Looking for a chance to build deeper connections with Friends? Quaker Nexus (QNX) is a weekend-long, intergenerational camp for Quakers of all ages and their friends and family, November 6-8 at Camp Quaker Haven in Syracuse, Indiana. The weekend will include fellowship, gathered worship, time to enjoy the camp, and a Saturday service project to help prepare the grounds for winter. Children and teens are welcome and celebrated! Six Midwest Yearly Meetings have been invited, making this a wonderful opportunity to meet Friends from across the region. Cost: $150 ages 12+, $75 ages 5–11, and free for ages 4 and under. More information and registration found here!
The Kartholls are about ready to move back into their home after the devastating flood and rehab of their home.
There are many things that need to be replaced because all was lost. Insurance covers some of it but there are things that they would like to have to fill the gaps and restore their home.
On Sunday, November 8 following programmed worship Rebecca Liming is hosting a Household Shower. There will not be a Fellowship Hour; however, everyone is invited to partake in the drinks and snacks and the shower. Childcare will be provided and a light lunch for the children. If your child has special dietary needs, let the childcare attendant know or bring a lunch for your child.
FYI: It is also Jim K’s birthday!
Leslie and Jim have created a list on Amazon of items they would like to have. The list makes the gifting much easier.
The default on the list sends the item(s) directly to the Kartholl home. If you want to present the gift to them at the shower you can change to have it sent to you. If you choose to purchase the item elsewhere, it will remain on the Amazon list and others may purchase it.
And for those who prefer to give gift cards, the places they shop are: Amazon and Target.
If you have questions, contact Rebecca L or the office at office@indyfriends.org.
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, November 5, 6pm-7:30pm, in Fellowship Hall. We would love to know more about you and answer any questions you might have about the Meeting. Child care will be provided. The event is hosted by the Connections Team. Contact the office at office@indyfriends.org for details or if you have questions.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on First Friends’ weekly online service videos, Light Reflections, posted to our YouTube channel. Whether you watch regularly, occasionally, or not at all, your feedback can help us shape the future of these videos and make them as meaningful and useful as possible. The survey takes just 2-5 minutes, and we welcome your honest thoughts and suggestions. Thank you for helping us continue to grow and connect with our community! Take the Survey Here!
Save the Date — Sunday, October 25
2:30–4:00 p.m. — The Community Gardeners will host a garden clean-up to help put the garden to bed for winter. They invite and welcome anyone to join in and help.
4:00–6:00 p.m. — Join Maple Seeds Preschool Co-op for its Fall Fest, featuring a chili cook-off, bounce house, and children’s activities.
During the Fall Fest, the First Friends Connections Committee will host a bonfire with s’mores and hot cocoa, a campfire sing-along, and cornhole.
Come for the garden clean-up, the Fall Fest, or both — all are welcome!
More details and sign-ups coming soon.
Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like you to join us as we discuss What We Can Know by Ian McEwan. We will gather in the parlor and simultaneously via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST on Tuesday, October 27th led by Janell C.
2014: A great poem is read aloud and never heard again. For generations, people speculate about its message, but no copy has yet been found.
2119: The lowlands of the UK have been submerged by rising seas. Those who survive are haunted by the richness of the world that has been lost.
Tom Metcalfe, an academic at the University of the South Downs, part of Britain’s remaining island archipelagos, pores over the archives of that distant era, captivated by the freedoms and possibilities of human life at its zenith. When he stumbles across a clue that may lead to the lost poem, a story is revealed of entangled loves and a crime that destroy his assumptions about people he thought he knew intimately well.
What We Can Know is a masterpiece, a fictional tour de force that reclaims the present from our sense of looming catastrophe, and imagines a future world where all is not quite lost.
Men’s Threshing Together ~ If you’re 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 in-person meeting on Thursday, October 15 at 7:00pm. See upcoming locations here.
October Monthly Pitch-in
The September Monthly Pitch-in was well attended with plenty of food, plenty of variety, and plenty of fellowship. Many thanks to those who brought such wonderful dishes to share. The Free Will Offering collected $35 for Mid-North Food Pantry. Thank you very much!
We're going ahead with an October Monthly Pitch-in on Sunday, October 25 following programmed worship. It is hosted by the Fellowship Committee. It is a TOTAL PITCH-IN. Everyone is invited and encouraged to bring something to share: salad, side dish, main course, casserole, bread, dessert, etc. So, MARK YOUR CALENDAR and join us.
Special Request: Because some members are vegan, vegetarian, must eat gluten free, cannot eat nuts or milk products, please consider labeling your food contributions if they fit into any of these categories. It is a thoughtful thing to do and will make it easier for everyone. Thank you for your consideration.
As always, label your food containers with your name if you want them returned to you. Post-it Notes and markers are available on the butcher block island in the kitchen.
Join us for a Death Penalty Opposition Event - Jeffrey Weisheit’s execution is scheduled for Nov. 5 (just after midnight on Nov. 4th). That of God that existed in him will be dead.
Weisheit was convicted and sentenced to death in the 2010 murders of his girlfriend’s children, Alyssa and Caleb Lynch. His lawyers filed a request for clemency with the Parole Board, seeking a sentence of life without parole. The board will make a recommendation to Gov. Mike Braun, who has the final say.
The Parole Board will meet Monday Oct. 19 in Indiana Government Center South's conference rooms 1 and 2. His lawyers will present evidence in support of clemency from 9 to 11 a.m. The children’s father opposes execution, although he will not give testimony at the hearing. Those opposing the request will speak from 1 to 3 p.m.
In the application, signed Sept. 15, 2026, Weisheit’s lawyers contend that evidence of Mr. Weisheit’s lifelong mental impairments including congenital dysfunctions and the effect of multiple traumatic brain injuries and psychological trauma beginning early in his childhood, were never adequately presented to the courts, the petition states.
Although the Indiana Supreme Court upheld his death sentence during a 2018 post-conviction appeal, Chief Justice Loretta Rush dissented, concluding that ineffective legal representation regarding psychological trauma and impairment warranted a new sentencing proceeding.
Please come to the Parole Board hearing Monday 10/19 at 9 am - 11 am. Let Jodie E know if you wish to attend so she can organize carpooling.
As always, Friends are encouraged to write letters to the Governor opposing this execution, Indiana’s 4th in two years.
Soul Sisters Autumn Luncheon – LOCATION CHANGE! ~ Soul Sisters invites you to join us for an Autumn Luncheon on Sunday, October 11 after Meeting for Worship. Please note the location has changed to the Meetinghouse parlor! The Soul Sisters Planning Committee will provide several types of chili, allergy-friendly cornbread, apple cider, iced tea, water, and dessert. Please bring a side dish to share.
30 YEARS OF SHARING – CANCELLED - Please note that the event featuring Officers and Board Members of Right Sharing of World Resources that was to be held here at First Friends this Saturday, October 24 has sadly been cancelled. We appreciate everyone’s support of this program, and hope to have a celebration event sometime in the near future.
Use What You’ve Got Prison Ministry ~ Please note: There has been a change in venue. Join us at First Congregational Church of Indianapolis on Tuesday, September 29 at 7:00pm for a presentation by Cecilia Whitfield, founder of Use What You’ve Got Prison Ministry. Cecilia founded the organization in 1988 after her son was sentenced to prison. This faith-based nonprofit helps keep families connected by providing transportation for visits with incarcerated loved ones and offers programs that support family wellness and help break the cycle of loneliness and alienation. First Congregational Church is located at 7171 N. Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis, IN 46240, where The Garden meets.
Join Us: Divine Secrets of the Woo Woo Sisterhood ~ It’s no secret, really. The Woo Woo Sisters are a handful of women, mostly from First Friends, who meet the second and fourth Thursday in the parlor for spiritual growth and connection, 630 p.m. to 830 p.m. The meetings alternate between a Lectio Divina format and a Chalice Circle format. Lectio Divina (sacred scripture) consists of a contemplative reading, repeated thrice with breaks of meditational silence in between followed by individual responses to the reading and deep listening. The Chalice Circle format follows the Unitarian Universalist practice of a theme introduction via a brief reading or presentation followed by silence, deep sharing/listening and gentle conversation. Meeting facilitation rotates among members. To help us get acquainted, all meetings begin with a brief round robin check-in from each person. If you are looking for spiritual growth and friendship among a group of inclusive, irreverent, insightful and often boisterous women, please contact Mary Ellen L or the office to arrange a date to give us a try. The next meeting is September 24 and the Chalice Circle theme is Attachment Styles: Superpowers and Security.
Threshing Together Returns for its 10th year! Even though we are starting a month later than usual, it is time to Kick Off another year of Threshing Together for Men. Pastor Bob is hosting the first event at his home, Thursday, September 17th at 6:30pm. Come for an evening of conversation, beverages, and finger foods. You may bring a favorite beverage, but it is not necessary. We are hoping for a nice night out in our backyard, so bring a sweatshirt along just in case. The list of locations for the upcoming year is now available - click here to view!
Recycling Event! The Shalom Zone plans to have its yearly recycling event with Recycle Force on Saturday, October 17 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 Allisonville Christian Church, 7701 Allisonville Rd. A $25 donation is required for monitors, 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.
Shalom Zone SAWs Ramp Build ~ Shalom Zone will once again participate in an access ramp build with the organization, Servants at Work. SAWs is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that builds ramps to provide people with disabilities and conditions of aging with the freedom to remain in their homes and reconnect with their communities.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 10 from about 8AM to 12PM. No experience is necessary. The location will be in Marion county, address will be shared 1 week before.
This is a private build; volunteers cannot register on the SAWs website. If interested, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. See and share the flyer online here!
Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like you to join us as we discuss My Friends by Fredrik Backman.
Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.
Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.
Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.
We will gather in the parlor and simultaneously via Zoom starting at 7 pm on Tuesday, September 29th led by Kathy R.
Monthly Pitch-In ~ The lunches following Sunday programmed worship during Bob's sabbatical went over very well. So, we're hosting another monthly pitch-in (potluck) lunch. It is a test run and it follows programmed worship on Sunday, September 27. It is a TOTAL PITCH-IN. Everyone is invited and encouraged to bring something to share: salad, side dish, main course, casserole, dessert. This test run is sponsored by the Fellowship Committee. The results will be discussed during the October Monthly Meeting to decide if this will work going forward. So MARK YOUR CALENDAR and join us for our Sunday, September 27 pitch-in.
Entering God’s Presence ~ The ILLUMINATE Friends Bible Study “Zoom Only” group cordially invites you to join us this fall on Thursday evenings beginning September 17th at 7:30 pm for our 13-week study Psalms: Entering God’s Presence. Feel free to drop in anytime, everyone is welcome.
The book of Psalms displays a range of human experiences and emotions that are brought to the Lord through songs and prayers. Anger, violence, sadness, and a recognition of evil are all present in the psalms. And so are love, peace, happiness, hope, and a recognition of God’s faithfulness. Studying the psalms helps us better understand how to worship authentically. No matter whether you’re joyful, angry, suffering, or hopeful, God meets you there. Because God’s “steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1), we can all say with the psalmists, “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6).
1. Discovering Joy (Psalms 1; 41)
2. Our Place in the Universe (Psalms 8; 18)
3. Rejoice Together (Psalms 33:1–10, 20–22; 47)
4. Thanksgiving Psalms (Psalms 9:1–12; 136:1–12)
5. Individual and Communal Laments (Psalms 13; 60)
6. Laments about Injustice (Psalms 55:1–14; 73:1–5, 9–12, 16–28)
7. Repentance and Cries for Mercy (Psalms 51:1–12; 143)
8. Kingship Psalms (Psalms 99; 132:8–18)
9. Wisdom Psalms (Psalms 37:27–40; 112)
10. Pilgrimage or Ascent Psalms (Psalms 122; 130)
11. Unusual and Difficult Psalms (Psalms 119:1–12; 29)
12. Creation Praises God (Psalms 19; 98)
13. Using Psalms Today (Psalms 140; 150)
To purchase your booklet online, go to this link:
https://barclaypress.corecommerce.com/ILLUMINATE/Illuminate-Psalms.html
(contact the office for Zoom link)
Worship Relocates for Remainder of Renovation ~ Due to the ongoing restroom renovations, Monday Meditational Worship and Wednesday Waiting Worship will take place at Kathy and Gary R’s home for the remainder of the construction project, which is expected to continue through early October. Holding worship in their home will help us avoid the dust and noise of construction while allowing us to continue gathering in person. Everyone is warmly welcome. Street parking is available in front of the home. They will also have the ZOOM options available from their home. Check the directory for the address or contact the office. Many thanks to Kathy and Gary for graciously opening their home to us!