Our Calendar
Featured Events
Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like you to join us as we discuss Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May.
An intimate, revelatory book exploring the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down.
Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered.
A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May’s story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing arctic seas.
Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear. A secular mystic, May forms a guiding philosophy for transforming the hardships that arise before the ushering in of a new season.
We will gather in the parlor and simultaneously via Zoom starting at 7 pm on Tuesday, January 27th led by Sue H. Anyone is welcome!
Ish Group Gathering ~ The Ish Group’s next gathering will be on Saturday, January 31, at 9:30 am at Hubbard and Cravens Coffee in Broad Ripple (6229 Carrollton Ave). Feel free to come as you are, grab a coffee, and chat for a bit. RSVPs appreciated -please contact Jordan M or the office at office@indyfriends.org.
Quaker Q&A: IT'S FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST NEW ATTENDERS! NO REGISTRATION NEEDED! How much do you really know about Quaker practice? What, for example, is Gospel Order, and how does it teach us to resolve conflict? What is a gathered meeting? OR do you call it a covered meeting? How do you take your Quaker values into the world/community?
During coffee hour on Sundays, February 1 and 8, a panel of our members will share their knowledge, but also their personal experience with Quakerism and Quaker practices. Bring your questions and concerns and share along with them in fellowship hall. No registration, no charge. Lunch and childcare will be provided. Many thanks to our panel members: Megan A, Jim R, Eric T, Norma W, and Jason W.
A Note to Monthly Meetings from the Elders at Balby
Accompanying a letter of advice
1656 from records at Marsden Monthly Meeting
Lancashire, England
“Dearly beloved Friends, these things we do not lay upon you as a rule or form to walk by, but that all, with the measure of light which is pure and holy may be guided: and so in the light walking and abiding these may be filled in the spirit, not in the letter, for the letter killeth but the spirit giveth life.”
It is in that same spirit that “giveth life” that Ministry and Counsel brings you this series of discussions on Quaker worship, processes and values. Not as dictates, demands or absolute rules but as ideas, thoughts and interpretations from Quaker tradition and spiritual evolution.
Centered Voices and Inner Wisdom: A Journey Through the Enneagram Centers ~ Our next annual women’s retreat will be on Saturday, February 7, 2026, from 10:00 AM–4:30 PM at the Seton Cove Spirituality Center, 2025 Dugan Dr, Indianapolis (behind St. Vincent Hospital).
It’s not too late to register for the daytime retreat. REGISTER HERE until February 2!
The day retreat cost is $50 and includes snacks, drinks, and lunch. Attendees are welcome to bring a favorite snack to share with the group. Scholarships are available; contact Beth at beth.henricks@indyfriends.org for more information.
In this retreat, we’ll explore the Enneagram’s three Centers of Intelligence through story-based interviews, music, and shared reflection. Rather than a lecture-based retreat, this day invites women to speak from personal experience, listen deeply, and discover how each of us embodies these Enneagram patterns in uniquely meaningful ways. Expect a day of sacred conversation and personal reflection that engages your whole self—head, heart, and body.
While this retreat does not require prior Enneagram knowledge, participants are encouraged to have a basic understanding of the system and their leading type. Excellent introductory resources include:
• The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso & Russ Hudson
• The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr
• The Essential Enneagram by David Daniels & Virginia Price
Are You Interested in Quaker Affirmation? We plan to start a Quaker Affirmation Class for youth on February 15! This 8-week course is held each Sunday at 11:00 am. We will explore Quaker History, testimonies, discernment practices, theology, as well as inspire personal growth and strengthen relationships with God. If you’d like to sign your kids up, please contact Chrissy at chrissy.sommer@indyfriends.org.
Seasoned Friends Gathering ~ Our Seasoned Friends group for those of retirement age will meet on Thursday, February 26, from 11:30 am–1:00 pm for fellowship, lunch, and a fun get-to-know-you game. Whether you’re new to the group or a longtime participant, this gathering offers a relaxed time to connect, share stories, and enjoy one another’s company. RSVPs are appreciated, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. We welcome anyone that considers themselves a Seasoned Friend to join us.
Save the Date: Family Bowling! ~ Everyone is invited to join us for a bowling party hosted by the Christian Education Committee on Sunday, March 1st from 12:30-2:30pm (check-in starts at 12:15) at Royal Pin Expo, 5261 Elmwood Ave, 46203 (note the change of location from last year). First Friends will provide games of bowling as well as shoe rental, pizza and soda for everyone. There will be prizes for the winners in different categories. Please RSVP with Chrissy Sommer at chrissy.sommer@indyfriends.org. This has always been a fun day, and we hope you will come!
Oak Leaf meets on the last Tuesday of the month in the Parlor. If you’d like to be on the monthly email list, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. Here is the 2026 book list:
January 27 ~ Wintering by Katherine May
February 24 ~ The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall
March 31 ~ A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
April 28 ~ The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
May 26 ~ Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green
June 30 ~ Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
July 28 ~ Twice: A Novel by Mitch Albom
August 25 ~ West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
September 29 ~ My Friends by Fredrik Backman
October 27 ~ What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
November 24 ~ A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst
December 29 ~ A Home in the Woods by Howard Johnson