As Way Opens
What a beautiful Memorial Day weekend we experienced this past weekend. We had a couple of days of great weather where we could be out walking, playing, working in the yard, eating food with friends and/or family and enjoying the extraordinary creation around us. There was such a sense of joy as I viewed 135,000 fans gather at the Speedway and watch a race that inspired us. We had a small gathering at the Meeting on Sunday but the smiles, hugs and feeling of community was palpable. Folks across the country were thrilled to be able to visit friends and/or family and travel was incredibly high.
We are all feeling a sense of relief and blessedness (something I spoke about in my message) in being able to see, speak with, eat with and hug our friends and family. We are excited to come back into the building at First Friends for our morning worship service beginning this Sunday June 6th at 10:15. It’s been 15 months since we have been able to worship together in the Meeting room and I know, and feel myself, the happiness to be back together. We know things will never be exactly the way they were before but for now we are reveling in the joy of this important community to us.
We are coming out of a dark chapter in our world with its lessons and its pain over the last year and a half. However, I am reminded of what Paul writes in Romans 8:35-39:
The one who is blessed trusts in God’s love, no matter what: “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? . . . No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We have experienced such a devastating year with so many losses, yet despite these things God’s love is overwhelming and we will never be separated from this love.
See you Sunday!
Beth
Joys & Concerns
The Growing Season is Here in the Community Garden! The gardeners are hard at work as the gardening season gets kicked off! Looking forward to a healthy garden this year!
Quaker-Affiliated Organizations
IFCL -- Faith Community Redistricting Event
Many of us attended one of the virtual public hearings held this spring by the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) around the state. Almost 900 Hoosiers did, and they voiced their concerns. The ICRC recently sent its report to the Indiana General Assembly. It not only details what the public said is wrong with the current legislative districts, it also contains recommendations on how the legislature can draw districts to better serve the public interest, not political agendas. You can read the report here.
If you want to increase the chances that the General Assembly will follow the recommendations outlined in the ICRC report, there are several things you can do now.
First, please consider sending the ICRC report to your legislators with a request that they pay attention to it and become leaders in their party for a more open, transparent, and inclusive redistricting process this fall.
Second, sign up for a free virtual event scheduled for Monday, June 7, at 12pm-1pm EST. It will be a faith-oriented session, "Prayer for Democracy: Bringing Your Faith Community into the Redistricting Conversation," with the theme everyone counts. Several speakers will address why faith communities should care about redistricting, and how to talk with your legislators about redistricting from a faith perspective. (You'll recognize one of them--our own Beth Henricks.) Find more information in this flyer. You can register here: https://bit.ly/PrayerForDemocracy
And third, the ICRC and the redistricting coalition are assembling lobbying teams: a coordinated effort to lobby the General Assembly this summer on redistricting. You're invited to participate. You would be part of a group effort (this is not a solo mission) of regular citizens (not professional lobbyists). And no prior experience is necessary! There will be a Zoom organization and training session with ICRC members and coalition members on June 22nd at 8:00 p.m. EST. You'd be assigned to a lobbying team associated with your legislative district and led by an ICRC member. And you'd receive a lobby visit outline and talking points of what to say to legislators. Lobby visits would most likely be via Zoom, but could also be in-person depending on a team's preferences.
If you feel led to participate on a lobbying team, please RSVP to Phil Goodchild (goodch713@aol.com; 317-790-9054) by Thursday, June 3. This is our best chance to let our elected representatives at the Statehouse hear directly from us what we expect in redistricting. I hope you'll join me.
Please be a part of the growing movement for fair maps in Indiana. Thank you.
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
In-person Sunday Services to resume THIS SUNDAY June 6! Monthly meeting has approved the resumption of in-person Sunday services in the Meetingroom, beginning on Sunday, June 6, with the following precautions in place:
• Face masks must be worn by everyone including children ages 2 and up
• Social distancing indoors and while waiting to enter
• One person at a time allowed in each restroom
• There will be no food service
• No formal Fellowship Hour
• Children’s worship will be provided
• Supervised play for children will be available outdoors, weather permitting, or in Fellowship Hall with fans running and windows opened. Children may also remain with families if preferred.
• A standing microphone at the front of the Meeting Room may be used for announcements or those who feel led to speak during waiting worship
• Bulletins will be in the foyer for attendees to pick up as they enter the Meeting Room
• Collection baskets will be in the foyer for attendees to drop in contributions
Ventilation
- The four ventilation fans in the ceiling must be turned on.
- The four opening windows must be opened.
Services will start at the usual time at 10:15am. For more information on the reopening plan, read the Reopening Committee update later in this newsletter.
Fellowship Hour: Now at 11:30 ~ Please make note that virtual Fellowship Hour will now take place at 11:30am each Sunday. This is to allow for the extra time that in-person worship takes. So please, remember to join us on Zoom at https://bit.ly/FF-FellowshipHour at 11:30 from now on. Look forward to seeing you there!
Kids Tennis Lessons! Are your kids interested in tennis? There will be kids’ tennis lessons near 96th and Keystone Ave. They will be held Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:45-5:45PM in June (weather permitting). First lesson starts next Wednesday, June 9. Please contact the office if you’re interested: office@indyfriends.org.
Your Talent is Needed! ~ As we look to reopen our Sunday Meeting for Worship starting in June, we are looking for vocalists or instrumentalists who would like to perform over the summer. Simply pick a Sunday in June-August and let the office know which day you would like to perform. Eric is available for accompaniment and to help you with whatever your performance needs are. If you’re interested, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485 with the date you had in mind. We look forward to hearing from you!
Office Hours are Back! The Meeting office is now open from Monday-Thursday from 10am-3pm (or by appointment). Please note, Beth will be in the office on Mondays, Rebecca will be in on Tuesdays, Bob will be in on Thursdays, and all three will be in on Wednesdays. So if there’s someone specific you’d like to see, be sure to stop in on their day in the office!
The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application will be June 15, 2021. Find the application here. Please send the completed application and related material to the office at office@indyfriends.org.
JUNE JUBILEE - The Connections Team would like to invite you to a fun outdoor gathering on SATURDAY, JUNE 19, from 4pm to 7pm, in the north parking lot of the Meeting House. Let's celebrate our reopening this month with campfires, hot dogs, s'mores, cornhole, volleyball, basketball, and other surprises. Bring your own food and drinks and masks as we follow social distancing protocol. If the weather is nasty, check your email or the First Friends Facebook page for an announcement about postponement. Hope to see you there!
Calling all ice cream lovers! First Friends will be working at the Dairy Bar at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, August 7th all day. This is a major yearly fundraiser for our youth program! We plan to have two shifts, 9:30am-3:30pm, and 3:30-10:00pm. It is fast paced but lots of fun! Volunteers will receive a free ticket to the State Fair for that day, as well as unlimited ice cream, shakes and cheese sandwiches. Please let Beth H know if you’re interested in volunteering!
Volunteers Needed for VBS! We can’t believe summer is already approaching, but we sure are looking forward to Vacation Bible School this year! We will hold VBS in person July 18th-22nd. The Sunday session will be held after Meeting for Worship and Monday-Thursday will be held in the evenings. We will need group leaders, station leaders and folks to prepare a snack for a night. For more information, here is the link for the intro for the VBS program: https://www.group.com/category/ministry-resources/childrens-ministry/vbs/treasured.do. This year’s theme is “Treasured: Discovering You’re Priceless to God.” If you’d like to help with VBS, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.
Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for June
Great Crested Flycatcher – Summer Riddle
Here is your riddle:
Who weeps every day, all day long, but never sheds a tear?
The answer is Great Crested Flycatcher!
This is a bird that I almost always hear before I see. It says, “Breeeep, breeeeep, weep, weep, weep.”
He or she may arrive as early as late April, and will be somewhere in the neighborhood throughout the summer. Indeed, I have heard or seen this bird in the Meditational Woods in May, June, and July, and as recently as this past week. It is often not very high up in a tree, affording us great looks, while it quietly sits waiting for an insect to fly by. The flycatcher does not just feed on flies, but will go for bigger insects such as dragonflies. How about periodic cicadas this year? Yum, yum!!
Let’s talk about the name. Many birds have hyphenated names. With ruby-throated hummingbird, white-eyed vireo, and red-winged blackbird, the descriptor is connected to the body part being described. It is usually a color, but not always (as in long-billed dowitcher). In the case of our June bird, however, there is no hyphen. The word “Great” therefore is NOT describing the crest (which is noticeable), but is instead describing the entire bird, as in Great Blue Heron or Great Horned Owl. It is true that the Great Crested is by far the largest of our Indiana flycatchers.
It “weeps,” but it does not cry. ~Brad J
First Friends 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 visit indyfriends.org/support/#givenow.
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.orgor 317-255-2485.
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.
Click here for the re-entry plan.
Note:
· The re-entry plan includes a mask-wearing requirement, despite recent new directive of the CDC. 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.
Queries for the Week
(From in-person worship)
· Am I living in an inner state of well-being feeling blessed by God’s presence?
· To whom will I be a blessing to today?
· How can I open myself up more to be an instrument of God in this world?
(From virtual worship)
· Am I living in an inner state of well-being, feeling blessed by God’s presence?
· How can I open up myself to be more of an instrument of God in this world?