As Way Opens
Last week I took a couple of days to travel to Louisville to connect with friends and then traveled an hour south to Thomas Merton’s monastery, the Abbey of Gethsemani. I have always wanted to visit this place as I have heard of its beauty, its simplicity, its quiet spirituality. I have also wanted to visit this place because of Thomas Merton who is a spiritual mentor to me even though he died over 50 years ago.
The drive to Gethsemani was stunning. It was in the upper 60’s and the road to Gethsemani wandered the back roads of Kentucky, with rolling hills, astounding colors of red, orange and yellow trees that were at their peak, bright sun and blue skies. I figured that so many pilgrims have traveled to Gethsemani because of Merton over the years that there would be road signs or arrows pointing the way. There was nothing. Without my Google Maps I never would have made it. The Abbey is truly in the middle of open space and one comes upon it suddenly with a metal sign identifying it as The Abbey of Gethsemani. The address is 3642 Monks Rd, Trappist KY.
We wandered the grounds and participated in the 12:15 service with the monks. We were the only guests in the room. There was a deep sense of God’s presence in that room as these men repeated and chanted words and prayers that they say every day and have been said in that room every day since its founding in 1848. These men come together 7 times a day to worship and pray while they work on premises in the morning and afternoon when they are not worshipping, praying or eating together.
There is a comfort in the sameness of the routine. But I have been reading a book about the Abbey that described a terrible storm last century that destroyed some of the property and buildings. The author Dianne Aprille wrote, “The storm made me see that, in fact, Trappist life - like the faith in God that inspires it and grounds it - is ever-evolving, growing, developing, expanding, deepening, changing. Branches break, paths diverge, dark history repeats itself, but always there is that hidden wholeness, that mystery of redemption that Merton linked to every vestige of creation; that “meek namelessness” as he called it, whose will it is to restore the shattered peace with forgiveness and love."
Merton spent over 30 years here, participating in the life of the Abbey and wrote over 50 books and articles while he lived here. He is buried in the cemetery along with other brothers with the same white cross. Here is the description of their life from the Gethsemeni website.
The Abbey of Gethsemani is a school of the Lord’s service, a training ground for brotherly love. Following Christ under a rule and an abbot, we Trappist monks lead lives of prayer, work, and sacred reading, steeped in the heart and mystery of the Church.
May we all lead lives of prayer, work, and sacred reading that is buried in the heart and mystery of our faith community today.
Beth
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
Help a family this Thanksgiving ~ We are collecting monetary donations for 3 families in need to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. We received the information from Easter Seals and we will also be sponsoring these families at Christmas time. If you would like to make a donation, you can either give your money to Jody Long at Sunday service or you can give your donation to the office. If you want to write a check, please put “Thanksgiving family” in the memo line. Thank you for your donation.
Looking for volunteer drivers ~ The mother of the Afghan family that First Friend sponsors is in need of occasional rides. Due to religious/cultural reasons, she cannot go alone with a male driver, so the volunteer must be female. If you’re interested, please contact the office to sign up to be on an email list to be notified when she is in need of a ride. Thank you for considering this volunteer opportunity!
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. To donate, mail in a check or drop it in the Sunday offering plate with the memo line “Mohammad’s family.” Or you can donate electronically online on our secure website at https://www.indyfriends.org/support, and choose “Mohammad’s family” as the fund, or text Mohammad to 317-768-0303. The K family express their gratitude to the meeting for agreeing to help facilitate this urgent need.
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 tomorrow, 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. Please come to Fellowship Hall after meeting this Sunday, October 30, to partake in a simple lunch and find out specifics about this legislation and to participate in this Offering of Letters.
You’re Invited to a Singalong! Join us for a Singalong on Friday, November 4th, at 7 PM in the parlor at First Friends. Jim and Jesse will lead you in singing a variety of awesome songs!
Prayer Vigil for Detained Immigrants - On Saturday, November 5 at 10am, Shalom Mennonite Church is going to be leading a prayer vigil for immigrants who are detained in the state of Indiana. This will be held outside of the Clay County jail at 611 E Jackson St, Brazil, IN, which is where most immigrants are detained after being arrested in our state. Please consider joining us in this appeal to God for intervention, which also serves as a symbol of solidarity for those in jail and a witness to the injustices committed at that facility for the larger Indiana community. For more information, contact Pastor Brian Bither at brian@shalommennonite.com.
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.
In Paradisum: 500 Years of the Requiem Vocal Concert ~ VOCE (with which First Friend’s Carolyn T sings) presents “In Paradisum: 500 Years of the Requiem” on Sunday November 13 at 4PM at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, 1402 W. Main St, Carmel IN 46032. Beautiful live choral music, accompanied by organ, piano and cello. For more information, visit www.voceindy.org.
Seasoned Friends ~ Seasoned Friends will gather on Tuesday, December 6th for a field trip to Wabash. Friends are invited to carpool by meeting at First Friends at 9:30 or join us in Wabash at 11am. We will see the Eagles Theater, have lunch at the Honeywell building, and see the Charley Creek Inn. We welcome anyone that considers themselves a Seasoned Friend to join us. If you’re interested, please RSVP to the Meeting Office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.