As Way Opens
My son, Sam, was recently given a book titled, “Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis.” He passed it on to me because he found it speaking to many of our Quaker distinctives. As I said during my recent sermon series on empathy, many of the books I have been reading have a chapter dedicated to empathy. Sure enough, when I opened to the contents of this book there was a chapter titled, “The Strength of Empathy, Kindness, and Compassion.” I quickly turned to the chapter to see what the author Elin Kelsey had to say. Yet, before arriving at her definition of empathy, I was taken by another word at the beginning of the chapter – hopepunk.
Kelsey explains that “’hopepunk’ emerged within pop culture in a Tumblr post by Alexandra Rowland, a Massachusetts writer, in July 2017. She positioned it as an antidote to ‘grimdark,’ which includes the apocalyptic genres we know so well from films and video games.”
As I read on, I could see hopepunk being utilized as a Quaker term for a new generation. Just listen to Kelsey’s definition:
“When you stand up for other people and other species, you are adding your voice and actions to a vast movement focused on making change for the better. Hopepunk is a narrative of positive resistance.”
As she began to give examples of it in real life, it was hard not to see First Friends being included in hopepunk:
· Hopepunk is found in communities that welcome and support refugees.
· Hopepunk fuels protest, lobbying, and action against climate change, racism, inequality, and human-rights injustices.
· Hopepunk shines through in the rising tide of people who volunteer, and those who help friends and neighbors.
· Hopepunk situates heroism as a collective response. It’s about committing to what you believe in and acting as a force for good.
So, the next time you want to spark a conversation with someone about Quakers or even First Friends, I would encourage you to describe us as hopepunk!
Grace and peace,
Bob
Quaker Affiliated Organizations
IFCL -- Election Day Volunteers Needed
Common Cause Indiana, with whom IFCL frequently partners, directs the field program for the Election Protection Project in Indiana. EPP is a national effort to provide assistance to vulnerable voters to avoid disenfranchisement. The program is not affiliated with any political party. They are looking for nonpartisan volunteers in Marion County to work as voter advocates on Election Day, November 8th. Training is available, and you need not be a Marion County resident to volunteer. For additional information, check out this flyer or EPP online at https://protectthevote.net/. Every eligible voter deserves to have their vote counted! Thank you.
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
First Friends Financial Update: Members and attenders are reminded that the Meeting seeks and welcomes financial support, as we currently are experiencing a dip in donations. To donate online, visit indyfriends.org/support/#givenow, or text to give at 317-768-0303. Other means of support include automatic giving, stock gifts, estate planning, and donation of IRA Required Minimum Distributions. For assistance in donating, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org, 317-255-2485.
“Hijacking History” IPJC Event RESCHEDULED for TONIGHT! ~ The Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center is delighted to invite you to their Speakers Event. This event had to be rescheduled from last month and is happening TONIGHT, October 19 at 7:00pm on Zoom! The topic will be Hijacking History: How the Christian Right Teaches History and Why it Matters. Dr. Kathleen A. Wellman, Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor at Southern Methodist University will draw on material from her book by the same title recently published by Oxford University Press, and will also address recent proposed legislation in the state of Indiana and debates about Critical Race Theory. There will be time for questions and discussion following her remarks. If you’re interested, please RSVP to indypeaceandjusticectr@gmail.com. A Zoom link will be sent to all who RSVP prior to the event. We hope you will join us!
Rise Up Singing: In Concert! All are invited to a concert by Annie Patterson tonight, Wednesday, October 19 at 7:00 PM in person at the Bloomington Friends Meetinghouse, 3820 E. Moores Pike, Bloomington, IN and also online. The concert will focus particularly on songs of peace, justice, earthcare, and healing, with an aim to build community and resilience.
This is a “pay as you are led” concert: no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Since seating at the Meetinghouse is limited, we recommend that you obtain tickets in advance, and tickets are required if attending online so that you can receive the Zoom link. For those attending in person, masking is required. For general information and in-person tickets, go to https://www.riseupandsing.org/events/annie-patterson-concert-bloomington-2022
Annie is a singer, songwriter, and banjo and guitar player in the socially concerned tradition of Pete Seeger. With her husband Peter Blood, she coedited Rise Up Singing: The Group-Singing Songbook and Rise Again: A Group Singing Songbook, which together contain lyrics, chords, and sources for over 2400 songs. Annie and Peter are Quakers who have been singing and leading singalongs for decades and often lead singing at Friends General Conference Gatherings.
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 in-person meeting tomorrow, Thursday, October 20 at 7:00pm. See locations for 2022 here.
You’re invited to Maple Seeds Preschool Coop’s annual Fall Festival! It will be held outdoors (weather permitting) in the First Friends courtyard. It will be Saturday, October 22 from 12pm-3:30pm. There will be food, make and take art, a costume dance party, pumpkin sensory play, a photo booth, face painting, reading circle, goodie bags, and a raffle. All families are welcome to join! Masks are not required.
Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like you to join us from virtually anywhere in the world as we discuss Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time, Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world's great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous firebombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we fear most.
We will gather in the Parlor and via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 led by Kristyn G. Everyone is welcome!
Help Refugees in Need: The meeting for business Oct. 16 approved a proposal to help raise money for the family of Peter K’s Syrian employee Mohammad to emigrate from Turkey to Canada. The family of 6 has lived as refugees in Turkey for several years, and now are threatened with forceful repatriation. Because of Mohammad’s involvement with Peter, the family would be in great danger if they re-enter Syria. The family has approval of the Canadian government to enter as privately sponsored refugees provided that a certain amount of money will be held in a secure account to meet the family’s living expenses for the first year. The meeting will work with Ed and Paula K to raise the money by having an account into which tax-deductible donations can be held until they are submitted to Canada. Ed and Paula are working with Beth H and Witness and Service to formulate plans. The K family express their gratitude to the meeting for agreeing to help facilitate this urgent need.
The Meditational Woods team is exploring ways to expand our native habitat to further love on God’s incredible creation. Over twenty years ago, the original plan included a prairie under the powerlines. Amy P, Mindy S and Mary B are investigating how they could install a test area under the high voltage electrical tower and extend it further north and whether it would be feasible. Indiana Native Plant Society has small grants to help with projects like this. We will keep you all posted about our progress!
AES Indiana, formerly known as Indianapolis Power & Light, is planning to reveal its next 20 year plan and it seems likely that they are not including any of the benefits offered by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. See Katharine Hayhoe’s newsletter and click on the link to the Sierra Club report on utilities' slow walk to convert to clean energy. AES IN gets a D grade for relying on fossil fuels for most of its energy. Our collective future is at stake. The effects of climate change are real and they are happening now and quickly. Call or write AES and urge them to go to clean energy by 2030.
You can sign up to participate in the final public meeting here: https://www.aesindiana.com/integrated-resource-plan
Election Day is approaching, and we need your vote to help secure a healthy planet for all! Can’t make it out to the polls this year? Eligible Indiana voters can still apply for Absentee Ballots through October 27! The deadline to return Absentee Ballots is November 8 by 6:00 pm. Visit this site for information on how to hand-deliver an Absentee Ballot. For more resources and information on how to vote, click here.
Bread for the World Offering of Letters ~ During this time just prior to our mid-term elections, we are often encouraged to “vote - so that your voice will be heard.” Electing people who will work for legislation that ultimately shapes our lives in many ways is the purpose of elections. But often times once elected, those politicians may not always be aware of, or attentive to, how their constituents really feel about certain issues. Letters are a great way to communicate with elected officials. It takes effort to hand-write and mail a letter and when a large group of letters on a specific topic, such as hunger, arrive at a senator’s office, those letters make an impact. There are 40 Indiana churches, congregations, and now our meeting, that will be writing to Senator Braun to encourage him to support the reauthorization of the Global Food Security Act. Come to Fellowship Hall after meeting on Sunday, October 30, to find out specifics about this legislation and to participate in this Offering of Letters.
From the Woods: Happy Anniversary to the Clean Water Act, signed October 18, 1972. The Clean Water Act was created in response to increased public concern for the environment and for the condition of the nation’s waters.
Before the CWA, rivers and streams were choked with pollution and were toxic to fish and not fit for recreation. One of the most famous triggers was the repeated fire and pollution of the Cuyahoga River near Lake Erie. Industry and people thought of our rivers and streams as trash pits, or “Dilution is the solution to pollution” For a visual story, read https://www.history.com/news/epa-earth-day-cleveland-cuyahoga-river-fire-clean-water-act.
The Sierra Club is concerned that parts of the Clean Water Act are threatened. To learn more, read this notice from The Sierra Club.
The Earlham College Choir will be performing at First Friends on Saturday November 5th at 2:00 p.m. If you have attended one of their choir performances in the past, you know we are all in for a delightful time of music and song. Please mark your calendars and invite family and friends to this free concert.
You’re Invited to Turkey Fest! Connections Committee would like to invite you to meet at Sullivan’s Hardware on 71st and Keystone Saturday, November 12th at noon for Turkey Fest. This has been a free event in the past but waiting on final details for this year. There’s indoor and outdoor space to explore, beautiful decorations and lots of yummy food to try. Contact the office if you’d like to attend so we can look for you. We’ll meet at the entrance to Sullivan’s at noon.
Vote for a Green Indiana ~ If climate change and sustainability are important policies when you vote, we encourage you to check out Voters for a Green Indiana who have prepared a digest of the environmental views of candidates for office in Central and NW Indiana. Voters for a Green Indiana is a non-partisan, independent advocacy group of volunteer citizens for urgent action on climate mitigation. Questions? Reach out to votersforagreenindiana@gmail.com.
This Week’s Queries
· When am I a Pharisee and when am I a Tax Collector?
· In searching my heart, where do I divide people and think one side is good and the other bad?
· Do I embrace God’s love, mercy and forgiveness for all?
· Do I speak my truth in love and care to others even when they believe or behave differently?