As Way Opens
We have experienced a lot of loss over the last few months. We have mourned and celebrated the lives of Gerald M, Marshall G, Barbara F, Ann K and this Saturday will be the memorial service for Bob H. This just seems like too much death in the space of a few months. We know these losses impact family and friends and the hole in our hearts can be huge. These are individuals that have touched us in many different ways over the years and we need to keep seeing these friends in our building, our worship service, our gatherings and our work in the world.
I shared with you several months ago my son Greg’s best friend from high school (Marshall) was killed while visiting Vietnam with friends. This has been a terrible loss for all of Marshall’s family and friends. This past Saturday night they had a memorial service for him that was wonderful. Greg said that he never felt so surrounded by an almost levitating love during the weekend. This is why memorial services are so important to us - a time for family and friends to return to town to feel a sense of home and memories and to honor and cherish the life of our loved one. While the sadness of this loss has been immense for Greg and others, Greg also felt a power of deep happiness over the weekend. He said he could sense Marshall’s spirit singing and dancing with them. Greg knows that Marshall continues to breathe life into all of them and he feels a sense of renewed lust for the future. Marshall’s philosophy of life was summed up in three words - Be Here Now.
I pray for each of us that we can take our losses and with time turn them into a renewed lust for the future. May we all embrace Marshall’s philosophy and be present with ourselves and with each other. As Jesus said to us in Luke 9:24-25, “Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?"
Beth
Joys & Concerns
Many thanks to our food pantry volunteers last week: Kathy and Bill F; Linda L; Ray G; and Carol and Jim D. Your service is always appreciated!
Thank you to all those who contributed and helped assemble buddy bags! We had a fun time last week assembling the bags for the kids at Allison Elementary School during their fall break.
Seasoned Friends had a wonderful trip to the Huddleston Farm House and Levi Coffin House this past Tuesday. We enjoyed an afternoon together as well as the enriching stories and history of each location!
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
Notice: As Dan L is still out of town for a 10 day work trip, there will be no class for the Christ Among Quakers course this Sunday.
October Monthly Meeting ~ Please note, the Monthly Meeting to Conduct Business for October is being moved to Sunday, October 22 (fourth Sunday), so as to not cause conflict with the Festival of Faiths. We hope you will be a part of the festival –see below for more details!
Did you know the directory is online? Yes, the directory is always available online to you! You can access the directory at any time, and it works on mobile devices as well. Simply go to our website at www.indyfriends.org, hover over “Attenders” and click “Private Portal.” Enter the password and find the link to the directory there. You can click Ctrl + F to search. This copy of the directory is always kept up to date, so it’s a great source for everyone’s current contact information! Please call the office at 317-255-2485 for the password.
Sing A Long Again ~ October 13, Friday, in the parlor at FF. Jim K will lead again. We had maybe 10 people at the first very fun evening. You don’t have to be a good singer, but is enough to enjoy singing. Jim is an enthusiastic leader. We begin at 7:00 and end no later than 9. Well, maybe a few minutes later. Bring books if you have them. Rise Up Singing and Rise Again. Don’t let a lack of books deter you. Questions? Need a ride? Contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.
Woods Work Day ~ we have a Woods Work Day on Saturday morning, October 14, from 9-12. We plan to tackle the over grown shrubs in the southwest corner near the drive and Kessler. We are searching for Snowberry and other native shrubs that have been overtaken by weeds. Come join us. We may have some hot dogs cooked over an open fire.
Reminder: Women’s Fashion Fundraiser For “Right Sharing of World Resources” ~ As a reminder, this weekend Sara Edgerton is holding a fundraiser to benefit “Right Sharing of World Resources” this Friday, October 13th and Saturday, October 14th in the Parlor. Please call the church at 317-255-2485 to reserve your spot. RSVPs will be necessary. Trunk show times for both days are: 10:00 am, 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm at First Friends. Bring a friend along.
threshing: def.
a gathering of men who mull over current issues or topics, where all points of view are heard, no decisions are made, and beverages are enjoyed.
Please join us for Threshing at the Tap! Bob Henry will lead conversation at various local craft breweries at 7pm every 3rd Thursday of the month. The first gathering will take place October 19th at Blind Owl Brewery, 5014 E. 62nd St. Please join us for this, or any subsequent gatherings! View the flyer here for more info and for future brewery locations: https://goo.gl/NkXUDF.
Full Circle Festival ~ Please join us downtown for Full Circle Fest on Saturday, October 14, 3-8pm! This is a FREE festival and a fundraiser for refugees in Indianapolis, organized by our own Ben W. It is a celebration of culture, reflecting the diversity of Indianapolis through food, music, and storytelling. We will be using half of the circle to highlight four musical acts and four stories told by refugees in Indianapolis. Food trucks will provide refreshments, non-profits will set up booths to educate about the issue, artists will share their work, and diverse communities will gather in celebration. The festival will culminate with a collective art project. For more information, please visit https://www.fullcirclefest.com/.
Festival of Faiths ~ Drumming, Gospel singers, a Jewish wedding, a regal rider on a large white steed, dancers, chanting monks.....and smiling Quakers! These are some of the things you might see at the Festival of Faiths on October the 15th at Veterans Memorial Plaza downtown. Once again we hope to have a good Quaker presence at the festival. We need volunteers to help set up, sit at tables and help take everything down at the end of the day. Set up will begin at 12:00pm and the festival officially opens at 1:00pm. Take down will begin 5:00pm. There will be a poster board sign-up in the hallway at the entrance to the main lobby in the meeting house. SIGN UP FOR WHATEVER TIME COMMITMENT WORKS FOR YOU! You can be there all day as I plan to be or you can sign up for a 30 minute shift. We particularly need people to help set up and take down. If you have any question or comments please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.
Attention Friends! Do you have a picnic or camp canopy? The kind you put up over the picnic table or by the campground tent to keep sun and rain off? If you do we would like to borrow it for a few hours this Sunday (Oct. 15) to keep our volunteers weather protected during the Festival of Faiths. Please contact the office for more details. Thanks!
Fall Festival! ~ Meridian Street Preschool Co-Op (MSPC) will be hosting their annual Fall Festival on Saturday October 21st from 4-6pm. First Friends attenders and members are welcome to attend and be a part of this fun evening. There will be a bounce house, their annual chili cook-off, crafts, food, games, prizes, and more! Please join us!
Friendly Visitors... please plan to join Circle of Care for an Appreciation Luncheon in the parlor Sunday October 29 after Meeting for Worship in the Parlor to thank YOU for your participation in this important ministry! In addition, if you are not currently a "friendly visitor", but have interest in this ministry and becoming a friendly visitor, please join us at the luncheon and learn more about it! Please RSVP to the office at office@indyfriends.org.
Blood Drive! Please join us for a blood drive held in conjunction with the Indiana Blood Center on Sunday, November 5th. It is going to be in Fellowship Hall from 9-12:30. Keep an eye out soon for a link if you’d like to sign up ahead of time. Walk-ins are welcome too!
NEW Sunday Yoga Classes - Yoga is a practice well suited to the Quaker experience. (Or, is yoga an experience well suited to the Quaker practice? ☺) We will explore asana practice, meditation, and breathwork as a way to experience inner Light. Several varieties of yoga practice will be explored, such as yin yoga, vinyasa yoga, and restorative yoga. The class is open to all levels and members of the class will help determine the content of the practice. Class will be offered once monthly. Please note we have changed the date from the second Sunday of the month to the first Sunday of the month, from 11:45-12:45ish in the Parlor with an opportunity for a pitch-in lunch immediately following. Please join us at our next session on November 5th. If you’d like to contribute to the class, any goodwill offerings are appreciated!
Words Matter! Writing for Healing, Action, & Change ~ Indianapolis First Friends Meeting is hosting a workshop for the Spirit & Place Festival this year! Join four talented writers—Philip Gulley, Diana Ensign, Amber Stearns, and Barbara Shoup—as they explore the power of words to spark compassion, dialogue, and positive change. Words are powerful! Written language imparts knowledge, shapes thoughts, spurs ideas, and provokes action. Words inspire, uplift, and motivate. Misused, words can be a tool for manipulation or bullying. It matters how we use them. Do our words create positive change in the world? Do our words send waves of fear and anger? Or do our words unify? This panel presentation will examine the power of words and will ask attendees to answer in writing, “How have you been inspired to use your words to create change?” Selected responses will be published in NUVO. Prior to the panel discussion and after the discussion enjoy music by guitarist Michelle Qureshi. This will be held Friday, November 10, from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM in the Meetingroom. This is free and open to anyone! Walk-ins welcome, but RSVPs encouraged by Nov. 10. Please RSVP here: https://goo.gl/27bwng.
Silent Auction and Talent Show! ~ Friends, music can lift us all up into the light! We have installed a lift in the choir room which means that the choir room had to move which means that we need a new piano. We are having a talent show/silent auction to raise money for the new piano. Do you have a secret talent? Do you have something to share? We are looking for your talents. Please contact the office about the talent show at office@indyfriends.org. For the silent auction we need anything but clothes. Own Colts season tickets you can’t use? Have a son or daughter who can cut grass? Maybe an old piece of furniture you don’t need? Maybe someone else can use these things! Please donate items and leave them on the stage clearly marked for the silent auction. Please plan to attend November 11 at 7pm for Quaker talent night and silent auction!
