30 YEARS OF SHARING - Saturday, October 24th
300 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. - Fellowship Hall
Several Officers and Board Members of Right Sharing of World Resources will visit our meetinghouse to see the stamp room, give a short program, and enjoy refreshments. The event is to honor the thirty years that the stamp program has been in existence to support RSWR (ten years at First Friends)! Interested Friends are invited to attend. Save the Date!!
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!
Labor Day Social & Ultimate Challenge ~ Western Yearly Meeting invites Friends of all ages to join us on Monday, September 7, from 2–7 p.m. for an afternoon of fellowship, games, and friendly competition! The event will take place simultaneously at three locations in Indianapolis, Richmond, and Bloomingdale, with each location competing in sports, trivia, art, and a supply drive supporting Quakers in Cuba through Friends United Meeting. The competition will culminate at Quaker Nexus in November. Snacks and dinner are included, and the event is free! Click here for more info and the location addresses, or contact Myron Guachalla at myrong@westernyearlymeeting.org with questions.
What: First Friends annual day at the ballpark. Come spend an afternoon cheering on the Indianapolis Indians vs. Columbus Clippers with all your "FRIENDS" Sundays: kids 14 and under eat free. Meet and greet with Bluey and Bingo characters begins when the gate opens in the center field plaza.
When: Sunday August 30th, 1:35 pm
Where: Victory Field
RSVP: chrissy.sommer@indyfriends.org with how many tickets you'd like. Tickets will be emailed to you closer to game time.
Graduation Celebration for Lewis H ~ Pastor Bob and his family invites the entire First Friends community to join them in celebrating the graduation of their son Lewis, who recently earned his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology/Exercise Science from Indiana University! You’re invited to stop by their open house on Saturday, August 22, from 1-5pm at their home. Stop by anytime during the afternoon to congratulate Lewis and celebrate his accomplishment. Please RSVP regrets only: Text Sue.
Free to a Good Home Items! The Nancy Pennington Rummage Sale is over. There are some leftovers and select items will be available "Free to a Good Home" on tables in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday, August 23. They must be taken home on Sunday, August 23. The remaining items will be donated to the Wheeler Mission Store in Fishers or recycled as appropriate. Please take a look and see if there are items you can use and give them a good home. Thank you.
Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like you to join us as we discuss West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge.
“Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes…”
Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave.
It’s 1938. The Great Depression lingers. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California’s first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world’s first female zoo director, a crusty old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes.
Part adventure, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story, West with Giraffes explores what it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it’s too late.
We will gather at Carolyn and Eric T’s home starting at 7 pm on Tuesday, August 25th led by Carolyn T. Everyone is welcome!
There will be no Zoom.
Waiting Worship Relocates ~ Due to the renovation at the Meeting House restrooms, the First Friends Meeting House is currently closed. Kathy and Gary R are graciously opening their home for anyone who would like to gather in person for waiting worship on: Wednesdays, Aug 5, & 12 at 7pm, and Monday, Aug 10 at noon. Everyone is warmly welcome. The Rhynes' home is only a few minutes from the Meetinghouse and street parking is available in front of the home. They will also have the ZOOM option available from their home. Many thanks to them for hosting.
Welcome Back, Bob & Sue! ~ Join us on Sunday, August 9, as we welcome Bob and Sue back from their sabbatical! We'll celebrate with a catered lunch following Meeting for Worship. We hope you'll join us for good food, fellowship, and a warm welcome home!
SUMMER SINGALONG! The next singalong will be Friday, July 31, in the parlor, from 6:30-8:00pm. Singing Friends will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of great songs from 1966. Come join us for pizza at 6:30pm, then the singing from 7-8pm.
Our Seasoned Friends group for those of retirement age will meet on Thursday, August 20, for a field trip to Kokomo Opalescent Glass Co. (1310 South Market St, Kokomo, IN 46902) for a tour ($6 per person). An optional carpool will meet at First Friends at 9:30am, and the tour will start at 10:45am. Founded in 1888, KOG is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of art glass, and the oldest producer of hand cast, cathedral and opalescent glass in the United States. We will then have lunch afterward at Windmill Grill. If interested, please RSVP using this link or contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485 and let us know if you’ll be joining the carpool! We welcome anyone that considers themselves a Seasoned Friend to join us.
Mid-North Food Pantry Polo at Sunset ~ Join Mid-North Food Pantry for Polo at Sunset on Friday, July 24, at Hickory Hall Polo Club (7551 E. 100 N., Whitestown). Gates open at 5:00 p.m., with the polo match beginning at 6:00 p.m. The evening will feature a live polo match, picnic-style tailgating, stick pony rides for children, spirits, wine and gift card pulls, and optional VIP experiences. General admission is $40 per car.
This event benefits Mid-North Food Pantry, one of First Friends' longtime community partners. As the need for food assistance continues to rise across our community, the pantry is serving more individuals and families than ever before. Your attendance is a wonderful way to enjoy a fun summer evening while helping support an organization providing vital assistance to neighbors facing food insecurity.
Jim and Carol Donahue will be hosting a hospitality tent during the event, and everyone from First Friends is invited to stop by for food, drinks, and fellowship throughout the evening. Don't forget to bring your lawn chairs! See and share the flyer here.
