Midwest Young Adult Gathering ~ Everyone who considers themselves a young adult is invited to a fun evening of fellowship on Saturday, May 16th at 5:00 PM at Bru Burger (12901 Old Meridian St., Carmel). We’ll enjoy drinks, food, music, and games together, and then head back to Carmel Friends Church afterward for a board game night. Come connect, relax, and have a great time!
ARE YOU A NEW ATTENDER here at First Friends and have never been to a New Attenders Dinner? Please feel welcome to attend our next dinner on Thursday, May 7, 6pm-7:30pm, in Fellowship Hall. We would love to know more about you and answer any questions you might have about the Meeting. Childcare will be provided. The event is hosted by the Connections Team. Contact the office (office@indyfriends.org) or Jim K for details or if you have questions.
Sabbatical Kickoff May 3! It’s a CHURCH POTLUCK! Just like the olden days when your grandma would carry in her most comforting casserole or Jello Salad to share with Friends! On Sunday, May 3rd, please plan on bringing a little something to share for after-meeting lunch. No need to sign up; we’re trusting that we’ll get exactly what is needed to feed our flock. Just bring whatever you like, be it lasagna or lentils, cookies or cake, potato salad or cole slaw. You can drop it off in the kitchen on your way into Meeting for Worship. It’s going to be sooooooo good! (If you can’t – no worries! There will be plenty!)
2026 Linda Lee Spirituality Retreat: Register now! ~ Registration now open for our annual Linda Lee Spirituality Retreat! It will be held on Saturday, May 2, from 10am–4pm at Seton Cove Retreat Center. This year’s theme is Embodying a Prophetic Spirituality: Learning from the Old Testament Prophets Today. Together, we’ll explore what the biblical prophets can teach us about deepening our relationship with the Divine in turbulent times—how they learned to hear God’s whisper amid the noise, and how they found the courage to stand and speak with faithfulness.
Our presenter this year is Rev. Dr. Tim McNinch, Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis and Director of the Master of Theological Studies program. An ordained Presbyterian minister with a rich and varied church background, Dr. McNinch brings both scholarly depth and pastoral warmth to his work. Register now! The cost will be $40, with scholarships available. We hope you’ll plan to join us for this meaningful day of reflection and learning. See and share the flyer here!
In addition to Dr. McNinch’s presentation on the Old Testament prophets we will have some engaging and interesting breakout sessions after lunch. We will have the following:
· Poetry as Prophetic Speech presented by Jodi English. From the Bible to contemporary poets and singer song writers artists have put their spirituality into powerful words.
· Yoga for Integrating the Body and Spirit led by Jeannie Zeck. Bring your mat if you have one. Jeannie will have a few for those who might not have one.
· Spiritually Motivated Political Action facilitated by Diana Hadley the Clerk of the Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation. Quakers specifically and Christians in general have not been shy about speaking truth to power through social and political action.
Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would love for you to join us as we discuss The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong.
One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to alter Hai’s relationship to himself, his family, and a community at the brink.
Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Vuong’s writing – formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness – are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life’s most fleeting mercies: a second chance.
We will gather at Mary Jane M’s home starting at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 28th led by MJ M.
There will be NO ZOOM.