As Way Opens
As we reflect on those we have loved and lost over Memorial Day weekend, I want to share a beautiful tribute that Leslie K wrote about her brother whom she lost to Covid in March. -Beth
My brother died recently from COVID. It was quick and unexpected, we barely had time to process that he was sick before we were attending a funeral. He was vital and tall and funny and introspective, and with his broad shoulders and deep dimples, he was the crush of all my high school friends. An athlete, a traveler, a collector of guitars and lover of motorcycles and, as he discovered when his son became an actor, musical theater.
When I heard he was sick it was already serious; breathing problems sent him right into ICU. I felt helpless and disoriented and incredibly sad, so I did what I have always done for as long as I can remember; I asked for people to pray. Everyone I knew, friends and relatives, co-workers and my church family. My friends asked their friends and their churches, and on and on and I was comforted in the knowledge that there were a great many people praying for a common cause.
I was taught early on that God answers prayer, and that “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” With that in mind, I would present a hopeful shopping list of wants and needs to God, try hard to behave myself and wait for the response. Although I was also taught that sometimes the answer is "no" I frequently felt like my requests disappeared in the ether and no one was listening at all.
Somehow my prayer life evolved or devolved, depending on your point of view, and for a long time I couldn’t pray. When I picked it up again, it looked nothing like it had in its past incarnations, and oftentimes my prayers today consist of a single word or thought. And while at times it does seem God responds directly to a prayer, I have settled into the belief that outcomes are beyond my grasp and my understanding, and I am content to allow life to unfold as it will.
I continue to pray, because even though I may not understand the modus operandi of prayer, I have learned that the heart of prayer is connection. When I am praying, and you are praying, and he is praying, and they are praying connection happens; something electric and beautiful and mystical arcs across those physical spaces that separate us and we are no longer alone in our fear, alone in our sorrow, alone in our joy, alone in our hope. A cosmic current creates a circle of unity with the spirit of Love, and I am “held” in the warm Light of transcendence. And by this I am comforted, and by this I am renewed, and by this I have peace.
I miss my brother. I don’t know why he is gone. I hoped and prayed he would heal and come home but that did not happen. I am bereft but I am not defeated, because all the time we were praying for him, I was constantly reminded that I was not alone, in my grief or my confusion. And he was not alone. There is a chain that emanates and returns to the Source of all that is and links us together in holy unity. And for me, that is the real power of prayer.
Leslie K
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
Artful Meditation ~ Join our instructor Shawn H on Saturday, June 4, from 10am-11:30 in Fellowship Hall as we make art while exploring the theme of joy. For this session jars will be prepped for painting and decorating. Also, Shawn will set up a watercolor station and show some cool techniques that can be used. This is open to all ages. Shawn says, "Those that wish to attend will only need to bring themselves and their thoughts of what brings them joy in their everyday lives."
Organ Concert! We hope you will join us for an Organ Concert put on by our new organist, Wolff von Roos. We are very excited to hear him play a concert for us! Join us this Sunday, June 5th at 4pm at Indianapolis First Friends.
HIV Survivors Awareness Day Celebration ~ You’re invited to a celebration honoring long-term survivors and community advocates of HIV and celebrating their stories. It will take place on Sunday, June 5th, 3-5pm at Broadway United Methodist Church, 609 E 29th St, Indianapolis 46205. It will feature keynote speaker Rev. Leah Gunning Francis, Ph. D, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, Christian Theological Seminary. There will be musical entertainment as well as survivor testimonies. For more information, visit https://broadwayumc.org.
Night of 1000 Comics! (Give or Take a Few) ~ You’re invited to a night of clean comedy on Sunday, June 5 at 7:00pm at Epworth United Methodist Church (6450 Allisonville Road). Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, with 25% of proceeds benefitting Society of St Andrew – Feeding America’s Hungry. Featured comics include Paul Aldrich, Robert G. Lee, and Gordon Douglas. To buy tickets and for more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/night-of-1000-comics-give-or-take-a-few-tickets-289003295637.
Words from the Woods ~ The next Woods Work Day is June 6 from 9-10:30 AM. Bring gloves, your favorite weeding tool and sun protection. We will do some weeding around the meditation circle, Peace pole and other places. We will remove dead limbs from some of the shrubs and perhaps transplant some wild ginger on the west side of the courtyard. We’re still figuring out the best way to keep the grasses trimmed up, so bear with the transition from the old mowing service to the new!
Creation Care Updates:
Saturday June 4, 2022 from 11:00-5:00 PM is the Annual Earth Day event in Garfield Park. This free event has live musical performances and youth activities. For more information, visit Indiana Earth Day.
Hoosier Interfaith Power & Light (HIPL.org) a faith based organization whose mission is to make houses a worship a hub of creation care and education, has merged with a regional organization to increase their efficiency and resources. Check out Faith in Place and consider getting on their newsletter. Anyone interested in forming a Creation Care Green Team? https://www.faithinplace.org
The Hoosier Sierra Club created an eye opening report on the Indiana General Assembly’s actions on creation care. See how your legislator worked to either to support or undermine God’s beautiful creation. Sierra Club Legislators Scorecard.
As a volunteer at Hoosier Environmental Council, I (Mary B) have learned a lot about coal combustion residuals and its effect on groundwater. Additionally, as I have advocated for a transition to cleaner forms of energy to protect our earth, I’ve also learned about the adverse health effects of fossil fuel extraction and refineries on poorer communities, causing increased respiratory ailments like asthma, lung and heart diseases, cancer and premature births. A concerning case is before the Supreme Court that seeks to weaken the regulations of the Clean Air Act. Many of us can remember the toxic clouds surrounding the communities of Gary and East Chicago on the way to visit the Museum of Science Industry as children before the EPA was created. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss has a short video raising awareness of this momentous decision: West Virgina vs. EPA.
VBS: Sign-Ups Open & Volunteers Needed! This year we are having Vacation Bible School from Sunday June 26th through Thursday, June 30th. Registration is now open! We invite you to sign up your kids and grandkids, and invite your neighbors as well! This year’s theme is Monumental: Celebrating God’s Greatness. We are also in need of volunteers for crew leaders and people to bring snacks during one of the weeknights. This is a wonderful event that children look forward to each year and we are able to offer it free of charge thanks to volunteers like you! If you can help, please contact 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 is June 19th. For an application, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.
Meditational Woods Birds of the Month for June
Wilson’s Snipe: Is the Joke on You?
This month I am celebrating a bird that made an appearance last month. In fact, it was one of the most unusual avian visitors ever to grace our property. After circling through the Meditational Woods, I made my way northward under the high tension lines above the meadow. One of our neighbors to the east has a reddish-brown fence, and it was on the ground along this fence that I spied what I thought was a mammal: perhaps a slender cat or large ground squirrel. Then it turned its head, and I saw the view in my drawing. The slender head with an enormous bill and long-ways head striping identified this as a Wilson’s Snipe!! Although a few other shorebirds have long bills, the lack of a body of water here narrowed the choices. That bill is used to probe the grass and mud for food. Recent rains had made the ground sloshy, and perfect for picking worms and insects.
As I made my way back through the parking lot, I met one of the supervisors of children on the playground. She asked me what birds I had seen that morning. I told her that I had just seen a snipe. She remarked, “I thought they did not really exist!” Readers who are my age may recall an old prank played by kids on other kids, in which the victim is told that the group is going on a “snipe hunt.” The weapons for the hunt are a sack (burlap bag?) and some sort of stick. The instructions are to walk around, hitting the bag with the stick, yelling, “Here, snipe!! Here, here, snipe!!” When no snipe are found, the practical joke is revealed by telling the participant that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SNIPE!!
The TRUTH IS that snipes DO EXIST, that long ago they were hunted as a source of food, and in May one showed up at Indianapolis First Friends meadow. Instead of a paper sack and stick, I had binoculars! -- Brad J
Your Talent is Needed! ~ The choir has gone on break for the summer. Please see the signup sheet on the bulletin board in the hallway to sign up for summer music! We are hoping you will come share your talent with the congregation while our choir takes a break. Be it with your voice by singing or by playing an instrument. Sign up now for any or several Sundays over the summer. Thank you for sharing your God-given gifts!
Donations Needed ~ Leslie K works in a nonprofit residential treatment center for substance abuse disorders; many of the men who come in for treatment have come off the streets or have been incarcerated. If you've been doing spring cleaning and would like to donate gently used men's clothing, tennis shoes, books, Bibles, backpacks, duffels or unused musical instruments, any or all would be greatly appreciated by the residents. Donations can be left at the meeting house.
Mark Your Calendars! First Friends will be working at the Dairy Bar again at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, July 30th all day. Please consider volunteering for either a morning or afternoon shift for this major fundraiser for our youth programming. More details to come!
The Gospel of John: Illuminate Summer Speaker Series ~ You’re invited to join Barclay Press & Pendle Hill for a series of evening discussions with authors of the Illuminate Friends Bible Study summer curriculum on the Gospel of John. The series will kick off on Monday, June 13 at 7:30, and will take place the 2nd and 4th Mondays, June through August, from 7:30pm - 9:00pm Eastern Time via Zoom. Speakers will share insights from their studies as they prepared this summer’s lessons and “Friendly Perspectives.” This quarter’s Illuminate introduces us to the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus in this unique gospel, the most theological of the four gospels in the Bible. “Friendly Perspectives” accompany each week’s lesson, showing Jesus’s encounters with a variety of people, and prompting us to consider what it means to be a Friend of Jesus in this time. The basic fee for the series is $125, or $25 per single session. Financial assistance is available. For the schedule and more information as well as registration, visit https://pendlehill.org/events/illuminate-summer-speaker-series-2022/.
Changing Footprints ~ Changing Footprints is a nonprofit that collects new and gently used shoes for distribution to homeless, disaster-stricken, or underprivileged people. They are on track to distribute a record 50,000 pairs this year just from the north Indy location alone. They provide gently used footwear to local nonprofits as well as refugees and the needy in foreign countries. Please bring to the Donation Station in Fellowship Hall any footwear that you no longer need. They collect all types, and are very grateful for your past contributions! Thank you.
Restorative Yoga ~ Please join friend Kristyn G in a restorative yoga practice session! These sessions will take place on Mondays June 20 & 27; and July 11 & 25 at 4:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. Each session will last for an hour. This gentle practice will stretch and restore you. $10 suggested donation. Hope to see you there!
“I Am Spiritual but Not Religious!” ~ “Spiritual but not religious” (SBNR) is a popular phrase and initialism used to self-identity a life stance of spirituality that does not regard organized religion as the sole or most valuable means of furthering spiritual growth. First Friends Meeting of Kokomo invites you to a series of events focusing on examining this idea. The series begins with an evening of worship on Friday, July 8 at 6:30pm. On Saturday the 9th there will be a BBQ picnic at 5pm followed by a Talk on Kenya, Africa. Then on Sunday at 10:30am they will have Meeting for Worship with guest speakers Shawn McConaughey, General Superintendent of Western Yearly Meeting and Oscar Mmbali, Pastoral Minister of Belize City Friends. Join Kokomo Friends at 1801 Zartman Rd, Kokomo, IN 46902. For more information, view the flyer here or contact kokomofirstfriends@gmail.com.
Birdbath Tips from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
When it comes to birdwatching, there’s no place like home. Colorful birds are a delight for the eyes—and it’s easy to make a bird haven right outside your window:
· Put Up a Bird Feeder. The 3 bird-food staples are black-oil sunflower, nyjer, and suet, but there are plenty of additional options. Here's a handy tool that matches common birds with their favorite foods, so you know just what to buy.
· Give Them Water. A quick sip and a place to bathe will bring birds to your yard—including species that won’t visit feeders. Download our full set of birdbath tips.
· What About Squirrels? Those crafty critters are incredibly good at getting to your seed—download our top squirrel suggestions here.
We hope you enjoy the birds around your home!
Queries for the Week
· Am I afraid of entering the wilderness?
· What do I need to face in the wilderness?
· What in my soul needs to quietly emerge?