As Way Opens
I returned Monday from a few days of vacation in Holland Michigan with several friends. It had been an intense two weeks for me and it was refreshing and revitalizing to take a few days to put my toes in the sand and walk the beach. We all need to take time to step back, release our responsibilities and concerns for a few days and allow God to hold us, cradle us and give us permission to just be present.
The coast of Lake Michigan is one of my favorite places. I have been to South Haven, Holland, Saugatuck, White Lake and Grand Haven many times over the last 35 years. We enjoyed beautiful weather during our stay and the sunsets were magnificent. I was struck by the Light and how it changed the sky every night. Sometimes the Light was diffused and the sunset was muted. Other times the Light was intense and the sunset burst forth in color. And the Light created everything in between each evening. it was the same lake, the same sky, the same view each evening but what a difference the Light made in what I viewed.
I needed the reminder that the Light, the Seed, the Divine, Spirit always shows up but is manifested in many different ways. The Light is always there but what I see can vary by day. And that is okay as the beauty is there even if its muted and hesitant. We are God’s creation and we shine the Light in different ways.
As Thomas Kelly says in his opening paragraph in his classic book, Testament of Devotion, “Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine center, a speaking Voice, to which we may continuously return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our time-torn lives, warming us with imitations of an astounding destiny, calling us home unto Itself. Yielding to these persuasions, gladly committing ourselves in body and soul, utterly and completely, to the Light Within, is the beginning of true life.” May we embrace all the manifestations of the Light and savor this true life.
Beth
Joys & Concerns
This Sunday we are asked to hold in prayer Quaker Haven and all of the campers, counselors and staff as they prepare for camp. Our own Aaron Thornburg is the WYM co-director for Quaker Haven this year so we hold him and others in the Light.
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
Help Us Honor Our Graduates! We are excited to be honoring our 2021 graduates! This year’s high school graduates: Krishan C, Sam A, Lena B-K, Isaiah S; College graduates: Eli S, Elle A; Advanced degrees: Shawn H, Kristen K, Beth H. Please join us this Sunday as we share about each of these graduates and their future plans.
Men’s Threshing Together ~ We’re back! 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 in-person meeting on Thursday, May 20 at 7:00pm. See location(s) here.
Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like you to join us from virtually anywhere in the world as we discuss A Promised Land by Barack Obama.
A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making—from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy.
In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency—a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.
Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office.
We will gather via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 led by Larry C.
Help Memorialize Our Departed Friends! As some of you know there was a period of time when our practice of writing memorials for deceased members fell by the wayside and many didn't get written. You may remember that for our purposes a memorial is much like an obituary but with a more personal touch and may give information about the person's connection and/or work at First Friends or in the larger Quaker world. If the writer knew the person pretty well there might be a little story or stories that illustrate something about that person.
Here is a list of memorials that are being written and need to be written. Take a who look at the list and see of there is a person that is not yet assigned a writer that you might like to write about. We might be able to help you collect information about the person if you like. If you are interested contact Ed Morris (emorri@earthlink.net). And a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has or is writing memorial(s) to honor our departed Friends!
Write with Friends: New Activity ~ Friends are invited to a small writing group where participants may write whatever they want to write—stories, memoirs, journaling, poems, etc. 10:00 AM immediately before Monday Meditation. Two prompts to get you started will be offered, but what is offered need not be accepted.
This will be a live activity in the parlor, socially distanced and masked. Please bring writing materials and a clipboard or notebook. Open to anyone around age 12 and over.
It’s not necessary to stay for the Meditation that begins at 11:15 and finishes at noon. Although we have a practice of sharing our meditational experiences afterwards. Meditation participants do not require that you stop writing. Join us 10-11 AM on June 7, 21, & 23.
Monday Meditation will no longer be on Zoom, in accordance with Quaker Simplicity. Our regular attenders have all been vaccinated and are comfortable meeting in person. Others are welcome to join us. Amy Perry will anchor Monday Meditation on May 24th but not on Memorial Day. The 10 AM writing group followed by Meditation will resume on June 7th.
Bread For The World (“BFTW”), an organization that promotes letter-writing to federal representatives to provide federal funding for food for poor countries, is asking for our help. BFTW is requesting that folks send letters in the next 2 weeks to their Senators and House Reps. Please see the following info for a sample letter and other info concerning BFTW. bread.org/go OL 2021 Sample Letter (as of May 14)
Get a Meal, Support MSPC! Mark your calendars! On Friday, May 28th from 11am-2pm, the Maple Seeds Preschool Co-op (MSPC) will host the Black Leaf Vegan Food Truck in the First Friends parking lot. A portion of the proceeds will support the Co-op, so please consider coming that day! You can place a to-go order, or feel free to stay and make a picnic out of it! If you have any questions, contact MSPC at 317-767-3003.
Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for May
American Redstart – The Crying Voice
May is the month for warblers, both residents and migrants. Most male warblers are colorful, and this characteristic, along with a diagnostic song, is supposed get the attention of a female. Woe is the male that must attract a female from the depths of a thick, brushy river bottom. But wait! God has provided for this by endowing many deep forest birds with an extra-loud song. This month’s selection, the American Redstart, is a tiny jewel, dressed in reddish-orange on black (yellow on gray in the female). His song is a rapid, explosive, “Hurry up and quit!” Although the species migrates through our woods in May and September, and can nest in many different types of woodlands, it prefers the wet mosquito-filled backwaters of Geist Reservoir, and the Kankakee Swamp, and similar places farther north. I have depicted him with his tailed fanned, which is a habit. When I hear this tiny bird singing from afar in the deep swamp, I think, with apologies to Isaiah and John the Baptist, of “a voice crying in the wilderness.” I hope he is successful! -Brad J
Reopening Task Force Report. First Friends is scheduled to resume indoors meeting for worship on June 6, the first Sunday in June. The reopening plan, approved at Monthly Meeting on May 16, addresses specifics including social distancing, mask-wearing, ventilation and accommodations for children. The plan also details outdoors meeting for worship and future Monthly Meetings.
Note:
· The re-entry plan includes a mask-wearing requirement, despite recent new directive of the CDC. Similarly, Marion County is upholding its mask mandate for the time being. The issue of mask-wearing can be revisited as appropriate in the near future, mindful of children’s ability to be fully vaccinated. Extra face masks will be provided for those who need them.
· Virtual worship services will continue to be offered each Sunday at 10:15 a.m. Online worship is to continue as a permanent alternative to in-person worship to ensure availability of worship options.
Currently, the Meetinghouse is open to small groups, with requirements for face coverings and social distancing protocol. A recent development is that, for groups of 10 or fewer, participants may remove face coverings if all have been fully vaccinated. 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.
Additionally, larger groups of up to 30 people may meet in Fellowship Hall, with the same safety criteria and assumption of responsibility as smaller groups, including mask-wearing. 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.
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.
Financial Update: The Meeting seeks your support in moving toward a vibrant new phase. As we begin to resume in-person worship and other activities, our expenses rise, yet our donations remain at a low level, strained by the difficulties of 2020.
Please give prayerful consideration to how you could help. While we were able to manage last year’s financial loss, we will need to increase donations in order to stem further losses. To assist, please click on indyfriends.org/support/#givenow and scroll down to the Give Now section.
Additionally, First Friends is able to accept stock and planned gifts directly at any time of year. For more information, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.
Silent Meeting for Worship Now Also in the Parlor~ Friends have returned to meeting in the parlor for Silent Worship, Meditation and Un-Programmed Worship. Appropriate social distancing and face covering is required. A laptop with the zoom will be available simultaneously to interact with Friends from home. The option to worship via Zoom is still available; those on Zoom will join those in the Parlor virtually.