As Way Opens
This past Sunday, we had the wonderful privilege of dedicating eight children (Lucille Elise F, Jacqueline Anne F, Aries Alexander T, Stella Valvo A, Samuel Rain A, Berlynn Anne S, Graham Christian S, and Foster Lee S) at First Friends. Due to it being a while since our last dedication, I wanted to make sure people understood what we were acknowledging during Meeting for Worship and in the lives of these children and families. I shared the following at the beginning of the dedication.
For those unfamiliar with child or infant dedications, we at First Friends see this as a public affirmation made by parents/grandparents on behalf of their children. They stand with their children in front of the Meeting and make a promise to raise their children in the ways of Jesus. As well, the Meeting stands together and promises to help support, encourage, and hold the parents/grandparents and children accountable on this journey of faith.
To not confuse this with other ceremonies of its nature, we make it clear that Child Dedication is not baptism. It is not a sacrament of any kind, nor does it impart salvation on the child. It is simply the commitment of parents/grandparents and the people of First Friends to raise their children in the faith.
Child dedications were very common throughout the Bible. If you remember in Scripture, Hannah dedicated Samuel to the Lord, Abraham dedicated Isaac, and 8 days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to be dedicated in the temple. Part of the Jewish tradition of dedication was a public naming of the child.
To introduce our eight children, I read the meanings of each of their names, followed by the Meeting promising support and stretching out their hands to bless and pray for the dedicated. We are so blessed to have this opportunity to support, encourage, and hold these parents/grandparents and children in Light as they grow in their faith here at First Friends.
Grace and peace,
Bob
See more photos at www.facebook.com/Indyfriends.
Joys & Concerns
We received a wonderful thank-you note from a Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) Board Member:
“I’m writing, as a member of the RSWR board, to thank First Friends for your generous financial, moral, and spiritual support of Right Sharing in 2019.
With your help, RSWR was able to fund 41 new groups last year. That means that your giving helped to enable over 1092 women in Kenya, India, and Sierra Leone to support their families and transform their communities.
Please pass on our deep gratitude to your Witness & Service committee, to the stamps team, and to the congregation at large. -Blessings and peace, Jonathan B, Seattle, WA”
Congratulations to Dan M and family! Dan M just welcomed a new grandson. Theo Mitchell S came into the world late at night on Monday, March 2nd. Congratulations to Sally and Peter on their new addition to the family!
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
Remember, Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday, March 8th at 2:00 am!! This means that we “spring forward” in time as we anticipate the wonderful weather to come with it. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward for Sunday morning!
Preparedness and Awareness Regarding Coronavirus:
Friends, we know that the Coronavirus is something on your minds and that needs to be taken seriously, and by no means do we want to create hysteria or unnecessary worry. Instead, we want you to know what we are doing at First Friends to help ensure our collective safety and reduce the spreading of disease within our building and community.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most people in the United States have little immediate risk of exposure to this virus today. The virus is not currently spreading widely in the United States. However, it is likely that person-to-person spread will continue to occur and that, at some point, widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the United States may occur. The CDC offers us the following action steps:
Stay informed – the situation with the coronavirus is fluid and the CDC is updating its website daily with the latest information and advice for the public.
Remember to take everyday preventive actions that are always recommended to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:
Avoid close contact with sick people.
While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible. Stay home if you are sick.
Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub with at least 60% alcohol.
3. The CDC and State Department have issued advisories asking people to avoid all nonessential travel to China and South Korea at this time. Travel alerts have also been issued for Japan, Italy and Iran.
First Friends has chosen to take additional steps to ensure the safety of all those who gather within our building:
Since we have a preschool housed in our building, we have been working closely with them regarding their preparedness. They are currently developing a plan of action.
We have contacted our janitors to ensure all door handles and surfaces throughout the building are being disinfected on a regular basis. Items which cannot be properly sanitized may be temporarily or permanently removed.
Starting this Sunday, we will refrain from shaking hands during greeting time following waiting worship.
Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the building, paper towel dispensers have been installed in all bathrooms, and nursery toys are being sanitized on a regular basis.
In the case of an outbreak within our community, we will inform all members and attenders and cancel our public gatherings until the health professionals deem it safe. We will also notify our insurance carriers and public health authorities. With access to technology, we will be creative and continue to provide opportunities for worship and alternative ways to stay connected within the Meeting.
We ask that you inform the Meeting Office immediately if you—or someone you have been in contact with—has (or may have) COVID-19, or any other serious communicable diseases.
The next women’s gathering will be this Friday March 6th. We’ll be going to see Ruth Kelly’s photography on First Friday. She is the featured artist in March at Full Circle Nine Gallery, 1125 Brookside Ave Suite B21 inside the Circle City Industrial Complex. If you would like to come, please let the office know you are going— office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485. We will meet around 6:00 there - if folks want to carpool they should let the office know and we will leave at 5:30 from the Meeting. We can decide after we see the artists if we want to go to dinner afterward.
IN NEED OF A VEHICLE: Bob and Sue H are looking for a reliable car for their teenage sons. They have a limited budget but would like to explore any options. If you know of a vehicle or you have one you want to sell, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.
Gardeners and Wannabe Gardeners: Plots Available. Get Ready, Set, Go! ~ Spring is nearly here! Get those seeds planted indoors if you want to grow your own seedlings! If you want to reclaim or claim a raised bed in the garden in the north lot, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.
First Friends Library Features ~ Wisdom’s Daughters: Stories of Women Around Jesus By Elizabeth G. Watson
“We find Jesus breaking every major taboo against women in his day. This book is a continuous (chronological with flashbacks) story of the life of Jesus pieced together from the four gospels to be as consistent as possible.”
Each story is told in detail as events seem likely to have happened. They read as easily as good fiction while being supported by scripture. The author is familiar with the looks, smells, clothing, customs of the times, so it all seems very real.
Chapters include scripture, commentary on the biblical scholarship, and questions for personal reflection or group dialogue.
Go to the library new bookshelf quickly because if you don’t someone else will be enjoying this book and you will need to wait!
Help Send a Friend to FUM! ~ We are asking for financial support so that Maggie C can attend Friends United Meeting (FUM) Triennial in Kenya this summer. She received a partial grant from WYM, but is in need of a bit more support to cover remaining expenses. It would be wonderful to have Maggie there to represent First Friends. Checks can be made out to First Friends with Maggie’s name in the memo line. Thank you for supporting a Friend, and for supporting FUM!
Weekly Lenten Reflections- Week 2 Our Daily Bread
As we return to the first creation story in Genesis, let’s look at days two and six from Eugene Peterson’s translation:
God spoke:” Earth, green up! Grow all varieties of seed-bearing plants. Every sort of fruit- bearing tree.”
And there it was.
Earth produced green seed-bearing plants, all varieties. And fruit-bearing trees of all sorts.
God saw that it was good.Later, on Day Six after God created the creatures including human kind:
Then God said, “I’ve given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth
And every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food.
To all animals and all birds, everything that moves and breathes,
I give whatever grows out of the ground for food.”
According to the text, God intended for us to make fruits and vegetables the major part of our diet. Much recent dietary research promotes generous servings of fruits, vegetables and seeds for a healthy diet. Here’s a pretty picture from our northern neighbor on what a healthy plate would look like- https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/
And a consensus from the World Health Organization- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
For the rest of Lent, make it a practice to have one meatless day each week. Don’t substitute meat with heavily processed foods; instead concentrate on eating whole foods full of color and taste. Project Drawdown is a science-based approach to caring for the earth and its resources. Eating a plant rich diet is #4 out of 80 strategies to help the planet recover from humankind’s overuse and poor management. https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/food/plant-rich-diet
As part of our concern for other creatures, if you do eat meat, consider getting your meat products from a farmer who raises animals humanely. Shop your local farmers’ market when you can. Here’s a blog post from a farmer who has pasture raised animals. https://blog.whiteoakpastures.com/blog/6-reasons-to-eat-grassfed-beef-pasture-raised-poultry-2020. Celebrate the earth’s abundance and for God’s ever-present Wisdom.
Tradition and Transformation ~ All are invited to this event sponsored by The Indianapolis Foundation Library Fund and presented by Suzanne Moore. Suzanne Moore is a painter, printmaker and lettering artist whose eclectic interests fuse in the diversity of her artists’ books. Suzanne Moore’s career as a maker of manuscript books spans more than 30 years. Her work is rooted in traditions of historical manuscripts, but her books are contemporary in approach, content and imagery. Suzanne’s work on The Saint John’s Bible, including 10 interpretive illuminations and 3 special treatments came at a key time in her career, altering her perspectives, enriching her vision and offering challenges and inspiration for future work. Her illustrated presentation will describe the connections with, and divergence from, the rich history of the codex book. Her work is exhibited widely, and she teaches in the US and abroad. This event is free and open to the public. It is being held on Friday, March 13, 7:00-9:00pm at Marian University Theatre, 3200 Cold Spring Rd. For more information, visit https://events.marian.edu/events/#!view/event/event_id/10210.
Western Yearly Meeting Retreat ~ All are invited to the Western Yearly Meeting (WYM) retreat to be held here at First Friends on Saturday, March 14! This is a one-day conference for everyone featuring the authors of Slow Church, John Pattison and Chris Smith. The event will run from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. This begins with a continental breakfast and includes lunch and snacks. For more information and for registration forms, visit https://mcusercontent.com/acf67475c86114d6972c3a2fa/files/2fca754e-c4f4-4409-9f96-fe4716514b77/Brochure.2020.pdf.
WYM Visioning Process – Phase 2 Survey ~ Western Yearly Meeting (WYM) is now carrying out phase 2 of its visioning process. WYM is asking everyone who can, to please take 10-20 minutes to complete their survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7WG2CXZ. This survey will help focus the yearly meeting and help prepare for upcoming years. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact the WYM office at (317) 839-2789. If you would like a printed copy, please contact the First Friends office at 317-255-2485 or office@indyfriends.org.
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Needs Your Help! KIB needs your help to keep Indianapolis beautiful. Even a few hours can make a big difference! Every year KIB relies on nearly 20,000 volunteers to help carry out a mission to help people and nature thrive together in our city. Whether you are interested cleaning up litter, building pocket parks, creating greenspaces, planting trees, preparing mail, or assisting with special projects, there's a way you can help. If you are interested, please visit https://www.kibi.org/projects for more information and to volunteer. Our Tree Planting Quakers are signing up for Saturday March 14 at 21st and Capitol. We hope you will sign up for that day and join us!!
Experiment with Light ~ Friends, our monthly Experiment with the Light (EWL) is Tuesday, March 17, at 7 pm in the parlor. All are welcome, whether this is your first time or you’re a regular. Attenders find it a remarkable experience. Please join us. We begin promptly at 7 pm and end at 8:30. Peace and love, ~Mary Ellen L.
Abrahamic Traditions Dinner ~ The Niagara foundation invites you to their annual Abrahamic Traditions Dinner, which will be on Thursday, March 19, 6:30-9:00pm. It will be held at Meridian Street United Methodist Church, 5500 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, 46208. This is a free event. Please make reservations for this meal by March 17th at cenk@niagarafoundation.org. For more information, visit https://www.niagarafoundation.org/mirror/interfaith-engagement/abrahamic-dinner/.
Men’s Threshing Together ~ If you are interested in gathering with other men who mull over current issues or topics, where all points of view are heard, no decisions are made, and all in a non-threatening atmosphere over a meal, then Threshing Together is for you! Join us for our next meeting on Thursday, March 19 at 7:00pm. See Winter/Spring 2020 locations here: http://bit.ly/ThreshingSpr2020.
Jim and the Band on the Third Friday ~ Singing Friday will be showing up on the calendar on the 20th of March. Jim, and probably Jesse and Luke will also be with us again. If we have as good a time as last month, everyone will have an enjoyable, relaxing evening. You may learn a new song or a few. Gather in the parlor from 7-8:30 or so.
Babysitting Co-Op ~ Our babysitting co-op is happening Saturday March 21, 5:30 - 9:30. Dinner will be provided for the kids. Please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org if you would like to have your kids join in the fun that evening!
Join us at the Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading book club as we discuss Beartown by Fredrik Backman (432 pages) on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream—and the price required to make it come true. "People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.” (from goodreads) Larry C will be leading the discussion in the Parlor starting at 7 pm!