As Way Opens
A few weeks ago, my parents bought us a new contraption to feed birds in our back yard. It looks like a pillar of glued together seeds that hangs from a metal hook among our other bird feeders. I believe they are actually known as a “Seed Logs” – and specifically used to attract woodpeckers. After just a couple of days of having the log, woodpeckers made their way to our backyard for what, so far, seems to be a tasty treat.
I now enjoy sitting on my back porch to watch the antics of what I have learned is the Downy Woodpecker – a very common woodpecker in Indiana. I read that Downy Woodpeckers are smart and versatile, I have had a rather young-looking Downy visiting on a regular basis. When he first visited our backyard, he seemed a bit disheveled and maybe a bit flighty. He likes to land at the top of our bird feeder hook and slowly work his way down to the seed log – all the while looking around for anything that may fly in to challenge his seed eating.
Then today, I was observing the little guy and I began to wonder if he had lost it. There he sat perched on and pecking away at the metal pole and making a heck-of-a racket. Most of the time this Downy sits perched on the log with a myriad of wild birds from finches to the Tufted Titmouse around him with no concern, yet today was different. This behavior lasted for some time before he finally had scared most of the other birds away leaving him to all the seeds.
I thought he may have been a bit greedy, but after doing some research, I was surprised to find out that banging on that metal pole was his mating call and the marking of his territory. He was just trying to attract more woodpeckers like him. Yet, in doing this, he would consistently scare away the variety of bird friends around him.
I had a mentor who once said, “If I am trying to learn a lesson, I go watch the birds in my backyard. They always teach me something.” And at First Friends we are blessed to have our own bird expert, Brad Jackson to glean some bird wisdom for our daily journey.
The Downy Woodpecker had me thinking about the church. How often when trying to attract new people, do we overlook the variety of people all around us? How often are we just making a racket that turns people off? Could it be that too often we are simply wanting to attract people like ourselves, all the while, God has been leading a myriad of people to our meeting doors or YouTube channel? It is something to ponder.
I encourage you to go watch the birds this week. See what you glean from their presence in your life.
Grace and peace,
Bob
Joys & Concerns
A HUGE thanks to everyone who helped make our first in-person Meeting for Worship a success—especially Ed Morris, who arranged for the canopy and other logistics. We had a wonderful Easter together and we loved seeing everyone! (Thanks to Bob Henry and Kim H for pictures.)
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
Please note, this Thursday’s Workday in the Woods has been cancelled due to questionable weather. Please join us on another Thursday from 10am-12pm to help make our woods beautiful!
Still need a Coronavirus vaccine? Light of the World church is hosing a vaccine clinic that is open to the general public. No appointment is necessary, simply show up to the church at 4646 N Michigan Rd, Indianapolis, 46228 on Saturday, April 10 from 9am-5pm. This is for adults age 18 and up. The single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot will be given.
Then the following day, Sunday, April 11 from 2pm-4pm, there will be a clinic for youth ages 16-17 to receive the Pfizer vaccine. For more information or for questions, contact 317-202-7508.
Friendly Reminder from Trustees and Maintenance Committees- Please refrain from planting trees, shrubs, flowers, etc., around the grounds unless approved in writing from Trustees and Maintenance Committees. We need to responsibly manage what is presently planted on the property. Please help us by working together to responsibly and safely maintain the grounds.
Meditational Woods manages the wooded property to the east of the Meetinghouse.
The Community Garden group (Samantha Ryan and Nancy Scott) oversees the small gardens in the north lot.
Thank you for helping us manage the property.
Youth Group Meetup ~ Youth Group will be meeting in person at the Meetinghouse grounds on Sunday, April 11th for an outdoor picnic and games. Please mark your calendars, and contact Beth if you’re interested in joining! office@indyfriends.org.
Book Spotlight from our Library:
Conversation with Christ: Quaker Meditations on the Gospel of John by Douglas Gwyn
“Using guided meditation, Gwyn invites the reader to engage in her or his own conversation with the living Christ.” He refers to biblical scholarship, early Quakers, and his own insights to draw readers into a personal connection with Christ. A few chapter headings will give you an idea of the topics he discusses insightfully, perceptively, and deeply: Women of Samaria, “The Jews”, The Way, the Truth and the Life, Simon Peter.
Gwyn, a recorded minister, has written several other books available in our library.
First Friends Bible Study ~ A new session of the First Friends Bible study will kick off on Thursday, April 15 at 7:30 pm. We'll study the 13-lesson book Christ as Present Teacher: Learning to Love, in the Barclay Press Illuminate series. The class meets by Zoom. All are welcome to join or drop in to see what the class is like. If you have questions, or are interested, contact the First Friends office: office@indyfriends.org.
All are invited to an upcoming Spirit & Place online event! The Spirit & Place Festival holds dozens of "never-seen-before" programs. Artists and authors, entrepreneurs and neighborhood organizers, storytellers and scholars come together with singles and couples, families and friends in a true community conversation. You’re invited to their online event, Living Stories: An Evening with Dr. Elaine Pagels on April 16 at 6:30pm. Dr. Pagels will be helping Spirit & Place bridge its past and current themes -- Origins & Change -- by joining Dr. Maria Hamilton Abegunde in conversation that explores how nothing about religion, its meaning, or purpose is static. With every generation, the stories, traditions, and practices held dear by many, change in some way. New discoveries, questions, and perspectives open a world of possibility on how we understand the nature of religion. Religious studies scholar and best-selling author Dr. Elaine Pagels has spent her career examining not only the origins of (Western) religious traditions and how they shape our understanding of ourselves, but also the necessity of re-interpreting these sacred stories so that they might continue to help us in challenging times. Find more information on Spirit and Place’s 2021 festival here: https://spiritandplace.org/Festival.aspx?access=Year. If you’re interested in this event, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/living-stories-an-evening-with-elaine-pagels-presented-by-spirit-place-tickets-136829886875.
Mid North Food Pantry ~ First Friends has begun its annual Mid North Food Pantry fundraiser. Mid North relies not only on the volunteers of First Friends and others, but also on financial assistance to purchase food and other supplies needed to operate the pantry. Since Mid North is able to purchase food at a much lower cost than you can, you can show your support for the pantry by making a financial contribution to the pantry. Checks should be made out to First Friends (with a note “food pantry” in the memo section) and sent to First Friends no later than Apr-18. Or, you can also donate online on our secure website at https://www.indyfriends.org/support and choose the “Mid-North Food Pantry” fund. Or you can donate via text by texting PANTRY to 317-768-0303. Thank you for your consideration.
College Care packages - It is time to send care packages to our college students as they prepare for their exams at school. This time, rather than having you drop off your donations at the meetinghouse, we are asking for financial contributions. The First Friends office will use the funds to fill boxes for the students with goodies like candy, cookies, cards, and other treats. There are a number of ways to send your support—you can mail a donation to the office with the notation “college packages”; donate via our secure giving portal at https://www.indyfriends.org/support and choose the “college care packages” fund; or text COLLEGE to 317-768-0303. Please get donations in by Friday, April 16. Thank you for your support!
Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like you to join us from virtually anywhere in the world as we discuss The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson. On Winston Churchill's first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally--and willing to fight to the end.
We will gather via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 led by Loryne C. Contact the office for Zoom details: office@indyfriends.org.
Bread for the World Zoom Event ~ On Tuesday, April 20, Bread for the World will host a Zoom event, Feeding Our Economy: Food Security. Good for Business. This zoom will feature four speakers: Dr. Heather Eicher-Miller from Purdue University Department of Nutrition Science, Eric Halvorson from Kroger Corporation, Michelle Hummel, Organizational Effectiveness Consultant and former WIC staff member, and Senator Mike Braun, to address food security/hunger issues.
Hunger affects us all, either directly or indirectly. Children who are hungry can’t focus or reach their potential. Workers are less productive. Combined, our overall economy is threatened. More importantly, there is enough food for everyone; we just need to get it to those who are hungry because this is what caring people do for each other.
Bread for the World (https://www.bread.org/) is “a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decisions makers to end hunger at home and abroad. Moved by God’s grace in Jesus Christ, we advocate for a world without hunger.” Keeping informed about national legislation that involves hunger-related issues, BFW members contact members of Congress to advocate for the hungry among us and worldwide. This Zoom event, with the goal of 350 people participating, will educate us about food issues that have been exacerbated by the pandemic and will demonstrate our commitment to finding solutions.
There is a strong contingent of workers from First Friends who volunteer weekly at the Mid-North food pantry. These people know the fine line that so many people tread to have food to sustain them. With hundreds of pantries like Mid-North in Indiana and nationwide along with the legislative work that BFW advocates, hunger can be eliminated.
Please consider attending this free Zoom event and register at this link. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/feeding-our-economy-tickets-141487076655
If you have any questions regarding the event or about Bread for the World, you can contact Corinne Imboden, cimboden@sbcglobal.net.
Words from the Woods ~ We’ve added a few new plants to the Woods: look for spicebush, New Jersey Tea and a pagoda dogwood. A wheelbarrow full of honeysuckle was pulled out and disposed. We’ve scattered native grass, wildflower and sedge seeds in different areas, so we hope that we will see more growth soon.
Thanks to Mindy and Linda for their helping hands. Amy Perry has rearranged the entry berm that supports the Woods dedication monument to make it even more beautiful.
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) has many activities to help with Creation Care.
· Family learning activities for Earth Month. https://www.kibi.org/nature-learning-activities
· Kick start spring cleaning! Host a Great Indy Cleanup, find out the date of your neighborhood cleanup, or join us on April 24 for a cleanup at Indiana Guide Right.
Do you want a KIB pocket park in your neighborhood? Is there a vacant or under-used lot in your neighborhood? A place that where you and your neighbors could spend time together outside, if it had just a little love and attention? Do native plants and butterflies make your daily walks a delight? Then a greenspace sounds right for you! Applications for our 2022 AES Indiana Project GreenSpace projects are open until May 31, 2021. Apply now!
Reopening Task Force Report. Currently, the Meetinghouse is open to small groups, with requirements for face coverings and social distancing protocol. Participants assume responsibility for risk of COVID-19 exposure. To check on availability of small groups, including Zoom options, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org, 317-255-2485.
Other updates:
Larger groups of up to 30 people may meet in Fellowship Hall, with the same safety criteria and assumption of responsibility as smaller groups. Groups using Fellowship Hall will need to be trained to operate fans and switches, as well as shown how to open and reclose/relock the windows. Training sessions can be coordinated through the office.
Three listening sessions for the full meeting to discuss issues related to reopening have taken place. Non-pastoral members of the Reopening Task Force were not in attendance, but have received a follow-up report, available by clicking here. The Reopening Task Force is scheduled to meet on April 8 to address the report.
Ventilation:
As reported in March 2021, the Trustees have shared the following messaging with the Reopening Task Force: “Trustees established fresh air ventilation is abundant in Fellowship Hall and the Meeting Room. First Friends was built without central air conditioning. Ventilation was an important consideration during construction planning. We are blessed with an excellent ventilation system in Fellowship Hall and the Meeting Room. There are fans and switches in both locations. When fans are running and windows and doors are opened, there is an abundance of fresh air available in each of those rooms. Any group requesting use of Fellowship Hall is required to use the ventilation system in place while meeting.”
As a review, the Trustees presented a report in November 2020 on the ventilation at the First Friends building, based on assessment including: the HVAC system and filters, attic and exhaust; a 1950s report created by the First Friends Construction Committee; and measurements taken using a CO2 detector. Among the findings:
In the Meeting Room, there are four windows that open, plus four ventilation fans in the ceiling. With windows opened, the fans can draw air through the Meeting Room to meet the CDC guidelines of six fresh air exchanges per hour.
In Fellowship Hall, a fan on the west wall and an exhaust fan in the kitchen draw air outside. A fan near the entrance brings fresh air inside, heats and circulates it. There are 11 windows that open and two new air conditioning fans.
Queries for the Week
(From virtual worship)
Where is the Divine calling me to “rise up” or “take a stand” to show that another world is possible?
Who do I struggle to find equality with in this world? How might I help bring “resurrection” into their lives, today?
Where do I see “resurrection” taking place as we come out of this time of death known as the pandemic?
(From self-led guide)
What is the Present Teacher - Christ saying to me, today?
Where do I see God’s hand in the changes taking place around me?
Who in my life do I see the face of the risen Christ within? Who might I be missing Christ within?