Friend to Friend March 6, 2019

March 6, 2019

As Way Opens

Last Friday night, Sue and I served at two different venues happening in Indy. During my event, Sue texted me from the Sanctuary on Penn, where American Friends Service Committee Indiana was holding their Celebrating Solidarity and Courage event. She noted that there were about 15 people from our Meeting at the event. My heart was warmed to see so many people from First Friends in support of AFSC Indiana’s hard work and service through Revolutionary Visions & Radical Imaginations (the theme of the night).

Meanwhile, I was kicking off the Western Yearly Meeting Spring Retreat at Fort Harrison State Park Inn. My session after dinner for the pastors and their spouses was a personal exploration of some important questions proceeding from Parker Palmer’s latest book, On the Brink of Everything. After introducing the night, we spent a full hour having conversation together around issues that many pastors never ask themselves or each other. I was moved by their openness and willingness to wrestle together with their peers. I sensed it a good way to set the tone for the rest of the retreat.

On Saturday, First Friends hosted day two of the WYM Spring Retreat. Not only was it well attended, we had a good group of people from our Meeting who engaged in the conversations and experiences. During a session where we were “dreaming” with attenders from First Friends, one of our people said with much joy in their voice the following about First Friends:

“I once was rearranging chairs on the Titanic, but now I am on the Love Boat.”

We erupted in laughter and at the same time my heart was warmed. Many wrote that phrase down and felt it was a beautiful description of who First Friends is and continues to become.

All weekend as I sat with other pastors and leaders in our Yearly Meeting, I could not help but reflect on all the great things we are being and doing at First Friends. I found myself often sharing about our Meeting, its great people, and all the ways we are growing and serving our community. Several people mentioned, how we have something really special going on at First Friends. I couldn’t agree more! On that note, que the music…

”Love…exciting and new…come aboard…we’re expecting you…” at First Friends!

Grace and peace,

Bob

Joys & Concerns

Last Sunday we celebrated Scout Sunday. We were pleased to present Adam C the Quaker “That of God” Medal during the service. Great work, Adam! Thanks to Sue H and Deb G for the photos.

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

IFCL -- Redistricting Reform and SB 105 - Well, we're halfway there. Last week, SB 105, the redistricting standards/criteria bill that IFCL has been lobbying for, passed out of the Indiana Senate 26-23. It now moves over to the House, where the hearing process starts anew. If only we can motivate them...

The House has been slow to act on redistricting reform. Despite a positive recommendation from an 18-month study committee in 2016, the House has not to date advanced, or even taken a vote, on reform. We must encourage the House to do right by Hoosiers and take action this year, before it's too late.

For this purpose, the redistricting coalition IFCL has been working with is holding a press conference on Thursday, March 7th at 3:30pm with legislators, civic leaders, and coalition spokespeople. The purpose of the event is to urge House Elections Committee Chairman Tim Wesco to give SB 105 a hearing and vote in his committee. We'll also call on Speaker Brian Bosma to back up his support for redistricting reform by using his leadership position to ensure that the House take action on redistricting reform this year. The press conference will be on the 3rd floor of the State House, in the south atrium.

And you're invited! If you believe Hoosiers deserve a full and fair debate on redistricting reform in both legislative chambers this year, please come to this event. Together, our presence will lend weight to our message!

Please contact Phil Goodchild (goodch713@aol.com; 317-790-9054) or Ed Morris (emorri@earthlink.net; 317-691-5542) with any questions. Thank you for your support.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Remember, Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 10th at 2:00 am!! This means that we “spring forward” in time as we anticipate the wonderful weather to come with it. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward for Sunday morning!

Pacers game RSVPs—Please double-check!! If you RSVP’d for the Pacers game on April 7th please make sure we have your name below. If you still need to RSVP, please contact the office by 8:00am Thursday morning, March 7. We will be unable to accept RSVPs after that time. Current RSVPs: Beattys – 2, Bolander – 1, Curry – 2, Deddens – 2, Donahues – 2, Farris – 2, Farr – 1, Frames – 4, Henricks – 1, Henrys – 4, Linebacks – 2, Rains – 2, Rodinos – 2, Scotts – 4, Smalls – 4, Snells – 3, Sommers – 4, Thornburgs – 4

Sunday Unprogrammed Worship ~ We are now opening the parlor for unprogrammed worship from 9:00 - 10:00 (during the Sunday School hour) every Sunday morning. Folks will enter the parlor in silence and worship together for the hour.

Exhibition and Performance: The Story of Lot’s Wife ~ The Religion, Spirituality & the Arts Seminar (RSA), a project of the IUPUI Arts & Humanities Institute, invited 12 Indiana artists to explore and expound upon the story of Lot’s Wife during the eighth annual Religion, Spirituality and the Arts Seminar and the accompanying art exhibition. Artists include Stan Blevins, Peggy Breidenbach, Alys Caviness-Gober, Marjie Giffin, A. Paul Johnson, Kasey May, Michael McAuley, William Peacock, Katherine Simmons, Jennifer Strange, Teresa Vazquez, and Kevin Wilson.

In this exhibition, the artists consider questions that delve far beyond the story of Lot’s Wife who, as told in Genesis 19, turns to see the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and becomes a pillar of salt. Did she act in disobedience or out of compassion? What is our responsibility to bear witness? Is looking back redemptive or paralyzing? Might we see contemporary events (mass tragedies, refugees) in the light of this text? Exploring the story through religion, art, poetry, and music, this exhibition will ask questions fundamental to the human experience. This event will be Thursday, March 7 at 6:00pm at the Jewish Community Center (6701 Hoover Rd, Indianapolis), but the works will be available for viewing through April 30th. Additional information about the seminar is available at https://www.culturalecologies.org/rsa/.

Eco-Film: “Courage, Brains and Muscle” ~ We’re excited about former Indiana First Lady, Judy O’Bannon, coming in person to Epworth for the presentation of her new documentary: “Courage, Brains and Muscle: Our Environmental CHAMPIONS.” This will be shown Friday, March 8, 7:00pm, at Epworth UMC, 6450 Allisonville Rd, Indianapolis, and is sponsored by the Shalom Zone Churches. Ms. O’Bannon will be accompanied by Dr. Carol Johnston, recently retired professor from CTS, as they show the tv Environmental documentary they made in partnership with WFYI. Judy was Indiana’s much loved “First Lady” during husband Frank O’Bannon’s governorship from 1997-2003. This uplifting hour-long film shows Judy traveling our state in search of environmental champions.

Power & Promise ~ Join Christian Theological Seminary to honor Phil Gulley and the power of progressive writing on Tuesday, March 12 at 7:00 PM at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. Gulley, longtime Quaker pastor and Indiana native, is the author of numerous books including the “Harmony” series of novels, Front Porch Tales, If the Church Were Christian, The Evolution of Faith, and, Unlearning God: How Unbelieving Helped Me Believe. The evening will include a talk by Dan Wakefield, fellow Hoosier and celebrated author of Going All the Way, Starting Over, Returning: A Spiritual Journey, and more. John Krull, host of WFYI's "No Limits," will moderate the evening. Tickets are $25 each (or free for students). Proceeds will support the Indiana Writers Center’s summer learning program, “Building a Rainbow,” which serves at-risk youth in Indianapolis. For more information and to register, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/honoring-phil-gulley-and-the-power-of-progressive-writing-tickets-53606754245

Rise Up Singalong ~ Sing Along with Jim on March 15th, the third Friday. We start at 7 and end around 8:30. Shakers, tambourine, and wooden frog are available to add to the fun. Join the group in singing Moon River, Leavin’ on a Jet Plane, Rock A My Soul and more. Improv harmonies welcomed. Shower singers, in-the-car singers warmly welcomed.

Take What You Need Concert March 17th 3PM at Roberts Park UMC 401 N. Delaware, Indianapolis. VOCE (member Carolyn T sings with this group) and Matthew’s Voices (a choir composed of current and formerly homeless individuals) have joined together for a concert where community connects, stories emerge and relationships are formed. This will be a moving experience combining music with the personal stories of some of the choir members. Tickets are $5. More information can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/events/2090390034385546/

Small Groups ~ Come join in a time of deeper fellowship and connection with one of our upcoming Small groups. In the past our small groups study sessions were an opportunity to deepen connections in a small group with Friends. See below for current available sessions. Sign up at the Meetinghouse or email/call the office to save your spot. Please let us know if you need the Meeting to get a provide a copy of the book for you. We hope you will join us!

Meditational Woods Bird-of-the-Month for February
Northern Mockingbird
A Time for Singing, and a Time for Silence

A couple of weeks ago, I was pulling into a parking space near the sidewalk into the Meditational Woods. I had not even gotten out of the car, when the bird flew into the large Winterberry bush immediately in front of me at the edge of the woods. The flash of white in the wing and tail got my attention, and the lack of blue, and small head meant it was not the ordinary Blue Jay. In fact it was a Northern Mockingbird: robin-sized, except slimmer with a long tail. Indianapolis is at the northern edge of its “common” range, and the species seems right at home in neighborhood settings like ours. Rough winters, however can reduce the population. This was my first sighting of the species on the meeting house property.

Mockingbirds are famous for their variety of songs and other vocalizations, and for singing on moonlit nights. Not today, however; in fact, outside of the courting and nesting seasons, like this day, the males are usually silent. It did not even give its call, a loud sharp, “thick” or “check”.

A time to sing, and a time to be silent.

Thanks to Norma W for identifying the berry bush for me. ~Brad J

Right Sharing Fundraiser in memory of Ann P ~ Please plan on joining us for a fundraiser here at First Friends Meeting in honor of our dearly beloved Ann P. It will be on Sunday, March 24th. We will have a simple meal as well as auction off a quilt in Ann’s memory made by the sewing group Ann was a part of. Our goal is to raise $6,500 to support a designated project for a group of women in India, Sierra Leone or Kenya (we can select the project). We will receive regular communication from the women and pictures of what they are doing. Right Sharing supports and funds small businesses run by women in these 3 countries. If you’d like to support RSWR, contributions can be sent to the Meeting office at 3030 Kessler Blvd E Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46220 with the notation “RSWR.” You can also drop off your contribution in the offering plate on Sundays. Thank you for supporting this important ministry!

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading March pick is On the Brink of Everything by Parker J Palmer! The discussion will be led by Bob Henry on Tuesday March 26th at 7 pm in the Parlor. Click here for the Publishers Weekly Review: https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-5230-9543-8 We hope you can join us this month! Click on this link to follow event information on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/386275222161561/ Contact the office at office@indyfriends.org if you’d like to receive email updates.

Mark your calendars – Soup and Service! What was formerly known as Community Soup is now “Soup and Service!” On the 5th Sunday of the month, Sunday, March 31 after worship, come and share in a meal and fellowship, and hear about one of First Friends’ outreach projects. This month we will discuss Mid-North Food Pantry. If successful we may continue this trend. We will provide the soup. Please join us!

First Friends’ Experiment with Light Retreat! Please mark your calendars for Saturday, May 11, 2019, 9:00am – 4:30pm where First Friends will host this mindful and introspective retreat. The Experiment with Light Retreat draws upon early Quaker practices and contemporary meditation to help people move past intellectual and emotional blocks and encounter the Divine. This retreat will help you have a personal encounter with the Divine that lights the path of your life and animates your life in community. All are welcome to join. Breakfast and Lunch will be included. If you’d like to register, please visit https://goo.gl/forms/oo2Zb4L4UL6kL9jH3. We hope you will be there!

Save the Date – Comedy with First Friends! Please plan to join us on Thursday, April 18 at 7:00pm for a comedy show outing! It will be at ComedySportz, 721 Massachusetts Avenue. This is a unique competitive Improv show which has been in Indianapolis since 1993. This show is appropriate for all ages, so bring the family! There will be no Threshing Together that night, as the men are encouraged to attend this event. Please keep tuned for more details as we get closer!

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Friend to Friend February 27, 2019

February 27, 2019

As Way Opens

This past Sunday I led our young people in a Sunday School class that talked about repentance and sin. As I read through the lesson plan, I was wrestling inside of myself for a couple of days with these two words that have carried a lot of shame, fear and negative meaning to me in my youth. The idea of a dualistic God that wants us to deny our self, our bodies, our creation and receive repentance from our depraved selves always bothered me and seemed like an antithesis to the beauty, creation and love of God. I read Romans 6:1-13 in the Message Bible this week and I began to feel differently about the words repentance and sin (as well as a fascinating discussion with our youth about these two concepts). I am excerpting some of the verses from this passage. “This is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace - a life in a new land! That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world…. God speaks your mother tongue and you hang on every word…. you are alive to God." While Quakers don’t feel the need for a literal water baptism, the idea of baptism is crucial in our understanding of our relationship to God. Sin keeps us turned inward to ourselves and repentance gives us a new life and a new country. There are 2 words in the Greek for new - neos means a new thing that is very much like the first thing. The other new word is kainos which means something new like we have never seen before. Kainos is the word Paul uses in Romans to describe our relationship to God. The love and grace that takes over our life is something beyond anything we have ever seen. We experience an utter transformation and our journey of life is bathed in God’s love. I like what the well-known theologian Soren Kierkegaard says about repentance, “What else is repentance, which does indeed look back, but nevertheless in such a way that precisely thereby it quickens its pace toward what lies ahead!”

After Sunday School on Sunday I led children’s worship for our older kids from 1st to 5th grade. The lesson plan was about prayer and we talked a lot about how and when we all pray. The kiddos learned the Lord’s Prayer and we had activities to memorize this prayer. I was really blown away by how quickly the kids were remembering the words of this prayer from Jesus and at the end of our time together they were all reciting it with their eyes closed. We also talked about the elements of this prayer and how we might incorporate it into how we pray. The kids then created a collage of what their special prayer place would be (shouldn’t we all identify our special prayer place) and ended our time together laying on the floor and entering silent worship and reciting the Lord’s Prayer together. Our kids are amazing conduits to God and I appreciate how they show me Gods heart through their faces, their words and their actions. I am thankful for the insights of all of our children and youth in my spiritual journey.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Thank you everyone who volunteered at the food pantry last week: Beth F, Ray G, Tony M, Kathy R, Mara S, Kathy and Bill F, Linda and Rik L, Carol and Jim D. Thanks to all for their continuing support of the pantry.

Our Quaker Affirmation curriculum has recently been translated to Spanish by Emma Condori from Bolivia. She said it is already being used in Bolivia and has shared it with Quakers from El Salvador. We are grateful that our Quaker Affirmation youth curriculum is already being spread in Central and South America!

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Indiana House Bill 1093 - Did you know that Indiana is one of only five states without a hate crime law? Indiana is now introducing HB 1093 which outlines and punishes bias crimes. If you’re interested in supporting this legislation, Brent Bill is sending a minute to our representatives on behalf of Quakers in Indiana (read the minute at https://goo.gl/3AwLWC). He is asking anyone interested to show their support by adding their names to the list of Friends supporting this bill. If you would like to add your name, please contact Brent at brentbil@sbcglobal.net no later than Thursday, February 28.

Scout Sunday March 3rd ~ Current and former Scouts, please let us know if there are any changes or updates for you and your family. Please submit any updates to the office so we can recognize you on March 3rd. Please send your name, Scouting Organization, Troop number and Scout rank. Email office@indyfriends.org or call 317-255-2485.

World Day of Prayer ~ You are invited to join an ecumenical celebration of community prayer and action for peace and justice! The service will be on Friday, March 1 at 10:00am at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, 4650 N. Shadeland Ave. Come enjoy music, Scripture, and prayer. Light refreshments will be served in the Social Room after the program. For more information, see the flyer here: https://www.saintlawrence.net/images/WD-Eng.pdf

Join First Friends for a night with the Pacers! Please join us for a family outing to the Pacers vs Nets game on Sunday April 7th. Tipoff is at 5:00pm, doors open at 4:00pm. Tickets will be provided by the Meeting. Each person will receive a Pacers hat and a free meal (hot dog, chips and a soda). Please RSVP by Friday, March 1st with Beth Henricks at (beth.henricks@indyfriends.org) if you would like to attend!

Meditational Woods Bird-of-the-Month for February
Northern Mockingbird
A Time for Singing, and a Time for Silence

A time to sing, and a time to be silent.

Thanks to Norma Wallman for identifying the berry bush for me.

~Brad Jackson

AFSC Presents: “Revolutionary Visions & Radical Imaginations: Celebrating Solidarity & Courage” ~ Join American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) for an evening to celebrate and be in community with social justice leaders in Indianapolis. It will be Friday, March 1 at 6:00pm at Sanctuary on Penn, 701 N Pennsylvania St, Indianapolis, IN 46204. The evening will include a social hour, dinner, keynote speaker Elle Roberts, and a showcase of local musicians and spoken word artists. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://secure.everyaction.com/p7tPzxfZFEScnjy-KV0W5g2.

Church Women United Newsletter ~ Church Women United have a number of events coming up in March and April. Did you know they have a newsletter? It’s a great way to keep up with upcoming events in the Indianapolis area. You can view the March/April edition here: https://goo.gl/EQjr5Q. If you would like to sign up for the CWU newsletter, contact Mary Boggs at marybboggs@yahoo.com.

Samantha R invites you to Financial Peace University ~ Are you ready to take 2019 by storm?! If you're interested in making big changes in your financial life that will lead to empowerment and peace of mind then this is the class for you. When I first took Financial Peace University (FPU) I was 22 and fresh out of college. I owed Valparaiso University $40,000 in student loans and was new to life as a young person with a steady pay check. I am SO grateful for everything I learned in that class. FPU TAUGHT ME TO HATE DEBT! As a result I paid off my student loan debt in 6 years on a social worker's salary, my partner and I bought a home, renovated it paying cash, got married paying cash, and went on a honeymoon of a life time paying cash. The only debt we have is our mortgage and we hate debt so much we plan to have it paid off in 7 years. We couldn't have made all of this possible without FPU! Ready for change?

We're hosting Financial Peace University starting Tuesday, March 5th from 6-8 at Hamilton Exhibits at 9150 East 33rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46235. The class is $110 for a lifetime membership. The 2-hour 9-week class has the amazing potential to CHANGE YOUR LIFE! It changed mine. Click here to sign up.

Rise Up Singalong ~ Sing Along with Jim on March 15th, the third Friday. We start at 7 and end around 8:30. Shakers, tambourine, wooden frog are available to add to the fun. Join the group in singing Moon River, Leavin’ on a Jet Plane, Rock A My Soul and more. Improv harmonies welcomed. Shower singers, in-the-car singers warmly welcomed.

Save the Date – First Friends’ Experiment with Light Retreat! Please mark your calendars for Saturday, May 11, 2019, 9:00am – 4:30pm where First Friends will host this mindful and introspective retreat. The Experiment with Light Retreat draws upon early Quaker practices and contemporary meditation to help people move past intellectual and emotional blocks and encounter the Divine. This retreat will help you have a personal encounter with the Divine that lights the path of your life and animates your life in community. All are welcome to join. Breakfast and Lunch will be included. Keep an eye out in coming months for more information. We hope you will be there!

Save the Date – Comedy with First Friends! Please plan to join us on Thursday, April 18 at 7:00pm for a comedy show outing! It will be at ComedySportz, 721 Massachusetts Avenue. This is a unique competitive Improv show which has been in Indianapolis since 1993. This show is appropriate for all ages, so bring the family! Please keep tuned for more details as we get closer to the event!

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Friend to Friend February 20, 2019

February 20, 2019

As Way Opens

In the transition to First Friends over the past 19 months, one of the things I have had to learn to adjust is my view of community. In Silverton, Oregon, I lived in a town of about ten thousand people. It was small enough that I could run into members of my Meeting on a daily basis at a local coffee house or grocery store. That’s not the case in Indianapolis. There is the occasional run-in at Panera, but most of us retreat from the Meeting house to our bedroom communities around greater Indianapolis, and I rarely have the chance to see you but on Sundays or at a special gathering. This also has me serving a Meeting in the city during the day and heading home to my family in the suburbs at night

Often, I challenge us to be more involved in our communities, while I myself am being torn by my own challenge. The Fishers community in which I live and the Glendale Neighborhood where our Meeting sits are quite different. Even our family is divided in this way, as Sue and I spend the majority of our time off Kessler Blvd. while our boys are in Fishers all day.

If I am to lead by example and become a faithful presence in my community as I have been teaching since last Fall, I realized I needed to be intentional about finding ways to connect in Fishers. Many people have shared concerns about my family living in Fishers. I cannot deny the lack of diversity, the business mentality, the “cookie-cutter” lifestyle, the prevailing political view, and the overtly Evangelical religious mindset. They are all present, but I don’t believe they have to stay so dominant.

My intentionality to connect led me to a surprising group, Fisher’s Multi-faith Community for Compassion (FMCC). A growing group of diverse people from a variety of faiths who live where I do. I read about their forming and work in our local city magazine and immediately wanted to join. The FMCC’s mission statement is “to promote opportunities to learn about our neighbors, build true relationships and make a difference.” Just what I was looking for!

Since most of the participants were unfamiliar with Quakerism, at my first meeting I was asked to share about our S.P.I.C.E.S. (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship). It was a beautiful moment, when my new Muslim, Sikh, Jewish, and Christian friends said that the S.P.I.C.E.S. were what the FMCC was all about. We even laughed together when the group’s Muslim facilitator said, “We are all Quaker then!” Hearing that reminded me of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s vision of the “Beloved Community.” For me, FMCC is a place where I am encouraged to transcend the boundaries and barriers and help begin to create the kind of world that embraces all people. I look forward to our gatherings and our growing friendships each month. I sense this to be a great way for me to become a faithful presence in my community in a beneficial way.

Grace and Peace,

Bob

Joys & Concerns

A Note from Ruthie: Dear Friends, thank you for the beautiful cards and messages you’ve sent that have helped me begin my recovery from surgery. It is so good to know that I am surrounded by your prayers. What a blessing! I can’t tell you how much this has meant to me. Love, Ruthie. PS: Jon sends his love, too!

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Did you lose a key? This key was found in the parking lot Tuesday afternoon. It is a single silver key on a keyring. It says Hillman on it. Looks like it could possibly be a key to a desk or drawer. If this is your key, you can pick it up from the counter in the office hallway. Thank you!

Men’s Threshing Together ~ If you are interested in gathering with other men who mull over current issues or topics, where all points of view are heard, no decisions are made, and all in a non-threatening atmosphere over a meal, then Threshing Together is for you! Join us for our next meeting tomorrow, Thursday, February 21 at 7:00pm. See locations here: https://goo.gl/QhkXTo.

Talk to Congress is this Sunday during fellowship after worship. The topic is on Yemen, asking Congress to end U.S. support for this devastating Saudi-led war. A sample letter will be available on Sunday, but you can send your thoughts to Congress directly right now! Just use the tool specified below on FCNL's website. The tool automatically helps you find your Senator and Representatives based on your address. Sample language for the "ask" is:

“I urge you to put an end to the illegal U.S. military participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen by cosponsoring and voting for H.J. Res. 37 (House of Representatives) or S.J. Res. 7 (Senate) to enforce the War Powers Act.”

Including a personal story about why you are asking this is especially effective as well.

To use FCNL's "Contact Congress" utility:

1. Go to www.fcnl.org

2. In the upper right corner of the screen, click on "Action," then click on "Act Online" from the drop-down menu

3. On the next screen that appears, click on "see more action alerts, votes, and bills"

4. Click on "Write Your Own Letter to Congress"

5. On the page that appears, type in your contact information, then click on "Next"

6. On the next page, uncheck any member(s) of Congress you do not want your message sent to

7. Type the subject of your message into the top right box

8. Type (or cut and paste) your advocacy message into the larger box beneath the subject box

9. Click "Submit"

Please consider financially supporting the Thornburgs as they desire to travel to attend the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) section meeting in Kansas City, MO on March 21st -24th 2019. The Thornburgs are seeking clarity in the calling to serve as representatives for Western Yearly Meeting on this committee in the near future and this trip will allow them to meet folks and understand the depth and breadth of the work of FWCC. If you feel led, please consider a contribution to the Meeting in support of the Thornburg’s trip (total need is $900). The Thornburgs have also requested assistance from WYM but their support of this trip is yet unknown. Thank you so much for your consideration.

Sunday Unprogrammed Worship ~ Starting this Sunday, February 24 at 9:00 a.m., we will open the parlor for unprogrammed worship from 9:00 - 10:00 (during the Sunday School hour). Folks will enter the parlor in silence and worship together for the hour.

Western Yearly Meeting Retreat & Volunteers Needed! If you’re still interested in attending Western Yearly Meeting’s spring retreat, it’s not too late to register! We are also looking for volunteers to help with set up/cleanup for lunch and dinner on Saturday March 2nd as we are hosting the Western Yearly Meeting spiritual retreat here at First Friends. If you can help us with one of these meals, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. Thank you!

Circle of Care Grief Survey ~ Circle of Care at First Friends is exploring how to meet the needs of our members and attenders who are experiencing loss. Yearly, we host a Grief Gathering before the start of the holiday season. We plan to continue in this tradition but recently conducted a survey to better know other ways we can support those at First Friends who are dealing with loss and grief. We’ve compiled the results which can be viewed here: https://goo.gl/jp5gZd. If you’d like to submit your thoughts you can still take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8L273QQ

Missing Something? ~ In Fellowship Hall we currently have on display all the items we currently have in our lost and found in a final hope to reunite personal items with their owners. After worship we hope everyone will take a few minutes to browse the lost and found and claim anything that might be theirs. This is the last Sunday we will have these items out. Any remaining unclaimed items will be donated.

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading is this coming Tuesday night! Kristyn G will be leading Less by Andrew Sean Greer (the Pulitzer Prize winner for literature 2018) the 26th of February at 7 pm in the Parlor. New York Times review: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/24/books/review/less-andrew-sean-greer.html

World Day of Prayer ~ You are invited to join an ecumenical celebration of community prayer and action for peace and justice! Several services will be held throughout the city of Indianapolis; the one for our area will be on Friday, March 1 at 10:00am at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, 4650 N. Shadeland Ave. Come enjoy music, Scripture, prayer and a unique message for peace and justice around the world. Light refreshments will be served in the Social Room after the program. For more information, see the flyer here: https://www.saintlawrence.net/images/WD-Eng.pdf

Join First Friends for a night with the Pacers! Please join us for a family outing to the Pacers vs Nets game on Sunday April 7th. Tipoff is at 5:00pm, doors open at 4:00pm. Tickets will be provided by the Meeting. Each person will receive a Pacers hat and a free meal (hot dog, chips and a soda). Please RSVP by Friday, March 1st with the office at office@indyfriends.org if you would like to attend!

Save the Date – Comedy with First Friends! Please plan to join us on Thursday, April 18 at 7:00pm for a comedy show outing! It will be at ComedySportz, 721 Massachusetts Avenue. This is a unique competitive Improv show which has been in Indianapolis since 1993. This show is appropriate for all ages, so bring the family! Please keep tuned for more details as we get closer to the event!

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Friend to Friend February 13, 2019

February 13, 2019

As Way Opens

I have started a class this semester at Earlham School of Religion on Christian Ethics. Our first book to read was Achilles in Vietnam, Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character. It was written by Jonathan Shay who is a psychiatrist within the VA system working with veterans mostly from the Vietnam era. He provides many direct quotes from veterans’ experiences in combat, their betrayals, their PTSD and how they have tried to put their lives back together. Shay makes an interesting comparison in the book outlining the account of Achilles in Homer’s classic story The Iliad to the Vietnam veterans’ experiences—in particular, how the hero Achilles is destroyed as a human being through the betrayal of his commander and the trauma of losing his closest friend Patroklos.

The stories of our veterans in this book are heartbreaking and disturbing how often times our government and military systems betrayed our veterans during this conflict. I was particularly struck how we try to de-humanize our enemies and portray them as subhuman and less than us in order to engage in conflict/battle with them. This is a very different philosophy than Homer wrote about in The Iliad. The Greeks and the Trojans had great respect for each other and their abilities. They did not think of each other as subhuman or without character, rather they honored their abilities and tactics and strategized their own response to the enemy.

Why must we categorize our enemies as less than human or less than us? I remember growing up during the cold war and being told the Russian people were to be feared and were nothing like us and that we were superior. And then I met a young woman from the Ukraine and Jerry and I fell in love with her and helped her and supported her as she got her master’s degree in engineering here in the US. Our relationship with her revealed to me the lies that I had been told growing up that Russians were not like me.

Jesus totally understood this and that is why he commands us to love our enemies. It is our call as Christians today to take this commandment of our Lord into the world that so desperately needs to see another way of living and being. A call that recognizes and honors that of God in each and every person including our enemies and stands up to much of our culture that seeks to divide us.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

At the food pantry last week we were very busy!!! So happy that we had many from First Friends who helped. Volunteers were: Linda and Rik L, Ray G, Kathy R, Dan H, Beth F, Kathy F, Carol and Jim D. Thanks to all for your help!

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Rise-Up Sing Along! The next Sing Along will be on its usual third Friday of the month, February 15. Under the leadership of our talented Jim Kartholl, join in singing a variety of mostly well-known songs chosen from Rise Up Singing and Rise Again. Song sets will be provided. This joyful event takes place in the parlor at First Friends Meeting (3030 East Kessler Blvd) at 7:00 PM. Notice the photo of Jim. See how happy he is!

Men’s Threshing Together ~ If you are interested in gathering with other men who mull over current issues or topics, where all points of view are heard, no decisions are made, and all in a non-threatening atmosphere over a meal, then Threshing Together is for you! Join us for our next meeting on Thursday, February 21 at 7:00pm. See locations here: https://goo.gl/QhkXTo.

Missing Something? ~ In Fellowship Hall we currently have on display all the items we currently have in our lost and found in a final hope to reunite personal items with their owners. After worship we hope everyone will take a few minutes to browse the lost and found and claim anything that might be theirs. We will leave these items out for a few weeks. Any remaining unclaimed items will be donated.

World Day of Prayer ~ You are invited to join an ecumenical celebration of community prayer and action for peace and justice! Several services will be held throughout the city of Indianapolis; the one for our area will be on Friday, March 1 at 10:00 am at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, 4650 N. Shadeland Ave. Come enjoy music, Scripture, prayer and a unique message for peace and justice around the world. Light refreshments will be served in the Social Room after the program. For more information, see the flyer here: https://www.saintlawrence.net/images/WD-Eng.pdf

Join First Friends for a night with the Pacers! Please join us for a family outing to the Pacers vs Nets game on Sunday April 7th. Tipoff is at 5:00pm, doors open at 4:00pm. Tickets will be provided by the Meeting. Each person will receive a Pacers hat and a free meal (hot dog, chips and a soda). Please RSVP by Friday, March 1st with the office at office@indyfriends.org if you would like to attend!

Mark your calendars – Community Soup! Instead of the usual first Thursday, Witness and Service will be shaking things up and hosting Community Soup on the 5th Sunday of the month, Sunday, March 31 after worship. If successful we may continue this trend. As always we will provide the soup—no cooking, no cleanup! Please join us!

Samantha Ryan invites you to Financial Peace University ~ Are you ready to take 2019 by storm?! If you're interested in making big changes in your financial life that will lead to empowerment and peace of mind then this is the class for you. When I first took Financial Peace University (FPU) I was 22 and fresh out of college. I owed Valparaiso University $40,000 in student loans and was new to life as a young person with a steady pay check. I am SO grateful for everything I learned in that class. FPU TAUGHT ME TO HATE DEBT! As a result I paid off my student loan debt in 6 years on a social worker's salary, my partner and I bought a home, renovated it paying cash, got married paying cash, and went on a honeymoon of a life time paying cash. The only debt we have is our mortgage and we hate debt so much we plan to have it paid off in 7 years. We couldn't have made all of this possible without FPU! Ready for change?

Right Sharing Fundraiser in memory of Ann P ~ Please mark your calendars for a fundraiser here at First Friends Meeting in honor of our dearly beloved Ann P. It will be on Sunday, March 24th. We will have a simple meal as well as auction off a quilt in Ann’s memory made by the sewing group Ann was a part of. Our goal is to raise $6,500 to support a designated project for a group of women in India, Sierra Leone or Kenya (we can select the project). We will receive regular communication from the women and pictures of what they are doing. Right Sharing supports and funds small businesses run by women in these 3 countries. If you’d like to support RSWR, contributions can be sent to the Meeting office at 3030 Kessler Blvd E Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46220 with the notation “RSWR.” You can also drop off your contribution in the offering plate on Sundays. Thank you for supporting this important ministry!

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Friend to Friend February 6, 2019

February 6, 2019

As Way Opens

We have come to February the shortest and often most dismal month of the entire year. A month where we celebrate Presidents’ birthdays, our love for one another, and a rodent who predicts the weather. Interestingly enough, many will miss a celebration that seems even more important this year in light of the continued racial tensions in our country – Black History Month.

It is easier to celebrate Hallmark holidays, while passing up the more difficult opportunity to educate about and promote our black sisters and brothers. Instead of being so quick to call Black History Month merely an attempt at being “politically correct,” I believe we need to use it to benefit and educate our faith communities, our neighborhoods, and our society.

Throughout the Bible we read how people were to recall the events that symbolized God’s presence and work in their history. The feasts that were established in Israel helped the people remember and celebrate their past. I see Black History Month as a modern feast – an opportunity to learn and remember God’s work in the history, contributions, and spirituality of African Americans.

It may come as a surprise, but it was historian Carter G. Woodson who created "Black History Week" back in 1929. Known as the "father of black history," Woodson sought to spread the word about the accomplishments of African Americans. This was a brave and bold move given his times. The early 1900s were a turbulent period in American history. The lynchings of Blacks were commonplace, and the mere suggestion of anything interracial was viewed as a threatening and subversive act. Woodson hoped that "if people understood our contributions and accomplishments, they would respect African Americans."

America has made some progress, yet we still have a long way to go. Some people argue that a month-long emphasis on one race is not helpful or necessary in 2019. I disagree. It is a place to start. As Quakers, we know that equality is promoted when we bear one another's burdens in times of sorrow, as well as joining together in times of happiness. To commit to promoting this equality unites humanity and helps us obtain a higher ethic of love and respect for one another. My hope is that we will find ways to learn, collaborate, remember and celebrate during Black History Month.

Here are some book suggestions that I would recommend during this month:

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Hate You Give – Angie Thomas (or watch the movie)
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism – Robin Diangelo
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness – Michelle Alexander
“Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” And Other Conversations about Race – by Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D.
Roadmap to Reconciliation: Moving Communities into Unity, Wholeness and Justice – by Brenda Salter McNeil

Grace and peace,

Bob

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Missing Something? ~ This coming Sunday in Fellowship Hall we will display all the items we currently have in our lost and found in a final hope to reunite personal items with their owners. After worship we hope everyone will take a few minutes to browse the lost and found and claim anything that might be theirs. We will leave these items out for a few weeks. Any remaining unclaimed items will be donated.

After a year and a half study of We Make the Road by Walking by Brian McLaren, this Sunday at 9am we begin a new study in our Seeking Friends class. Since we found the format of McLaren’s book to be helpful at looking at scripture from various perspectives, we have chosen a similar format to continue our rich conversations. The book we will use as a guide and discussion starter is Theology from Exile (Vol. 1) The Year of Luke by Sea Raven, D.Min. As is stated in the introduction the underlying framework for this study is a series of queries. 1) What is the nature of God? Violent or non-violent? 2) What is the nature of Jesus’s Message? Inclusive or exclusive? 3) What is faith? Literal belief, or trust in God’s realm of distributive justice-compassion? 4. What is deliverance? Salvation from hell or liberation from injustice? These queries should make stimulating conversations and scriptural exploration. Join us this Sunday at 9am as Pastor Bob facilitates our conversation. Books will be available to purchase or utilize during the class.

Mid-North Food Pantry ~ Did you know First Friends assists at a food pantry twice a month? On the first and third Wednesday of each month, volunteers head to Mid-North Food Pantry (located at 3333 North Meridian St) as early as 9:40 am and stay as late as 2pm, when the pantry closes. Anyone is welcome to show up and assist for however much time they are able. There are a variety of tasks, from organizing food to helping people shop. If you’d like to help, feel free to come—you can park in back or in the Trinity Church parking lot, go down the stairs and enter through the back door (this is the only entry open before 10am). Thank you for supporting those in need during this cold winter!

Rise-Up Sing Along! The next Sing Along will be on its usual third Friday of the month, February 15. Under the leadership of our talented Jim K, join in singing a variety of mostly well-known songs chosen from Rise Up Singing and Rise Again. Song sets will be provided. This joyful event takes place in the parlor at First Friends Meeting (3030 East Kessler Blvd) at 7:00 PM. Notice the photo of Jim. See how happy he is!

Men’s Threshing Together ~ If you are interested in gathering with other men who mull over current issues or topics, where all points of view are heard, no decisions are made, and all in a non-threatening atmosphere over a meal, then Threshing Together is for you! Join us for our next meeting on Thursday, February 21 at 7:00pm. See locations here: https://goo.gl/QhkXTo.

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading February's pick is 2018’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel ~ Less by Andrew Sean Greer! The discussion will be led by Kristyn G on Tuesday February 26th at 7 pm in the Parlor. New York Times review: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/24/books/review/less-andrew-sean-greer.html Contact the office at office@indyfriends.org if you’d like to receive email updates for Oak Leaf.

Join First Friends for a night with the Pacers! Please join us for a family outing to the Pacers vs Nets game on Sunday April 7th. Tipoff is at 5:00pm, doors open at 4:00pm. Tickets will be provided by the Meeting. Each person will receive a Pacers hat and a free meal (hot dog, chips and a soda). Please RSVP by Friday, March 1st with the office at office@indyfriends.org if you would like to attend!

AFSC Presents: “Revolutionary Visions & Radical Imaginations: Celebrating Solidarity & Courage” ~ Join American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) for an evening to celebrate and be in community with social justice leaders in Indianapolis. It will be Friday, March 1 at 6:00pm at Sanctuary on Penn, 701 N Pennsylvania St, Indianapolis, IN 46204. The evening will include a social hour, dinner, keynote speaker Elle Roberts, and a showcase of local musicians and spoken word artists. There are also sponsorship opportunities if you’d like to support the event. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://secure.everyaction.com/p7tPzxfZFEScnjy-KV0W5g2.

Right Sharing Fundraiser in memory of Ann P ~ Please mark your calendars for a fundraiser here at First Friends Meeting in honor of our dearly beloved Ann P. It will be on Sunday, March 24th. We will have a simple meal as well as auction off a quilt in Ann’s memory made by the sewing group Ann was a part of. All proceeds will go to Right Sharing of World Resources, which supports and funds small business run by women in underprivileged countries. If you’d like to support RSWR, contributions can be sent to the Meeting office at 3030 Kessler Blvd E Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46220 with the notation “RSWR.” You can also drop off your contribution in the offering plate on Sundays. Thank you for supporting this important ministry!

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Friend to Friend January 30 2019

January 30, 2019

As Way Opens

I have never been a person to embrace New Year’s resolutions. It is too easy to say that I want to lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, spend more time with family etc, etc. Resolutions never seem to stick beyond a month or two and by summer they are a distant memory and they are usually intentions that I don’t really make a priority (not that these items aren’t important - I just don’t make them important enough to me). I also celebrate a birthday at the start of the year (turned 59 on January 6th) and birthdays are a moment in time that I think about my age and how my body and spirit are accepting and embracing the passage of time. It always seems that I go right to the things that I perceive as negative, imperfect and wish I could change. This year I am focused on the aging aspects of my neck (I don’t know if a lot of women my age are concerned about this part of their anatomy). For the first time in my life, I really don’t like my neck and feel like all my years are showing up there. Why do we do this to ourselves? Focus on our negatives and imperfections? I think this is a spiritual issue because God loves our imperfections and gives us our strength through them. Psalm 139 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible and this idea of being “fearfully and wonderfully made” tells me that God created me and loves me for all that I am today, neck and all! Maybe these imperfections are my conduit to a deeper relationship with God and with all of humanity? As Brené Brown (author and scientist) states, our imperfections are gifts. Can I embrace this? I realized this past week that my mother never liked her neck and wore scarves and jewelry to cover this all her life. I am now thinking about embracing my neck in honor of my mom who is the woman in my life that I would most like to embody. I am now looking at my imperfections as a vessel to God and my beloved mom. What are your imperfections that keep you focused on the negatives in your life? Can you connect your imperfections to the beloved embrace of God? Are these imperfections the way we truly love each other?

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Last Sunday morning as part of our celebration in remembrance of the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., we gathered again in a ”circle of unity” around the inside of our Meetinghouse and sang “They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love.”

On Sunday we also welcomed and celebrated our new members! Thank you to Bill H and the Connections Committee for putting together a fabulous luncheon/pitch-in for our Meeting!

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

WEDNESDAY NIGHT WORSHIP CANCELLED ~ Due to the frigid temperatures, we will not be having unprogrammed worship tonight, January 30. Please stay safe and warm!

Community Soup Cancelled ~ Please note that the Community Soup that would’ve been scheduled for this Friday, February 1st has been cancelled.

This Sunday, Beth will be selling coffee, chocolate and olive oil to help raise money for youth Affirmation. Please consider supporting us!

Giving statements have been sent! Earlier today we sent giving statements for the 2018 tax year via email. If you haven’t received them, please check your spam folder. If you did not receive your giving statement please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or at 317-255-2485. Anyone who does not have an email has been sent a paper copy in the mail. If you’d like to request a paper copy please contact the office and we would be happy to mail it to you. Thank you for supporting First Friends in 2018!

Oak Leaf Meeting for Reading POSTPONED ~ Due to the Wind Chill Warnings Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading was postponed and will meet on Tuesday February 5th at 7 pm in the Basement ~ A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza, led by Ruth K. Here is the New York Times review: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/books/review/fatima-farheen-mirza-place-for-us.html Everyone is welcome to join in the discussion!

Join First Friends for a night with the Pacers! Please join us for a family outing to the Pacers vs Nets game on Sunday April 7th. Tipoff is at 5:00pm, doors open at 4:00pm. Tickets will be provided by the Meeting. Each person will receive a Pacers hat and a free meal (hot dog, chips and a soda). Please RSVP by Friday, March 1st with the office at office@indyfriends.org if you would like to attend!

We're hosting Financial Peace University starting Tuesday, March 5th from 6-8 at Hamilton Exhibits at 9150 East 33rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46235. The class is $110 for a lifetime membership. The 2 hour 9 week class has the amazing potential to CHANGE YOUR LIFE! It changed mine. Click here to sign up. You can contact the office at office@indyfriends.org if you have any questions.

Western Yearly Meeting Spring Retreat ~ All are invited to Western Yearly Meeting’s spring retreat on Saturday, March 2 hosted here at First Friends Meeting. This is a one-day church growth event for everyone who is interested in exploring avenues of growth for their Meeting. The theme is Christ’s words, “If I be lifted up I will draw all people unto me.” (John 12:32) Sessions include:

Identity – In this important session we will not examine how we currently see ourselves and our situation, but how we might see our circumstance in Christ.
First Impressions – This session helps us to examine our churches and congregations in ways that acknowledge our struggles but also identify our struggles.
Appreciative Inquiry – In this session we will take an inventory of all the resources we have through which we might build or rebuild a dynamic and vibrant ministry.
P.A.G.E. – Utilizing a simple assessment tool (poor/average/good/excellent), we can evaluate what ministries and programs we might need to change, invest more into, or even eliminate.

The retreat for pastors is on Friday from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and the retreat for all begins Saturday at 8:30am and ends at 7:00pm. Cost is $30 per person and includes meals. You can find the brochure here: https://goo.gl/BfHAVY. To register, fill in and send the registration form here: https://goo.gl/nxSLvh. The registration deadline is THIS FRIDAY, February 1, 2019. For more information, contact Sue Whitesel at stwhitesel@sbcglobal.net.

Meditational Woods: Bird of the Month for January
Northern Cardinal – The One Everybody Knows…Or Do They?

There are people at Indianapolis First Friends Meeting whom everyone knows. We see them all the time, as they are outgoing, helpful, and busy with responsibilities. Sometimes the person is well-known beyond the local church, at the yearly meeting or national level. I can think of couples in the meeting in which both fit this description.

Yet there are folks I don’t know very well, or at all. This is my fault, as I have a shy streak and have trouble remembering names. Recently I got to meet the spouse of someone well-known to me. I had crossed paths with one of them very often, but had no idea who the other was.

So it is with the Northern Cardinal, our state bird. The familiar “redbird” shows up around our houses and at feeders and sings a lovely, “What cheer, what cheer, purty purty purty.” That is the MALE. In the picture I have put the female front and center. She has a red crest and red on the wings and tail. Otherwise she is a grayish tan. Some people do not realize IT IS a cardinal. So if birds are new to you, please allow me to introduce you to Mrs. Cardinal!! This time of year you might see her together with a male in the Meditational Woods, calling to each other, “SNAP, SNAP.” During nesting season, however, her drab tan color helps her hide while on the nest.

One last question, which “cardinal” came first: the bird with that name and color, the Catholic official with that name and color of robe, or the name of the color itself? No hints!!

~Brad J.

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Friend to Friend January 23, 2019

January 23, 2019

As Way Opens

Even though the weather has been wreaking havoc with our Sunday Meetings and weekends in general, I would like to highlight a couple things that have happened recently at First Friends and in the community.

Even though the outside temperature was in the single digits on Sunday evening (Jan. 20), First Friends hosted a warm and welcoming service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This was a joint collaboration of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese and Western Yearly Meeting of Friends. Our theme and liturgy for the service were prepared by Christians in Indonesia with a focus on justice from Deuteronomy 16:18-20.

Since WYM was the host denomination, our Superintendent, Wanda Coffin Baker called us to worship. Our music director, Eric Baker and the First Friends Choir led us both in thoughtful and inspiring songs, and a rousing closing hymn which brought everyone to their feet, clapping and truly sensing the unity.

Among the denominational leaders who joined us were women and men from Episcopal, Roman and Byzantine Catholic, American Baptist, Evangelical Lutheran, Disciples of Christ, African American Episcopal, and Friends – a beautiful picture of Christian diversity throughout Indianapolis and the surrounding area.

I had the honor of bringing the message, Becoming Justice in our World (listen here: https://www.indyfriends.org/sunday-morning-messages/), which emphasized how Jesus became justice and how we in turn need to become justice in our world, today. I also illustrated my sermon through a new painting which is on display at the Meetinghouse titled, Justice Brings Freedom. After the message, each person was encouraged to write on cards their commitments to justice and unity, and as we left the Meetinghouse we all received a commitment card from someone else to hold in prayer as they work to fulfill their commitment. Afterward, Susan Rains and the First Friends Fellowship Committee welcomed us to a wonderful reception.

Then on Monday, several of us attended a celebration service in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. put on by the Shalom Zone and hosted by Cross and Crown Lutheran. The service was the vision of Cross and Crown member, Carolyn Ramsey. Musical offerings were given by the Tindley Collegiate youth choir directed by Mark Peay. Rev. Clarence Thompkins gave the keynote address after a brief video remembering the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Afterward, everyone was invited to a nice luncheon.

Both events were beautiful examples of diverse people coming together in our community around issues that continue to be extremely important in our world. I hope that we continue to find ways to break down the barriers that prevent us from coming together as the people of God.

Since we were not able to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at Meeting for Worship last Sunday, we are planning to celebrate this Sunday, Jan. 27th during meeting for worship. Join us as we explore the “Revolutionary Love” of Martin Luther King Jr. As well, we will be officially welcoming all of our new members over the past year.

Grace and peace,

Bob

Quaker Affiliated Organizations

IFCL -- A Hearing for Redistricting Reform Bill, SB 91

IFCL has been working with the Indiana Coalition for Independent Redistricting at the Statehouse this January for redistricting reform. Sen. John Ruckelshaus has introduced SB91, which is the coalition's bill to create a citizens redistricting commission for Indiana. So far, we have not gotten a commitment from the Chair of the Senate Elections Committee, Sen. Greg Walker, to hear the bill. With some encouragement from folks around the state, he is more likely to give our bill a hearing and vote. Please contact Sen. Walker today by clicking on this link from Common Cause Indiana. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/senator-walker-give-us-a-hearing/?link_id=1&can_id=df9c01001f16dee04d57a3d43dd997ef&source=email-redistricting-reform-cant-wait&email_referrer=email_475631&email_subject=redistricting-reform-cant-wait.

In addition, we are looking for volunteers who can be at the Statehouse on Monday and Thursday mornings to attend Elections Committee hearings and serve as visual reminders that time is running out for meaningful redistricting reform. New Congressional and state legislative maps will be drawn in 2021, so if we are going to make major changes to the redistricting process, it has to happen this year. Monday times would be from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. and Thursday times would be 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. If you're available and can help, please contact Phil Goodchild (317-790-9054; goodch713@aol.com) or Ed Morris (317-691-5542; emorri@earthlink.net). Thank you.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Affirmation & Youth Group ~ Please note that we will be holding a make-up session for affirmation this Sunday, January 27 at 11:00am. The affirmation class will leave after the morning message. We will also be holding Youth Group, which will meet at its usual time.

Men’s Threshing Together ~ If you are interested in gathering with other men who mull over current issues or topics, where all points of view are heard, no decisions are made, and all in a non-threatening atmosphere over a meal, then Threshing Together is for you! Join us for our next meeting on Thursday, January 24 at 7:00pm. Please note this is the fourth Thursday instead of the usual third Thursday of the month. See locations here: https://goo.gl/QhkXTo.

QHC Ground Hog Men’s Retreat ~ Quaker Men: A great experience awaits you at Quaker Haven Camp for the annual Ground Hog Retreat January 25-26. This will be a great time of discussion, sharing, prayer, fun and table fellowship. Volunteers may also help in construction of the new staff duplex. Cost for the retreat is $60.00. Those who will do construction work a day or two may get a good discount. To register or get additional information call Quaker haven at 574-834-4193 or email camp at contact@QuakerHaven.com.

Soil Health Workshop for Vegetable Gardeners ~ This winter soil health workshop is designed for vegetable gardeners who want to learn more about how to use soil health practices in the garden. The Paramount School of Excellence’s school farm provides an excellent space to tour and discuss cover cropping and mulching in action. We will then follow up indoors with a presentation and discussion, looking closely at organic matter, nutrients, how to select cover crops, timing, planting, and spring management. It is organized by Marion County Soil & Water Conservation District and Paramount School of Excellence Farm. It will be held Saturday, January 26, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Paramount School of Excellence Brookside, 3020 Nowland Avenue, Indianapolis, 46201. The cost is free, but RSVP is required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soil-health-for-vegetable-gardeners-tickets-54422491136.

It's time to celebrate! Join us for a celebration pitch-in on Sunday, January 27th following meeting for worship to recognize and appreciate our most recent new members! Please bring a dish according to your name in the alphabet. 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!

Talk to Congress – Letter Writing Project ~ On the last Sunday of each month (this time being Sunday, January 27), Witness and Service is offering an opportunity for you to contact Congress. We will provide information and a sample letter, which addresses a specific issue that is on the Senate and/or House of Representative radar. You are welcome to write/call your legislators about this topic, or any other that might be on your mind.

The featured topic for January is urging representatives to support Rep. Barbara Lee’s legislation to repeal the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force which have been grossly abused to justify deployment of US forces into situations never intended by those laws. You can find more information and a sample letter here: https://goo.gl/JdEvpp

Oak Leaf Meeting for Reading ~ Come and join Friends at our Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading book group for Tuesday January 29th’s discussion ~ A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza, led by Ruth K. Here is the New York Times review:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/books/review/fatima-farheen-mirza-place-for-us.html Please feel free to contact the office at office@indyfriends.org if you’d like to be on the Oak Leaf email list. Oak Leaf meets on the last Tuesday of each month in the Parlor at 7 pm!

Identity – In this important session we will not examine how we currently see ourselves and our situation, but how we might see our circumstance in Christ.
First Impressions – This session helps us to examine our churches and congregations in ways that acknowledge our struggles but also identify our struggles.
Appreciative Inquiry – In this session we will take an inventory of all the resources we have through which we might build or rebuild a dynamic and vibrant ministry.
P.A.G.E. – Utilizing a simple assessment tool (poor/average/good/excellent), we can evaluate what ministries and programs we might need to change, invest more into, or even eliminate.

The retreat for pastors is on Friday from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and the retreat for all begins Saturday at 8:30am and ends at 7:00pm. Cost is $30 per person and includes meals. You can find the brochure here: https://goo.gl/BfHAVY. To register, fill in and send the registration form here: https://goo.gl/nxSLvh. The registration deadline is February 1, 2019. For more information, contact Sue Whitesel at stwhitesel@sbcglobal.net.

Meditational Woods: Bird of the Month for January

Northern Cardinal – The One Everybody Knows…Or Do They?

One last question, which “cardinal” came first: the bird with that name and color, the Catholic official with that name and color of robe, or the name of the color itself? No hints!!

Please donate your plastic bags to Mid-North Food Pantry! The food pantry is out of plastic grocery bags and could really use some more. If you have extras you’d like to donate, please drop them off in the box labeled “plastic bags” in Fellowship hall near the Donation Station. Thank you for helping Mid-North Food Pantry!

Donate your gently used winter clothing! Coats, scarfs, hats, gloves that you no longer need will be welcomed by the John H Boner Center. Children who may be wearing underwear donated by you, would appreciate outgrown jackets, coats, etc. (Outerwear does not need to be new.) You can drop off donations in a collection box in Fellowship Hall on the stage. Thank you for your generosity!

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Friend to Friend January 16, 2019

January 16, 2019

Here we are at the beginning of 2019, a new year that offers promise, opportunities, growth and adventure. I always like to spend part of my New Year’s Eve reflecting on the highs and lows of the year that is ending and setting goals and intentions for the new year. It is a symbolic time to step back from our busyness and think about the bigger themes in our lives. It’s also a time to think about our spiritual practices and if they are feeding our soul and how might we go deeper into our relationship with God and thinking about how we live our relationship with God in the world.

I have spent time doing this and I have to say that I have fallen short in feeling a great sense of hope. There is so much brokenness in our world, in our relationships, in our politics. I have felt an underlying sadness as I go about my day and try to do the best that I can to make a difference and live into God’s love. I continue to reflect on the origins of this feeling and keep coming back to how many things I can’t control and how hard of a concept this is for me. And I keep experiencing the ideas that what I am doing falls short, is not adequate and I recognize my need for greater wisdom.

When I feel this kind of melancholy, I start to read more, listen to music and spend more time in prayer. What are your spiritual practices in times of darkness? While I may feel that God is not listening to my pleas, I begin to listen more deeply to what I hear in my mind and my heart about what I need to do. And the queries I hear in my heart guide me to greater personal awareness, insights and a call to action. I revisited Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Prize winner of Literature in 1913 from Bengal, mystic, intellectual, painter and lover of God. His words from his writings of Gitanjali speak to me: “If thou speakest not I will fill my heart with thy silence and endure it. I will keep still and wait like the night with starry vigil and its head bent low with patience. The morning will surely come, the darkness will vanish, and thy voice pour down in golden streams breaking through the sky. Then thy words will take wing in songs from every one of my birds’ nests and thy melodies will break forth in flowers in all my forest groves.”

I send prayers that you hear God’s voice in golden streams and that God’s song takes hold within each of us.

Beth

Quaker Affiliated Organizations

IFCL -- A Hearing for Redistricting Reform Bill, SB 91

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

As the weather forecast calls for a winter storm this weekend, we want everyone to be aware that we may cancel Meeting for Worship if conditions prove to be hazardous Sunday morning. If worship is cancelled, please keep in mind we will have another service Sunday evening, the Christian Prayer Unity Service. We encourage everyone to attend this service if able. (See more details below!) If Sunday service is cancelled we will put a notice in the weather closings on channel 59 (the best, most detailed option) as well as channels 8 and 13.

Did you lose a ring? This ring was found in Fellowship Hall last week. It is thin and light, gold-colored with a silver-colored band in the middle. If this is yours or someone you know, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.

Rise-Up Sing Along! The first Sing Along of 2019 happens on the third Friday, January 18. Under the leadership of our talented Jim Kartholl, join in singing a variety of mostly well-known songs chosen from Rise Up Singing and Rise Again. Song sets will be provided. This joyful event takes place in the parlor at First Friends Meeting (3030 East Kessler Blvd) at 7:00 PM. Notice the photo of Jim. See how happy he is!

Christian Prayer Unity Service ~ At least once a year, Christians are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (John 17.21). This is an ecumenical service where Christians all over will gather to pray. This year, First Friends Meeting will be hosting the prayer service for Indianapolis on the evening of Sunday, January 20 at 6:00pm in the Meetingroom. Bob will deliver the sermon. We are asking anyone who is able to please donate cookies or snacks for the service—please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org if you can help. Thank you!

“The Highest Party in the World” 50th Anniversary of the First Summit of Mt. Everest ~ Jeff Rasley, AB'75, participated in the 2003 celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the first summit of Mt. Everest in Nepal with Sir Edmund Hillary's family. Rasley will give a talk and slide show about the first summit by Ed Hillary & Tenzing Norgay and the 50th Anniversary celebrations in Nepal in Kathmandu, Mt. Everest Base Camp, and Tengboche Monastery. It will take place Sunday, January 20 from 12:30pm - 2:30pm at Woodstock Club, 1301 W 38th Street, Indianapolis 46208. Cost is $30/person and includes brunch. For more information or to register, contact Louis Mestichelli, Alumni Club of Indiana President at lmestich@gmail.com or 317-679-3781.

Martin Luther King Jr Celebration Service ~ Please mark your calendars for a service in celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, organized by the Shalom Zone. It will be held at 11:00am on Monday, January 21, 2019 at Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 5233 E 79th St. We will gather together as a community of churches to remember and celebrate Dr. King’s dream of racial harmony and social justice in America. This commemorative service is a public testament of our common values as communities of faith actively seeking the shalom of the city as the prophet Jeremiah reminds us. Through the inspirational words of Dr. King and in the singing of songs of hope and freedom and as we share a luncheon with our neighbors, we become renewed and refreshed for the new work ahead. For more information please visit https://goo.gl/L5wGxN. If you’d like to volunteer, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0f4ca4ad2ea20-mlkservice.

Heritage Place New Year Open House & Membership Event! Have you ever wondered what Heritage Place of Indianapolis is all about? Now is your chance! Talk with one of our wonderful instructors; learn about our weekly educational programs, our home-based services and our programs that happen “now and then”! It will be held Wednesday, January 23, 10:00am-2:00pm at the Common Ground Church Building, 4550 N. Illinois St (SW corner of Illinois and 46th Street). Refreshments will be available, no reservations necessary, and plenty of free parking—come anytime! For Seniors 55 and up. For more information, visit www.heritageplaceindy.org.

Men’s Threshing Together DATE CHANGE ~ If you are interested in gathering with other men who mull over current issues or topics, where all points of view are heard, no decisions are made, and all in a non-threatening atmosphere over a meal, then Threshing Together is for you! Join us for our next meeting on Thursday, January 24 at 7:00pm. Please note this is the fourth Thursday instead of the usual third Thursday of the month. See locations here: https://goo.gl/QhkXTo.

It's time to celebrate! Join us for a celebration pitch-in on Sunday, January 27th following meeting to worship to recognize and appreciate our most recent new members! Please bring a dish according to your name in the alphabet. 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!

Identity – In this important session we will not examine how we currently see ourselves and our situation, but how we might see our circumstance in Christ.
First Impressions – This session helps us to examine our churches and congregations in ways that acknowledge our struggles but also identify our struggles.
Appreciative Inquiry – In this session we will take an inventory of all the resources we have through which we might build or rebuild a dynamic and vibrant ministry.
P.A.G.E. – Utilizing a simple assessment tool (poor/average/good/excellent), we can evaluate what ministries and programs we might need to change, invest more into, or even eliminate.

The retreat for pastors is on Friday from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and the retreat for all begins Saturday at 8:30am and ends at 7:00pm. Cost is $30 per person and includes meals. You can find the brochure here: https://goo.gl/BfHAVY. To register, fill in and send the registration form here: https://goo.gl/nxSLvh. The registration deadline is February 1, 2019. For more information, contact Sue Whitesel at stwhitesel@sbcglobal.net.

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Friend to Friend January 9, 2019

January 9, 2019

As Way Opens

As I mentioned in my sermon from this past Sunday, January is often a time to resolve to do things differently and to be better. It’s kind of a clean slate, a fresh start, a time to reinvent oneself (just ask the gyms and the weight loss industry).

This month, you and I will vow to exercise more, eat less, abstain from our vices and vow to become the people we hope and want to be. Yet by early February, our good intentions will have been tested and, too often, found lacking (again, just ask the gyms and weight loss industry). Our struggles and failures – both major and minor – hopefully don’t prevent or stop us from striving to do better. We must continue to reflect, learn, and make adjustments to be successful.

While processing my own personal resolutions and goals for 2019, I began to wonder. What would New Year’s resolutions/goals for First Friends look like? I came up with the following.

In 2019, I hope to see First Friends resolve to effectively…

declare the Quaker Way through our words and actions.
become a faithful presence in our neighborhoods.
incarnate the attributes of the life of Christ.
practice hospitality.
discern and seek wisdom together.
discover, develop, and utilize our assets.
embody a non-violent, reconciling and supportive way of life together.
embrace our Quaker identity as a unique expression of the Christian faith.

You may want to print those out and put them on your refrigerator and reflect often on how we are doing or what else we could be doing – always asking “What is my part in this?” I look forward to how we will live out these resolutions in 2019!

Happy New Year,

Bob

Joys & Concerns

Thanks to all who helped on January 2nd at the food pantry: Krishan C, Ray G, John and Ileen M, Beth H, Rik and Linda L, Beth F, Christy M, Dan H, and Bill & Kathy F. We served about 90 families. We will again need help January 16 since we will still be missing some of our regulars. Please consider volunteering if you can! Thank you!

Last week some of our IFCL folks went to the statehouse to offer donuts at the entrances and to ask for support of the redistricting bill. They were joined by about 30 other people representing other groups.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Affirmation Class for our youth will resume on Sunday January 13th at 11:00am. Bob will lead the discussion on Quaker Theology. See you there!

Rise-Up Sing Along! The first Sing Along of 2019 happens on the third Friday, January 18. Under the leadership of our talented Jim K, join in singing a variety of mostly well-known songs chosen from Rise Up Singing and Rise Again. Song sets will be provided. This joyful event takes place in the parlor at First Friends Meeting (3030 East Kessler Blvd) at 7:00 PM.

Christian Prayer Unity Service ~ At least once a year, Christians are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (John 17.21). This is an ecumenical service where Christians all over will gather to pray. This year, First Friends Meeting will be hosting the prayer service for Indianapolis on the evening of Sunday, January 20 at 6:00pm in the Meetingroom. We are asking anyone who is able to please donate cookies or snacks for the service—please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org if you can help. Thank you!

· Identity – In this important session we will not examine how we currently see ourselves and our situation, but how we might see our circumstance in Christ.

· First Impressions – This session helps us to examine our churches and congregations in ways that acknowledge our struggles but also identify our struggles.

· Appreciative Inquiry – In this session we will take an inventory of all the resources we have through which we might build or rebuild a dynamic and vibrant ministry.

· P.A.G.E. – Utilizing a simple assessment tool (poor/average/good/excellent), we can evaluate what ministries and programs we might need to change, invest more into, or even eliminate.

The retreat for pastors is on Friday from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and the retreat for all begins Saturday at 8:30am and ends at 7:00pm. Cost is $30 per person and includes meals. You can find the brochure here: https://goo.gl/BfHAVY. To register, fill in and send the registration form here: https://goo.gl/nxSLvh. The registration deadline is February 1, 2019. For more information, contact Sue Whitesel at stwhitesel@sbcglobal.net.

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Friend to Friend January 2, 2019

January 2, 2019

As Way Opens

I rode a train to Chicago on New Year’s Eve (I do love being on a train and seeing our towns and cities through the lens of a railroad car window) and had the opportunity to spend 4 hours reading Rob Bell’s book How To Be Here. As we begin 2019, I found his big question of the book haunting me - What are we here for? Maybe you are wondering this question as you reflect on the ending of one year and the entry into another? In the book, Rob shared the experience of writing his first book and staring at a blank word processing document and feeling anxious with the blinking line in the upper left-hand corner. He wasn’t prepared for how intimidating that blinking line would be. That blinking line of the blank page was taunting him. As he talked about staring at a blinking cursor, I could feel his sense of uncertainty within myself of what do I need to bring into existence on the blinking line of the blank word document? What does this world need from our unique selves?

I believe in the idea that we are co-creators with God and that creation is unfinished and constantly evolving and creation needs our contributions, that which we are called to give. What is stopping me from writing on that blank page? Could the blinking line be asking us the question of who are we to do this? “That question can be paralyzing. It can prevent us from overcoming inertia. It can cause crippling doubt and stress. It can keep us stuck on the couch while life passes us by.” We might be stuck in our heads with the failures of our past. The 13th century Islamic scholar and mystic Rumi says ‘Your life has been a mad gamble. Make it more so. You have lost now a hundred times running. Roll the dice a hundred and one.”

I invite each of us in 2019 to start putting ourselves into that blank document and find God’s calling that makes us come alive.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Let’s all give a big thanks to our food pantry volunteers from Wednesday, December 19th: Kathy and Bill F, Christie M, Mara S, Beth S, Linda and Rik L, and Jim D. Many thanks to our faithful volunteers!

We had a wonderful and inspiring Christmas Eve service here at First Friends with Vicki W, Sam H and Dave B sharing poetry and Eric B, Savannah B and special guest Paula G sharing beautiful music. Thanks to all that participated and attended. Thank you to Kim H for the photos.

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

FCNL’s Young Adult Programs! Did you know that Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) has a variety of programs for young adults? Here’s what’s available:

· The Young Fellows Program allows recently graduated individuals (up to 29 years old) to work as fulltime members of the FCNL staff for 11 months. Benefits include salary (meets DC living wage standard), healthcare, paid vacation, and sick leave. Fellows will be placed on various teams at FCNL, including legislative, communications, and outreach teams. For more information or to apply, visit https://www.fcnl.org/updates/young-fellows-program-32?utm_campaign=yap&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ak Application deadline for this program is February 18, 2019.

· The Advocacy Corps allows young adults, 19-30 years old, to lead locally-based grassroots campaigns to influence members of Congress. Participants take part in a 10-day immersive training in community organizing, local media outreach, and lobbying. Participants commit 25 hours a month for 9 months and receive a financial stipend. Application deadline for this program is April 19, 2019. For more information visit https://www.fcnl.org/updates/advocacy-corps-34

· Spring Lobby Weekend is an advocacy event for students happening March 23-26, 2019. This event will include three days of lobby trainings and speakers followed by one day of lobbying on Capitol Hill. This March we will be revisiting our immigration work started at last year’s event, and we are excited to welcome 450 young adults to Washington, DC to tell their stories and make their voices heard! If you have any questions or are interested in recruiting young adults in your area, please contact Larissa@fcnl.org.

· Summer Internships are also available! If you are looking for an internship this summer, apply for the Summer Internship program. Deadline is March 29, 2019.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Christian Prayer Unity Service ~ At least once a year, Christians are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (John 17.21). This is an ecumenical service where Christians all over Indianapolis will gather to pray. This year, First Friends Meeting will be hosting the prayer service for Indianapolis on the evening of Sunday, January 20. More details will be released as they become available. We are asking our members and attenders to please donate cookies or snacks for the service—please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org if you can help. Thank you!

Thank you for Making 2018 a Success!!

Thank you for your support! As we look back on all the memories from 2018, First Friends would like to sincerely thank all Friends who supported us. You were able to make the year full of laughter, fun, joy, comfort, peace, reflection, and holiness. Your year-end contributions and pledges made a big difference! If you haven’t made a pledge yet, it’s not too late! You can send in your pledge to the office (mail, or at office@indyfriends.org) or visit our website at www.indyfriends.org, hover over “Attenders” at the top and select “Make a Pledge for 2019”. We couldn’t thrive without you, so thank you for the donations of time, money, and all your support! Let’s make another great year in 2019.

Sunday School will resume this Sunday, January 6th! We hope you will join us at 9:00am!

PreK – 5th grade in our large children’s room

6th - 12th grade in the basement

The following adult classes will be offered:

Seeking Friends - Bob Henry will lead the group through the rest of Brian McLaren book, We Make the Road by Walking. After we finish that book we will continue the class with another read.

Wired Word (in Coffee Circle classroom) - will be led by Harold M to talk about current events from a spiritual perspective.

Choir - will be meeting in the old children’s library. Anyone that has a heart for singing is welcome to join.

Nursery care will be available during Sunday School. We hope to see you this Sunday!

Affirmation Class for our youth will resume on Sunday January 13th at 11:00am. Bob will lead the discussion on Quaker Theology. See you there!

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