Friend to Friend November 13, 2019

November 14, 2019

As Way Opens

Maybe you have noticed, our Meeting has a wealth of current and retired public school teachers. That may be partly due to our Quaker history. The first Quaker school in America, the William Penn Charter School, was originally opened in 1689 as a public school, opening its doors to all students of all socioeconomic means. In fact, Penn Charter was one of the first schools to offer financial aid for its students, as well as teach females and students of all racial backgrounds. It is also known that many early Quaker schools transitioned to make way for public education in our country, because Quakers saw equality and community a priority. Next week, throughout Indiana, teachers have asked for a day off to make their voices known at the Indiana Statehouse. I have asked my wife, Sue, an experienced teacher at a public school here in Indy to share her perspective as I believe it reflects the values of our early Quaker foundations in Public Education.

As I ponder the gathering of educators at our Indiana Statehouse next Tuesday (Nov. 19th), I sensed a need to write out my thoughts. Please note: These thoughts are mine, not those of people I work with or for, just the observations of an Indiana Public School Educator who has 25 years of experience in private, parochial, and for the past decade or so, public schools.

You may be seeing people comment on teacher pay. Yes. That is an issue. An even larger and more worrisome issue I am seeing in Indiana is that there is less and less funding for public education. Indiana teachers are graded on our students’ learning outcomes from tests that encompass one small part of the whole learning experience. These tests take days and days of teaching time to accomplish. We are told to do this, teach that way, show this in our classrooms and use that new curriculum, but sadly are also told that there is no money to fund the supplies needed to teach this way. And frankly, that’s because the money has been taken from public funding and given to private entities at the hands of our state legislators. So, we go out and buy our own supplies, if we can afford it. And if we can’t, our “grade” and our students’ opportunity to learn, suffers.

Just think about it, in what other profession are professionals told to buy their own supplies? For example, I do not see doctors supplying gloves and surgical tools, but I am supplying my own notebooks, plastic covers, baggies, storage bins, cleaning supplies, coats for students who have none, backpacks for those that break, books for my classroom library (needed to teach the new curriculum)....and the list goes on. I am sure my school district would provide these things and has in the past for teachers, but sadly their funding is being given to our religious and private counter parts – using tax monies in a land that boasts religious freedom, to fund their schools. The reality is that we have more and more needs in our public schools and less and less monies to help educate every student.

Also, these schools who are taking the public education funds are not allowing all students in regardless of needs and are not meeting the needs of all students. When they can’t meet student needs, those children are sent back to the public system. Which no longer has the funding to provide for all the needs we’re expected to, yet we are still “graded” the same.

So, yes, teacher pay is important. But it would seem less so, if we did not have to spend part of that pay to finance our own classrooms just to barely get by and give all students the education every person deserves and is every person’s right.

I chose to move into teaching in the city at this stage of my career. My eyes have been opened wide to the differences in education our state is willing to provide for our underprivileged communities who deserve the same education as our privileged communities. Without change in policies, we will continue to grossly underserve populations who have the same right to free education as every other child. We need to ask, How can we be voices for these students and all students who deserve better from our state government and education system?

When I was a child, it was a choice and privilege for people who could afford it to go to private and religious schools. I know. My parents paid for them and I went to them. They and I knew that. And when my small-farmer dad lost the ability to afford to farm without also working in a factory when I was in high school, we applied for financial aid because that type of education was important to my parents. It was a sacrifice, but it was a chosen sacrifice and we understood that it was not a basic right. We could have chosen to go to public schools, and frankly, maybe should have. My children do. But, why now, has that become a right for everyone? And why now are we taking public monies to finance educations that are filled with religious and privatized propaganda? I mean, there are schools taking monies from our state who will not let certain types of people teach there or attend there. This is not nor should it have ever been the case in public schools. If we want specialized education in those forms, I believe we should sacrifice and pay for it like past generations have. Either way, there should still be a public education system available for those who can’t or don’t choose their specialized way. We are taking freedoms away from children who cannot advocate for themselves who need and have a right to an education, and we are closing our eyes to this fact because we don’t want to see it. Too often, we have become focused on only our own needs and have lost sight of the similar needs of our neighbors.

I love my school district! I truly believe that those running it want the very best for every child and family that walks through our schools’ doors. I truly believe their hands have been tied and are becoming more tied because the funds are now dwindling. The level of education that my district has sought to provide over the years is remaining high because of the professional and dedicated teaching and support staff members who are employed by and also volunteer in our schools. By and large most people have chosen to work in our schools to give the best education possible to the children and families we serve. And we have striven to do that even when funds are less, and we have to supplement our classrooms and student needs more and more.

Personally, I arrive at work at least a half hour before the contracted time and most days leave an hour and often 2 hours or more after the contracted time. I bring work home and try to add little things to our required curriculum that will enhance the learning experience of our students. I want them to have the most amazing school experience possible, and at the very least, I want each student that walks through my classroom door to know that s/he is loved, that s/he is capable of learning, and that s/he can dream all the dreams and that whatever s/he aspires to be professionally as a grown up is within range. With hard work and much effort and learning, we can all grow up to work toward accomplishing those dreams.

Friends, I go to the statehouse next Tuesday to stand with and for my own children, the children I serve in my classroom this year, all the children I’ve taught through the years, and those children who will come to school in the future. I go to stand with and for all of the amazing support staff who serve beside teachers in schools and on buses every day. I go to advocate for a living wage and benefits for these support staff who go above and beyond for our children on a daily basis, whose loads are also overflowing because funding is decreasing but the number of children who need to learn is not.

And together we go to the statehouse for the students who cannot advocate for themselves, for the bus drivers, for the instructional assistants, for the social workers, school psychologists, behavior coaches, office staff, maintenance staff, media center staff, technology staff, crossing guards, food service staff, school nurses, special area “teachers” who teach whole schools and often get paid an hourly wage with no benefits, and we go for anyone who works with children in public schools who needs a voice.

I tell my own children to be assertive and stand up for what is right in the world. I teach my students that if someone needs help we need to help them or try to find someone who can. So, I now stand with all those who are fighting for the right to get back to the business of giving every child the best education possible, as is and has always been a basic right in this free country, whatever that takes. Thank you for listening and supporting public school teachers in Indiana.

~Sue Henry, Kindergarten Teacher

Joys & Concerns

Let’s thank our Mid-North Food Pantry volunteers! Last Wednesday we had a great group of volunteers at the food pantry! Dan H, Kathy and Bill F, Linda L, Rosita M and Cletus T, David B, Kathy R, Beth F, Christie M, Carol and Jim D. We served 131 families—the most we have ever served! Thanks to everyone for helping during this most busy day.

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

IFCL -- Redistricting Reform Events ~ Want to be heard at the Indiana Statehouse but not sure how? Want fairer elections and a more transparent process for determining future legislative districts? IFCL has answers, just in time for the approaching legislative session! On Sunday, Nov. 17, at 3:00 p.m., First Friends will host a free training session put on by All IN 4 Democracy, the coalition IFCL works with. Come join us in Fellowship Hall to learn how to talk about redistricting with legislators and your relatives at Thanksgiving dinner. Then on Tuesday, November 19 at noon, rally with us for redistricting reform on the Statehouse steps (Capitol Avenue side) as our legislators arrive for the 2020 session. Contact Phil G or Ed M for further information.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Reclaiming Our Democracy: One Dinner Table at a Time ~ The Indianapolis Peace & Justice Center invites you to come play politics! The Center is designing a game aimed at giving us a conversational, problem-solving “booster shot.” Conversation is a skill that involves more than just speaking. It requires meaningful and intentional listening. We need to practice it more often if we are to move beyond the tribalistic bunker-mentalities that threaten to overwhelm us. Based on conversations around a family dinner table, each participant will play a role as we tackle some of the thorny issues we face moving into this critical election year. It will be held on Wednesday, November 13th, 7:00-8:30 pm in the dining room at the Indiana Interchurch Center, 1100 W. 42nd St. There is ample off-street parking. Like all Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center events, this is free and open to all. But since we need to prepare materials, we ask that you RSVP: 317-288-0408 or 2.john.clark@gmail.com.

SING ALONG With JIM and the BAND! We will meet on our regular third Friday, November 15. Come at 7:00 to the parlor for 1 1/2 hours of fun. Song sheets in large print are provided. May you be led from within to participate in the joy of making music together.

Experiment with Light! Friends, all are invited as we start our own program. This is a continuation of the lovely meditation experiment presented by Jaime Mudd in June. We will be gathering at the Meeting House on the 3rd Tuesday of every month. Our next meeting date is November 19, 7:00-8:30 pm. It's an amazing opportunity to grow both individually and as a community. Hope you join us.

Please Help Us with Memorials! Memorials are articles written for our Memorial Book about a passed away member of the Meeting and are often written by members or attenders of the meeting. A memorial is like an obituary, but more personal and is signed by the writer. it should contain some information about the person’s roles or participation within the meeting (committees served on, member of the choir, care of grounds, etc.) Recently we have had a number of people pass away that we do not have memorials for—see below for a list of names. We need help catching up on these. Please review these names and see if there is one you would like to volunteer to write a memorial for. Below you will find a link that will give you a general idea of what a memorial would look like. If you are willing to do one, let the office know at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485. Thank you for helping to honor our departed Friends!

People needing memorials: Alice T, Janet S, Bonnie H, Mark K, Phyllis H, Charles J, Bob D, Duffy F, Ed T, Hugh G, Bob C. Example: http://bit.ly/34RqLg4.

Meditational Woods Bird-of-the-Month for November
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: The Busy Friend

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Recently I met a Friend (of the Quaker variety) who had a noticeable quality. She spoke quickly, moved quickly, and got things done. Hustle and bustle. I’m not objecting; in fact, I think every organization needs at least one of these people to keep things moving. However, sometimes I am worn out by the constant movement!!

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet visits our woods in April and May on its way northward, and again in October and the first bit of November while returning to the south. This tiny bird is constantly on the move. By the time I have my binoculars on its location, the kinglet has moved nearby. The motion is continuous, and, in addition, as it inches its way across the branch, the bird gives its wings a flick with each inch. The ruby-crowned has one of most impressive songs, especially for its size. All I heard last week, however, was the call, “gee-dit”.

I have pictured a male, with its tiny, hard-to-see red crown patch. The female lacks this mark. Its cousin, the golden-crowned kinglet, has a different eye pattern and crown patch, but has the same movement.

I admire the energy of these Friends, both human and avian, but whew!! Take a moment to rest!! ~ Brad Jackson

Garden Committee ~ We are offering more requested recipes from the Community Garden Pitch-In. The gardeners have worked hard to bed down their plots, digging in leaves and planting oats to return nutrients to the soil.We do have some cold crops like kale and collards. Garlic starts have been planted as well. Dan dug and rototilled a butterfly-shaped space where he planted Ed K.’s donated milkweed seeds. We hope to see the beginnings of our Monarch garden in the spring. Monarchs lay their eggs ONLY on milkweed plants. Thank you everyone for a fine season!

Ben & Jill’s Cheesy Jalapeno Corn Casserole

Ingredients

1 (11-ounce) can corn, drained well

*Dan is creating our potential monarch garden where the Boy Scout fire ring used to be.*

1 (14.75-ounce) can creamed corn

1 (8-ounce) container sour cream

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 small onion, finely chopped

1-2 jalapenos, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 (7.5-oz) package corn muffin mix, I use Martha White

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish. (or you can use a smaller one but you will have to cook it longer.)

In a large bowl stir together corn, sour cream, and egg.

Mix in onion, jalapenos, garlic powder, paprika, salt, melted butter, corn muffin mix, and 1 cup cheddar cheese.

Pour into prepared casserole dish.

Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top and continue to cook until set in the middle, about 15 to 20 more minutes. It is done when there is only a slight jiggle in the middle when you shake the dish.

Recipe shared by Ben & Jill. Source: https://spicysouthernkitchen.com/cheesy-jalapeno-corn-casserole/.

Nancy’s Meatlover’s Chili

1# lean grassfed ground beef

*Jackie is holding cold weather crops--kale and collards.*

1# organic ground pork

1 1/2 c. chopped white onion

2 cloves garlic

26 oz. chopped organic tomatoes

16 oz. can kidney beans

16 oz. can black beans

30 oz. organic tomato sauce

2 T. chili powder (more if you prefer spicy hot or add chili pepper)

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook meat, garlic and onion in skillet over medium heat 15 minutes or until brown. Drain. Mix meat and other ingredients. Cover and cook in large crockpot over low heat for ten hours. Sprinkle with pepper jack cheese and serve with tortilla chips. You may add a little lime juice to each bowl of chili.

For a unique flair you may prefer to add some cinnamon or allspice.

Seasoned Friends invites you! All Friends of retirement age are invited to our next Seasoned Friends luncheon and wiener roast which will be Thursday, November 21 at 11:30am here at First Friends. If you are able to bring a dessert to share, please do so. After our luncheon we will hear from guest speaker Bill Henry who will tell about the history of Quakerism. Bill Henry is a graduate of Earlham College and a life-long Quaker who has been active in the FGC for over 50 years. He has served as the Mayor of Marion from 2000-2004 and is currently a candidate for Mayor of Marion as an Independent candidate. He started his Quaker journey as a member of First Friends Church in Marion, Indiana. If you would like to come, please RSVP with the office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.

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, November 21 at 7:00pm. See locations here: http://bit.ly/ThreshingFall2019.

College Care packages - It is time to send care packages to our college students as they prepare for their exams at school. We will put out boxes starting this Sunday, November 10. We are asking that everyone help fill the boxes with goodies like candy, cookies, cards, and other treats. Please bring enough for all 4 of our college students. Don’t have time to shop? We will gladly accept monetary donations—and we will do the shopping for you! Just leave your check in the offering plate on Sunday with the notation “college packages” or send your donation to the office. Please make sure all donations are in by Sunday, November 24. Thank you for your support!

Mark your calendars for Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading’s 6th Annual Lasagna Dinner hosted by Ruth K in her home on Tuesday, November 26th at 6:30 pm. We will be discussing Educated by Tara Westover led by Carrie Sample. Please bring a covered dish (see below) and a book for our Annual Holiday Book Swap. If your name ends with the letters: A-L Salads/Covered Dishes and M-Z Fruit Dishes/Desserts. Contact the office at office@indyfriends.org if you need directions. Hope to see everyone there, feel free to bring a friend if you’d like!

Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service at First Friends! On Tuesday, November 26th at 7pm, First Friends will be hosting the Shalom Zone Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service. Join us for a night of giving thanks, singing, and sharing! Pastors from Allisonville Christian, St. Pius X, and Cross & Crown will be participating in the service, as well a combined choir from all of our churches led by Eric Baker. An offering will be taken and all proceeds will benefit the School on Wheels. Afterward we will enjoy fellowship time and some light snacks. This is always a wonderful event for our community to give thanks together!

Directory Feedback Requested! We are asking all members and attenders of the meeting to fill out a short survey regarding the First Friends pictorial directory. Whether you participated in the photoshoots or not, we are hoping you will take a couple of moments to answer a few questions. This will greatly help the office in future directory endeavors, as well as give you a chance to voice your thoughts! Find the survey here: https://forms.gle/brcxacSzhA7RwNp76. Thank you for your time!

Jeff Rasley has a new book! Jeff Rasley has just released a new book titled You Have to Get Lost Before You Can Be Found: A Memoir of Suffering, Grit, and Love of the Himalayas and Basa Village. It's about changing direction in life after finding new meaning in middle age working with a remote village in the Nepal Himalayas. It's also an adventure travelogue through the Himalayan region of Southeast Asia. First Friends' involvement in helping to establish the Basa Village Foundation is part of the story. There are more pictures in the e-book, and they are all color photos. You can find the book on amazon at https://www.amazon.com/You-Have-Lost-Before-Found/dp/1696951860. For more information visit www.jeffreyrasley.com.

This Week’s Queries

Where do I need to stop and listen or take a needed pause in my life?
What is being stirred in my heart?
What is rubbing me the wrong way? And why?
In what way am I being led to respond?

Comment

Friend to Friend November 6, 2019

November 6, 2019

As Way Opens

This past Sunday was a very special day at First Friends. I missed most of the service as I was leading children’s worship (what a great time we had talking about the authors of the Bible and how it was written) but listened to it online and was so moved by the Spirit that was flowing. From the children’s message, the choir, Bob’s message of Selah, Eric’s singing and the sharing out of the silence - it all touched my heart and had me reflecting on my own need to pause and be still and know God. And then to head into fellowship hall for an “end of harvest” pitch-in that our community garden folks hosted with fall decorations, great food shared by everyone and discussion about our gardens made me smile and brought joy to my heart. And then another group headed into the parlor to brainstorm and talk about ways we could participate in offering alternatives to payday lending. A small group has had this concern on their heart and scheduled this gathering thinking that 8-10 people would show up. There were 25 people in the parlor with great interest and energy about this topic. And everyone stepped up to do research on alternatives that are currently in place. What a sight to see Quakers engaging in helping make positive changes in our community.

I went home that afternoon feeling full and thankful for this community of First Friends. I had this feeling that what we experienced on Sunday would be a modern-day version of the gathering of Friends from long ago. A place where we worship together, listen for God’s voice of calling, feed each other and work together for change. This is what church should be about.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Fun, Food and A Festive Spirit Reign at Last Sunday’s Community Garden Pitch-In ~ Many can attest to the success of Sunday’s Community Garden Harvest Pitch-In. We are sharing pictures and featuring two of the recipes. One could use them for Thanksgiving! Thanks to all who helped bring this feast to fruition! (Photo credits: Bob Henry and Nancy Scott) If you’d like to see more pictures, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/indyfriends!

Here are some Fall recipes for you have your own harvest picnic!

Heather’s Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake

Preheat your oven to 350F and grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (yellow, white, or spice cake are all good)

3/4 cup melted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 cup chopped pecans

1 29oz can pumpkin puree

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 pinch salt

1 tbsp vanilla

1/4 cup honey

1. Mix the pumpkin, milk, eggs, spice, salt, vanilla, and honey together.

2. Pour into the bottom of the greased casserole dish.

3. Sprinkle the cake mix on top of the pumpkin filling.

4. Scatter the chopped pecans over the cake mix.

5. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the cake mix & pecans.

6. Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes or until the top of golden brown and the pecans are toasted.

— Heather

Susan’s Pumpkin Muffins

1 box of carrot cake mix , 1 can of pumpkin , enough water to make it mixable. Best with electric mixer. Place in muffin papers . Cook time about what recommended for cupcakes on cake box. — Susan

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Greetings to all the women of our meeting! Please join us in the parlor on November 10th for a meal to further discuss the Enneagram test that we found out about during the Women's retreat. We would like to discuss how it affected you and what we want to do from now on to sustain this group. If you would like some more information or would like to take the test for free, please go to Enneagram Tests: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test. During this meeting, we will also discuss reviving the Women at the Well but in a different way. We are going to meet right after worship so please RSVP to office so we can plan on the correct amount of food - office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485. We are also asking women to please fill out this survey regarding future women’s meetings and activities! https://forms.gle/rb1CRhKVJjogYKUo8

SING ALONG With JIM and the BAND! In October we are back to our regular third Friday, November 15. Come at 7:00 to the parlor for 1 1/2 hours of fun. Song sheets in large print are provided. May you be led from within to participate in the joy of making music together.

Mark your calendars for Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading’s 6th Annual Lasagna Dinner hosted by Ruth Kelly in her home on Tuesday, November 26th at 6:30 pm. We will be discussing Educated by Tara Westover led by Carrie Sample. Please bring a covered dish (see below) and a book for our Annual Holiday Book Swap. If your name ends with the letters: A-L Salads/Covered Dishes and M-Z Fruit Dishes/Desserts. Contact the office at office@indyfriends.org if you need directions. Hope to see everyone there, feel free to bring a friend if you’d like!

Christmas at First Friends 2019

Nov. 26 Shalom Zone Combined Thanksgiving Service at First Friends 7:00pm

Dec. 1 Blue Christmas Meeting for Worship 10:15am

Dec. 8 Christmas Vespers 5:30pm

Dec. 15 Christmas Tea (following Meeting for Worship) 11:30am & Christmas Caroling 3:30pm

Dec. 22 Children’s Christmas Pageant 10:15am

Dec. 24 Special Christmas Eve Meeting for Worship 5:30pm

Dec. 29 All-Meeting Unprogrammed Worship 10:15am

This Week’s Queries

Where do I need to stop and listen or take a needed pause in my life?
What is being stirred in my heart?
What is rubbing me the wrong way? And why?
In what way am I being led to respond?

Comment

Friend to Friend October 30, 2019

October 31, 2019

As Way Opens

We welcomed several individuals from Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) this past Sunday - Lotan and Samson from Kenya and Sara Northrop who administers all of the grants for the organization. It was a wonderful day of discussion of the transforming work of RSWR in Kenya as well as in India and Sierra Leone. Samson delivered a powerful message of sharing out of our abundance and the ripple effect of giving during Meeting for Worship. We gathered in fellowship hall for a simple meal of soup, salad, bread and fruit and raised $384 in contributions from the meal and the sale of fair-trade chocolate and coffee. Thank you for your continued generosity and support of this effective and impactful organization.

I am in my 7th and final year of board service at RSWR and next April will be my last board meeting. Serving this organization has been important to me especially during the last few years of my husband Jerry’s life (he passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2016). Anyone who has lived through a degenerative disease of a spouse or loved one knows how small one’s world can become in caring for the needs of their loved one. The world can get down to basic needs, limited conversations and guidance and support in all aspects of life. Every time I was able to attend a RSWR board meeting I felt my world opened up a bit and that I could have a small impact on something big - impacting women around the world. It gave me hope, joy and gratitude to contribute in a very small way to this work.

I hope we can all find places where we can expand our reach beyond our immediate community and touch others beyond our small circle. Discussions like the one occurring this Sunday on the possibility of alternatives to payday lending or how we can participate in encouraging Indiana lawmakers to set up fair and impartial methods to determine voting districts are examples of how we can participate in the ripple of connection and impact for bettering our world and living out the gospel of Jesus.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Maple Seeds Preschool Coop (MSPC) held their annual Fall Fest this past Saturday and it was a great time! We had a wonderful turn out even with the rain. Firemen brought their truck for ‘touch a truck’ and it was definitely a highlight! They handed out fire hats to the kids. What a fun day!

Quaker-Related Organizations

IFCL Meeting this Saturday, Nov. 2 ~ Any and all are invited to the Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation (IFCL) meeting in the parlor this Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9-11:00 a.m. when we will discuss priorities for the 2020 Indiana General Assembly.

This summer and autumn, IFCL has had opportunities to research and interact with others to learn more about some specific issues: redistricting reform initiatives, lending options for financially challenged Hoosiers, education assessment and funding, environmental/health concerns, and expansion of 5G technology. All will be on the agenda this Saturday, plus others you may want to suggest at the meeting.

We are encouraged by other groups that ask IFCL to be members of coalitions, and by legislators who are willing to listen to our concerns. In case you missed the recent news linked below, check out the initiative of Indiana Senator Mike Braun to reach across the aisle to work with Senator Chris Coons (D-Delaware) for the Senate's first-ever bipartisan caucus dedicated to climate solutions.

https://indianapolisstar-in.newsmemory.com/?token=19b8bdac7d8c0d2167fab96ca89aaf8c&cnum=3434687&fod=1111111STD-0&selDate=20191029&licenseType=paid_subscriber&

We will try to show the Channel 6 video (linked below) at our meeting this Saturday, but if you cannot attend, this provides important information about the 5G expansion issue.

https://www.theindychannel.com/news/call-6-investigators/carmel-homeowners-raise-concerns-over-5g-small-cell-towers

Please contact Phil Goodchild (goodch713@aol.com) or Ed Morris (emorri@earthlink.net) with any questions. Thank you for your support helping IFCL help Hoosiers.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Daylight Savings Time ends at 2am this Sunday, so don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour before you go to bed, or you may show up to church an hour early on Sunday!

Did you know we have a special place available for parents with young children to worship with us? If you have a baby, you are welcome to use our specially-equipped balcony room. Head up either staircase in the foyer and enter the door to find a rocking chair and a diaper changing station. With the door open you can hear everything from the Meeting room. This space is open and available to all parents and families, as they wish to use it.

Serenity Now, Book-Based Support Group!

Next Meeting: The second meeting of the newly formed First Friends book-based support group will be at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31, in the meetinghouse parlor. Coffee and bagels will be provided. This confidential group of five participants (so far) is for those experiencing family and relationship challenges. Our first book selection is The Mastery of Love, a Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship by Don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements. This meeting, we will discuss the intro and first chapter of this small and easy-to-read book. If you would like to try out the group and need a copy of the reading, please email janicehise@yahoo.com. Feel free to call or text Jan at 317-443-6458 if you have questions. We expect to publish a schedule for the rest of 2019 after this meeting.

More About the Group: Subsequent books may focus on particular types of relationship challenges, interpersonal skills or barriers to healthy functioning (according to the needs of participants). It is expected that members may float in and out of the group based on the focus of the books chosen. Group members seek to support one another through reading, sharing our experiences and self-awareness, and listening without judgement as we navigate challenging situations. Please note: This group is a self-help group, NOT a therapy group, and is NOT facilitated by a licensed therapist. We have chosen the group name, Serenity Now, as a reminder to seek—moment by moment—release from our futile attempts to change what is not ours to change, the courage to change what we legitimately must, the wisdom to know the difference, and the humor to laugh at ourselves when we inevitably blunder.

Eco-Film: Reinventing Indy Power ~ You’re cordially invited to November’s Eco-Film themed, Reinventing Indy Power. Please bring your favorite foods and learn more about the Beyond Coal to Clean Energy Campaign here in Indiana. It will be held on Friday, November 1 from 7-9pm at Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 5233 E 79th St. (Please notice this Eco-Film is on the first Friday in November.) Just recently, USA Today and the Weather Channel featured Indianapolis Power and Light’s (IPL) Petersburg coal plant, where some of our electricity is generated, as one of the nation’s 22 “Super Polluters”. Super Polluters are the worst toxic and climate polluters in the nation. The IPL Petersburg coal plant is one of four super polluters located near Evansville, IN. The Petersburg coal plant is contributing to climate change, and premature death for residents near the plant. In 2019, Indianapolis Power and Light will create an energy plan for the next 20 years. Community discussion will follow the film. Snacks are provided! This is our chance to have a say in how our utility generates electricity for our community. Together, we can make a difference for our communities’ future. We hope you will join us.

Join us for a Harvest Pitch-In! All are invited after Meeting for Worship on Sunday, November 3rd to participate in a harvest pitch-in. This event is being put on by the Community Garden committee as a harvest celebration after a season of hard work. It will be held after Meeting for Worship in Fellowship Hall—although if the weather is nice we may have a picnic outside. We are asking everyone to share a dish: Last names A-L bring sides & salads; M-Z bring desserts.

PREDATORY LENDING: NOT THE QUAKER WAY? On Sunday, November 3, you are invited to gather in the parlor after Meeting for Worship to become familiar with the Indiana laws governing short-term "payday" loans and their implications for borrowers.

Suppose that your full-time minimum-wage job allows you to pay rent on your apartment and feed your children--but just barely. An attack of appendicitis keeps you from work for nearly two weeks, and rent is due. You can borrow the money rather quickly and easily, but at usurious interest rates. How can you pay it back? And what if you cannot pay it back?

The purpose of the meeting on Nov. 3 is to open an inquiry:

Have any other organization or faith communities served the unbanked by creating alternatives to predatory payday loans?
If so, might we participate with them in this work?
If not, might we create one ourselves?
What might we as Friends do to help alleviate the plight of our disadvantaged brothers and sisters?

Please join us in the parlor, immediately following Meeting for Worship. A light lunch will be provided. If you have questions, please contact Barbara O or Phil G.

West Central Area Meeting Program and Dinner- You’re invited! All Friends are cordially invited to join us for the West Central Area Meeting program and dinner on Sunday November 3 at Valley Mills Friends. There will be a short business meeting, which should conclude by 3:30 PM or so, and the area meeting will follow. Craig Overmeyer will present a program on 'productive conflict.' He's an Indiana consultant and author with Quaker roots. His new book on this topic will be out in December. At 5:00 PM there will be a pitch-in dinner. For more information see the flyer here: http://bit.ly/31SwmAL. Please consider attending!

Greetings to all the women of our meeting! Please join us in the parlor on November 10th for a meal to further discuss the Enneagram test that we found out about during the Women's retreat a couple of weeks ago. We would like to discuss how it affected you and what we want to do from now on to sustain this group. If you would like some more information or would like to take the test for free, please go to Enneagram Tests: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test. During this meeting, we will also discuss reviving the Women at the Well but in a different way. We are going to meet right after worship so please RSVP to office so we can plan on the correct amount of food - office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.

Meditational Woods Bird-of-the-Month for October
Pileated Woodpecker: The Infrequent Attender

In Quakerism we have attenders, both frequent attenders and those who are more infrequent. Similarly, in the bird world of the Meditational Woods, there are “infrequent attenders.” Today’s bird is one that is always in the area, but only visits once in a while.

Usually the bird announces its presence with a raucous “kek-kek-kek” call, especially while in flight. Twice in recent months, including early October, a pileated woodpecker flew to a telephone pole just east of the parking lot. The crow-sized bird landed at the top of the pole in such a way as to allow him to look over it, and in all directions. For a full twenty minutes he remained immobile and vigilant. For what was he looking? Was he watching me, or looking for another woodpecker? Perhaps food? Pileateds frequent tree stumps, searching for large ants to eat. They nest in woodlands or in neighborhoods with large trees.

Notice that I refer to this individual as “he.” In both cases of recent telephone pole sitting, the bird was a male. The red mark from the base of the bill across the cheek indicates that this is, indeed, a male. If it were a female, that mark would be black.

As with our other, human, infrequent attenders, I hope the Pileated Woodpecker is welcome at First Friends anytime!! ~Brad J

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Friend to Friend October 23, 2019

October 24, 2019

As Way Opens

I serve as the clerk of the Right Sharing of World Resources board and we had our semiannual meeting last weekend at the Benedictine Center in Beech Grove. This is an amazing and effective organization that provides seed money to women in Sierra Leone, Kenya and India to start their small business and change their lives, their children’s lives and their standing in the community. The Board covered the usual stewardship responsibilities and then heard from our in-country representatives that traveled to the United States for a first-time-ever consultation with all of us. Their sharing with us on the impact of our grants to the women in their countries was powerful. We all felt the significance of God’s hand in this work. We had an amazing activity Friday night where we threw yarn to each other and had to answer one of 18 questions provided. We learned about each other in some deep ways and created a web of connection. We created this web and didn’t want to let go as we knew that this would never be the same again. I was thinking about this as I drove to the Meeting today. The color of the leaves was incredible today on Kessler. I knew that we only have a couple of days until this magnificent color display is gone. I think about how our web might only last for an evening but impacts all of us for years. This organization has brought us into a web of connection with thousands of women in India, Kenya and Sierra Leone. This gathering showed us how we can connect with women that we don’t personally know or will never meet but we are deeply gathered together in Spirit.

We have several folks from Kenya here this Sunday that will speak about our work in Kenya (we are sponsoring a project in honor of our beloved Ann P). I hope many of your will join us to hear about this amazing work. Samson and Lotan will share about the specific work in Kenya during our combined Sunday School hour. Samson will give the message on Sunday and we will have a light lunch after Meeting for Worship to hear more about our work in Kenya. I hope you can join us and share in this continued web.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Let’s give a big thank-you to our food pantry volunteers from last week: Phil G, Dan H, Linda and Rik L, Mara S, and Carol and Jim D. We were kept busy as we served 101 families!

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Fall Festival! ~ Maple Seeds Preschool Co-Op (MSPC) will be hosting their annual Fall Festival on Saturday October 26th from 4-6pm. It will be held here at First Friends—All MSPC and First Friends families are welcome to come and be a part of this fun evening. There will be face painting, pumpkin decorating, a bounce house, a chili cook-off, a raffle, and more! Costumes are welcome! We hope you will join us!

Join us for a Special Sunday! This coming Sunday, October 27, we are taking a break from our Fall Sermon Series to welcome Right Sharing of World Resources Field Representatives, Ababu Samson and Lotan Migaliza from Kenya. Things will start on Sunday in our parlor at 9am with a combined Sunday School gathering to hear more about their work. (We will still hold unprogrammed worship at 9am; it will be held in Seeking Friends during this time.) At 10:15am Samson will be bringing the message during our Meeting for Worship. Samson and Lotan will both be available after worship for our fellowship hour where we will be providing a Simple Meal. Please plan to join us this Sunday! Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) is an independent Quaker not-for-profit organization sharing the abundance of God’s love by working for equity through partnerships around the world. For more check out: https://www.rswr.org/. Together as a Meeting, thanks to the generous efforts of our congregation, we have been sponsoring a project through RSWR—find our last update in the September 18, 2019 issue of Friend to Friend (which can be found here: https://www.indyfriends.org/blog?offset=1569434958578). Beth will also be in Fellowship Hall after Meeting for worship, selling coffee, tea, and chocolates for RSWR.

Ababu Samson is the RSWR Field Representative. He seeks out new groups that could benefit from RSWR funding and introduces Right Sharing to them. He oversees all the programming, assessing the needs of each group and arranging and attending all trainings. Additionally, he keeps on touch with all the past funded groups.

Lotan Migaliza conducts the in-depth Business Management training for newly funded groups. Although he is very strict and emphasizes rules and procedures, his manner is funny and engaging, and the groups love his training.

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading is this coming Tuesday night! Sue H will be leading The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama XIV and Desmond Tutu on the 29th of October at 7 pm in the Parlor. Click link for the New York Journal of Books Review: https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/book-joy-lasting-happiness-changing-world All are welcome!

Shalom Zone’s 5th Tuesday Event: Bread for the World ~ Join your Shalom Zone neighbors and learn about Bread for the World, an organization with an international, national and local presence. It will be held on Tuesday, October 29 from 7:00-8:30pm at Allisonville Christian Church, 7701 Allisonville Rd. Bread for the World provides a collective Christian voice urging our state and our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. Our presenter will be Mark Lynch, and following the presentation, a letter writing exercise will provide an opportunity to send letters to your congressional representatives. Please consider joining us for this event.

Do you have a new baby or young child you would like to have dedicated? We are seeking out families who are interested in having their child (children) dedicated to God during an upcoming Meeting for Worship. For those who may be unfamiliar with Baby/Child Dedications, they are intended to be a public testimony by the parents/family that they will train their children in the Quaker faith. The Meeting will also be asked to affirm that they, as a faith community, will seek to encourage and support the parents in bringing up the child in the Quaker faith. Quakers believe a direct experience with God is open to people of all ages. Our hope is that this dedication will set your child on a path to experience their Inner Light and the Spirit’s leading. The idea of dedicating a child to God can certainly be found in the Bible. Hannah was a barren wife who promised to dedicate her child to God if He would give her a son (I Samuel 1:11). And in Luke 2:22 you will read the account of Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the temple after forty days in order to dedicate Him to God. If you would like to have your child dedicated, please contact Rebecca at the Meeting Office (office@indyfriends.org). We hope to have multiple dedications during a Meeting for Worship in November.

Meditational Woods Bird-of-the-Month for October
Pileated Woodpecker: The Infrequent Attender

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As with our other, human, infrequent attenders, I hope the Pileated Woodpecker is welcome at First Friends anytime!! ~ Brad J

Jeff Rasley has a new book! Jeff Rasley has just released a new book titled You Have to Get Lost Before You Can Be Found: A Memoir of Suffering, Grit, and Love of the Himalayas and Basa Village. It's about changing direction in life after finding new meaning in middle age working with a remote village in the Nepal Himalayas. It's also an adventure travelogue through the Himalayan region of Southeast Asia. There are many photos of the Himalayas, mountain climbing, local people and indigenous cultures. First Friends' involvement in helping to establish the Basa Village Foundation is part of the story. There are more pictures in the e-book, and they are all color photos. The cost of printing so many color photos in a paperback was too great, so there are fewer photos and they are black and white in the printed version. You can find the book on amazon at https://www.amazon.com/You-Have-Lost-Before-Found/dp/1696951860. Fore more information visit www.jeffreyrasley.com.

Serenity Now, Book-Based Support Group!

Next Meeting: The second meeting of the newly formed First Friends book-based support group will be at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31, in the meetinghouse parlor. Coffee and bagels will be provided. This confidential group of five participants (so far) is for those experiencing family and relationship challenges. Our first book selection is The Mastery of Love, a Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship by Don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements. This meeting, we will discuss the intro and first chapter of this small and easy-to-read book. If you would like to try out the group and need a copy of the reading, please email the office at office@indyfriends.org. We expect to publish a schedule for the rest of 2019 after this meeting.

More About the Group: Subsequent books may focus on particular types of relationship challenges, interpersonal skills or barriers to healthy functioning (according to the needs of participants). It is expected that members may float in and out of the group based on the focus of the books chosen. Group members seek to support one another through reading, sharing our experiences and self-awareness, and listening without judgement as we navigate challenging situations. Please note: This group is a self-help group, NOT a therapy group, and is NOT facilitated by a licensed therapist. We have chosen the group name, Serenity Now, as a reminder to seek—moment by moment—release from our futile attempts to change what is not ours to change, the courage to change what we legitimately must, the wisdom to know the difference, and the humor to laugh at ourselves when we inevitably blunder.

Join us for a Harvest Pitch-In! All are invited after Meeting for Worship on Sunday, November 3rd to participate in a harvest pitch-in. This event is put on by the Community Garden committee. It will be held during fellowship hour in Fellowship Hall—although if the weather is nice we may have a picnic outside. We will be asking everyone to share a dish. Keep an eye out for more information next week!

The purpose of the meeting on Nov. 3 is to open an inquiry:

Have any other organization or faith communities served the unbanked by creating alternatives to predatory payday loans?

If so, might we participate with them in this work?
If not, might we create one ourselves?
What might we as Friends do to help alleviate the plight of our disadvantaged brothers and sisters?

Please join us in the parlor, immediately following Meeting for Worship. A light lunch will be provided. If you have questions, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Greetings to all the women of our meeting! Please join us in the parlor on November 10th for a meal to further discuss the Enneagram test that we found out about during the Women's retreat a couple of weeks ago. We would like to discuss how it affected you and what we want to do from now on to sustain this group. If you would like some more information or would like to take the test for free, please go to Enneagram Tests: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test. During this meeting, we will also discuss reviving the Women at the Well but in a different way. We are going to meet right after worship so please RSVP to office so we can plan on the correct amount of food - office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.

This Week’s Queries

Who deep down do I want to dominate? Who do I want to exercise control over? Who don’t I mind belittling, shaming, or making feel less-than for my own benefit or desires?
Who experiences my fierce anger the easiest? Do they deserve it? Have I tried to understand him/her, and have I taken the time to look inside myself at the root of my own wrath?
Who undeservedly receives my violent responses, or who do I wish them upon? How often have I wished someone removed from my life (even dead), or wanted to physically hurt someone to make myself feel better?

Comment

Friend to Friend October 16, 2019

October 16, 2019

As Way Opens

On Sunday after Meeting for Worship, Sue, Sam, and I traveled to Chicago for our second round of college visits. As we arrived in downtown, we quickly found many of the roads blocked by snowplows and extra police, especially around the Magnificent Mile. As well, there seemed to be more people than usual walking in every direction. In our day and age, this site can be rather alarming. As we waited in the traffic jams, it seemed more like a regular weekday in downtown than a Sunday evening. It wasn’t long until we noticed many of the people passing in front of our car were wearing prize medals around their necks. With a quick search on our smart phones, we concluded that earlier that day, the running of the Chicago Marathon took place and we were arriving during clean-up.

At breakfast the next morning, Chicago was hopping with people from all over the world who had come to run in the marathon. We waited longer than usual for a table. Yet as we waited, it was hard not noticing how many people were visibly in agony, having difficulty walking, actually groaning, and even hobbling or limping along. Most of them were still proudly displaying their medal around their neck as they winced in pain over their first sips of coffee. We watched one woman walk to the restroom as if she was preparing to mount a horse and another man who hobbled with his hand on his back like he was 30 years his senior.

Personally, I have never been a runner, nor do I plan to take it up anytime soon. And as I looked around the restaurant, I wasn’t being encouraged by what I was seeing. That is when our son who has spent some time learning about running said, “This just shows that many of these people do not know how to run. Maybe they are doing it because it is a fad. They probably ran with bad posture, the wrong shoes, without enough or the proper training, and their body was clearly letting them know what it thinks.”

Well, my son’s words sent me pondering. I sense this is how many people see their faith. The focus is about getting the “medal” or “prize,” instead of learning to run well or with endurance (Heb. 12:1). Every once and a while, we all need some adjustment in our worship “posture” and a reminder of the resources within our community for training. Because when we get too focused on the “prize” and forget about our “training” or when we run through the motions just because it makes us feel good or because everyone is doing it, the Body of Christ can suffer and feel the pain. I am happy that we have many opportunities at First Friends to do spiritual “training,” whether that is in small groups, Sunday school classes, Experiment with Light groups, Shalom Zone activities, youth group, serving at the food pantry, and the list goes on.

I challenge you this week to take some time to “train,” to try on a “new pair of shoes,” and to learn to “run” well this way of faith rooted in love!

Grace and peace,

Bob

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

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, October 17 at 7:00pm. See locations here: http://bit.ly/ThreshingFall2019.

SING ALONG With JIM and the BAND! In October we are back to our regular third Friday, October 18th. A few of the songs on this month’s menu are: Put Your Hand in the Hand, Penny Lane, Standing in the Need of Prayer, Take me Home Country Roads. Come at 7:00 to the parlor for 1 1/2 hours of fun. Song sheets in large print are provided.

Calling all handbell lovers! If you want to try playing handbells but aren’t sure what all it involves, please join us on Sunday October 20th after Meeting for Worship to give it a try. We’ll have the handbells out and will teach you how to play; and then try a couple of songs. Meet us in the meetingroom right after Meeting for Worship. Plan to spend 40-45 minutes with us. Questions? Contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Book Discussion Invitation ~ Pat Engel, diaconal minister at Epworth, will lead a book discussion on Mondays, beginning on October 21st from 5:30-6:30pm (note the new time!). They will be reading the book by Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation To Solitude And Silence, which “provides wonderful spiritual companionship on the quest for intimacy with God” which seems to have some overlap with our own Quaker beliefs. These sessions will run for 6 weeks, lasting for an hour each. It will be held at Epworth United Methodist Church, 6450 Allisonville Rd, 46220. If you have questions, please contact Epworth at (317)251-1481.

Community Garden ~ Hear from some of our gardeners:

“For me the garden is really cool because we have been trying to grow new plants like arugula and watermelons. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t, but it’s fun to take them home and use them to cook meals that we’ve never made before.” —Chelsea, Girl Scout Gold Star Candidate and Community Garden Project Volunteer

“I enjoy working in the garden because it’s fun to watch our plants grow. Having a garden plot has let me connect with nature and fellow gardeners.” –Kendal

Come Meet Right Sharing Representatives! We will welcome to our Meeting Samson Ababu and Lotan Migaliza, field representatives for Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) in Kenya on Sunday October 27th.Samson and Lotan will share about the work in Kenya as well as information about the project we are sponsoring during the Sunday School hour on October 27th in the parlor (we will have a combined Sunday School class). Samson and Lotan will share about their personal spiritual connection to this workduring the first part of our worship service that Sunday.And Samson and Lotan will be available during fellowship hour to talk more about the projects, the work, the women and the communities. Please mark your calendars for this special opportunity to meet these individuals and hear more about RSWR. Beth will also be in Fellowship Hall after Meeting for worship, selling coffee, tea, and chocolates for RSWR.

Greetings to all the women of our meeting! Please join us in the parlor on November 10th for a meal to further discuss the Enneagram test that we found out about during the Women's retreat a couple of weeks ago. We would like to discuss how it affected you and what we want to do from now on to sustain this group. If you would like some more information or would like to take the test for free, please go to Enneagram Tests: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test. During this meeting, we will also discuss reviving the Women at the Well but in a different way. We are going to meet right after worship so please RSVP to office so we can plan on the correct amount of food - office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.

This Week’s Queries

What lately has caused my eyes to be wide open?
Do I carry a “genocide card” in my pocket?
What atrocities are we facing, today, and how might the Church help instead of
hinder? What might be First Friend’s role in addressing these atrocities?

Comment

Friend to Friend October 9, 2019

October 9, 2019

As Way Opens

I traveled to Ferdinand Indiana this past weekend to spend a couple of days with the Sisters of St Benedict. This beautiful monastery was built in the mid 1800’s and used to house over 600 nuns (in the 1950’s overcrowding was such a problem that the sisters built the Benedictine facility in Beech Grove). They have less than 100 nuns there now and continue to figure out how to repurpose the facilities and grounds. The sisters recently completed a renovation of their rooms for individuals to come and stay with them for retreats. They have 11 lovely rooms with private baths that they don’t charge fees for but encourage a donation to the sisters of $65 a night (a bargain).

I have visited this place several times before and every time I step onto the grounds, I feel a sense of grace and peace. It was quiet, serene and the weather last Friday and Saturday was picture perfect. I watched the sisters engage with us over meals and discussions and I could feel their love of God and humanity through their words and actions. These sisters have been chaplains, nurses, teachers, principals, social workers etc. They are wonderful examples of how to live a faithful and devoted life to God in the world. I drove home Saturday afternoon feeling recharged and refreshed from my time with these sisters in their home. I feel inspired to continue finding my ways to live out my faith in the world. And I recognized my need to take a few days like this and spend time in prayer, reflection and contemplation. May we all take the time for contemplation and reflection and prayerfully consider how we live out our faith in each of our communities.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Thank you to everyone who volunteered at Mid-North Food Pantry last week! We had a great group of volunteers that served about 100 families: Christie M, Rik & Linda L, Phil G, Kathy & Bill F, Tom F, Mara S, David B, Kathy R, Beth F, and Carol & Jim D.

Many thanks to all who supported Buddy Bags! Also thanks to Jody L and Kathy and Bill F who packed 30 buddy bags and Kathy delivered them to Allisonville Elementary School. The principal was thrilled and thanked all at First Friends who made this donation possible.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Shalom Zone Eco Film Series: BAG IT: Is Your Life Too Plastic? ~ All are invited to join us on Friday, October 11 from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm for our Eco film series. This time we will watch Bag It: Is Your Life Too Plastic?, a 2010 American documentary film exposing the effects of plastic bags and other plastic consumer merchandise, and its effects on land ecosystems, the marine environment and the human body. The film concludes with a review of recycling labels and shows ways that average citizens and consumers can minimize the harmful impact of plastic by reducing use. It will be held in the Matthew Mark Conference Rooms at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 7200 Sarto Dr, 46240. Contact Mary Gault at maryhgault@gmail.com for more information.

Recycling Event! The Shalom Zone plans to have its yearly recycling event with Recycle Force on Saturday, October 12 from 10:00am to 2:00pm. 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. A $20 donation is required for televisions and appliances containing Freon (fridges, freezers, ac units and dehumidifiers). Other monetary contributions are greatly appreciated. This is a great opportunity to clean out your basement, garage, closets, attic and responsibly recycle unwanted electronics and appliances.

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, October 17 at 7:00pm. See locations here: http://bit.ly/ThreshingFall2019.

Community Garden ~ Hear from some of our gardeners:

“The First Friends Community Garden has been an unexpected joy this year. My kids and I have been tending a couple of plots, and helped with the shared food pantry plot too. Many weeks I stop by the meeting on my way home from work to weed & water for a few minutes, which is a nice break from the fast pace of a typical weekday. We look forward to raiding the garden for fresh tomatoes on Sunday mornings. Several weeks we’ve been able to enjoy pasta with freshly made tomato sauce on Sunday evenings, when Nolan & Jill manage not to eat them all before we get home 😊” ~ Ben F

“This was my first year attempting to garden, ever. I cannot express enough how much of a joy it has been! I was nervous to sign up for a plot due to having no experience growing anything, but after the time I have spent in the community garden I realized that gardening is not only about producing physical items. Gardening has provided me with a way to eliminate stress from my daily life activities and more importantly bond with my 4-year-old daughter. The community garden gave me a place to decompress after stressful days during the week. It also allowed my daughter and I to have a free and enjoyable activity to keep us occupied on the days when we thought there was nothing to do. There was nothing more enjoyable then watching my daughter help to water, plant, and harvest the tomatoes, cilantro, etc that we grew. She made sure to show love to everything no matter how big, small, or green it came out! Joining the community garden was definitely a very special and positive decision I made, and I look forward to continuing to do it in the future.” -Zoe

Come Meet Right Sharing Representatives! We will welcome to our Meeting Samson Ababu and Lotan Migaliza, field representatives for Right Sharing of World Resources in Kenya on Sunday October 27th.Samson and Lotan will share about the work in Kenya as well as information about the project we are sponsoring during the Sunday School hour on October 27th in the parlor (we will have a combined Sunday School class). Samson and Lotan will share about their personal spiritual connection to this workduring the first part of our worship service that Sunday.And Samson and Lotan will be available during fellowship hour to talk more about the projects, the work, the women and the communities. Please mark your calendars for this special opportunity to meet these individuals and hear more about RSWR.

Help out our visiting friends! ~ As mentioned above, representatives from the Field Teams from Right Sharing of World Resources will be coming to visit the USA (two of which will be stopping here at First Friends). As many of these people live in warm climates, Right Sharing is asking for temporary donations of warm clothing, especially, sweaters, fleeces, jackets, warm coats, etc, (things that can be put on over their own clothes) to be lent to these visitors during their stay. These clothes will be returned to you after the representatives leave the US. If you are able to help, please bring your clothing to the meeting office by Wednesday, October 16th. If possible, please add your name to the clothing tag or include some kind of marking so we know who the clothing belongs to. If you’d simply like to donate the clothing and do not need it back, that is ok too. Thank you for helping out our Right Sharing friends!

Do you have a new baby or young child you would like to have dedicated? We are seeking out families who are interested in having their child (children) dedicated to God during an upcoming Meeting for Worship. For those who may be unfamiliar with Baby/Child Dedications, they are intended to be a public testimony by the parents/family that they will train their children in the Quaker faith. The Meeting will also be asked to affirm that they, as a faith community, will seek to encourage and support the parents in bringing up the child in the Quaker faith. Quakers believe a direct experience with God is open to people of all ages. Our hope is that this dedication will set your child on a path to experience their Inner Light and the Spirit’s leading. The idea of dedicating a child to God can certainly be found in the Bible. Hannah was a barren wife who promised to dedicate her child to God if He would give her a son (I Samuel 1:11). And in Luke 2:22 you will read the account of Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the temple after forty days in order to dedicate Him to God. If you would like to have your child dedicated, please contact the Meeting Office (office@indyfriends.org). We hope to have multiple dedications during a Meeting for Worship in November.

New in the library at First Friends Indy (written by Linda L) ~

Primitive Quakerism REVIVED: Living as Friends in the Twenty-First Century by Paul Buckley.

I checked this book out of our library intending to take a quick look and make a quick note. But I read the whole thing. Buckley is a Quaker historian and theologian. He has wisdom and depth in his own comments and in his selections of quotes mostly from the founders and the famous of our faith while also including some contemporary Friends.

Buckley examines traditional behaviors and terminology, explaining the reasons for them. He suggests which ought to be put in storage. He encourages us to reinvigorate the fundamentals of Quakerism in ways that support and could guide what we at First Friends Indianapolis are creatively manifesting.

Greetings to all the women of our meeting! Please join us in the parlor on November 10th for a meal to further discuss the Enneagram test that we found out about during the Women's retreat a couple of weeks ago. We would like to discuss how it affected you and what we want to do from now on to sustain this group. If you would like some more information or would like to take the test for free, please go to Enneagram Tests: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test. During this meeting, we will also discuss reviving the Women at the Well but in a different way. We are going to meet right after worship so please RSVP to office so we can plan on the correct amount of food - office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.

Fall Festival! ~ Maple Seeds Preschool Co-Op (MSPC) will be hosting their annual Fall Festival on Saturday October 26th from 4-6pm. It is held here at First Friends—All MSPC and First Friends families are welcome to come and be a part of this fun evening. There will be face painting, pumpkin decorating, a bounce house, a chili cook-off, a raffle, and more! Costumes are welcome! We hope you will join us!

A Call for Recycling! The Green Team at FF would like to make a plug for the recycling of cardboard — think of all those Amazon boxes! For every ton of cardboard recycled, 17 trees are saved. One semi-trailer load of baled cardboard weighs about 20 tons! That’s a lot of trees saved. Additionally, every ton of cardboard that is recycled saves 7,000 gallons of water. (Adapted from Recover Recycling Solutions)

This Week’s Queries

Do we know that we are loved? Who is letting us know?
In what ways are we discriminatory with our love?
Where do I sense fear in not being loved?
In what ways does/should First Friends produce love-motivated, love-directed, love-driven, and love guided Friends?

Comment

Friend to Friend October 2, 2019

October 3, 2019

As Way Opens

Last Sunday afternoon, Sue and I had the honor of joining our neighbors as they celebrated their new home with friends and community. Ram, Priya and their two children are from India and practice the Hindu faith. In Hinduism, when someone moves into a new home a traditional ceremony is preformed to bring peace and good fortune to their home and family.

Sue, Lewis, and I had helped Priya with some of the preparations. We mowed their yard and set up tents in their backyard as they were expecting about 100 guests from the Hindu community. While helping, Priya invited us to come in their home and see the altar she proudly painted and the decorations she was preparing for the ceremony. Even though void of all furniture, the altar room was rich with symbolism. Priya was excited that inside the front door on a small table stood an ornate and well adorned wood carving of Ganesh to welcome the guests. We learned that Ganesh is not only one of the best known and loved deities in the Hindu pantheon of gods, he is one of the most recognized deities outside of India due to his elephant-like appearance. Ganesh is considered the Lord of Good Fortune who provides prosperity, fortune and success, the Lord of Beginnings, and the Remover of Obstacles of both material and spiritual kinds. A friend from the Hindu community brought this deity for Ram and Priya to display for their special day.

When we arrived late Sunday afternoon for the festivities, another Hindu neighbor from our street welcomed and invited us to sample the varieties of food they had prepared. They offered several vegetarian dishes made from potatoes, tofu, mangos, cashews and a variety of wonderful spices. The dishes were accompanied by rice and a glass of rose milk to help calm the spiciness of the food. The aromas and tastes were another wonderful experience, as were the conversations while partaking of the food.

Soon we were asked to remove our shoes and join the guests in the altar room to experience the Hindu rituals. Unlike the men who wore typical casual dress attire, the women wore ornate saris made of brightly colored materials and a variety of ornaments including anklets with bells that chimed as they walked. Sue and I watched as each guest received a mark on the forehead with the traditional Tilaka, a red fragrant paste used as a welcome and expression of honor when guests arrive.

Hanging from the walls around and over the altar were brightly colored faux marigold garlands. We learned that the marigold is widely cultivated in India and is used for decorations at Hindu weddings, festivals, and religious events. Sue and I sat cross-legged in silence on the floor as several people offered silent prayers before the three gods and goddesses depicted in icons on the altar. There was a reverence but also a sense of familial community as each person acknowledged the deities and each other within Ram and Priya’s home.

Sue and I were so glad we made time to celebrate and learn from our new neighbors. We couldn’t help but be reminded of Phil Gulley’s words in Living the Quaker Way, “…when we listen only to a like-minded few, our regard for others diminishes, our love for them wanes, and with that our commitment to their equality and well-being lessens.” This week, I challenge us to listen, experience, and participate with those different than us, and may it broaden our understandings and build deeper relationships rooted in love.

Grace and peace,

Bob

Joys & Concerns

Underneath it All ~ Thank you to all who donated to Underneath It All! School children served by the J. H. Boner Center will very much appreciate your generosity.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Praying Friends ~ Did you know that we have an active prayer ministry? It is called Praying Friends. This is a small group where we share prayer requests and pray for each other. To request prayer, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Photos are Ready! We recently had a Lifetouch photography event. If you elected to have your complimentary 8x10 sent back to the church for pick up, the photographs are now located in the office hallway for you. If your portrait is not in the current shipment, it means it will be coming in a future shipment.

Buddy Bags are here again this year! We are collecting food for the kids at Allisonville Elementary School Fall Break. We are going to have 30 bags this year and they will be delivered on October 2nd. What we need from you are the following donations: Microwaveable entrees, chicken salad with crackers, small jars of peanut butter, 4/packs of fruit cups, vegetables cups, pudding cups, and applesauce: small boxes of raisins, packets of oatmeal, boxes of Pop-Tarts, protein or granola bars, packages of peanut butter or cheese crackers, fruit roll ups and bags of goldfish. If you do not want to purchase food, cash or check donations will also be accepted. We all pulled together last year to make this work so we can do it again this year! Please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org with any questions.

Support Group, Anyone? ~ Jan H would like to start a book-based support group at the meeting for those experiencing family or relationship challenges (even if that challenging relationship is with yourself). In harmony with the ideas that relationship difficulties are nearly always a two-way street, healthy relationships begin with healthy communication, and that our personal histories shape our present relationships, here are a few books to consider:

1. “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz

2. “The Mastery of Love” by Don Miguel Ruiz

3. “The Dance of Intimacy” by Harriet Lerner

4. “The Dance of Anger” by Harriet Lerner

5. “The Dance of Connection” by Harriet Lerner

6. “How to Hug a Porcupine” by John Lund

You are also welcomed to invite other friends to participate in the group. If you might be interested in such a group, please follow this link to complete the brief interest and scheduling survey and recommend other book titles to consider: https://forms.gle/Mj7axyhnvJYbGXncA. If you cannot access the survey, please call, text, or email Jan at 317-443-6458 or janicehise@yahoo.com.

Experiment with Light! Friends, all are invited as we start our own program. This is a continuation of the lovely meditation experiment presented by Jaime Mudd in June.

We will be gathering at the Meeting House on the 3rd Tuesday of every month, starting October 15, at 7:00 pm for 90 minutes. To register, please contact the office at 317-255-2485 or office@indyfriends.org. Please register by October 8th. If you have any questions, please contact the office. They'll send your questions to one of the facilitators. Facilitators: Jill F, Ed M, Mary Ellen L and Sam R. For those who expressed interest before, it would be great if you would confirm your interest with the office. That will help us properly set up the room, prepare materials, and so forth. It's an amazing opportunity to grow both individually and as a community. Hope you join us.

Community Garden ~ Hear from our gardeners:

"The garden is a refuge for me. I live in an apartment and miss having a yard and walking barefoot on the grass. I feel at peace when I come to water or tend to my garden. I have also been known to lie on the ground on occasion . I’m always very grateful to the Friends Meeting to give me the space to use and feel closer to God and his community." ~Jennifer

“Linda and I enjoyed having a plot in the FF Community Garden for a few years before I had my cancer surgery. We grew chard, kale, okra and tomatoes mostly. This year we decided to have a mini mini garden consisting of ONE plant! A cherry tomato plant of a variety that we had really good luck with before. We have had fairly good luck with our hearty little plant but not the profusion we had originally. But it is a great feeling to bring home food and be able to say ‘I grew this. My own produce! These tomatoes are actually sweeter than the ones I buy at the store!’” ~Ed M.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for September:

Swainson’s Thrush: The Quiet Friend

We Quakers are known for our moments of silence, particularly during worship. Hopefully we will speak up when the time is right, and we are ready! When Swainson’s Thrushes migrate through our woods in May, they are numerous, and the song of the males indicates their presence: “Pur-reer reer ree ree ree” (flute-like, and rising in pitch). By mid-May they are gone from here on their way north.

In September and October Swainson’s are on their way back south and often quiet. Recently I was about halfway down the walk towrd the fountain, when I stopped to scan the small trees on the south side. I was startled to see, just a few feet from me, a Swainson’s Thrush sitting silently, having seen me long before I saw her/him. Yes, the genders look alike, and the species is recognized by the thrush (robin) shape but smaller, olive color on the back, and a buffy cheek. The eye rings are connected by a pale stripe over the bill: known by birders as “spectacles”.

Warning: Your next walk in the Meditational Woods may be monitored by a “quiet friend”!! ~Brad J

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading pick for the month of October is The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama XIV and Desmond Tutu! The discussion will be led by Sue H on Tuesday October 29th at 7 pm in the Parlor. New York Journal of Books Review: https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/book-joy-lasting-happiness-changing-world Contact Kathy R at kathyrichelle@icloud.com if you’d like to receive email updates.

This Week’s Queries

Where am I being called to speak up and share my passions for service in the meeting, the community, or world?
Where have I found it easier to exclude than to live out of love?
What religious bubbles might I need to pop to experience a fuller life?

Comment

Friend to Friend September 25, 2019

September 25, 2019

As Way Opens

This past weekend 25 women from First Friends gathered together at the Benedictine Inn Center to relax, reflect and engage with each other and consider the Enneagram as a tool to understanding ourselves and those within our orbit.

What an amazing time we had together as we enjoyed snacks (everyone brought their favorite snack), considered our Type in the Enneagram profile, thought about the people we love and their type and just enjoyed being with each other. We determined that it has been 9 years since our last women’s retreat, and we don’t want another 9 years to pass before we gather together again for a retreat.

I encourage everyone to investigate the Enneagram and how this profile identifies us and connects us spiritually. I identify as a Type 2 and journeyed deep in what that means for me. I faced the shadow side of Type 2 and considered the basic fear that I have of being unloved. Every type has their gifts, their temptations, their desires and their fears. Each type also has a wing type that we lean into as well as a type that we revert to when stressed and a type that feeds our essence and helps make us our best selves. I think we all left the retreat with much to reflect on and consider in exploring ourselves.

The best part of the weekend was just being together. We had a diverse group of women - young and old as well as long-time members and newer attenders to First Friends. We reconnected with old friends, made new friends, and deepened our relationships. I know that every room I walked into during the weekend had a wonderful “hum” of conversation and energy. We ended the weekend together with a beautiful and holy worship and prayer time.

I am thankful for the community of women at First Friends and how I experience God’s love and light through everyone here. This is a very special place and I am thankful to be a part of this faith community.

Beth

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Soup & Service ~ You are invited to join our First Friends community for our Soup & Service event immediately after Meeting for Worship on Sunday, September 29. We always hold Soup and Service whenever there is a 5th Sunday in a month. During this informal luncheon we will enjoy fellowship as we learn more about one of Witness & Service’s outreach projects. You are invited to bring a dessert to share, but it is not necessary. Please plan to attend.

1. “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz

2. “The Mastery of Love” by Don Miguel Ruiz

3. “How to Hug a Porcupine” by June Eding and Dr. Debbie Ellis

4. “The Dance of Intimacy” by Harriet Lerner

5. “The Dance of Anger” by Harriet Lerner

6. “The Dance of Connection” by Harriet Lerner

7. “How to Hug a Porcupine” by John Lund

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for September:

Swainson’s Thrush: The Quiet Friend

Warning: Your next walk in the Meditational Woods may be monitored by a “quiet friend”!! ~Brad J

SPICES: A Series on Quaker Testimonies as Practiced in the Community Garden

6. Stewardship - This is the final article discussing the Quaker Testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship (SPICES) as practiced in the Community Garden. One reason for these articles is to portray the Garden as a microcosm of life. We can all practice these Testimonies at any time wherever we may find ourselves.

The last Testimony, stewardship, is one we take seriously in our Garden. We practice organic gardening so we can avoid introducing toxins into the environment and our bodies.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own;19 you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.20” —1 Corinthians 6:19, 20, Revised Standard Version

Planting local is a wonderful way to practice stewardship since it reduces our carbon footprint. We use less fuel to obtain a portion of our food and we pollute less. The plants we grow create oxygen and contribute to Earth’s supply of clean air.

We delight in the leadership of environmentally conscious active youth. One young steward in our midst is Chelsea, who is working on her Gold Star project for Girl Scouts. She is constructing an improved recycling bin for us. It will be self-rotating and she will instruct gardeners in best practices for its use. We are continuing to learn from one and all in our garden as we experiment. In addition, we allow ourselves to take risks and sometimes make mistakes. We know we can learn from experience.

Community Garden stewardship practices include enriching spent soil with new, healthy earth and using cover crops like oats and clover. We also rotate crops, sanitize tools and battle pests and disease using organic methods. Some techniques include handpicking bugs and using safe pesticides/fungicides like neem and soapy water and spreading sharp objects like holly leaves to discourage small animal pests.We use organic starts and seeds when possible; practice companion planting; use our own cistern and plant flowers to attract pollinators.We are planning a milkweed plot to support the only plant where monarch butterflies will lay their eggs and which their caterpillars will eat.

Friends gardeners seek to enhance our environment and improve this marvelous gift we are privileged to call home, our precious Earth. Let us cherish and preserve it together. If we each act as stewards we are less likely to become an extinct species anytime soon. Our progeny are counting on us!

The Friends gardeners offer heartfelt thanks to you for supporting the Community Garden. Remember to attend the Harvest Pitch-In on November 3rd after Meeting for Worship. You are invited!

—Nancy

Youth Group Dates & Events! We are excited for another year of Youth Group! We will have a series of fun outings and events, along with sessions held in the basement after Meeting for Worship until 1:00, with lunch provided. Here is the complete Youth Group schedule for the rest of the year.

October 13th – Putt-putt golf at Birdies in Westfield

November 3rd - Youth group with Aaron and Michelle
December 6th - Annual Christmas party in the basement
January 12th - Youth group with Aaron and Michelle
February 2nd - Bowling at Woodland Bowl
March 8th - Youth group with Aaron and Michelle
April 17th - SkyZone Glow Night
May 3rd - Youth group with Aaron and Michelle

We will also be planning a trip to Kings Island next summer. We hope your kids can join us for any or all of these dates!

Experiment with Light! Friends, all are invited as we start our own program. This is a continuation of the lovely meditation experiment presented by Jaime Mudd in June.

We will be gathering at the Meeting House on the 3rd Tuesday of every month, starting October 15, at 7:00 pm for 90 minutes. To register, please contact the office at 317-255-2485 or office@indyfriends.org. Please register by October 8th. If you have any questions, please contact the office. They'll send your questions to one of the facilitators. Facilitators: Jill Frame, Ed Morris, Mary Ellen Lohr and Sam Ryan. For those who expressed interest before, it would be great if you would confirm your interest with the office. That will help us properly set up the room, prepare materials, and so forth. It's an amazing opportunity to grow both individually and as a community. Hope you join us.

Comment

Friend to Friend September 18, 2019

September 18, 2019

As Way Opens

The Ministry of Showing Up

This past Saturday I was in St Augustine FL attending the ordination of my dear friend Karla from Earlham’s seminary. Karla and I met during my first 2-week intensive class three years ago and as part of a small group we shared our hearts, our beliefs, our faith, our prayers and our heartaches. Karla is my spiritual friend and we have remained connected through God’s thread even though we live many states apart. I promised her that if possible, I would attend her ordination. It took some doing to make this happen, but I felt it was important to show up on this most important day that she had worked so hard and for so many years to achieve.

I realized the importance of the ministry of showing up when my dad passed away 14 years ago. I had never been one to attend many funeral or memorial services of friends’ family members because I never thought it would mean that much to them. I was wrong in my thinking because I was incredibly moved by the number of people that showed up for my dad’s (and my mom’s) service. It really meant something to me that friends would take the time to be present and hug me, hold my hand and tell me that they were holding me in the Light. They didn’t have to say anything more than that. It was their presence that held my spirit and grounded my being.

I remember taking Helen Davenport to see Ann Kendal when she was in the hospital in Anderson. It was near the end of her life and I don’t know that Ann even knew we were there. But the way Helen held Ann’s hand, whispered in her ear, touched her hair and kissed her on the forehead was one of the most beautiful things I have experienced.

I think showing up is more important than saying the right thing or providing the right counsel. Sometimes we just need to be present. Where do you need to show up this week?

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Right Sharing of World Resources Project Update! You will be happy to know that we have now received the six-month report from our sponsored project with Right Sharing, Keyo Friends Women Group in Gambogi, Kenya. Although the women have only just begun their businesses, it looks like this project is off to a good start and the business activities are doing well. And they also seem to be putting a special emphasis on savings by the women. Recent research has indicated that micro-enterprise projects with a strong savings component are the most successful. If you’d like to read what they’ve been up to during these six months, read about it at http://bit.ly/KeyoFriends6Month. If you’d like to read a transcript of the group’s original report, please visit http://bit.ly/KeyoReport6Month.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Sunday Morning Unprogrammed Worship ~ As the summer winds down and we return to Sunday School, please be mindful that unprogrammed worship goes on in the Parlor each Sunday morning from 9-10am. As you greet others before the service, please remember to keep noise to a minimum in the hallways. You are more than welcome to greet one another in the foyer, meeting room or Fellowship Hall. Thank you for being respectful!

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, September 19 at 7:00pm. See locations here: http://bit.ly/ThreshingFall2019.

The Festival of Faiths is coming again! It will be held September 22, 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and more. All together celebrating religious diversity and freedom. We always help host a Quaker booth each year at this festival. If you’d like to come sit in the Quaker booth for a period of time, help with either set up or tear down, and/or sit at the booth and represent Quakers to curious festival attendees, please consider volunteering! To sign up, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Buddy Bags are here again this year! We are collecting food for the kids at Allisonville Elementary School Fall Break. We are going to have 30 bags this year and they will be delivered on October 2nd. What we need from you are the following donations: Microwaveable Entrees, Chicken Salad with Crackers, small jars of peanut butter, 4/packs of fruit cups, vegetables cups, pudding cups, and applesauce: small boxes of raisins, packets of oatmeal, boxes of Pop-Tarts, protein or granola bars, packages of peanut butter or cheese crackers, fruit roll ups and bags of goldfish. If you do not want to purchase food, cash or check donations will also be accepted. We all pulled together last year to make this work so I know we can do it again this year! Please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org with any questions.

1. “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz

2. “The Mastery of Love” by Don Miguel Ruiz

3. “How to Hug a Porcupine” by June Eding and Dr. Debbie Ellis

If you might be interested in such a group, please follow this link to complete the brief interest and scheduling survey and recommend other book titles to consider: https://forms.gle/Mj7axyhnvJYbGXncA. If you cannot access the survey, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

October 13th – Putt-putt golf at Birdies in Westfield
November 3rd - Youth group with Aaron and Michelle
December 6th - Annual Christmas party in the basement
January 12th - Youth group with Aaron and Michelle
February 2nd - Bowling at Woodland Bowl
March 8th - Youth group with Aaron and Michelle
April 17th - SkyZone Glow Night
May 3rd - Youth group with Aaron and Michelle

We will also be planning a trip to Kings Island next summer. We hope your kids can join us for any or all of these dates!

SPICES: A Series on Quaker Testimonies as Practiced in the Community Garden

5. Equality ~ God provides an equal opportunity for all our gardeners in our space behind the Meetinghouse. Equality and fairness are traits stressed in the Bible and by the Quaker Testimony of equality where treating people in a respectful and equal manner is important.

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 44 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.45” ~Matthew 5:44-45 (King James)

There are several ways we demonstrate the Testimony of equality in the Community Garden, mostly in small ways. Small ways make a difference too and add possibility to the creation of a better world.

All persons have an equal opportunity to view the beautiful flowers in our Community Garden. Our Hope plot is dedicated to those who have passed on before us and those who need hope for today. Anyone is welcome to take some of the colorful Cut and Come Again Zinnias. They make lovely bouquets. There are many marigolds throughout the garden and people may ask and cut them with the owner’s permission.

Participating in the garden community is an equal opportunity open to those who choose to partake. Even lesser-abled people have been assisted by other gardeners when some tasks were too difficult for them. Everyone in the Meeting and people in the wider community are welcome to work individual plots in the Garden.

Mid-North Food Pantry clients have benefited from delicious Community Garden produce. We share what we grow with relatives, F/friends and neighbors. If anyone wants some of the produce, they may ask individual gardeners about it. We always have a little extra. Some of it may be available at the Harvest Pitch-In after Meeting for Worship on November 3rd. Be sure to mark it on your calendar and join us!

Experiment with Light! Friends, all are invited as we start our own program. This is a continuation of the lovely meditation experiment presented by Jaime Mudd in June.

We will be gathering at the Meeting House on the 3rd Tuesday of every month, starting October 15, at 7:00 pm for 90 minutes. To register, please contact the office at 317-255-2485 or office@indyfriends.org. Please register by October 8th. If you have any questions, please contact the office. They'll send your questions to one of the facilitators. Facilitators: Jill F, Ed M, Mary Ellen L and Sam R. For those who expressed interest before, it would be great if you would confirm your interest with the office. That will help us properly set up the room, prepare materials, and so forth. It's an amazing opportunity to grow both individually and as a community. Hope you join us.

This Week’s Queries

Do you know anyone who has left organized religion or is close to doing so? What has driven them away?
How have belief systems influenced your view of God and neighbor? Have you made any changes over time?
Where have we migrated or where do we need to migrate at First Friends?

Comment

Friend to Friend September 11, 2019

September 11, 2019

As Way Opens

Last year, our fall focus was on slowing down. If you remember, we explored how to cultivate community in the patient way of Jesus as described in the book, Slow Church. Over the entire year, not only did we teach and learn about what a slow movement could look like for First Friends, we began to implement it into almost every area of ministry. Whether it was offering hospitality around the tables in our homes, getting to know our surrounding community and its history, sensing gratitude for our many assets, or simply slowing the pace of life to embrace the rhythms of sabbath, in each we found an intentionality and presence in our coming together. Also, we spent time introducing ourselves to new attenders and learning more about those who have been around for a while. Through it all, I believe First Friends found itself becoming a faithful presence in Indianapolis. Taking the time to slow down helped us learn a lot about who we are and what we value. Yet, just because we know doesn’t mean that we keep this to ourselves.

I often find myself surrounded at conferences or Quaker gatherings with people whose attitude exude that Quakerism is dead or at least on life support. That is not what I see at First Friends. On numerous occasions I have been approached and asked why I am so passionate about Quakerism and its relevance today. Most of the time, people who ask those probing questions are not expecting my response. I am energized by all the possibilities that Quakerism offers our world. I believe too many Quakers and Christians today have pushed “pause” or “cruise control” on their faith and practice and stopped seeking a better way to live and grow. And this is why I believe it’s time to get moving!

This Sunday I am introducing our fall sermon series, where we will explore what a moving, breathing, and life-giving Quakerism can (and should) look like today. To do this, I will be asking you to be open and join me in exploring, questioning, and possibly making some needed changes. As we approach the end of November, my hope is that we will be discovering a better way to be Quaker, today!

Want to continue the conversation? During this sermon series, we are going to offer a place for further discussion, question, and dialogue after Meeting for Worship. Join those interested in the Seeking Friends room down the hall after the service, where the queries from Meeting for Worship will be provided. (Normally we will meet in the Parlor, but as this is a business meeting day, we will instead hold it instead in Seeking Friends.)

Bob

Joys & Concerns

Mid-North Food Pantry ~ It was a record-breaking number of folks who were helped at the Mid North Food Pantry last Wednesday! We served 122 families!!! While we were kept very busy, we had a great crew from First Friends: David B, Ray G, Bill F, Dan H, Mara S, Christie M, Beth F, Linda and Rik L, Tom F, Kathy R, and Carol and Jim D. We needed all of our volunteers to allow things to move fairly smoothly. Thanks to all who help support the food pantry.

In this brand new QuakerSpeak video, our own Eric B speaks candidly about the ethos of First Friends that drew him from being an Evangelical to being a Quaker. His words speak honestly to who we are and why what we are doing is so important in our world, today. Watch the video at https://quakerspeak.com/how-i-came-to-quakers-from-evangelical-christianity/. Thanks, Eric, for your words.

Congratulations to Damian and Taha! Our own Damian was married yesterday, September 10th to Taha. Congratulations to the happy couple!!

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Rise Up Sing Along! ~ Join us for a night of singing and music! Last month we had a veritable jamboree with guitar, cello and banjo playing! Join the Sing Alongers in the Parlor on the second Friday, September 13 at 7:00pm for another evening of free fun. (Note the date change, due to the women’s retreat.) Please join us!

Shalom Zone invites you to a showing of the film, Paris To Pittsburgh. This eco film shines a light on the many forgotten communities and people who have been affected by climate change in our country, as well as solutions for how we can fight back and reduce our carbon footprint. Join us this Friday, September 13 at 7:00pm at Allisonville Christian Church – 7701 Allisonville Rd, Indianapolis. Watch the trailer: Paris to Pittsburgh. Discussion will follow the film.

Registration Open! First Friends Women’s Retreat ~ All women are invited to join us for our Women’s Retreat on September 20th - 22nd 2019. There are still spots available! All registrations must be in by TOMORROW, September 12! The retreat will be held at the Benedict Inn Retreat and Conference Center in Beech Grove. Come join the retreat, full of fellowship, reflection and interaction with each other. For more information and to register, please visit http://bit.ly/FFWomensRetreat. Scholarships are available—please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org to inquire about scholarships.

Helping the Food Pantry Go Green ~ As part of the Women’s Retreat in September we are undertaking the project of making reusable grocery bags for the pantry. They’re made from tank tops, gathered at the bottom.

To that end we are collecting tank tops. They must be regular tank tops, not racer-back, spaghetti strapped, or have gigantic armholes. There will be a box by the Women’s Retreat sign up table to collect donations. Thank you, in advance, for your donations.

Did you miss the directory photo shoots? It’s not too late to get in the directory! If you’d like to submit your own photo, simply send a copy of the photo file to the office at office@indyfriends.org. If the image can fit into an email, go ahead and email it directly. Of course, the higher resolution the better it will print in the book, so if the file’s too large to email, you can use a service to share the file, such Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, or OneDrive, or bring the photo physically into the office on a CD or flash drive. If you need assistance sending your photo, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485. All photos must be submitted no later than Wednesday, September 18th. We hope you will be a part of our directory!

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, September 19 at 7:00pm. See locations here: http://bit.ly/ThreshingFall2019.

The Festival of Faiths is coming again! It will be held September 22, 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and more. All together celebrating religious diversity and freedom. If you’d like to come sit in the Quaker booth for a period of time, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

SPICES: A Series on Quaker Testimonies as Practiced in Our Community Garden

4. Community ~ In today’s world community really matters. Isolation is not healthy for humans. Shared interests connect us. Community stabilizes and strengthens us when we experience tolerance and respect. We learn about our commonality and our differences when we work and play together. We learn about adaptability and flexibility—sometimes grudgingly. Individuals’ gifts can blossom in a nourishing environment and strength in numbers can lift up everyone.

Sometimes community gardeners work together on a project like building raised beds or rototilling. Other times they work alone or side by side.

There is also diversity. Individuals may prefer growing specific types of crops like tomatoes or sunflowers. Gardeners may want to plant using specialized methods. Someone may wish to plant a Native American style “Three Sisters” plot of squash, corn and beans; another person may want to create an arbor overhead for vines to grow up while plants needing a cooler temperature can bask in the shade below.

By definition, there is some conformity in a community garden. There are certain guidelines to make the work easier for all. Examples might include construction materials and plot sizes for raised beds. Paths may need to be a certain width so mowers can pass.

It is a joint venture or common outcome that draws a community together. Crops. Food. Food pantry offerings. Fresh air. Sunshine. Exercise. Lowering stress. Learning or teaching. Ecological responsibility. Common values.

Experiencing fellowship and a sense of belonging can be an anchor in an unstable world of shifting sands. Sharing is necessary for life to persist. Knowing that interdependence is key to thriving on our fast-paced planet is a lesson from the garden—Mother Nature Herself. What a precious, loving Mother! Let’s work to preserve Her bounty and learn Her lessons as a matter of self-interest and self-preservation.

Our little spaceship Earth is a community of one. The astronauts say it is beautiful, fragile and small—worth saving. That takes all of our best efforts. Just like the effort of that one “smallest of all” Who, JoJo, in Whoville (from Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Suess) who had to add his one last voice to everyone else’s so the population of Whoville, living on a speck of dust, could be heard by animals who didn’t believe persons could be living on a speck of dust. They thought Horton the elephant couldn’t be telling the truth.

“We are here,” the Whoville population screamed as they made all the noise they could, banging and playing instruments. Finally JoJo joined in.

“Yopp!” he shouted as loud as he could so that they were finally heard and saved from annihilation. It was a last ditch (successful) community effort.

Experiment with Light! Friends, all are invited as we start our own program. This is a continuation of the lovely meditation experiment presented by Jaime M in June.

For those who expressed interest before, it would be great if you would confirm your interest with the office. That will help us properly set up the room, prepare materials, and so forth.

It's an amazing opportunity to grow both individually and as a community. Hope you join us

This Week’s Queries

How are you a peacemaker in your communities?
Are there people in your life that you need to embrace shalom?
Do we harbor violence in our hearts that prevents the wholeness and completeness of shalom?

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Indianapolis First Friends Meeting

Compassionate • Christian • Quaker