The Crack that Let in the Light
Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting
Pastor Bob Henry
September 14, 2025
Good morning Friends and welcome to Light Reflections. This morning at the Meetinghouse we are actually celebrating my 30 years of ministry. So today, keeping with the current series, I will be sharing a little of the process I personally have taken over the last 30 years to embrace the Beloved Community in my ministry. The scripture I have chosen in from Galatians 3:28 from the Message.
In Christ's family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal.
A little over 30 years ago, if someone sat me down over lunch at Concordia University in Chicago, the school I was preparing to graduate from at the time and said, Bob, in 30 years
· you will be a Quaker Minister living in Indianapolis, Indiana,
· you will have a Doctorate in Leadership and Spiritual Formation,
· you will have lived in 5 states (Indiana, Illinois, Texas, Florida, and Oregon),
· you will have served 15 churches or meetings, ministries, religious organizations, and a university.
· you will have three amazing grown children – the last of which will hopefully graduate from Indiana University this Spring,
· you will have been married for 30 years to Sue your best friend, partner in life, and grand adventurer,
· you will have lived through Y2K, a pandemic, and two denominational/Yearly Meeting splits,
· you will become an Anglican Priest for a period,
· your parents will be doing well and living just across town from you (and your uncle will finally get married),
· your political views, theological views, even your views about life and sexuality will radically change,
· you will still love Star Wars, the Muppets, and going to Disney World just as much as when you were a kid,
· you will return to vinyl records as your choice for listening to music,
· a piece of your art will appear on the cover of a magazine,
· on your days off you will enjoy frequenting thrift stores, reading, gardening, and painting,
· even though everyone you know seems to have a tattoo, you will not have one.
· And what will sustain you in all of this is your work on building a Beloved Community of friends and loved ones that span those 30 years.”
If that is what I was told back then, I would have simply laughed and shook my head in disagreement. Come on…vinyl records, really?
My first paid ministry position was a part-time gig at Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle, Illinois while I was in college. At the time, they were what would be considered a mega-church – 5000+ members. I was hired to oversee the Jr. High Sunday Program called “Overtime” which appropriately met in the gymnasium. I organized programming for 150 seventh and eighth graders and about 50 high schoolers that were to be my small group leaders. Our guest speakers included Chicago Bears players and Christian Rock Artists. We had a live band, and about 25 small groups that filled the gymnasium.
My 20hour work week was filled with logistics, organizing, and setup. Looking back that group of youth were bigger than many of the churches or meetings I would go on to serve in my 30 years of ministry.
Steve Armbrust, the Director of Christian Education at the church was not just my supervisor, but he was also my friend. I loved spending time with Steve. We not only shared an office, but we shared our lives. Steve trusted me, believed in me, and knew just how to create spaces for me to excel. Just what I needed at this forming stage of life.
As well, Steve taught me that ministry was not just about “the show” but more about relationships and the community in which we served. Steve always made sure my 20 hours included time to go with him to visit people and network with the locals. We did everything from putting on a celebration for a woman who turned 100 years old in the community, to visiting with the owners of a local printing shop, a thrift store, and multiple eateries, as well as the families and youth. Trinity had a school which made it easier to interact with the kids and parents, and after classes let out, we went and visited with the teachers to check in on them. Ironically, Sue and I would both do our student teaching at Trinity. This visiting was not on our job descriptions but was very much part of Steve’s philosophy of ministry.
Steve always would emphasize to me that ministry involved EVERYONE, not just those, who on paper, we were to serve. We needed all generations – young and old, businesspeople, shop owners, retired folks, women and men, fellow colleagues and partners. EVERYONE!
Well, over the next several years, this focus to involve everyone in ministry began to work on me. Steve created a “crack in my life” that I believe let the Light in. I would wrestle with this in new ways as I continued my journey in ministry.
Sue and I had already been struggling for some time with the non-acceptance of women in leadership in the church, but soon there would be others that clearly were not involved.
Let me tell you a few stories – some you may have heard and some that I have not shared until today – like this story.
During my internship in Oviedo, Florida back in 1995, a man no one had ever seen before joined us for worship. He proceeded to walk up the middle aisle and sit in the second row, right in front of the pulpit. Now, this was a Lutheran church, and most people filled the back of the sanctuary way before the front (much like First Friends). Most Sundays, the first 3-8 rows were usually empty leaving a huge gulf between the congregation and those serving up front. Not this week, this man had “broke the unspoken rules” and everyone was whispering about his boldness. That would only be the beginning of their whispers and stares.
During the sermon, as our pastor was preaching, the man began to raise his hands and exclaim, “Amen!” Many sitting around Sue and me were in shock. This was not a typical response in a Lutheran church. You could even see the pastor was a bit rattled. The man continued to be excited about every word our pastor preached (and to be honest his sermons rarely garnered any response, especially this type). Whispers turned into frustrated looks and even an usher walked down the middle aisle hoping to give the guy the idea that he was out of place. The man did not care. He continued responding out loud through the entire message.
After the service, most people avoided the man, but somehow, he cornered our pastor who always greeted people in the back after the service. As he was leaving, I heard the pastor say to him, “You stop by the office sometime this week and we can talk.” At that moment, I was proud of our pastor stepping up and inviting him to meet, since he had become the center of all the conversations in the narthex, at the table for donuts and coffee, and, yes, even the proverbial parking lot.
On Monday, I arrived to work as usual, saw that the pastor was in his office and I sat down to begin my day. Soon I heard an unrecognizable voice in the waiting area talking to one of our secretaries. It was the man from Sunday, and he had come to talk with the pastor. The secretary said she would let the pastor know he was here to see him. That is when things changed dramatically.
I watched as the pastor slipped out his office door through the conference room and out the back of the building. My office window had a good view of him taking off in his golf cart. Where is he going, I thought. Just then the secretary said, “I’m sorry, but the pastor is not here.” What? Did something just come up? Was there an emergency at home? I was perplexed. I heard the man leave discouraged. I went out and asked the secretary what had transpired. She wasn’t sure, but all she knew was the pastor was clear that he did not want to meet with this man.
As an intern, I probably didn’t ask enough questions, but when our pastor returned in about 30 minutes, I became even more confused. He frantically entered and asked for cleaning supplies. Then proceeded to wipe down the entire lobby and waiting area, especially the places that the man may have touched or sat. I had never seen anyone so determined to clean a waiting room.
Later in a conversation with one of our secretaries, I found out that the man had told the pastor he had AIDS. The pastor’s phobia was so great that he feared he could get AIDS by touching any place the man had touched. By this time science had proven this untrue. No matter, it freaked our pastor out so much that he jumped on his golf cart and went home to avoid any interaction.
Was this a ministry to everyone? All I could recall was Jesus interacting with the lepers.
The crack that let the light in continued to open in my life.
A year later, I was in Atlanta, Georgia as a representative from our district for our National Youth Gathering. Now, I was helping plan and organize an event for 40,000 youth. Part of our planning offered me a chance to see some sights in Atlanta. The first day I visited the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. That, in itself, was inspiring, but the following day I arrived back at the bus terminal and decided to go to the King Center. Please understand, at this time, I knew nothing about the plight of Black people in our country (much like most of the people in my denomination at the time), and all I knew about Dr. King was that he was assassinated. As I entered the bus, I noticed the bus was empty (go figure). The bus driver asked me if I was going to the King Center as if I may have jumped on the wrong bus. I said yes, he closed the doors and said, “Pick any seat.” On the way across Atlanta the bus driver (a black man from the city) told me about the community he loved and how it had changed over the years.
Upon arrival, I thanked the man for the ride and approached the main building at the King Center. I had no idea how my life would change as I entered through those doors. I was greeted by a very nice lady who welcomed me. I gave her my ticket and asked her where I should begin. She escorted me to a door and said, “start here”. Looking at the size of the museum, I assumed it would take me about 15-20 minutes max and I was concerned about what I would do with the rest of my 2-3 hours.
Well, almost three hours later, I left the museum utterly broken and in tears. What had I just experienced? What had we done to Black people in America? What had the church done? In that museum, (as I mentioned last week) I was introduced to a new terminology – The Beloved Community. How in the world, with all that Black people have been put through in our country, from Slavery and racial violence to neglect and even the lack of acknowledgement as human beings, are we working to include everyone? No wonder my sheltered life and churches were filled by people as white as me. I don’t think they knew the whole story. Was this a Beloved Community?
On the very walls of the King Center I read,
Beloved Community is an achievable global society where injustice and discrimination cease, and love, justice, and peace prevail for all people
All people – EVERYONE! Again, the crack let in the Light.
A few years later when I was working at Huntington University, I often met with the Dean of our University, Norrie Friesen. Norrie is a Mennonite and has a heart for ALL people – everyone! One day over lunch at Subway, he encouraged me to read the book, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown. I made the mistake of taking the book with me on a family get away to Wisconsin. I read the book in one setting and became very angry about how the so-called Christians treated Native peoples. Was this ALL people – everyone? One of my good Friends in this meeting is a Native American. The Crack let in the Light once again.
A year later, we entered a year of studying diversity at Huntington University. At times it was an uphill struggle. I remember a very serious conversation that was interrupted when an older woman on our staff exclaimed, “But Jesus was white.” Most of that year we spent our time looking at diversity from only a black and white perspective.
That is until Sue and I helped lead an Urban Plunge to Chicago where we spent time in Boystown – one of the Midwest’s largest LGBTQIA+ communities. We were working with a local ministry to the community, who challenged us with an immersion experience. We were paired up and sent out to spend time in the community. We were to find a local eatery, bar, nightclub, and spend a couple of hours in that one place, talk to the people, the workers, and get a feel for the community.
That night, since all the students were paired up, Sue and I had the chance to experience this together and talk about what we were experiencing and feeling. As the students were joining conga lines at Drag Queen parties, or participating in gay karaoke, Sue and I found a quiet restaurant. We ordered some food and wondered what the night would bring. A nervous man entered the restaurant and was seated right next to us. Then another person joined him. Their conversation was about his desire to transition. Through tears, he talked about the fear and pain he endured, and how all he wanted was to be accepted as who he felt he was inside. Our hearts were broken for this man and again the crack grew bigger to let in the light.
I returned to Huntington with questions about looking at diversity from a broader perspective and worked to have better conversations about the LGBTQIA+ community. Because again, I believed all people meant EVERYONE.
Around this same time, I had begun working on my doctorate in Oregon. We were assigned both a spiritual director and psychological counselor for our program. In one of my meetings with the counselor I asked about the church and the LGBTQIA+ community. And he said something I was not expecting. He said, “Bob, have you ever heard of the Beloved Community?” Surprised, “I said, well yes!” He then said,
“I believe the Beloved Community is what the church is longing to become. When ALL PEOPLE are included and part of the conversation we get to see a greater expression of the Divine in our midst.”
He went on saying,
“The church needs LGBTQIA+ folks, we need people of all cultures and races, we need people of all economic situations, we need diversity to see a better picture of God. That’s what I believe is the Beloved Community.”
Most people don’t know that my doctoral dissertation was on how in ministry we prepare for conflict. If you haven’t realized this already, most conflict happens among people. Often people in community. Sometimes by people who do not want to be in community with other people. Sometimes among people who call themselves a church or even a meeting.
I did not know when writing my dissertation that I would be entering an era in ministry that would be defined by conflict. I watched and took action as my yearly meeting (along with many others across the country) divided over same-sex marriage and biblical authority. I literally watched friends who had “come-out” to Sue and me because we were safe people, be tortured by people who called themselves “Christians” – some in my own Meeting. And then in the coming months I watched my country become deeply polarized over politics, race, gender roles, wealth, and who had the “right” answers. Some people Sue and I loved and cared about (even family) literally stopped talking to us or communicating because of our views, choices, or beliefs. People even wanted us out of the church for wanting to love ALL people.
Sometimes this makes it really difficult to accept ALL people – everyone, doesn’t it?
As we see in the news daily, conflict can easily evolve into anger, resentment, and sadly violence. People get torn apart and families divided – sometimes in just trying to be who they are.
It is often in these times that I return to scripture for some hope. I find myself returning often to 1 Corinthians 12:13-24, but I need to hear it through Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation to understand how the Beloved Community is seen within the pages of scripture. Just listen to these words:
The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.
I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, transparent and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.
But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?
For 30 years now, I have been learning to imagine and work to build a Beloved Community, the Body of Christ in the present moment, in each of the places I have served.
I believe among Quakers, because of our testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship, I have seen the Beloved Community, the body of Christ in the Present moment, come to fruition in very powerful and effective ways. But folks, there is still work to do.
Women’s voices need to be heard more than ever, today. We must continue to acknowledge and work to change our ugly history with people – those with Aids, First Nations People, People of Color, LGBTQIA+ people, the elderly and the young…or for that matter, ANY person that is discriminated against or treated unjustly.
I plan to join you, as we did last Sunday night with Stuart in Greenwood to make our voices heard for our immigrant families, neighbors, and friends, to continue taking action for the Beloved Community wherever people are not being included, accepted, and finding a safe place to be fully a part of the body!
This is what I have realized is key to our growth and survival as both a religious body and citizens of this country – and to me, those things are no different.
To close my thoughts, I have mentioned before the group of guys (a truly Beloved Community) that I met with every other week for almost two years at Huntington University who wrestled with me on some of these very topics. Early on we were studying the book, “Turning to One Another” by Margaret Wheatley. And we came across these words:
“It is no longer enough to simply say that relationships are important. A good part of effective work is knowing exactly who is in each box on such a chart. As former American Red Cross President Elizabeth Dole put it, “When the river is rising and it’s 2:00 a.m., that’s not the time to start a relationship.” The relationship has to be there first. “If you don’t have the web or fabric of good, trusting relationships, you can’t suddenly pick up the phone and say, ‘I need you.’ Relationships are not only primary but are the only way we can operate now.”
And I would say this is just as true for building the Beloved Community. If we are not building a community of trusting relationships for ALL PEOPLE, we are not going to be prepared for when the phone rings and someone says, “I need you.” I sense there are many out there crying out, “I need you” right now, and it is still falling on deaf ears. Let this be a crack in your life that lets the Light in this day. Will you commit to building this web, this fabric of good, this Beloved Community so we can continue to answer those calls?
Now, as we enter waiting worship. Let us take a moment to center down and then ponder the following queries:
· Who do I struggle including in ALL people – everyone? Or what part of the “body” am I rejecting?
· What relationships do I need to work on to be ready to answer the call that says, “I need you?”