As Way Opens
About a week ago I saw a flurry of bird activity in a bush just outside of my screened-in porch. It became apparent that a mom and dad cardinal were building a nest. It seemed kind of late in the season to begin building a nest but here were these two beautiful birds bringing twigs and leaves and stitching together an amazing basket to hold some future babies. The engineering of the basket out of these items in nature is always inspiring and holds me in awe. In the beginning these two birds were flying into the bush with frequency to build the base of the nest. Every day I would go out to the porch early in the morning to watch their progress. As the days passed the activity was reduced and it seemed like they were searching for the right next material to add to the structure. This morning the mama cardinal was sitting on the nest and I see 2 eggs.
This experience each morning was profound for me and brought me into God’s presence. Watching a cardinal build a nest is a holy experience. And knowing that this nest was built for babies, for the future, for the continuation of the cardinal species is the cycle of life that at times in our busy, conflicted and complicated lives can be lost. With all the division and anguish that we feel, this simple yet deeply spiritual practice of birds making nests can bring us together, bring us into the Divine, bring us into nature, and into the arms of God for all our worries.
As Jesus taught us - (Luke 12:22-24) “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.
Beth
Joys & Concerns
Friends are invited to a memorial service for Lowell R. It will take place on Saturday, June 25th at 11am, with a light lunch to follow. It will be at First Presbyterian Church, 512 7th St, Columbus, IN 47201. As you might recall, Lowell passed away peacefully in his home on December 20, 2020, just a few days after having celebrated his 100th birthday. Everyone is invited to attend.
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
Organ Concert Now Available Online! We truly enjoyed a recent organ concert put on by our new organist, Wolff von Roos, back on June 5th. If you didn’t get a chance to attend, or if you’d like to simply listen again, a recording is now available online! Find the video on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/MizU41pUsiI. It’s available anytime for anyone, so please feel free to share!
MONUMENTAL VBS Starts This Weekend! This year’s theme is Monumental: Celebrating God’s Greatness. Everyone is invited to our kickoff and luncheon which is this Sunday June 26 after worship, with activities starting at 12 noon! VBS will then take place 6:30-8:30pm Monday June 27 through Thursday, June 30. We hope to see you there!
Sign Up for the Dairy Bar Now! First Friends will be working at the Dairy Bar again at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, July 30th all day. We need volunteers for both the morning and the evening shifts, 9:00am-3:30pm and 3:30-10pm, respectively. Volunteers will get free ice cream and sandwiches! If you’d like to volunteer, please contact the office. This is a major fundraiser for our youth programming, so please consider volunteering!
WYM Annual Session Registration Is Open! Everyone is invited to join Western Yearly Meeting (WYM)’s annual sessions. They will be held both online and in person starting Friday, July 22. As usual, the sessions will conclude on Sunday July 24 with worship from 10am-12pm featuring speaker Paul Anderson. This year’s theme is “Better Together in Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13). More information will be coming, but for now you can view the schedule, print a registration form, or print a youth registration form (with youth medical release). If you have questions, please reach out to the WYM office at office@westernyearlymeeting.org or 317-839-2789.
Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like for you to join us from virtually anywhere in the world as we discuss The Good Lord Bird by James McBride (417 pages) From the bestselling author of The Color of Water and Song Yet Sung comes the story of a young boy born a slave who joins John Brown’s antislavery crusade—and who must pass as a girl to survive.
Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1857, when the region is a battleground between anti- and pro-slavery forces. When John Brown, the legendary abolitionist, arrives in the area, an argument between Brown and Henry’s master quickly turns violent. Henry is forced to leave town—with Brown, who believes he’s a girl.
Over the ensuing months, Henry—whom Brown nicknames Little Onion—conceals his true identity as he struggles to stay alive. Eventually Little Onion finds himself with Brown at the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859—one of the great catalysts for the Civil War.
An absorbing mixture of history and imagination, and told with McBride’s meticulous eye for detail and character, The Good Lord Bird is both a rousing adventure and a moving exploration of identity and survival.
We will gather in the Parlor and simultaneously via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST Tuesday, June 28, 2022 led by Rik L.
FUM and WYM Projects for 2022
The Quaker umbrella organizations, Friends United Meeting (“FUM”) and Western Yearly Meeting (“WYM”) each promote a fundraiser each year to assist in their mission work around the world. Here are the projects for 2022.
WYM: The WYM project is to raise $15,000 to help purchase a good used 4x4 vehicle for Friends Theological College, located in Kenya. The vehicle will be used to 1) transport students who go out to preach and work in the villages, and 2) to haul food, supplies, and other resources as needed. The total vehicle cost is estimated to be $45,000 – $49,000.
FUM: The FUM project is to “cultivate seeds of new life” for its various missions. Such missions include 1) the work of Getry Agizah who serves as Programme Coordinator in the Africa Ministry Office, 2) the work of Nicholas and Dorcas Otieno, FUM Living Letter missionaries serving in Tanzania, and 3) the pastoral ministry of Oscar Mmbali who has initiated outreach programs in Belize in connection with the Belize Friends School.
This is the one time during the year that First Friends promotes a fundraiser for Quaker missions outside the United States. Thank you for whatever support you are able to provide to these worthwhile projects.
Afghan Family’s Top Priority is Political Asylum;
First Friends Afghan Project Continues Supporting Their Resettlement
***PLEASE PRAY FOR THOSE IN AFGHANISTAN AFFECTED BY THE EARTHQUAKE, HUNGER, POVERTY AND TERRORISTS***
First Friends Afghan Project (FFAP) is seeking the way forward as it continues supporting this second Afghan family’s resettlement in the U.S.A. The family’s primary concern is obtaining asylum. They want to stay in the U.S. and they specifically asked the FFAP to support them in this effort. We are actively engaged in the endeavor. (We do not publish their name in order to respect their privacy and maintain their safety.)
The FFAP finished its co-sponsorship of the family with Exodus Refugee. We completed the commitments we made to 1) set up an apartment for the family, 2) provide rental assistance, 3) collect furnishings and supplies and 4) stock the pantry. We went beyond this as we engaged in transportation assistance, health appointment scheduling and accompaniment, adequate food supply, and providing English conversation and tutoring. Some of us have trained with the Immigrant Welcome Center and are using their curricula to tutor the family during the summer when IWC does not provide classes. We assisted the family in finding sports activities and a recreation center; purchased bikes and helped them learn bike safety and routes; helped them learn bus routes; and found a summer education program. We have assisted them with phones, computers, Zoom, WiFi, email/mail monitoring and app installations. We have helped set up a bank account, provided clothing and shoes (some through Changing Footprints) and helped obtain another air conditioner when a heat wave was looming. We have also provided birthday cakes and lessons in resetting a circuit breaker during a power outage in the middle of the night.
FFAP is no longer co-sponsoring with Exodus Refugee, but we are continuing work with the family. We are supporting political asylum by offering to accompany them to hearings and meetings. We are supporting their attorney in getting affidavits and by offering an instructional legal packet we discovered that is specific to Afghan evacuees. Other areas we have agreed to assist in include financial literacy (including budgeting and monitoring accounts); transportation support; helping with driver education and licensing efforts; attorney assistance when obtaining a new lease and English Language Learner tutoring. We will continue submitting maintenance requests to the landlord. We will look for schools and educational programs for the fall. We will continue to help educate the family by reinforcing medical advice regarding health monitoring and proper use of prescriptions. Assisting the family in comparing health insurance opportunities is a priority.
We are in relationship with other churches and groups who are sponsoring Afghan families. Our conversations are enlightening as we share resources and hope our work is helping to make incredibly difficult transitions a tiny bit easier for Afghan evacuees. The Afghan families have a long haul ahead. Some evacuees are receiving little help and are unaware of important governmental deadlines for submission of specific documents necessary for the granting of asylum. Fortunately, the FFAP has the back of the family we sponsor. We have a team member with expertise and some experience with Afghan asylum. Also, the family has access to an attorney through Exodus Refugee.
Thank you, First Friends and like-minded friends, for joining with us in First Friends Afghan Project and for helping to make resettlement and asylum possible for this brave family. Thank you for helping to preserve lives.
Help Washington Township Students~ Teachers and school social workers in Washington Township are sponsoring “block parties” for students at several apartment complexes in Washington Township this summer. Needed items to be handed out at these block parties are as follows: 1) Sunscreen, 2) Insect repellant, 3) Reusable water bottles, and 4) Hygiene/personal care items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, and feminine products. First Friends (and the other Shalom Zone churches) will be collecting such items through July 3. Please place items in the box in the foyer of the meetinghouse. Thanks for your support.
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. We still have many Sundays available! Thank you for sharing your God-given gifts!
Restorative Yoga ~ Please join friend Kristyn G in a restorative yoga practice session! These sessions will take place on Mondays June 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!
Queries for the Week
· Do I limit God to fit my boxes?
· How might I expand my understanding of God?
· In what ways do I need to deepen my contemplative practices to more fully experience God?