Having native plants provides pollination for fruits and insects provide protein for any nesting birds. Drop Mary B a line if you have any questions.

Women at the Well ~ A gathering of women who ponder current issues and topics, where differing views are discussed, no decisions are made, and food and drinks are enjoyed. It will take place every fourth Thursday of the month, and our next gathering will be on Thursday, May 24th, 7pm, at Redemption Aleworks (7035 E 96th St, Indianapolis/Fishers). Join other women of First Friends and enjoy a wonderful night of conversation together.

Climate Change Policy Planning Workshop ~ Join us for a workshop on climate change policy. Here is a chance to make your voice heard! Come and give feedback on policies impacting your environment and your future. Pollution and climate change are massive issues that we can only tackle by getting together to show organized support for healthier (necessary) alternatives. We can't expect to change the powerful forces working against this initiative without a little love and attention. It will be held here at First Friends on Tuesday, May 29th at 7:00pm. Dinner is provided. Please join us!

Comment

Friend to Friend May 9, 2018

May 15, 2018

As Way Opens

In preparing to speak this Thursday (6pm) for the Friends in Action Conference at Iglesia Amigos, I reviewed Quaker Parker Palmer’s Five Habits of the Heart. These were introduced to me at a pastor’s conference a couple of years ago. Palmer says they “are deeply ingrained ways of seeing, being and responding to life that involve our minds, our emotions, our self-image, and our concepts of meaning and purpose in life.” I believe keeping these five habits ingrained in our being is key to the ongoing growth and development of First Friends. I hope you will take some time this week to reflect on, wrestle with, and allow these habits to speak and shape how you interact with those in your communities of influence. I suggest printing them out and placing them somewhere you will see them often and where you will be reminded to live them out.

1. An understanding that we are all in this together.

Despite our illusions of individualism and national superiority, we humans are a profoundly interconnected species—entwined with one another and with all forms of life, as the global economic and ecological crises reveal in vivid and frightening detail. We must embrace the simple fact that we are dependent upon and accountable to one another, and that includes the stranger, the “alien” other.

2. An appreciation of the value of “otherness.”

“…[W]e spend most of our lives in “tribes” or lifestyle enclaves—and that thinking of the world in terms of “us” and “them” is one of the many limitations of the human mind. The good news is that “us and them” does not have to mean “us versus them.” Instead, it can remind us of the ancient tradition of hospitality to the stranger…Hospitality rightly understood is premised on the notion that the stranger has much to teach us. Of course, we will not practice deep hospitality if we do not embrace the creative possibilities inherent in our differences.

3. An ability to hold tension in life-giving ways.

Our lives are filled with contradictions—from the gap between our aspirations and our behavior, to observations and insights we cannot abide because they run counter to our convictions. If we fail to hold them creatively, these contradictions will shut us down and take us out of the action. [Rather,] the genius of the human heart lies in its capacity to use these tensions to generate insight, energy, and new life.

4. A sense of personal voice and agency.

Insight and energy give rise to new life as we speak out and act out our own version of truth, while checking and correcting it against the truths of others. …[It is] possible for us, young and old alike, to find our voices, learn how to speak them, and know the satisfaction that comes from contributing to positive change—if we have the support of a community.

5. A capacity to create community.

Without a community, it is nearly impossible to exercise the “power of one” in a manner that multiplies… The steady companionship of two or three kindred spirits can kindle the courage we need to speak and act…

From Healing the Heart of Democracy by Parker Palmer

May the Creator grant us wisdom as we make these habits part of our practice of living out the Quaker Way in our neighborhoods and homes!

Grace and peace,

Bob

Joys & Concerns

Many Thanks to our Food Pantry Volunteers! We were very busy at the Mid North Food Pantry last Wednesday. We served over 100 families. But First Friends’ volunteers answered the call. Volunteers included Derek S, Ray G, Faye H (visiting from New Mexico!), Phil K, Dan H, Beth S, Rik and Linda L, and Carol and Jim D. Thanks to our volunteers and to all who have helped support the pantry.

Many thanks to José and Rocio for taking the time to do a thorough cleaning of our kitchen. It looks much better! Please help us keep it clean!

Lost some glasses? Some sunglasses were found in Fellowship Hall. If they belong to you, please come to the office lost and found to retrieve them!

Bob & Beth joined the Prayer Vigil today with Faith in Indiana to stop the deportation of Sonia (a fellow Friend from Iglesia Amigos). We also joined in a Jericho Walk around the detention center as a peaceful protest. There were nearly 50 people who joined in the vigil and march from various faith traditions in Brazil, Indiana.

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Friends in Action – “Let Your Life Speak” ~ All are invited to attend the Friends in Action conference on Thursday, May 10th at 6:00pm hosted by Iglesia Amigos. Come hear what Quakers are doing in these times of confusion. We will hear from our own Bob Henry about our grounding of social justice in scripture and in our Quaker tradition. We will hear from Brian Young and Lamont Hulse and their experience of defying power and also what Friends in Muncie are doing with Neighbors for Justice. We will also have delicious food and good fellowship. Held at Iglesia Amigos, 831 N. Edmondson Ave, Indianapolis, 46219. For more information, please call 317-719-5015.

FCNL Anniversary Celebration ~ Join the Friends Committee on National Legislation at Earlham College in Richmond on the weekend of May 11-13, 2018 for a 75th anniversary celebration. The theme will be “Returning to Our Roots” as they celebrate 75 years working for “the world we seek.” The events will begin at 1:30pm on Friday and will include various workshops, panels, receptions, luncheons, and speakers, including Indiana Senator Todd Young. To view the full schedule of events and to RSVP, please visit http://fcnl.org/richmond75. If you have questions, you can contact Anna McCormally at Anna@fcnl.org or (202) 903-2522.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Happy Mother’s Day! This weekend we wish a happy Mother’s Day to all who might be mothers, who want to be mothers, those who are a motherly figure to someone, and those who are caregivers alike. Also join us this Sunday May 13th as Beth will be selling chocolate, coffee, and tea to help raise money for youth group. We will see you there!

You can order it through your favorite book store, or find it on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/ISLAND-ADVENTURES-Disconnecting-Caribbean-Pacific-ebook/dp/B07CVL8VJ7

Calling All Graduates! ~ As we do each year, we will be honoring our graduates on Sunday, May 20th. If you or someone in your family is graduating from high school or college, please notify the office so we may acknowledge them! office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.

The Indianapolis Pride Parade will be June 9th beginning at 9am this year. We will be walking in support of the LGBTQ community. If you are interested in walking with us, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. For more information about the parade, please visit https://indypride.org/

Comment

Friend to Friend May 2, 2018

May 3, 2018

As Way Opens

This week we will have a guest writer for “As Way Opens” – our own John M!

Several months ago, I talked with Bob about my father’s life experiences. He asked me to write about him for the weekly meeting newsletter. I said no, I was not ready. However, after a recent message: “Now, What Are We To Do?” it came to me that now was the time.

At the beginning of World War II, my father received conscientious objector status for the draft. I know that this was not popular in either his family (son of a Methodist minister) or my mother’s (daughter of a prominent farmer/ entrepreneur), both conservative Nebraskans. He had a Ph.D. in cytology and was a college professor.

He was eventually called up and assigned to a Civilian Public Service Camp in North Dakota. After considerable thought about the work he and other camp members had been assigned (busy work of no importance to anyone) and a strong belief that his medical related skills were needed elsewhere to help those who were suffering due to the war or other situations, he walked out of the camp. He was quickly arrested, had a trial (after a year’s delay- due to federal court sessions only once a year), and sentenced to three years in prison. He had an unusual and understanding judge and was put on probation after his sentencing to work for the American Friends Service Committee in India. This was the first time any convicted CO had been allowed probation after conviction. He did not know this would be result of his action when he walked away from the camp and was willing to accept what course the law required. As such, his actions caused some relatives to disown him and my mother and many relatives never spoke to, or acknowledged, their existence from that time on.

Previously, he had been fired from a college because he caught the star quarterback cheating on a final exam and refused the college president’s command to give him another exam.

During the Vietnam War he became vocal in his opposition to the war, including articles in the local paper. A member of the College’s Board of Trustees, also the member of Congress for the local congressional district, demanded that he be fired, although he was a tenured professor.

At this time, my parents left the United States and went to Canada. My father taught at a Canadian university until he retired. My parents lived in Canada, as naturalized Canadian citizens, until their deaths.

Would I have had the strength of his convictions and taken a similar course of action? That I do not know. The question is particularly relevant today.

What action(s) is Christ asking us to take in this hurting society and world to acknowledge, speak to, and uphold, that of God in every person no matter their color, lifestyle, financial situation, location, personal belief, or anything else that makes them different from us?

Where are you?

John M

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Quaker Voluntary Service at First Friends! Come to Meeting this Sunday, May 6th to learn more about Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS)! QVS is an 11-month experiment, living at the intersection of transformational spirituality and activism. Young adults work full-time in professional positions at community-based organizations addressing a wide range of issues, while living in a cooperative house and worshiping with, and being mentored by, local Quakers. Our guest speaker for the morning message that day will be Christina Repoley, founding executive director at QVS. Currently living in Atlanta, GA, Christina has a rich history of Quakerism and activism. She has carried the leading to create QVS for many years and is thrilled that it is finally coming into being. Christina will be giving the morning message on Sunday at 10:15, and will also be hosting an open house in our Parlor that day at 4pm. Please join us as we celebrate and learn more about this important program!

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

We are preparing for the spring with our community garden. Please reach out to the office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485 if you are interested in having a garden box and participating in the organic community garden by Friday, May 4th. We'll have a community garden work day on May 5th starting at 10 am to get the season started! We’ll have a pitch-in Cinco De Mayo picnic at 12:30. Also if you can, please bring tools to share (be sure to write your name on them)! We’ll be building new raised beds and adding compost to the plot. Can't wait to see you all there!

Broad Ripple Park Master Plan Open House ~ Broad Ripple Park is our closest public park. The City of Indianapolis and Indy Parks is continuing the process of developing a comprehensive Broad Ripple Park Master Plan with public open houses. This plan will guide future development and partnership opportunities in the park. There are two remaining public comment meetings to discuss future planning and development. The next meeting is today, May 2 from 6-8 pm at Broad Ripple High School Auditorium. For more information, please visithttps://www.broadripplepark.org/please-come-broad-ripple-park-to-get-master-plan/

Fix It: Healthcare at the Tipping Point ~ Why do we Americans pay the world’s highest health care costs that leaves many Americans vulnerable? An entrepreneurial businessman explores the high cost of coverage for his employees. Join us for a screening of the documentary film Fix It: Healthcare at the Tipping Point, and a discussion to follow. Our discussion will be led by Rob Stone, M.D., a palliative care physician and director of Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Plan. It will be held Thursday, May 3rd at 7PM in the Parlor. Please contact the office with any questions at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485. Co-sponsored by Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Plan and People of Faith for Access to Medicines. You can find additional information at https://www.nuvo.net/screens/fix-it-healthcare-at-the-tipping-point/article_1950ff9a-4c98-11e8-a4a1-6b0d80d08a69.html

Community Soup ~ Witness & Service will host the next Community Soup, this Friday May 4th, from 5:30 pm – 7 pm. Please note that we have changed the date back to Friday instead of Thursday. Everyone is invited to this very informal dinner. If you’d like you’re welcome to bring a soup or salad but not necessary. Our motto is: No cooking, no cleanup, no cost! Hope to see you there.

Youth Group this Sunday ~ Calling all youth! We will hold Youth Group after worship this Sunday, May 6 at 11:30, led by Aaron and Michelle T and Ben W. See you there!

Changing Footprints ~ We appreciate your donations of unneeded footwear for Changing Footprints. Please fill the container in Fellowship Hall in the Donation Station corner. Last year our Indy shoe room location gave more than 46,000 pairs to primarily Indy-area nonprofit organizations. We also helped hurricane victims in Texas and Puerto Rico! Thank you all for your support.

Help keep our kitchen clean! In an effort to keep our kitchen clean and pest-free, and to ensure the health of all of our congregation, please help us by keeping the following guidelines: If you leave food in the kitchen, please make sure it is labeled and properly dated, to ensure food is not kept longer than is safe. If you bring food to share during fellowship hour, please take leftovers home with you, as things left in the kitchen may not be served or discarded in a timely manner. We will occasionally clean out the fridge and dispose of anything not labeled or that is too old, so if you wish to keep anything, please take it home on a timely basis. Thank you!

SAWS Ramp Build- Volunteers Needed! The Shalom Zone is planning another SAWS ramp build for the morning of Saturday, June 2nd. If you would like to volunteer to help or need more information, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485. Volunteers must complete the volunteer form before their first build. This form can be found on the SAWS website at http://www.sawsramps.org/.

Comment