Friend to Friend
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Concerns, Announcements and Devotional Thought
A Weekly Ministry of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting
As Way Opens
What a beautiful fall day we had on Sunday for the start of Sunday School for our kids. A big thank you to the Christian Education and Fellowship Committees for providing a delicious breakfast for us. I led Sunday School for our 3rd - 5th graders. I forgot what a fun age this is with a lot of interesting insight and reflection. We asked each other some big and little questions about ourselves: our favorite food, a place we would like to visit, what annoys us etc. We came to the question of what would we like to ask God. Lucy Kay wrote down that she would like to ask God what the future holds? Wow - I thought about that question all day. At first blush I totally agree that I would like God to reveal the future to me. Maybe it has something to do with walking through the fire and wanting to know when difficulties will end and a vision of the future. But the more I thought about it I am not sure that I want to know the future. I might miss opportunities for God’s presence today because I know what tomorrow holds. I might skip a lot of things or do a lot of things differently if I knew the future. Maybe I would make better decisions if I knew the future, but it could also destroy me and give up hope. No longer would I need to have faith and trust in God.
As most of you know, my husband suffers from Alzheimer’s. I have become involved in the dementia community here and co-facilitate a support group for a special type of dementia called FTD. This type of dementia has a strong genetic link and we have had genetic counselors present to us the options of testing for this gene in our children. Do we want to know if we have the gene for FTD and will develop this in our life? Most of our children say they do not want to know because this knowledge will be a weight they carry every day and will diminish their joy of life. Knowing the future is a tricky proposition. I am thankful to God for today and for all of you in my life that give me hope for tomorrow.
Joys & Concerns
Considering the Query: ‘Bring the whole of your life under the ordering of the spirit of Christ. Are you open to the healing power of God’s love? Cherish that of God within you, so that this love may grow in you and guide you. Let your worship and your daily life enrich each other. Treasure your experience of God, however it comes to you. Remember that Christianity is not a notion but a way.’
From Advices and queries; Britain Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice, 5th edition, @ 1995-2015
Harold Miller's father, Harold L. Miller Sr., died 9/14 of pancreatic cancer after an 83-year journey that took him from Arkansas to all over the world, most recently in the Washington DC metro area.
He was a loving husband to Virginia, excellent dad to Harold Jr. and his three sisters, embracing father-in-law to Ellen and attentive grandfather to Grace and Sam. They are grateful for his life and love and for the fact that they were all able to bid him farewell in person.
Burial will eventually be in Arlington Ceremony and a memorial service is being planned to take place in Arkansas. Please hold the Miller family in your hearts and prayers. Cards and notes to the family are appreciated. Please send to 4430 Cranbrook Drive, 46260
Thank you to the Fellowship Committee and Christian Education Committee for a wonderful early morning breakfast this past Sunday to welcome everyone back to Sunday School. We hope to continue to see you each Sunday at 9:00 a.m.
Peace Fest was held this past Sunday with about 75 people in attendance. There were six from First Friends and all enjoyed the food, fellowship, music and an activity led by the Peace Ambassadors.
Have you checked out our newly decorated nursery? A huge thank you to Leslie Kartholl for her creative ideas and hard work to transform our nursery into a bright and welcoming space. Leslie is so generous in using her many talents to support our Meeting. We offer a deep appreciation to her and Jim!
Mindy Sommer would appreciate prayer for a staff member at her workplace, Clay Educare. Please hold Erin Wilding in your prayers for God’s loving comfort. Her husband was killed Tuesday evening in a head on collision where a car crossed the median and struck him, as he drove home from work. He leaves a wife and two sons – one in high school and another in college. God bless this family, and the staff of Clay Educare.
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
Calling all 6th through 12th graders! Join us on September 26th, for our Youth Group kick-off “Minute to Win It” in Fellowship Hall. Games, food, and prizes will be supplied. Bring your friends for more fun! RSVP to Hayley Adams (Adamsh2011@gmail.com)
To keep the fun going join us on Sunday morning at 9am in the youth room, to continue our journey with Rob Bell’s Nooma video series. Doughnuts will be providedJ.
September 17&20, and 24&27: All adult Sunday School Classes will be brought together for two more weeks in September, as we open discussion around Quaker decision making, discernment and process. If you can’t make it on Sunday, come on Thursday night!!! We invite everyone to join Eric Tinsley and members of Ministry and Counsel, as we learn together. This is especially important to our Meeting, as we consider decisions regarding marriage equality.
Session Two: Thursday, September 17 at 7:00; repeated Sunday, September 20 at 9:00
What is our individual responsibility toward the process of Quaker decision making?
Session Three: Thursday, September 24 at 7:00; repeated Sunday, September 27 at 9:00
What is our responsibility as a part of a group in making decisions, as Friends?
This Friday! Scott Russell Sanders is coming to First Friends, September 18th, 7:00-8:30 p.m...Scott Russell Sanders is the author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including Hunting for Hope and A Conservationist Manifesto. His most recent books are Earth Works: Selected Essays (2012) and Divine Animal: A novel (2014). A collection of stories titled “Dancing in Dreamtime” will be published in 2016, along with a new edition of his documentary narrative, Stone Country. Among his honors are the Lannan Literary Award, the John Burroughs Essay Award, the Mark Twain Award, and the Cecil Woods Award for Nonfiction, the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2012 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is a distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Indiana University. He and his wife, Ruth, a biochemist, have reared two children in their hometown of Bloomington, in the hardwood hill country of Indiana’s White River Valley. Environmental author Scott Russell Sanders will be here for a conversation on the future of earthcare in Indiana. This event is a fundraiser for the Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation. A reception and book signing will immediately follow the event. Please join us!
‘Considering the Queries’ has begun! Have you found someone to prayerfully visit with about the queries? Watch for these on our website www.indyfriends.org under ‘Ruthie’s Blog – Thoughts from our Pastor’, and share your comments. They will now be printed in Friend to Friend each week, too!
Leading Voice for Israeli-Palestinian Peace to Visit Indianapolis
On September 20, 2015, the Rev. Elias Chacour, a former Archbishop of the Melkite Catholic Church in Israel, will explain how peace is still possible between Israelis and Palestinians. His address, “A Life of Peacemaking in the Holy Land,” is scheduled for 2:30 PM at Indianapolis’ North United Methodist Church, located at 38th Street and Meridian. Named a “Peacemaker in Action” by the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, Chacour is founder of the Mar Elias schools, which have educated tens of thousands of Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Druze children in the Galilee region of Israel. Born 1939, Elias Chacour grew up in the Palestinian village of Biram. In 1947, his childhood home was confiscated by the nascent Israeli state. Though dispossessed, Chacour became an advocate for non-violence and peaceful reconciliation between Jews and Arabs. Chacour describes himself as a “Palestinian-Arab-Christian-Israeli.” Chacour is author of two best-selling books, including We Belong to the Land and Blood Brothers, which has been translated into twenty languages. He is the recipient of several peace awards and honorary degrees, including a doctorate from the University of Indianapolis. “This may be Hoosiers’ last chance to hear from one of the world’s most powerful voices for peace,” said Rev. Dotti Gerner, leader of Christians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, the event’s sponsor. The event is free and open to the public. Further information is available from Charlie McDonald, charlie@mcdiii.com.
Underneath it All: First Friends Eighth Annual Underwear Drive
August 26th through September 27th Toddler to Adult Sizes!
Socks, T Shirts, Bras, too! Babies, Children, Preteens, High School Students— all need underwear and socks. Please Donate New Underwear
Cash or checks to First Friends - designate for ‘Underneath it All’
Contact Linda Lee with questions. parapluie@ameritech.net
Please place underwear donations in the labeled box in Fellowship Hall.
You may have to fly fast at first, but then you can let out your wings and soar!
If you’d like to help organize and maintain some order in our Fellowship Hall kitchen it would be a great gift to the Meeting. Male or Female Angels Accepted! No ‘fly by nights’ need apply! Contact Ruthie or the Office if this fits into your Flight Plan!
Poetry Group will resume on September 22 at 2:00 in the Parlor of the Meetinghouse. Tom and Ursula Roberts will present poems from Mary Oliver’s book Dog Stories and some other poems. We hope that attenders will bring favorite poems about pets or animals to share. For questions please contact Ursula Roberts robertsursula90@gmail.com
Meditational Woods Work Day - Sept. 26th 9:00-12:00
Bring your work gloves, trowels, and clippers plus a good set of strong hands and backs. Hope to see you there. Contact Mindy Sommer and Mary Blackburn for questions. Melinda Sommer, mcs16zoom@gmail.com, Mary Blackburn mhblackburn@sbcglobal.net
What Are Quakers Doing In the World Today?
World Quaker Day - Sunday, October 4, 2015
9:00 Breakfast with Our Friends; portrayals of George Fox, John Woolman, Lucretia Mott
Join these Friends from the past, as they speak into the present day.
Enjoy a delicious breakfast during the discussion!
10:15 Meeting for Worship with Colin Saxton, General Secretary of Friends United Meeting
God continues to speak and act in the lives of Quakers around the world!
11:30 Fellowship Hour ~ World Quaker Exhibits
Enjoy hot and cold beverages, treats, and great company while viewing displays of Quaker organizations from near and far!
Time To Recycle
On behalf of the Shalom Zone, First Friends is to host a recycling event on Saturday, Oct. 10, at First Friends from 10 am – 2 pm. Electronic items of all types are welcome. Simply stop by on Oct. 10 and drop off the items you would like to recycle. If you are not able to make it on Oct-10, you can arrange to drop off your items ahead of time. Please call Bill Chapman (317 255-4739) or the office to arrange the drop off.
CROP HUNGER WALK Please plan to join with others of First Friends to participate in the 36th annual Greater Indianapolis CROP Hunger Walk on Sunday, Oct-18 at 1:45 pm. Walkers from First Friends will meet at 1:45 p.m. at CTS, 42nd St. and Michigan Road near the registration tent. The walk is a scenic walk near the Butler campus and a little over 3 miles. The purpose of the walk is to raise awareness of worldwide hunger and to raise funds to help alleviate hunger both locally and globally. Please consider a donation for this worthwhile cause. Checks can be written to “First Friends” with a notation of “Crop Walk” and placed in the basket in the front hallway. There will also be a sign up if you would like to join our group of walkers.
Attention Men! Save the date - Men’s Retreat - October 31st at FFMtg! What does it take to be a “real man” in today's world? A Christian man? A Quaker or Methodist* man? What beliefs do you have that speak to that? What are your core values? Join us for a one day, thought provoking, and fun filled retreat at First Friends on Oct. 31st as we address these things, along with some of the Methodist men of Epworth Methodist *(our Eco Film Series partners). Call Ed Morris at 317-691-5542 if you have any questions.
Come One Come All! - To have your picture taken (at no cost, unless you want extra prints) for the First Friends Pictorial Directory! Pictures will be taken by Lifetouch Directories at the Meeting House on Wed., Nov. 4 – Sat., Nov. 7. The finished pictures will arrive in time for Christmas cards. This is a great chance to have a professional picture taken of you and/or your family. Having everyone participate enables the directory to be as useful as possible to facilitate our knowing one another, and in putting names and faces together. We only do this every 4 years, so hopefully everyone will be able to participate. If you cannot have your picture taken on the dates at First Friends, Lifetouch will allow you to go to another church that is also scheduling pictures at about the same time. Sign-ups will start in September, and will be on-line and in person at the Meeting house. More info will follow as we get closer to the sign-up dates. If you need more info, please contact Sue Mills. If you are interested in helping out as a Host / Hostess during the photo sessions, please let Sue know. Shifts are 4 hours. Times are 2:30 – 9 on Wed. – Fri., and 10:00 – 4:30 on Sat. If you would like to help with Sign-ups at the Meeting House after Meeting on Sept. 20 – Oct. 18, please let Sue know. Schedule your family portrait session now: https://www.securedata-trans14.com/ap/firstfriendsmeeting/index.php?page=10
Indianapolis First Friends Meeting
Compassionate v Christian v Quaker
3030 Kessler Blvd. E. Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46220
317-255-2485 office@indyfriends.org