Friend to Friend May 6, 2020

May 8, 2020

As Way Opens

Since the pandemic first demanded we shelter-in-place, I committed to focusing some of my limited free-time on my creative outlets. Since our son, Sam is connected with the Indianapolis Arts Center as a member of the Youth Arts Council, I was hoping this spring or early summer to take an art class and get more involved. The pandemic quickly brought that idea to a close. So instead, I thought I would challenge myself in a variety of ways. I made a plan and then it grew.

Quarantine Thoughts: “estar a salvo” (acrylic on mini-canvas 6” x 6”) This is dedicated to all our LatinX essential workers in the cities and fields. And since I am a Quaker, I had to make the spiritual animal a fox in honor of George Fox.

First, I decided instead of consuming the normal amount of religious and spiritual books, I would limit those and focus also on a list of artist biographies that I have wanted to read. Already during this pandemic, I have read biographies or autobiographies of Georgia O’Keeffe, Marc Chagall, and Marina Abramovich, and I have two more on the way. Second, I decided that I would chronicle the pandemic through an ongoing social media display titled, Quarantine Thoughts: Artful Expressions of a Pandemic. Currently, I have created and displayed eight different pieces utilizing a variety of media. They are often quick thoughts or feelings that I want to capture in whatever media is available at the moment. Thirdly, I decided to look into my own city’s arts council and began interacting with them through their Monday 2 Monday creative challenge. Each week they give a prompt of two opposite words (i.e. past or present, energy or relax, etc.) and artists from throughout our community create or share past work that they believe represent one of the two topics. Then throughout the week, the art council posts groupings of our work in a kind of weekly art show on Facebook. This led me to my latest creative venture, starting an artist Facebook page that displays my love for art and my creative expressions. Feel free to drop by my new page at RSH Expressions the next time you are on Facebook.

*Quarantine Thoughts: “Empty” (ink drawing)*

It seems like a lot, when I write it all out, but each of these things has been a joyful discipline that has helped me stay sane during these trying times. As I have begun explaining my art and sharing it more widely, I have come to realize how much it truly is influenced by my Quaker faith and spiritual journey. The first painting I shared with my city’s arts council was Resurrection Light: Beyond All Limits of Space and Time and I was able to share the story behind it from my Easter Sermon. This created a wonderful exchange about who Quakers are and what all we believe. As well, I found reading artist biographies have been much more spiritual than I imagined. I even just began reading the classic book by Wassily Kandinsky, Concerning the Spiritual in Art that explores these connections. Finally, through my own artistic creations, I have found new ways to express the struggles, questions, ideas, and even theologies that I have had a hard time articulating.

It has been a breath of fresh air during this pandemic and isolation to have a little more time to engage my love for art and see how it too is an extension of my ministry. I pray you are finding ways to engage your creative outlets during this time, because I believe we ALL are creative in our own special ways! That is part of the Imago Dei (image of God) within us. I hope you will take some time today to create and see where all it goes!

Grace and peace,

Bob

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) -- Update and Appeal for Food Relief

Recently, the RSWR Board met to approve grant funding for twenty new projects in India, Kenya, and Sierra Leone this year. These grants will resource women-led micro-enterprises with great promise for the future of the women, their families, and their communities, empowering them in a sustainable and self-determined way. But our hopeful planning for the future was tempered by the stark reality of the coronavirus pandemic, and the threat it poses to our women partners today. Due to the spreading outbreak and government ordered sheltering-in-place in their countries, these women now cannot work. And without income, they cannot feed themselves or their families. RSWR's field representatives--some of whom worshiped with us here at First Friends last October--have named food relief as the most urgent need at this time. Until the public health crisis passes, food relief is how RSWR can best serve our women partners right now.

To meet this crisis, RSWR has decided to provide a total of $120,000 in food relief to the women who count on us. The Board approved an immediate disbursement of $50 in food relief to each of the RSWR 2019 grant recipients--a modest amount for us in the U.S., but incredibly consequential for them. Then, if we are able to raise sufficient funds over the next month and a half, we hope to disburse a like amount per person to our 2018 grant recipients. Both these groups of grantees were experiencing success in their fledgling businesses until the coronavirus outbreak. Because of our relationship with these women, RSWR is ideally situated to be the conduit for this assistance, with an efficient, reliable way to disburse funds using already established channels.

Please prayerfully consider a donation to RSWR in support of this food relief effort. You can donate by check mailed to RSWR at 101 Quaker Hill Drive, Richmond, IN 47374, or for more information on how to donate go online to www.rswr.org. All donations labelled "food relief " will go directly to our women partners (please identify your donation in this way). By donating today, you make a better tomorrow possible for them. Thank you.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Quakr Network Notice ~ Due to low member engagement, we will suspend our trial of the Quakr Network on May 10. Please download any materials that you would like to keep prior to this Sunday. Thanks!

Advocates for Immigrants in Detention! Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest (AIDNW) serves as a support system for immigrants detained in the NW ICE Processing Center located in an industrial area of Tacoma. This is an organization that Tom and Noell K now volunteer with! Due to COVID-19, AIDNW has increased expenses trying to help immigrants with transportation, meals and hotel costs as they travel to reach their families. They are promoting an online fundraising campaign, GiveBIG Washington, to raise funds for this great, effective, and desperately needed organization. This is a two-day campaign which ends today!!

If you’d like to learn more about AIDNW and/or donate to the cause go to https://www.givebigwa.org/and type AIDNW in the “Find Organizations” box. On the AIDNW profile, click on “learn more” and you will find Tom & Noell’s personal Fundraising Page by clicking on their picture. They are trying to raise $1000 by giving $500 to match donations from their friends and family. Before going to their page be sure to watch the video Eric’s Story and check out the other video and pictures. These images powerfully explain why Tom & Noell are dedicated to AIDNW. You can also visit the AIDNW website at aidnw.org and donate through that platform if you wish. Thank you for your support during this time!

Calling all members and attenders! Please don’t forget to complete the Clerks’ Survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/ffmeeting. Today is the last day to respond!!! Now’s your chance to tell Clerks’ Council what’s working for you (and areas of improvement) as we seek your feedback on everything from Meeting for Worship to our Christian Education programs. The survey only takes a few minutes. We appreciate your responses!

Did you miss the premiere of our past Sunday Meeting for Worship? Watch it ANYTIME at this link: https://youtu.be/QbZDhkrBWS0. We hope you had a wonderful and safe Sunday! Keep an eye out in your email for details soon on the coming Sunday’s virtual service!

Reopening Discernment

One question on most of our minds today is “when can we regather for activities like Meeting for Worship?" The decision as to how long to delay (beyond the advice of our public health officials, which we have followed to date) belongs to us, and we would like to hear from you. Our discernment process will include the following online meetings:

Advancing Clerk’s Council from May 18th to May 11th (to gather initial feedback from our Committees and Trustees);
Seeking volunteers at our Meeting for Business on May 17th to join a special reopening task force;
Holding a Called Meeting on June 14th to seek all member feedback; and
Providing an update at Meeting for Business on June 21.

The Meetinghouse will remain closed until after the report from the task force is reviewed and approved. This forecloses any gatherings at the Meetinghouse until July at the earliest (and potentially beyond in accordance with the approved task force recommendations). Once the Meetinghouse reopens for Worship and other activities, we intend to live stream only those portions of our Meetings for Worship that would be appropriate for our Quaker manner or worship (in consultation with Ministry & Counsel). This should allow everyone to participate in most of our worship activities online until such time as we are individually comfortable returning to the Meetinghouse (and perhaps beyond to benefit anyone who is unable to attend in-person).

We look forward to regathering together in ways that balance health data, Meeting consensus, and individual circumstances, and we sincerely appreciate your involvement in this process!

Calling All Graduates! ~ As we do each year, we will be honoring our graduates on Sunday, May 31st. If you or someone in your family is graduating from high school or college, please notify the office so we may acknowledge them! office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485. Please have your graduate write a short bio of what they plan on doing after graduation, as well as fond memories at First Friends, and what First Friends has meant to them. Thank you for helping us honor your students!

First Friends Bible study ~ All are welcome to join this new bible study group here at First Friends! The first book we will study is a publication in the Barclay series called Illuminate: John (The Spiritual Gospel) (2011). The group will meet virtually each Thursday night at 7:30, beginning Thursday, May 14. The originators are Amy P, Linda L, Megan W, and Tim W. Members will take turns facilitating, as they feel comfortable. The facilitator will not be a teacher; rather they will manage the discussion based on the questions in the Bible Study book. The Illuminate series was highly recommended by Bob Henry. If you're interested in listening in and/or participating, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. It is not necessary to attend all the sessions. You'll need to order your own copy of the book.

More about the book (from Barclay): Perhaps the most distinguishing feature about John’s Gospel is the long dialogues he records between Jesus and unbelieving Jews. John’s purpose is clearly evangelistic: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (20:31)Some commentators see sacramental overtones almost everywhere in the Gospel of John; however, it’s interesting to note that John is the only one of the four gospels where there’s no mention of the bread and wine at the Last Supper. As Friends there’s much in this gospel that supports emphasizing the primacy of spiritual reality as opposed simply to relying on a creed or a religious ritual. In fact, a primary purpose of the lessons in this quarter should be to teach a Quaker understanding of the gospel of Christ.

Easy Seed Organization and Crop Rotation Planning for Vegetable Gardens

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, usually a good marker for when to plant seeds and young plants. Usually frost-free nights will ensue after or around that date.

Organizing Seeds for Planting Now, Later in the Season and Next Season

Take clear plastic gallon freezer bags (not good for earth, though so I recycle) so seeds don’t get wet. Label bags: legume, root, leaf, fruit and flower. I usually put herbs in the leaf bag. The idea is to separate heavy and light feeders, crops that take the most nutrients from the soil and plants that replenish them. That way you can rotate crops every season or two in a raised bed or among a group of raised beds. Changing plant locations can decrease insect populations that overwinter or leave eggs behind. It is also a method to discourage disease in the same manner. The same type plants are not there to invade.

Record planting dates directly on seed packets. Planting directions are right on the packs. Sometimes I save empty seed packets of my favorites so I know exactly what to get next time. It is easy to discard old seeds that are no longer as fertile. I have a notebook where I keep plant layouts so I remember next season. I can record pest and disease onsets to aid in future planning. To the right are a couple of ways to rotate crops!

Mother Earth thanks you for your care and gives back to you many times over. Happy Mother’s Day!

Material Aid / Food Pantry Fundraisers ~ This is the time of year that First Friends has held its fundraiser for the Mid North Food Pantry. You may have seen this in last week’s Friend to Friend newsletter. The food pantry is busier than ever and needs the financial support that First Friends has provided in the past. There’s also another area of help that we need to address...the First Friends’ Material Aid Fund. This is a fund that is used to provide emergency assistance to members and longtime attenders of First Friends. Due to the limited amount in this fund, the assistance provided is not on-going but rather for one-time emergency needs...rental assistance, a utility bill, a new tire, etc. This fund has historically maintained a balance of $3,000 – $4,000 but, due to several recent needs, is now down to a few hundred dollars.

Many folks at First Friends are not aware of the existence of the Material Aid Fund. This is understandable since distributions from this fund are not publicized. Given the current coronavirus situation, the need for both the pantry and the Material Aid Fund are expected to substantially increase. Your help is needed. Hopefully, over the next month or so, we will receive “stimulus monies” from the federal government. Some folks will need such monies (and possibly more) for food, rent and other basic living needs. Other folks may have less of a need or no need for such monies. Please consider donating some or all of such monies that you may not need to these outreach endeavors. With your help, the pantry will be able to provide food for the needy and the Material Aid Fund will be available for our neediest members. Checks can be written to First Friends with a notation of how you would like your contribution split between the 2 funds...50% FP/50% MA or however you are led. You can also give by text! Simply text the keyword and amount you’d like to donate to 317-768-0303. Use keyword “material” for the Material Aid fund or “pantry” for the Mid-North Food Pantry. Thanks for your consideration.

Support First Friends! Friends, during this time we are still in need of your support to keep the Meetinghouse going, to continue online Meetings for Worship, and to keep our ministries afload. As we all learn to navigate this new world of social distancing together, we are happy to share new and easier ways you can continue to support the Meeting while stuck at home! First Friends now accepts online giving. Please visit www.indyfriends.org/support for more information or to give. There are a number of ways to support, including:

giving online using a credit card or bank account (much like online shopping)
giving through text
setting up automatic contributions through your bank
submitting a pledge

These methods truly support First Friends while allowing you to stay within the safety of home. They are also incredibly secure; our online and text giving options offer bank-level security encryption, so you can give with confidence. If you have questions or would like to be walked through how to do it, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or call 317-255-2485. Thank you for supporting First Friends, especially during these times!

Join us for Unprogrammed Worship by Zoom! We are now gathering for unprogrammed worship on Mondays and Wednesdays by Zoom. On Mondays, you can join us at 12:15, and on Wednesdays, log on with us at 6:45pm. We’ll spend 15 minutes to share joys and concerns and then have our hour-long worship. Many thanks to Kathy R, who is hosting this worship. To join the Zoom worship please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org for the Zoom meeting info.

Join us from virtually anywhere in the world as the Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading book club discusses A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (496 pages) on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. “He can't leave his hotel. You won't want to. From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility--a transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel. In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel's doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery. Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count's endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.” (Goodreads) Laura C will be leading the discussion in via Zoom starting at 7 pm, if you’d like to receive the Oak Leaf email, or would like the link to the Zoom meeting, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Queries for the Week

(From self-led worship)

Who has God placed on my mind that I need to reach out to and bring some happiness (or make feel warm and fuzzy) this week?
How have I been “rocking my chest” and longing for God during this difficult time? Have I been quiet and patient as I wait on God’s response?
Am I nurturing my True Self during this pandemic? What can I do to become even more my True Self?

(From virtual service)

Where is impatience getting the best of me during this pandemic?
How am I waiting on God and seeing God in fresh ways during these challenging times?
How am I allowing this disruption and chaos to transform me?

Comment

Friend to Friend April 29, 2020

April 30, 2020

As Way Opens

I just completed a class at Earlham School of Religion on Quakerism and Buddhism. My final paper was on comparing and contrasting the life of Jesus and the Buddha. There are some fascinating similarities as well as substantial differences. I read a book by Thich Nhat Hanh, Coming Home - Comparing Jesus and Buddha as Brothers that examined some of these similarities and differences. Hanh is generous in spirit and an open monk that feels at home with both Jesus and the Buddha. He had an interesting reflection on the last supper and Jesus sharing the bread and wine with his disciples. As an individual that grew up with communion, I always struggled with an understanding of communion and how we were to take the bread and wine to remember that Jesus gave his body and blood for us. Some Christian traditions believe that the wine and bread actually become Jesus’s blood and body once inside our mouths. This ritual has been troubling to me my whole life on several levels. It seems almost cannibalistic, pagan and a sacrament to remember Jesus when we should be remembering Jesus every day in every moment.

Hanh gave a different perspective in the book that resonates with me. He says ,”Even though Jesus gave us the bread, we still eat the idea. The bread that Jesus handed to you, to us, is real bread, and if you can eat real bread you have real life. But we are not able to eat real bread. We only try to eat the word bread or the notion of bread. Even when we are celebrating the Eucharist, we are still eating notions and ideas. “Take, my friends, this is my flesh, this is my blood.” Can there be any more drastic language in order to wake you up? What could Jesus have said that is better than that? You have been eating ideas and notions, and I want you to eat real bread so that you become alive. If you come back to the present moment, fully alive, you will realize this is real bread, this piece of bread is the body of the whole cosmos.”

This idea of eating the real bread to become fully alive really hit me this week. I embrace the idea of Quakers that we don’t need the act of communion to remember. But Jesus might be asking us to eat the real bread and become fully alive, fully awake to God’s presence and God’s loving spirit and to taste the cosmos and God’s creation. God is beyond any idea or notion we have of God and communion is about becoming alive.

I am praying we all feel awake to the real bread that Jesus offers us this week. Especially as we enter this continued time of upheaval, lament and disruption.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Courtyard Update! Several years ago, our courtyard was refreshed with beautiful Annabelle hydrangeas and several other native species. Terry T tended the area for many years with great care and love. Last year, the plantings beneath Fellowship Hall windows disappeared! In order to get the right plants for that area, we consulted with a landscape architect who works with native plants and their better behaved “nativars”. Under her guidance, we have been busily weeding and planting and mulching in the courtyard. To reduce maintenance, several dwarf species of native plants were installed. Look for itea ‘Little Henry’ sweetspire along with dwarf ninebark ‘Tiny wine’ and dwarf oakleaf hydrangea ‘Sike’s Dwarf’. These small shrubs will provide the 'backbone' with coneflowers, bee balm, short’s aster, mist plant and others complementing each other through the seasons. Of special note is a group of three ninebark that are dedicated to the memory of Helen Davenport by her family.

We removed over 36 gallons of a pretty, but invasive plant called Common Star of Bethlehem. Hopefully, we will be better able to recognize weeds earlier and keep them under control. Gardeners are welcome to join in the fun! Thanks to all who contributed: Mindy and Michael and Felix S, Dan M, David B, Larry M, Terry T, Kathy F and Norma W- Mary B

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) -- Update and Appeal for Food Relief

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Did you miss the premiere of our past Sunday Meeting for Worship? Watch it ANYTIME at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5i-VypN3hE. We hope you had a wonderful and safe Sunday! Keep an eye out in your email for details soon on the coming Sunday’s virtual service!

Calling all members and attenders! Please don’t forget to complete the Clerks’ Survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/ffmeeting. Now’s your chance to tell Clerks’ Council what’s working for you (and areas of improvement) as we seek your feedback on everything from Meeting for Worship to our Christian Education programs. The survey only takes a few minutes. We appreciate your responses!

Women’s Workshop: Overcoming Darkness through Poetry and Dance

Free your Muse and enjoy one another’s company in this Sunday’s Women’s Workshop: Overcoming Darkness through Poetry and Dance from 12 to 1:30 p.m., May 3rd on Zoom. Several women from First Friends will read their original poetry and use interpretive dance in order to inspire you to create and detox. You must bring your own materials. Together we will learn how to make blackout and highlighter poetry and then decorate it. You DO NOT need to be a poet or artist and your work need not be perfect. We will take time to discuss the feelings evoked through this experience and individuals may share if they wish to do so.

Think ahead about your workspace so you can create, communicate and watch via Zoom. The main materials required are paper; a printed source such as a magazine; markers and decorative materials.

Please contact the office for the Zoom information.

It is probably easiest to eat lunch beforehand or finish up as you watch the dancing and listen to the poetry since our discussion time will occur on the tail end of the gathering and you will need to devote time and workspace to your project. Nancy S. will facilitate the workshop and Beth H. will host Zoom. Poets include Linda L., Becki H., Leslie K. and Nancy. Dancers include Amy P. and Nichole M. Before those gathered create their poetry, Mary Ellen L., Michelle T. and Naomi W. will show examples of ways they have enhanced their poems through the use of stickers, stencils, shapes, drawings, textures and colors.

How are highlighter and blackout poetry made?

Blackout poetry: a person blacks out all unwanted words from pages of books, magazines or newspapers so that the remaining words create a poem.

Highlighter poetry: the person uses a marker to highlight the words that appeal and creates a poem by using only those words selected.

In both techniques one goes from start to finish using the chosen words in the same order in which they were found.

What do I need to bring?

The workshop is a free-spirited exercise open to a broad range of interpretation and opinions. Bring your preferred media and printed materials. Bring a dark marker or instrument for blackout poetry and a yellow or light marker or tool for highlighter poetry. Some examples of what you may want are glue, scissors, stencils, stickers, chalk, pastels, paint, pencils, colored pencils, an eraser, glitter, pens, etc. You may prefer to put your ordered words on a separate piece of paper—or not. You may wish to have construction, plain or lined papers on hand. Some people cut the pages and or words and pictures out of the printed source. It is your choice.

Come join in the fun and creativity. Our creations may be dark, light-hearted or funny. Who knows? You reap what you sow in this gathering. You may find out what you did not know about yourself. We will reflect and overcome some of our pandemic-imposed isolation!

Community Gardeners Plotting, Planting and Digging In

The Community Gardeners are digging in—literally. All plots are claimed though more can be prepared if the demand is there. Everyone is preparing or has prepared their soil for planting; some gardeners have started planting. One plot is rebuilt on one gardener’s own initiative. All this has been accomplished despite our garage being off limits during the pandemic. Truly impressive! I don’t know that we have ever had so many gardeners prepare the soil this early and it is the foundation of an organic garden! On average, the Indianapolis (Growing Zone 6a) frost-free growing season starts April 27 and ends October 7.

Remember my motto that all gardening is an experiment. Each season is different because of many variables. Just jump in and learn as you go. Learn from other community gardeners. Mother Nature is forgiving or none of us would be here. Here are a few tips:

Planting dates are established according to annual weather patterns. Dates vary according to planting zones and areas. Indianapolis is Zone 6a. You may choose to have an early crop of one vegetable, harvest it and plant a late crop of something else in the same spot. This requires a little research and planning. Planting dates are important because of insect invasions and temperature. For instance, some invasions can be avoided according to the life stage of a particular insect at a specific time. Temperature is important when one considers that some plants, for example certain strawberry types, thrive in early spring. Some greens, such as kale, are cold-weather crops that can survive late into the season.

Pay attention to spacing. In raised beds plants are spaced more closely to avoid weed growth and to use space effectively. Even so, crowded plants can attract pests and disease. Weeding is imperative.
Planting depths matter because seeds can wash away or they may not receive enough warmth to generate the energy needed to reach the sunshine.
Some plants are easier to buy as seedlings or small plants rather than growing them from seed. These include tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, eggplant, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.

Put on those garden gloves and hats and enjoy company in the sunshine and fresh air. Remember to keep six feet apart from others and wear masks when others are nearby. A stray sneeze or cough can travel much farther than six feet and most of us are untested and don’t know if we are asymptomatic carriers of COVJID-19. Have fun and be safe!!

Useful gardening resources:

extension@Purdue.edu (Purdue Extension Marion County) has extensive local gardening information
Website garden.org has planting date guides and information for individual crops in individual zip codes.

giving online using a credit card or bank account (much like online shopping)
giving through text
setting up automatic contributions through your bank
submitting a pledge

Queries for the Week

(From self-led worship)

What am I doing to unleash my inner creativity during these trying times?
As I look at the images that surround me on a daily basis, what are they teaching me about the Divine?
Where has my life become a little chaotic or messy lately? Where do I need to add some shape and color to bring out the beauty?

(From virtual service)

What current struggles do I need to share with God?
How can I become more aware of the struggles I am facing, and what is behind those struggles?
Where am I seeing God’s goodness in my life (whether in the past or in the current situation)?

Comment

Friend to Friend April 22, 2020

April 23, 2020

As Way Opens

On Tuesday, I celebrated 100 days! No, I am not talking about isolation, even though it seems about that long, doesn’t it? I am celebrating 100 days of taking better care of my physical body. It all started just after the new year, when I caught the end of an interview with a doctor on Good Morning America. His last comment went something like this…if you want to get to your ideal weight, I challenge you to 100 days of eating 1000 calories or less, drinking the required daily water, exercising, and making good choices.

If I would have started the day of his challenge, the doctor on GMA said I would be much closer to my “ideal weight” by the Easter Holiday. I quickly opened my phone and looked and 100 days, and, sure enough, it was Easter. I am often leery of gimmicks and weight loss fads, so it took me about 10 more days until I committed to making a change – thus Tuesday, April 21st was my 100 days.

As the son of a former Weight Watcher discussion leader, I have engrained in me all the right things to do and put in place to successfully make it to the 100 days (if I choose to actually do them). I quickly set a goal of losing 25 lbs. by my birthday, Feb. 27th. When I hit that mark about three days before my birthday, I gained some needed confidence. My second goal was to lose 50 lbs. by my two boy’s graduations in May. Currently, I have lost 36 lbs. and am getting closer and closer each day to that 50 lbs. goal.

I will have to say, 100 days ago I wasn’t the only thing looking slightly different. Our world was literally on the verge of a global pandemic that some saw coming, and many more were blindsided by. Life has significantly changed since Jan. 11. Back a hundred days ago, toilet paper was not in high demand, masks were not the fashion rage, and most of us were not even sure how to spell quarantine. When I set out to complete my 100 day challenge, I had thought how great it would be when I reached that mark that I could buy myself some new Easter clothing. Never in my wildest dreams, did I think I would be standing in front of a teleprompter and video equipment in an empty Meetinghouse recording an Easter message in old clothes that were beginning to hang loose on me.

All this has had me thinking about the next 100 days – which the calendar says will be August 1st. 100 days ago, I had assumed a completely different situation for today, yet it did not change the goals I set. I could have let the pandemic send me back to bad eating habits, less exercise, and even a sense of defeat from a personal and ministry standpoint, but I refused to let it knock me off track. Don’t get me wrong, the temptations have been intense at times, but I have worked hard at finding new ways to embrace a healthier lifestyle and stay focused during this difficult time.

So today I want to be the doctor that challenges you. What do you want to see happen different in your life in the next 100 days? Again, we don’t know what it will be like on August 1st but that doesn’t mean that we allow this pandemic to defeat us. This may be the most opportune time to work on ourselves. Take a moment this week to set some goals (mental, physical, spiritual) and use the next 100 days as a marker. Maybe by then we will be back together, and we can share all the good things that have blossomed in our lives from this unprecedented time.

Grace and peace,

Bob

Joys & Concerns

Another shout-out to the FF volunteers who have braved the coronavirus to help out at the Mid North Food Pantry. Volunteers included: David B, Phil G, Kathy and Bill F, Virginia, Melanie, and Derek S, Linda and Rik L, and Carol and Jim D. About 80 families were served. Thanks to Susan R for face masks for our volunteers. Food pantries around the country are being swamped with many new clients needing food. Your help is most appreciated.

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) -- Update and Appeal for Food Relief

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Did you miss the premiere of our past Sunday Meeting for Worship? Watch it ANYTIME at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39H6Ni4W5VA. We hope you had a wonderful and safe Sunday! Keep an eye out in your email for details soon on the coming Sunday’s virtual service!

Calling all members and attenders! Please don’t forget to complete the Clerks’ Survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/ffmeeting by this coming Sunday. Now’s your chance to tell Clerks’ Council what’s working for you (and areas of improvement) as we seek your feedback on everything from Meeting for Worship to our Christian Education programs. The survey only takes a few minutes. We appreciate your responses!

Prioritizing the Climate and Clean Energy Jobs as We Rebuild Our Economy ~ All are invited to this virtual town hall meeting with candidates for Indiana’s 5th Congressional District. In this nonpartisan forum, candidates will share their proposed solutions for addressing climate change and creating clean energy jobs in Indiana. All are invited to join for this free online event, hosted by Citizens’ Climate Lobby. It is being held today, Wednesday, April 22 at 7:00pm. For more information and to register, please visit https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtdemrqTIpl-PUjv5O9LxoeQkGMK5RKg.

Family Safety Plans & The COVID-19 Pandemic ~ Here are some family resources for this time. Click here for a guide to help parents and caregivers learn more and create plans for children in the event that parents or caregivers are unable to care for their children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Download a Parental Power of Attorney document here. For a Standby Guardianship document for single parents, click here. For a Standby Guardianship document for two-parent homes, click here.

Free Grief Support Livestream ~ Are you struggling through this pandemic? David Kessler is offering free support livestreams on Facebook daily at 1pm. David Kessler is one of the most well-known experts and lecturers on death and grieving today, reaching hundreds of thousands of people through his books. David has helped thousands of men, women and children face life and death with peace, dignity and courage. His experiences have taken him from Auschwitz concentration camp to Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying Destitute in Calcutta. His services have been used by Elizabeth Taylor, Jamie Lee Curtis and Marianne Williamson when their loved ones faced life-challenging illnesses. If you’re interested in joining the livestream, find more information at https://grief.com/meet-david-kessler/.

Join us from virtually anywhere in the world as the Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading book club discusses Born A Crime, by Trevor Noah on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.(from Goodreads) Ruth Kelly will be leading the discussion via Zoom Meeting starting at 7 pm. If you’d like to receive the Oak Leaf email or would like the Zoom meeting information, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. We will send an email out about 5 minutes before meeting starts so you have the Zoom link at the top of your email. Be sure to check in with each other, today and every day!

Garden Essentials To-Do List

Happy Earth Day to everyone! May we all work to keep our planet Earth happy and healthy. Community gardeners and home gardeners have time to:

weed now before roots grow stronger and longer
enrich the soil since it is the foundation of an organic garden. Good organic soil will help deter pests and disease in addition to growing healthy plants. Use appropriate mixes of soil and compost. You can purchase organic soil for raised beds.
plan garden layout and spacing for seeds and seedlings. Consider such things as companion planting; later season crops; marigolds and zinnias for beauty and to ward off nematodes; and rotating crops between beds. This may mean thinking about season to season goals.

Doing these things now will pay off later by delivering a better garden and delicious food.

Dishwasher free to a good home! Jeff R has a 10-year old dish-washing machine he is happy to give to anyone in the Meeting or anyone connected to the Meeting that can use it. It works well, but they are remodeling and are replacing it. Jeff does not have a truck so if you are interested, you would need to arrange pickup. If you’re interested, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org

Reduce Your Use! ~ This week try limiting your single-use plastics. Plastic is everywhere. Grocery stores shelves are filled with containers made of it (on a normal day) and when you check out, bags are made of it. Restaurants pass out straws and to-go containers made of it. Plastic water bottles are convenient at events (remember those?) and when you’re thirsty on-the-go. Then maybe worst of all, it litters our streets and sidewalks and eventually makes its way to our waterways. Try buying or making your own reusable grocery bags and store them in your trunk, rather than going for the plastic bags at check-out. Refill your water bottle and take it with you on your daily walk, rather than grabbing a disposable one. Use your own utensils at home and request that restaurants don’t include plastic straws and utensils with your takeout meal. The less plastic we use, the less likely it is to make its way where it shouldn’t.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for April
White-throated Sparrow: Same Song, But with Different Words

In the hymnals we use during worship there are hymn texts that can be sung to different melodies. The carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem” is sung to at least three different tunes. The reverse is also true. A single melody may be used with different hymn texts. Such is also the case with this month’s sparrow.

Birders often put words to the notes of a birdsong to help learners remember to which species that song belongs. For the white-throated sparrow we say, “Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.” (It helps if you listen to the song on the internet.) That Old Sam phrase is not universal, however. If you are a Canadian birder, you will claim the lyrics to be, “Oh sweet Canada, Canada, Canada.” It fits just as well.

The white-throated sparrow visits our woods anytime from mid-March to mid-May on its way northward, and may appear again in the fall on its way southward. I had hoped to see one here this spring, and one day recently I was along Parker Street near the north end of the white fence. I saw a bird dart into a bush across Parker Street, and it suddenly popped up, and there it was: a white-throated sparrow in full sunlight. I could see the black and white stripes on the head, the white throat, and the yellow lores. Although this bird was silent, at that same moment I heard a song from far to the east near the Meditational Woods: “Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.” There were two individuals visiting at one time. In my mind I heard the Old Sam lyrics, but in the spirit of international understanding, you are welcome to use the Canadian lyrics if you choose to do so. ~Brad J

New Ways to Support First Friends! As we all learn to navigate this new world of social distancing together, we are happy to share new and easier ways you can continue to support the Meeting while stuck at home! First Friends now accepts online giving. Please visit www.indyfriends.org/support for more information or to give. You can now also make donations by text! Simply text GIVE to 317-768-0303 to sign up. Once you enter your payment method via a secure online portal, you can give any time instantaneously by simply sending a text! No more writing checks or driving to the post office—you can give anytime from the safety of your own home! If you have questions or would like to be walked through how to do it, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or call 317-255-2485. Thank you for supporting First Friends, especially during these times!

How to Vote in the Indiana Primary Election 2020 ~ This year, voting in Indiana's Primary Election may be difficult. The Primary election date has been changed, and, because of health risks, many people won’t want to go vote at the polls. It’s likely that there will be fewer physical polling places than there have been in past elections. It is important that all Hoosiers vote in the June 2 Indiana Primary Election. Indiana Vote by Mail wanted to inform you about how you can easily vote with an Absentee Ballot (but don’t worry, absentee ballots do not cause voter fraud).

Important Things to Know:

Governor Holcomb has made it possible for everybody to vote by Absentee Ballot. But, you must first complete an Absentee Ballot Application. This application must be returned by May 21 by 11:59 pm. This application is good for any county in Indiana, just check for the return mailing address for each county on page 2 of the application.
The Indiana Primary Election has been moved to June 2, 2020. Voter Registration deadline for the June 2 Primary is Monday, May 4. To confirm you are registered to vote or to register to vote, visit https://indianavoters.in.gov/
Once your Absentee Ballot Application is received and processed, you will be sent an Absentee Ballot. Your Absentee Ballot is due June 2 (Election Day) at Noon.
We need your help educating others about voting by Absentee Ballot. Please make this educational campaign go viral by emailing this message to everyone (friends, family, colleagues, associates in your religious, social or other groups) to spread the word. It is unlikely that Indiana will be able to spend money to educate the public.
It is important we all vote in the upcoming Primary Election, so that our voices are heard.

Find instructions for how to complete the primary ballot application: https://bit.ly/2Kdijzv

And also find the Application for the 2020 Absentee Ballot for the Primary Election: https://bit.ly/3b6airQ

Overcoming Darkness through Poetry and Dance

All women are invited to attend a gathering on Overcoming Darkness through Poetry and Dance from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 3rd through Zoom. We intend to de-stress by shedding the toxicity of these unprecedented pandemic times. As we spend time together virtually, we will shine our light into the darkness. We will learn how to delve into our inner selves by using blackout and highlighter poetry. The whole idea is to free up one’s Muse. No need to be professional or perfect. One doesn’t even need to be a poet. This will be a safe place to exorcise one’s hidden demons, express gratitude or develop whatever each individual feels led to create. It need not be shared unless one wishes to do so.

First we will eat together virtually (BYOBrunch). Nancy S. will discuss the logistics of the workshop.

Then we will hear poems written by women from Meeting, including Linda L., Leslie K. and Nancy S. (The last article mistakenly said Amy P. would have a poem. She will dance after someone else’s poem is read.)

After some of these readings Nichole M. and Amy P. will use interpretive dance and their own personally chosen music to inspire us. We may have some physical movement exercises to help loosen us up.

Nancy will explain the process of creating blackout poetry in which a person blacks out all unwanted words from pages of books, magazines or newspapers so that the remaining words create a poem. In highlighter poetry the person uses a marker to highlight the words that appeal and creates a poem by using only those words selected. In both techniques one goes from start to finish using the chosen words in the same order in which they were found. Mary Ellen L., Michelle T., Naomi W. and Nancy will show examples of ways they have enhanced their poems through the use of stickers, stencils, shapes, drawings, textures and colors.

The workshop is a free-spirited exercise open to a broad range of interpretation and opinions. Bring your preferred media and printed materials. Be sure to have a dark marker or instrument for blackout poetry and a yellow or light marker or tool for highlighter poetry. You may want glue, scissors, stencils, stickers, chalk, pastels, paint, pencils, colored pencils, an eraser, glitter, pens, etc. You may prefer to put your ordered words on a separate piece of paper—or not. You may wish to have construction, plain or lined papers on hand. Some people cut the pages and or words and pictures out of the printed source. It is your choice. Think ahead about your workspace so you can create, communicate and watch via Zoom. The main materials required are paper, printed source, marker and decorative materials.

Queries for the Week

(From self-led worship)

What are the places that enable me to bring into focus the Light at the heart of life?
How is nature speaking to my condition and inspiring me to be a better steward of the Earth?
Who through this worship experience have I felt more connected to? How might I let them know?

(From virtual service)

Looking at the landscapes of my life, what have I been missing?
As I center down and quiet my life, what life-noise do I recognize interrupting my experience of the Divine?

Comment

Friend to Friend April 15, 2020

April 15, 2020

As Way Opens

This past Easter morning I woke up early and walked out of my bedroom to make coffee (always the first thing I do in the morning). As I left my doorway to walk into the upstairs hall, I gasped. A stream of Light was coming in through the blinds like nothing I have ever seen in my life. The Light was direct but also diffused. I stood silent for a moment to let the amazement of what I was seeing sink into my being. Here it was Easter morning and the ubiquitous Light that Bob spoke about in the resurrected Christ was right here in my room. I thought about Moses seeing God in the burning bush and recognizing that he was standing on holy ground. I felt the same thing that morning and knew I was witnessing something holy and sacred. And then in 2 minutes it was gone.

I know many of us collectively are feeling the weight of this pandemic and the sadness of being apart from our friends and family. Easter is such a beautiful time of gathering friends and family for a meal, games, laughter, eggs and sharing. But this Easter we left meals on porches, delivered baskets to front lawns, did Zoom calls with extended family and worshipped together electronically. We don’t know how we are exactly going to get back to normal and that we will likely have a new normal in how we work, play, eat and be together. We are grieving a way of life that we probably won’t return to for some time.

But then I think about this Light. This Light of Christ that loves, that plays, that cries, that laughs, that grieves, that breaks through our darkest times. While I know intellectually and emotionally that the Light is always here, once in a while I need to see the miracle of Light and experience the power and sense of awe that I saw Easter morning to reassure me that I am not alone and that God is here to comfort, care and love us in this time. I need to see the resurrected Christ is with us beyond darkness, beyond death and beyond the burdens of this world.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

A Cross-Country Car Road Trip During the Coronavirus Calamity ~ Jeff Rasley has written an article, which was featured on GoNomad.com! The article chronicles the road trip Jeff and his wife Alicia were on while the Coronavirus pandemic was just starting to take hold of the United States. How did the trip go, with restaurants and sights closed, and social distancing taking place? Find out here! https://www.gonomad.com/160925-traveling-across-the-us-during-the-pandemic

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Please note: The fountain in Meditational Woods will be turned off for a week for maintenance. Thank you!

Did you miss the premier of our Easter Sunday service? Watch it ANYTIME at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIn051SySvg. We hope you had a wonderful and safe Easter! Keep an eye out in your email for details soon on the coming Sunday’s virtual service!

Join us for Unprogrammed Worship by Zoom! We are now gathering for unprogrammed worship on Mondays at 12:15 and Wednesdays at 6:45pm by Zoom.

On Mondays, you can join us at 12:15, and on Wednesdays, log on with us at 6:45pm. We’ll spend 15 minutes to share joys and concerns and then have our hour-long worship. Many thanks to Kathy R, who is hosting this worship. To join the Zoom worship please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org for the Zoom meeting info.

Monthly Meeting for Business ~ We will hold Monthly Meeting for Business virtually through Zoom on our normal third Sunday of the month, Sunday, April 19 at 11:30am. To join the meeting that day, simply contact the office for the Zoom info at office@indyfriends.org. For a walkthrough of how to join a Zoom meeting, visit https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting for a helpful video. If you have any questions, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Serenity Now! Support Group ~ The next series of book-based support group meetings, Serenity Now, will meet the third Thursday of every month from 1:30-3:30 p.m. This small group is for those experiencing family and relationship challenges and will focus its discussion for the next four to six months on Harriet Lerner's Dance of Connection: How to Talk to Someone When You're Mad, Hurt, Scared, Frustrated, Insulted, Betrayed, or Desperate. We are a very small group and new members are welcome, BYOB(ook). The first meeting of this session will be Thursday, April 16, at 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. We will discuss chapters 1-4, pp. 1-50:

1. "Finding Our Voice"

2. Voice Lessons from My Father

3. Our First Family: Where We Learned (Not) to Speak

4. Should You Share Your Vulnerability?

For questions, help getting a book, the Zoom invitation link, or more information, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Inspired to Garden: A Healing Spirit of Joy

The word inspire means to have a spirit enter into a being. Our gardeners are inspired and becoming inspired through the spirit of joy offered in the gardening experience. In ancient Hebrew and Greek, the word for spirit also means breath. In these stressful times, mindfully breathing and inhaling fresh air outdoors in the company of Mother Nature can be healing. Gardening can be—in the words of a well-known hymn—breathing in the breath of God.

Sam and I have reordered and renumbered plots for this season’s garden. Sam repainted numbers that had faded. She sent out a new map. We have communicated with former and new gardeners and will soon send out an updated contact list. We are using Marco Polo, a virtual chat method that records video and is not live so a person can answer a Marco message with a Polo message at their leisure. Through this method gardeners can post personalized audiovisual messages for specific gardeners or all gardeners simultaneously. In this way we have learned of compost and soil donated for all through the generosity of the Frames and an offer of cilantro seedlings from Jennifer.

We have one plot remaining. If you want it please contact us through text, phone, email or Marco Polo. We can create more plots if needed. Contact office@indyfriends.org.

In the spirit of encouraging joy, hope and healing through gardening in the age of Coronavirus, I would like to share this beautiful poem written by Leslie K. I think The End of Winter speaks to our condition and Leslie is willing to let us print it here. ~Nancy

The End of Winter

You run your plow across my shoulders

the skin breaks smoothly, evenly -
furrows form as my tender flesh unfurls
blood flows down my back thickly, easily

and I sit in the warm puddle
and wait for the planting
I wait for the seed to fall.

I wait for something rich and fresh
to explode from me -
something pulsing and alive -

for chunky green hands of corn
to push through the lifeless rows -

for birds songs and apple blossoms,
eggs and nests and caterpillars

to hear in that mysterious language
of root and sun and fruit

that this ground is not barren
and you are not finished.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for April
White-throated Sparrow: Same Song, But with Different Words

Calling all sewing Friends! Deb S who works at IU North said they are in need of masks. If you are able and willing, please make some that we can get to Deb. You can drop them by the Meeting office on Wednesdays. We are providing a link for one guide for making masks, but there are many out there if you Google them: https://www.madeeveryday.com/fabric-face-mask-free-pattern/ Thanks for your help.

Youth Group Skyzone Night: Cancelled ~ Please note that the Youth Group activity scheduled for Friday, April 24 at Sky Zone has been cancelled, due to the ongoing pandemic and continued restrictions on social gatherings.

From your Creation Care Team~ Have you noticed that the horizon over Indianapolis no longer has that yellowish color? Our air quality has improved tremendously since many of us are not driving as much. While many of us are protecting our community by staying at home, here are some ideas for reducing your carbon footprint, courtesy of Climate Forward.

Program your thermostat: Although an estimated 41 percent of Americans have programmable thermostats, just 12 percent actually program them. By setting yours to automatically change with the time and season, Brenda Ekwurzel, director of climate science at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said you could reduce “heating and cooling emissions by 15 percent.”

Get cleaner power: Research solar panels (some companies are promoting contact-free installations) and community solar. Or, if you live in a deregulated energy state, look into switching to a green provider.

Kill energy vampires: Nearly 5 percent of our total residential electricity usage comes from devices that stay plugged in when they’re not being used. So Dr. Ekwurzel suggested putting devices on a single power strip that you can easily switch off.

Adjust your water heater: According to the Department of Energy, lowering the temperature of your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit from 140 degrees (or to about 50 Celsius from 60) could reduce its annual energy usage by as much as 22 percent.

Experiment with climate-friendly recipes: Going vegetarian could reduce your food-related footprint by a third — but even if you’re a devoted carnivore, Dr. Ekwurzel said simply eating less meat “makes a big difference over the long run.” To stay stocked on produce, search for farmers’ markets near you; many remain open or are offering online ordering. (GrowNYC has a list of area farmers with delivery or pickup.) Adding frozen veggies to your grocery list isn’t a bad idea, either.

Join a C.S.A.: As another way to avoid “buying agricultural products that have been flown around the world,” Laurel Hanscom, chief executive officer of the Global Footprint Network, recommended subscribing to a community supported agriculture program. (Just note that, if spring hasn’t yet sprung in your region, it may be a while before your first delivery!)

Compost: The Environmental Protection Agency says food is the biggest single contributor to our landfills, constituting an incredible “22 percent of discarded municipal solid waste.” Keep your scraps out of the landfill by (finally!) starting a compost pile.

Go paperless: Spend 20 minutes registering for digital statements from all of your accounts. While you’re at it, reduce your unwanted junk mail, too.

Buy carbon offsets: Remember when traveling was a thing? Well now is the perfect opportunity to purchase offsets for prior adventures.

Get educated: Use your downtime to catch up on climate change books, documentaries and podcasts.

Make your voice heard: Ms. Hanscom urged readers to “encourage your representatives to fight for climate-forward policies in the bailouts and stimulus packages.” (Luckily, you can do that from the couch.)

Important Things to Know:

1. Governor Holcomb has made it possible for everybody to vote by Absentee Ballot. But, you must first complete an Absentee Ballot Application. This application must be returned by May 21 by 11:59 pm. This application is good for any county in Indiana, just check for the return mailing address for each county on page 2 of the application.

2. The Indiana Primary Election has been moved to June 2, 2020. Voter Registration deadline for the June 2 Primary is Monday, May 4. To confirm you are registered to vote or to register to vote, visit https://indianavoters.in.gov/

3. Once your Absentee Ballot Application is received and processed, you will be sent an Absentee Ballot. Your Absentee Ballot is due June 2 (Election Day) at Noon.

4. We need your help educating others about voting by Absentee Ballot. Please make this educational campaign go viral by emailing this message to everyone (friends, family, colleagues, associates in your religious, social or other groups) to spread the word. It is unlikely that Indiana will be able to spend money to educate the public.

5. It is important we all vote in the upcoming Primary Election, so that our voices are heard.

Find instructions for how to complete the primary ballot application: https://bit.ly/2Kdijzv

And also find the Application for the 2020 Absentee Ballot for the Primary Election: https://bit.ly/3b6airQ

Join us Each Day at Noon!

Dear First Friends Family,

I have been having several conversations about offering a set time each day for us to come together, from wherever we are, to meditate and pray for 5-15 minutes for the healing of our globe.

My friends at the Fishers Multi-Faith Community for Compassion and St. Luke’s Healing Partners have come together for this same purpose and have invited us to join with them.

I believe that as Quakers we know how important it is to take time to enter silence, center down, expectantly wait, and send God’s light, love, and healing to our world. So I am asking you, and your families, to join with us each day at noon (wherever you are) as we collectively meditate and pray.

This may be a good break from all the technology, e-learning, and binge TV and movie watching taking place. Mindfulness exercises of this nature are so important for adults and children alike, so make sure to invite your kids (if you have them) to participate.

To help you in centering down, we are offering this very simple prayer that people of all faiths can join together in praying:

We pray for love over fear,
faith over doubt,
empowerment over victim hood.
We pray for all humanity as well as all creation.

Our plan right now is to join together in meditation and prayer for one month. Remember, it is amazing the power of even 5 minutes of mindful meditation and prayer. I look forward to joining together each day at noon.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Bob Henry

Overcoming Darkness through Poetry and Dance

All women are invited to attend a gathering on Overcoming Darkness through Poetry and Dance from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 3rd through Zoom. We intend to destress by shedding the toxicity of these unprecedented pandemic times. As we spend time together virtually, we will shine our light into the darkness. We will learn how to delve into our inner selves by using blackout and highlighter poetry. The whole idea is to free up one’s Muse. No need to be professional or perfect. One doesn’t even need to be a poet. This will be a safe place to exorcise one’s hidden demons, express gratitude or develop whatever each individual feels led to create. It need not be shared unless one wishes to do so.

First we will eat together virtually (BYOBrunch). Nancy S. will discuss the logistics of the workshop.

Then we will hear poems written by women from the Meeting, including Linda L., Leslie K., Amy P. and Nancy S.

After some of these readings Nichole M. and Amy P. will use interpretive dance and their own personally chosen music to inspire us. We may have some physical movement exercises to help loosen us up.

Nancy will explain the process of creating blackout poetry in which a person blacks out all unwanted words from pages of books, magazines or newspapers so that the remaining words create a poem. In highlighter poetry the person uses a marker to highlight the words that appeal and creates a poem by using only those words selected. In both techniques one goes from start to finish using the chosen words in the same order in which they were found. Mary Ellen L., Michelle T. and Nancy will show examples of ways they have enhanced their poems through the use of stickers, stencils, shapes, drawings, textures and colors.

The workshop is a free-spirited exercise open to a broad range of interpretation and opinions. Bring your preferred media and printed materials. Be sure to have a dark marker or instrument for blackout poetry and a yellow or light marker or tool for highlighter poetry. You may want glue, scissors, stencils, stickers, chalk, pastels, paint, pencils, colored pencils, an eraser, glitter, pens, etc. You may prefer to put your ordered words on a separate piece of paper—or not. You may wish to have construction, plain or lined papers on hand. Some people cut the pages and or words and pictures out of the printed source. It is your choice. Think ahead about your work space so you can create, communicate and watch via Zoom.

Queries for the Week

(From self-led worship)

How is the “life of Jesus” seen in and through my life?
What temporally-based expectations of mine still need transformation so I can truly live?
In what ways am I being called to be a reconciler of humanity in these difficult times?

(From virtual Easter Sunday service)

During this difficult time, how have I begun to aerate those compacted areas of my spiritual life?
Am I listening and looking for where the Resurrection Light is entering my life?
How am I embodying the Resurrected Light and sharing together with my neighbors the hope that it brings?

Comment

Friend to Friend April 8, 2020

April 10, 2020

As Way Opens

I was going through some papers on my desk two weeks ago and came across a Richard Rohr Daily Meditation from last year that I share with all of you today as we live in compassion week and reflect on this Easter that is so different from any Easter we have experienced before.

"The archetypal encounter between doubting Thomas and the Risen Jesus (John 20:19-28) is not really a story about believing in the fact of the resurrection but a story about believing that someone could be wounded and also resurrected at the same time. That is quite a different message and still desperately needed. “Put your finger here’, Jesus says to Thomas (John 20;27). Like Christ, we are all indeed wounded and resurrected at the same time. In fact, this might be the primary pastoral message of the Gospel.

I’ve often said that great love and great suffering (both healing and woundedness) are the universal, always available paths of transformation because they are the only things strong enough to take away the ego’s protections and pretensions. Great love and great suffering bring us back to God and I believe this is how Jesus himself walked humanity back to God. It is not just a path of resurrection rewards but a path that now includes death and woundedness.

Jesus the Christ, in his crucifixion and resurrection, “ summed up all things in himself, everything in heaven and everything on earth” (Ephesians 1;10). Jesus agreed to carry the mystery of universal suffering. He allowed it to change him (resurrection) and, it is to be hoped, us, so that we would be freed from the endless cycle of projecting our pain elsewhere or remaining trapped inside of it.

This is the fully resurrected life, the only way to be happy, free, loving and therefore “saved”. In effect, Jesus was saying, if I can trust it, you can too. We are indeed saved by the cross - more than we realize. The people who hold the contradictions and resolve them in themselves are the saviors of the world. They are the only real agents of transformation, reconciliation, and newness.”

May we live out the resurrection in our lives by being agents of transformation and reconciliation. There has never been a more urgent need in our world for this.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

What fun we had at our first virtual sing-along last Friday! While singing together isn’t ideal for online, we still enjoyed the music and each other’s company!

Thank you, Mid-North Food Pantry Volunteers! The needs of the Mid North Food Pantry are greater than ever. Thanks to the dedicated work of First Friends volunteers Linda and Rik L, Kathy and Bill F, Phil G, Derek, Virginia and Melanie S, and Carol and Jim D, about 115 folks were provided much needed groceries last week. The pantry continues to implement new ways to protect volunteers and its customers from spreading the coronavirus. If you have the time and are interested in helping on the first and/or third Wednesday of each month between 9:30 and 1:30, please contact Jim Donahue or any of the folks noted above.

Check out the latest Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) newsletter (www.rswr.org/newsletter) and see a great picture of our stamping team with our representatives from Kenya. A big shout out to this team that has continued this important ministry.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Join us for Unprogrammed Worship by Zoom! We are now gathering for unprogrammed worship on Mondays at 12:15 and Wednesdays at 6:45pm by Zoom.

On Mondays, join us at 12:15. On Wednesdays, log on with us at 6:45pm. We’ll spend 15 minutes to share joys and concerns and then have our hour-long worship. Many thanks to Kathy R, who is hosting this worship. To join the Zoom worship, please contact the meeting office at office@indyfriends.org for the Zoom info.

Latest Coronavirus news for Indiana ~ All of our decisions on the status of the Meetinghouse are in light of recommendations and orders given by state and health officials. If you’d like to keep track of the latest news regarding COVID-19 specific to Indiana, please visit the State of Indiana’s official Coronavirus homepage at https://www.in.gov/coronavirus/. This page contains the latest news and responses from the Governor, as well as current totals of infected and tested individuals in our state.

New Community Garden Guidelines ~ A garden plot is the perfect way to practice social distancing and get some fresh air and sunshine. Some gardeners have already been working. We have new guidelines due to the Coronavirus. Until further notice, for the protection of our community:

the garage is closed to gardeners;
bring or borrow your own tools or equipment;
provide your own disinfecting supplies;
practice keeping at least 6 feet between yourself and others in the garden;
be meticulous about washing your hands and cleaning off shared surfaces such as the faucet handle and the sanitizing sand container which we will put outside the garage; and
enjoy laughing exercising and communicating—from a distance. Have fun!

We want to enable everyone who wants to be a gardener to do so. Contact Sam or Nancy if you need special arrangements, extra assistance or if you have questions or helpful ideas. Also, please notify us if you are using your old plot(s) or if you would like garden space.

Our condolences to Sam on last week’s loss of her beloved grandmother who was 94 and died of natural causes. The burial was last Thursday in Illinois and a memorial service will take place later. Please pray for Sam and her family and reach out to her in these difficult times.

Lenten Reflections Week 7

Last week, Ed M shared how being in nature refreshes his spirit daily in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. That strikes a similar chord with me. Every spring is a rebirth of life and its message is crucial today. It’s no wonder that Easter is celebrated at this time of year. We emerge from the cold and dark of winter into the abundance of spring. Everywhere you look, life is rising. The other day, I saw early wildflowers in full bloom and observed tiny bees go from flower to flower. We watched the buds of the buckeye trees unfurl, almost before our very eyes. When I wake in the morning, the air is full of bird song and I greet our brother and sister robins as they sing out to the rising sun. As we go through the valley of the shadow, God is with us, God’s rod and staff and God’s creation comfort us, giving us hope for tomorrow.

Nature nurtures us. How do we nurture nature?

Originally, I had planned to give out packets of native flowers during a children’s message after Easter. Those plans will have to wait for another time. However, while many of us are staying at home, now is the time that we can do something good for nature. Pick up trash in your neighborhood. If mulch is piled high around the base of your trees, pull it back away from the bark so that mold doesn’t weaken the tree. Plan to add some native plantings to your yard to provide food and habitat for the creatures. Spend time looking at creation around you and be outdoors. Start evaluating your carbon footprint and find ways to use less and waste less. Let your elected officials know that our earth is God’s creation and we have an obligation to treat it as holy. Be a part of the incredible web of life that God has provided. As we suffer with Jesus and acknowledge our own mortality, we also celebrate the joy of resurrection and hope.

~Mary B

New Ways to Support First Friends! As we all learn to navigate this new world of social distancing together, we are happy to share new and easier ways you can continue to support the Meeting while stuck at home! First Friends now accepts online giving. Please visit www.indyfriends.org/support for more information or to give. You can now also make donations by text! Simply text GIVE to 317-768-0303 to sign up. Once you enter your payment method via a secure online portal, you can give any time instantaneously by simply sending a text! No more writing checks or driving to the post office—you can give anytime from the safety of your own home! If you have questions or would like to be walked through how to do it, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or call 317-255-2485. Thank you for supporting First Friends, especially during these times!

Join us Each Day at Noon!

Dear First Friends Family,

I have been having several conversations about offering a set time each day for us to come together, from wherever we are, to meditate and pray for 5-15 minutes for the healing of our globe.

My friends at the Fishers Multi-Faith Community for Compassion and St. Luke’s Healing Partners have come together for this same purpose and have invited us to join with them.

To help you in centering down, we are offering this very simple prayer that people of all faiths can join together in praying:

We pray for love over fear,
faith over doubt,
empowerment over victim hood.
We pray for all humanity as well as all creation.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Bob Henry

Oak Leaf Meeting for Reading ~ Join us from virtually anywhere in the world as the Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading book club discusses Born A Crime, by Trevor Noah on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.(from Goodreads) Ruth K will be leading the discussion via Zoom Meeting starting at 7 pm, if you’d like to receive the Oak Leaf email, and/or are interested in the Zoom meeting information, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

All women are invited to join our women’s gathering on Sunday May 3rd from 12:00 - 1:30. We will gather virtually through zoom. Please mark your calendars and watch for details of this time for fellowship and reflection.

What You Can Do to Stay Connected at a Distance: Second Helpings ~ Second Helpings is desperately in need of financial support as they face the front lines of food scarcity in our local communities. They are working closely with local government and an enormous network of agencies to bring nutritious meals to vulnerable Hoosiers. The demand for Second Helpings meals will continue to go up as many seniors and families living with limited resources either cannot stock their own shelves or are living in shelters for domestic violence, human trafficking and homelessness. Continued financial support during these uncertain times will ensure that Second Helpings can continue to share meals with our neighbors in need. https://www.secondhelpings.org/donate/

Things are changing so quickly right now, for all of us. Second Helpings CEO, Jennifer Vigran, is keeping the community updated through regularly blogging on our website. Read and share to hear how Second Helpings and others are responding to current events Please visit: https://www.secondhelpings.org/news/. Follow their social media to ensure you don’t miss our current blog posts.

Queries for the Week

(From self-led worship)

What about our ordeal (the pandemic) has been absolutely essential for something new or change to take place in my life? (Consider making a list of the things that have brought you new life to return to throughout the week).
What “still needs to be cured and tempered” in my life so that I can see what new thing God is doing?
How am I experiencing the promises of God (not to be orphaned, the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, being seen, and renewed life)?

(From virtual Palm Sunday service)

Currently, how am I relating to the suffering of Jesus?
How am I working to take the next step of putting myself in someone else’s shoes?
How, this week, will I lead with compassion and not my own agenda?

Comment

Friend to Friend April 1, 2020

April 2, 2020

As Way Opens

Coronavirus Update 3 from First Friends (March 31, 2020)

Cancellations: With Governor Holcomb’s order to close all schools through the end of April and the increasing spread of Covid-19, First Friends has decided to CLOSE the Meetinghouse through the end of April – this will include all Meetings for Worship, Unprogrammed and Meditational Worship, all groups, committees, and activities that would normally take place in our facility. Again, if you are in charge of any of these activities, we ask that you contact those needing to know of the cancellations. Closer to the end of April we will reevaluate our situation and give another update.

Meeting Office: Solely to keep the business of the church functioning, the First Friends office is only open on Wednesdays 8am-3pm and by appointment with Rebecca. We ask that the physical office be used for only official business. Our priority is to use the office as an information hub to help keep everyone safe and following the governor’s orders to the best of their ability.

Visitations: With strict regulations for hospitals, nursing and health facility visitors, pastors/Friends are not allowed to make visitations. If you have an emergency or are in the hospital, we ask that you let the office or one of our pastors know and we will respond accordingly.

Needing Assistance: If you or a loved one needs assistance (shopping, pick-up, prescriptions, etc.) while at home, we ask that you contact the Meeting Office by phone (317) 255-2485 or email office@indyfriends.org - we have several people who are willing to run errands, make shopping trips, and do drop-offs. We will coordinate the help as best as we are able.

Material Aid: One of our greatest collective assets as Friends is our kindness and concern for the wellbeing of those inside and outside our Meetings. It is therefore unsurprising and encouraging to see a number of inquiries about how we can help others in this time of need. Please be aware that our Meeting has set aside resources—interpersonal and financial—to provide assistance in times of duress; however, they may be tested as this situation continues to unfold. If you would like to make a contribution to these special efforts, please denote “Material Aid” on the memo line or enclosed note so that we can earmark your additional gift for this purpose. It will be held in the Material Aid Fund (managed by Witness & Service), which in turn will allocate it in appropriate amounts and formats to individuals experiencing hardship. The majority of these funds will be managed by Witness & Service to help address member and attender needs—and the remainder will be managed by our Pastors to help tend to those outside the Meeting experiencing urgent difficulties. The allocations will be reported at future Monthly Meetings for Business.

Worship: This coming Sunday (April 5), we will begin offering two forms of worship online. Due to the popularity of our Self-Led Worship Guides, we are going to continue those, as well as, offer a video recorded Meeting for Worship through the YouTube platform. Links to both will be sent out before Sunday, so you are able to join us from the comfort of our own homes. We miss worshiping together, but are doing all we are able to have us join together from a distance.

In the Spirit,

The Leadership of First Friends

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Join us for Unprogrammed Worship by Zoom this evening (Wed. April 1) at 6:45pm. Kathy R is hosting this worship. To join the Zoom worship click this link https://zoom.us/j/641511035 (Meeting ID is: 641 511 035).

Join us for Coffee Hour at 11am this Sunday by Zoom. Our host will be Bill H. Here is the link to join: https://zoom.us/j/244225089?pwd=YWYrTlFHbkh0THQvcWxyZEZoMjFVQT09, (Meeting ID: 244 225 089 and Password: 225490).

Join us Each Day at Noon!

Dear First Friends Family,

I have been having several conversations about offering a set time each day for us to come together, from wherever we are, to meditate and pray for 5-15 minutes for the healing of our globe.

My friends at the Fishers Multi-Faith Community for Compassion and St. Luke’s Healing Partners have come together for this same purpose and have invited us to join with them.

To help you in centering down, we are offering this very simple prayer that people of all faiths can join together in praying:

We pray for love over fear,
faith over doubt,
empowerment over victim hood.
We pray for all humanity as well as all creation.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Bob Henry

Calling all sewing Friends! Deb S who works at IU North said they are in need of masks. If you are able and willing, please make some that we can get to Deb. You can drop them by the Meeting office on Wednesdays. We are providing a link for one guide for making masks, but there are many out there if you Google them: https://www.madeeveryday.com/fabric-face-mask-free-pattern/ Thanks for your help.

Mid-North Food Pantry Annual Fundraiser ~ This is the time when Witness & Service was to begin its annual fundraiser for the Mid North Food Pantry. A luncheon was planned to “kick off” the fundraiser but it has been postponed due to the coronavirus situation. You can continue to help by sending a check to the First Friends office with “food pantry” noted in the memo section. Some folks need help now more than ever. Your support will certainly be appreciated. Thanks for your consideration.

Help Support First Friends During this Time ~ Friends, we appreciate everyone making contributions during this time—your donations are needed to support the Meeting now perhaps more than ever. The Meetinghouse is still receiving mail, so feel free to mail contributions to the office. It’s not too late to make a pledge, either—Friends can still make their 2020 pledge by visiting https://forms.gle/n8VkmusABS7bkNya6 or by simply contacting the office.

Friends may also consider setting up automatic payments for your donations. This is a safe and easy way to send out checks without ever having to leave your home. The steps to do this varies between financial institutions. If your bank offers online automatic payments/bill pay, simply log into your online account and set up First Friends as a recipient/payee. You will need to enter our address: 3030 Kessler Blvd E Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46220. You can specify how much you’d like to send us, and how often. Your bank will then automatically send us a check as you specified—no need to leave your home! (If you’re not sure if your bank offers automatic payments, or if you need help setting it up, please contact your financial institution.) Thank you for supporting First Friends!

The Rise Up Sing-along is Happening! All are invited to join our first ever virtual sing-along! We will join by Zoom for a time of much-needed fellowship and song. It will be held on Friday, April 3 at 7pm. You can join via computer (even if you don’t have a webcam) by visiting https://zoom.us/j/522883222, or by phone 312-626-6799. Meeting ID is 522 883 222. For a walkthrough of how to join a Zoom meeting, visit https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting for a helpful video.

Weekly Lenten Reflections – Week 6 - Pandemic, Peace and Renewal

Job 12: 7 – 10 “ ….ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the sky and they will tell you; or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”

In the traditional Christian calendar Lent is a time of reflection, contemplation and prayer leading up to Easter. Typically people will give up some habit or thing of preference as an act of discipline. But more positively and actively perhaps are commitments of action or focus that lead us to contemplate God’s incarnate presence among us. A commitment to do something good for ourselves or others. Some spiritual or behavioral discipline. Now, as Quakers we don’t officially practice a Lenten observance since we consider all days to be holy (and so indeed they are!) but we can use this time to get closer to God.

Lent comes as spring is renewing the earth and we are reminded of our need for spiritual resurrection and rebirth. A somber time leading to a time of joy and celebration.

But this Lenten season is especially dark and somber as we struggle with a literal plague among us known as COVID19. Most of us are self-isolating, holed up in our houses, and taking extreme caution to avoid possible infection, especially those of us who are at high risk of serious complications if we get infected. How to avoid getting caught up in the fear and depression?

One thing that Linda and I have done is to go outside for a walk every day unless the weather is absolutely prohibitive. This has become for me a physical and sort of spiritual discipline. We can do this without endangering ourselves or others especially in parks where it is not hard to keep the “six feet away” rule. Even a strict interpretation of the isolation rule should allow you to get outside for a while. Take in some of the natural world.

Today we went to the Meditational Woods and then over to the Monon trail and the Art Center gardens. Here are some of the things we saw: River Birches, Beeches, Red Oak, Shag Bark Hickory and White Pines. Also, Daffodils, Narcissus, and Lenten Rose and some teeny tiny very delicate white flowers. A bush with yellow buds all over it. On the lake behind our home we saw Ring Neck Ducks, Loons and a whole flock of Mergansers.

When we do these walks I can remember that even with sickness and death encroaching on me God is bringing life and beauty into the world and I can experience the life giving Light Within on this Lenten day…..and any other day if I am spiritually attuned. ~ Ed M

Need Ink? The office is in possession of 6 ink cartridges (a mix of black and color) for a printer that takes HP 61XL cartridges. If your printer takes this kind of ink, and you are in need of more, the office is giving these away (thanks to Joyce B). If you are interested, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Mid-North Food Pantry: Still Open! It goes without saying that all Witness & Service events at the First Friends meetinghouse are cancelled through the end of the month. But First Friends folks, as of now, are still assisting at the Mid North Food Pantry on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. Just as most people need grocery stores to remain open, so too does a segment of our community need food pantries to remain open. And volunteers are needed to run the pantries. The Mid North Food Pantry has made a number of changes in its operations to protect its volunteers. For instance, as of now, the pantry has volunteers fill bags of food inside the pantry building and they are then taken outside and provided to those who come to the pantry for food. No pantry customers are currently allowed inside the pantry. There is a conscious effort to keep customers at an acceptable distance from volunteers and from touching items that the volunteers may touch. We will keep the First Friends pantry volunteers up to speed on any future changes to the pantry routine. Thanks to our dedicated group of pantry volunteers.

Queries for the Week

How am I working on having compassion for my sisters and brothers and not just showing pity?
What are those who are suffering in our world teaching me about my own suffering?
Even though distanced from others, how am I responding with compassion to my neighbors, friends, family, and loved ones?

Comment

Friend to Friend March 25, 2020

March 26, 2020

As Way Opens

It is hard to write this message as we are all living in a situation that we could not have imagined a few months ago. Our lives have been turned upside down and our daily routines completely disrupted. It feels like we keep readjusting every day with more grim news. It does not seem like our lives will “get back to normal” any time soon.

So what do we do in these anxious and uncertain times? I mentioned before that I am taking a class at Earlham School of Religion on Quakerism and Buddhism. I have been required to do a daily meditation and it’s been such a grounding experience for me that has quieted my pounding heart. Bob’s self-guided meditations that he has provided the last two Sundays has done the same thing. I have also been doing a lot of reading to understand the elements of Buddhism and the similarities and differences with Quakerism. Valerie Brown, a Quaker and a Buddhist wrote in her Pendle Hill pamphlet The Mindful Quaker: A Brief Introduction to Buddhist Wisdom for Friends about the Buddhist tea ceremony. This is an experience of making and drinking tea with a deep intention of the tea leaves, the farmers that grew the tea leaves, the sun, the soil that nurtured the tea leaves, the smell, the warmth, the taste and the calming and soothing liquid entering my body. While I like an occasional tea, I am a coffee drinker and have started this intention every morning when I make my coffee.

With this time in our homes, this is an opportunity to slow our pace and think about the holy in the ordinary. There is a holiness and sacredness in a hot shower, fresh sheets, making a fruit smoothie, mixing spices for a chicken rub, breath meditation, holding and reading a treasured book, creating a piece of art, prayer - the list goes on. I am taking the time to appreciate and see the beauty in the simple things. I also went outside in the yard for a while yesterday. Nature knows nothing of this virus and the buds are sprouting, flowers are getting ready to open, leaves are close to coming into our sight. I was grateful to see this promise of the rebirth of life after a barren winter. The next few days will be warm, and I would suggest a slow walk (with appropriate social distancing) around the yard or the park or the woods to experience this promise of hope and the holiness of our natural world.

I am reminded of the holy and sacred in the ordinary with the lyrics to Carrie Newcomer’s song Geodes:

Geodes
by Carrie Newcomer

You can't always tell one from another
And it's best not to judge a book by its tattered cover
I have found when I tried or looked deeper inside
What appears unadorned might be wondrously formed
You can't always tell but sometimes you just know

'Round here we throw geodes in our gardens
They're as common as the rain or corn silk in July

Unpretentious browns and grays the stain of Indiana clay,
They're what's left of shallow seas glacial rock and mystery,
And inside their shines a crystal bright as promise

All these things that we call familiar,
Are just miracles clothed in the commonplace
You'll see it if you try in the next stranger's eyes,
God walks around in muddy boots, sometimes rags and that's the truth,
You can't always tell, but sometimes you just know

Some say geodes are made from pockets of tears,
Trapped away in small places for years upon years

Pressed down and transformed, 'til the true self was born,
And the whole world moved on like the last notes of a song,
A love letter sent without return address

You can't always tell one from another
And it's best not to judge a book by it's tattered cover
Now I don't open them to see folks 'round here just like me,
We have come to believe there's hidden good in common things

You can't always tell but sometimes you just know
You can't always tell but sometimes you just know

Dear friends, we need each other during these times. We need to pray for each other and talk on the phone or by Skype or Zoom, and communicate by text and email. And let’s have a tea or coffee ceremony.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Dan R’s Memorial Service Postponed ~ Please note that Dan R’s memorial service originally scheduled for Saturday April 18 has been postponed for the time being. Please keep an eye out in the future for a rescheduled date.

Our bluebirds now have a place to shelter in place. Thanks Brad J and Kathy F for setting up this lovely birdhouse at the Meeting (right)!

Adam C fell Sunday night and broke his arm. He had successful surgery Monday morning and is recovering (left). Please keep Adam and his family in your prayers.

Fox Hill Parade! ~ While class is suspended due to health concerns, Fox Hill Elementary staff participated in a fun makeshift ”parade” where teachers drove through their students’ neighborhoods waving and honking. Our own Bob and Sue H participated and the story ended up making national news (right)! Find the full news link here: https://www.indystar.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2020/03/24/fox-hill-elementary-teacher-parade-students-coronavirus/2910235001/

Pantry News ~ Thanks to the dedication and willingness of First Friends volunteers to help out at the food pantry last week. We served 128 families which was the third highest total in 2020. We handed out bags of food outside in back of the pantry. Some volunteers packed bags inside while others were outside handing out the bags. Customers were not allowed inside the building. The safety plan developed by Susan McMahon and Matthew Jennings went very smoothly and kept volunteers, for the most part, separated from the customers as much as possible. The customers were most appreciative that First Friends volunteers were there to hand out food. Thanks to our great group of pantry volunteers: Kathy and Bill F; David B; Derek, Virginia and Melanie S; Linda L; and Carol and Jim D.

This is the time when Witness & Service was to begin its annual fundraiser for the Mid North Food Pantry. A luncheon was planned to “kick off” the fundraiser but it has been postponed due to the coronavirus situation. You can continue to help by sending a check to the First Friends office with “food pantry” noted in the memo section. Some folks need help now more than ever. Your support will certainly be appreciated. Thanks for your consideration.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Latest Coronavirus news for Indiana ~ If you’d like to keep track of the latest news regarding COVID-19 specific to Indiana, please visit the State of Indiana’s official Coronavirus homepage at https://www.in.gov/coronavirus/. This page contains the latest news and responses from the Governor, as well as current totals of infected and tested individuals in our state.

Join us Each Day at Noon!

Dear First Friends Family,

I have been having several conversations about offering a set time each day for us to come together, from wherever we are, to meditate and pray for 5-15 minutes for the healing of our globe.

My friends at the Fishers Multi-Faith Community for Compassion and St. Luke’s Healing Partners have come together for this same purpose and have invited us to join with them.

To help you in centering down, we are offering this very simple prayer that people of all faiths can join together in praying:

We pray for love over fear,
faith over doubt,
empowerment over victim hood.
We pray for all humanity as well as all creation.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Bob Henry

Monthly Meeting for Business ~ We will hold Monthly Meeting for business virtually through Zoom on Sunday, March 29 at 11:30am. To join the meeting that day, simply follow this link: https://zoom.us/j/657020278?pwd=cGNKeVFjUkpzQnNwL1cvdC9jQi9XZz09. Or, you can dial in by phone by calling 312-626-6799. Meeting ID: 657 020 278; Password: FFMFB. For a walkthrough of how to join a Zoom meeting, visit https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting for a helpful video. If you have any questions, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Waterways Offer Healing in Uncertain Times ~ As we stay home and practice social distancing to maintain healthy communities, Earth may be taking some respite from the disruptions our regular human activities cause. This could be a time to spend connecting to nature, finding activities on your own or with family. Read the Reconnecting to Our Waterways newsletter for more information: https://mailchi.mp/fd8b0e63e1ee/current-news-from-row-march-1349164?e=3066926b24. Read to find out how waterways can be a source for making the days pass more easily, connecting to our natural world.

Join us at the Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading book club as we discuss Beartown by Fredrik Backman (432 pages) on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 at 7:00pm via Zoom. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream—and the price required to make it come true. "People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.” (from goodreads) Larry C will be leading the discussion. Here is the New York Times review: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/books/review/a-different-kind-of-sports-novel.html. To join the Zoom meeting, use this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/272950388. Meeting ID: 272 950 388. For a walkthrough of how to join a Zoom meeting, visit https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting for a helpful video.

Reduce your Use! This week, the Green Team considers the plastics problem that our world is facing. Please consider clicking on the links below--the first is a few minutes about the problem, and the second is a short video on how to reduce our use of plastics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQTUWK7CM-Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g00rzQvyxZ8

Resources for home ~ Our friends at Wired Word have provided 4 days’ worth of devotions and activities to keep your spiritual life active during this time. These resources are free, unrestricted, and may be shared. Find them here: www.hometouchministry.com/covid19-resources-for-elderly-homebound. We hope these will help during this time.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for March
Eastern Bluebird
Bluebird of Happiness

Bluebird of Happiness? Really? Where did that nickname come from? It sounds like a very old name, maybe Shakespearean, but no. The name actually comes from the title of a song from the early 1900s. For me, it is absolutely true. The sight of this beautiful bird always brings a smile to my face. The blue on the head and back of the male almost defies description. The blue on the female is muted with gray. Note the red-orange breast.

I often hear the male before I see it, and bird guides describe the song as, “Cheer cheerful charmer”. This month I heard it sing only the “Cheerful” syllables.

This is not a bird one finds in the Meditational Woods itself. During the summer it frequents the lower powerline above the grassy yard north of the garage. From there it can quickly drop to the ground to catch an insect. This month I heard it over by the Parker Street entrance to the north parking lot. While stamping for dollars last week, Ed Morris suddenly remarked, “I believe that’s a bluebird out there!” Sure enough it was, sitting on a guy wire just outside the window of the stamp room (the old choir room). Because the blue is iridescent, it shows best in full sunlight, as it did that day. We all got great looks, and we were happy!! ~Brad J

Serenity Now Support Group ~ The next series of book-based support group meetings, Serenity Now, will meet in the parlor the third Thursday of every month from 1:30-3:30 p.m. This small group is for those experiencing family and relationship challenges and will focus its discussion for the next four to six months on Harriet Lerner's Dance of Connection: How to Talk to Someone When You're Mad, Hurt, Scared, Frustrated, Insulted, Betrayed, or Desperate. We are a very small group and new members are welcome, BYOB(ook). The first meeting of this session will be Thursday, April 16, at 1:30 p.m (pending the Meetinghouse being open and everyone being able to safely travel and gather). We will discuss chapters 1-4, pp. 1-50:

1. "Finding Our Voice"

2. Voice Lessons from My Father

3. Our First Family: Where We Learned (Not) to Speak

4. Should You Share Your Vulnerability?

For questions, help getting a book or more information, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Youth Group Skyzone Night: Rescheduled ~ Please note that the Youth Group activity scheduled for Friday, April 17 at Sky Zone has been moved to Friday, April 24. This is of course, pending the Meeting has resumed normal activities and everyone is able to safely travel and gather. If you’re interested, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. Of course, stay tuned in the future for the status of events going forward.

IN NEED OF A VEHICLE: Bob and Sue H are looking for a reliable car for their teenage sons. They have a limited budget but would like to explore any options. If you know of a vehicle or you have one you want to sell, please contact Bob at the Meeting Office or by email office@indyfriends.org.

Gardeners and Wannabe Gardeners: Plots Available. Get Ready, Set, Go! ~ Spring is nearly here! Get those seeds planted indoors if you want to grow your own seedlings! If you want to reclaim or claim a raised bed in the garden in the north lot, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Queries for the Week

As I center down and connect to my Inner Light, do I realize how united I am with my sisters and brothers throughout the world, even while quarantined?
How, from the comfort of my own home, can I share and let the Light of God shine out into the world?

Comment

Friend to Friend March 18, 2020

March 18, 2020

As Way Opens

These past couple weeks have really changed our lives. Obviously, there is a great deal of fear, anxiety, and confusion, but I have also been aware of something else taking place. This time has a sacredness to it, in the true sense of the word: dedicated or set apart for the service or worship.

For several months I have pondered what it would be like if the world had a reset button. With one push, we would return to default mode and be forced to learn again the importance of life, family, friendships, and even our faith. The Coronavirus seems to have been that “reset button” I was seeking.

With this new reality, the staff and I had to consider how our Meeting would move into the new normal of quarantine. I quickly found myself falling back on our Quaker heritage. It was the early Quakers who taught that the “church” is not a building as much as it is the people or the body of Christ. Again; I pondered, “Might the Church Universal have become too comfortable in its buildings and forgotten what God was doing in his ‘holy temple’ – that holy temple being our own bodies and lives?” I love the description in our Faith and Practice under Meeting for Worship where it states,

“Quaker Worship should be like a garden out of which the beauty of inward peace and spiritual satisfactions grow, flowering in such vocal expression as the Spirit may inspire, resulting in the qualities of the Christ-life way of living.”

Even though we will miss our face-to-face gatherings for worship, business, fellowship, and learning, this is an important time for us to tend our gardens and rediscover the qualities of the Christ-life way of living. As I was considering all of this, a friend of mine sent me a Facebook post from a group called Becoming Unbusy, whose tagline was Making Time for Life. The post included the following quote form Kitty O’Meara…

And the people stayed home.

And read books, and listened, and rested,

and exercised, and made art,

and played games, and learned

new ways of being, and were still,

and listened more deeply.

Some meditated, some prayed,

Some danced. Some met their shadows.

And the people began to think differently.

I would say that is a pretty good description of tending your garden and learning to reset.

Now, we know many places of worship, including other Quaker Meetings, quickly configured their worship spaces into video studios for going on-line – as if this was the only way to proceed and meet the needs of the people. Yet, we at First Friends found ourselves seeing this as a “teachable moment” and a way to embrace the Quaker Way and acknowledge the sacredness of this time. Instead of going all techno, we offered a Self-led Worship Guide that had a variety of possibilities. That simple guide has found its way into Meetings and homes across the country. So much so, that we were encouraged by many people to continue offering these guides the next several Sundays as a way to reset our lives.

Also please note: Since Easter is just around the corner, and it looks like we are not going to be worshipping together in person, we are looking into other ways for us to join together through a video format both Palm Sunday (April 5) and Easter Sunday (April 12).

In closing, I encourage you to join with me in tending our gardens, hitting the reset buttons, and just maybe we will see resurrection in real-time this Easter happening in our own lives and in the lives of people everywhere. Stay home and wash those hands!

Grace and peace,

Bob

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

ALL WORSHIP AND EVENTS CANCELLED
Coronavirus Update from First Friends

Cancellations: With things rapidly changing, new CDC regulations coming each day, and schools, public facilities, and even restaurants closing, we have decided to CLOSE the Meetinghouse through the end of March - that includes all Meetings for Worship, Unprogrammed and Meditational Worship, all groups, committees, and activities that would normally take place in our facility. If you are in charge of any of these activities, we ask that you contact those needing to know of the cancellations. Closer to the end of March we will reevaluate our situation and give another update.

For the time being, each Sunday we will provide you with a self-led worship resource to help guide you and your family in worship that we hope you will experience at home each Sunday, so we may worship together in Spirit.

Meeting Office: Beginning the week of 3/23/20, First Friends staff will begin working from home Mondays through Thursdays. The office administrator will be available by email during normal business hours, 8am-3pm. The church phone may not be answered but voicemail may be left, and church staff will return your call from their cell phone at their earliest convenience. Staff will be present at the physical Meetinghouse office on Wednesdays 8am-3pm and by appointment. This will help us keep the business of the church functioning, but we ask that the physical office be used for only official business at this time. Our priority is to use the office as an information hub to help keep everyone safe and following the regulations to the best of their ability.

Visitations: With new regulations for hospitals, nursing and health facility visitors, pastors/Friends are not allowed to make visitations. If you have an emergency or are in the hospital, we ask that you let the office know and we will respond accordingly.

Material Aid: One of our greatest collective assets as Friends is our kindness and concern for the well-being of those inside and outside our Meetings. It is therefore unsurprising and encouraging to see a number of inquiries about how we can help others in this time of need. Please be aware that our Meeting has set aside resources—interpersonal and financial—to provide assistance in times of duress; however, they may be tested as this situation continues to unfold. If you would like to make a contribution to these special efforts, please denote “Material Aid” on the memo line or enclosed note so that we can earmark your additional gift for this purpose. It will be held in the Material Aid Fund (managed by Witness & Service), which in turn will allocate it in appropriate amounts and formats to individuals experiencing hardship. The majority of these funds will be managed by Witness & Service to help address member and attender needs—and the remainder will be managed by our Pastors to help tend to those outside the Meeting experiencing urgent difficulties. The allocations will be reported at future Monthly Meetings for Business. Thank you again for your prayers and support at this sensitive time.

We know this is a difficult and confusing time for everyone, but we are dedicated to keeping everyone safe and needs met during this pandemic. We encourage you to stay home if possible, practice social distancing, wash your hands often, and continue to hold all those in the Light that are working on the front lines, who have been diagnosed, and those that are still in danger.

In the Spirit,

~ The Leadership of First Friends

Need Assistance During this Time? If you or a loved one needs assistance while at home, we have several volunteers who are willing to run errands, make shopping trips, and do drop-offs. If you are in need of this assistance, please contact the Meeting Office by phone (317) 255-2485 or email office@indyfriends.org - We will coordinate the help as best as we are able.

Monthly Meeting for Business ~ Mark your calendars! We will hold Monthly Meeting for business virtually through “Zoom” on Sunday, March 29 (time TBD). Be on the lookout in next week’s Friend to Friend for details on how to join us.

From our Finance Committee Clerk: As I look out on this cloudy day, my thoughts are on our church service in the Meditational Woods. Although it’s been a difficult time for everyone, I am hopeful we will be able to gather together this June in the Meditational Woods.

First Friends is continuing to operate on a limited basis. We know we will need to expand our efforts to assist members and others in need at this unprecedented time in history. We are asking everyone to faithfully consider how they can financially support First Friends to insure we can continue our positive impact. This is a good time to set up your bank account to make direct payments to First Friends if this is something you have been considering (it is free for both you and for our Meeting!). You can find instructions on how to do this, or you can give through PayPal—find information on how at https://www.indyfriends.org/support. You are always welcome to mail a check to First Friends at 3030 Kessler Boulevard, East Drive, Indianapolis 46220, as mail is still being checked weekly.

When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. -PSALM 104:28

On behalf of the Finance Committee, we are grateful for each of you and the many ways you support First Friends Meeting.

In friendship, ~Rick S, Clerk of Finance

Free Lenten VOCE Concert: POSTPONED ~ The VOCE vocal concert scheduled for Sunday, March 22nd at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, has been POSTPONED. For future updates, please visit VOCE’s facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/voceindy/.

Weekly Lenten Reflections- Week 4: Water

One of my favorites folk songs is an old tune attributed to the Shaker hymnbook called, “Here flow the Living Waters”. It’s a simple song.

Here flow the living waters, here flow the living waters,
here flow the living waters for every son and daughter.
Come all who will, come drink your fill, come every son and daughter.

This verse is reminiscent of the Gospel of John. “but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (John 4:14). Singing it over and over becomes a singing meditation on nourishing ourselves in the Divine Spirit.

The imagery of water is so important in the Bible that it is found throughout scripture. Another excellent example is from Psalm 104 which speaks of water nourishing all non human creation

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills,
giving drink to every wild animal;
the wild asses quench their thirst.
By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;
they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work…
The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.Psalm 104:10-13, 16

In Psalm 107, the psalmist writes praises of God’s deliverance of the Israeli people from many challenges as well as the consequences of not caring for all of God’s creatures.

He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,

Clearly, water is a gift from God and one that we need to respect and treasure. It is easy for us to turn on the tap and expect clean, drinkable water to always be there for us. However, fresh water is a limited resource. Less than 1% of the world’s fresh water is accessible and 70% is locked in the ice caps (https://www.livescience.com/29673-how-much-water-on-earth.html).

We have the same amount of water that has been on earth for millennia, however, our lack of protection of this essential resource is endangering life as we know it. Our remaining wetlands clean the water and provide valuable habitat. Mangrove swamps protect coastal areas from degradation. Here in metro Indianapolis, there are several resources to help provide guidance on local water conservation practices: https://marionswcd.org/water-quality/

Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District has some wonderful programs for backyard conservation. Consider devoting more of your yard to native plants that have deep roots and filter water helps protect our local watersheds.

See other suggestions here: https://www.hamiltonswcd.org/backyard-conservation.html

Our fresh water is irreplaceable. Do what you can to keep our waters clean. Not only is it the right thing, it’s consistent with our religious traditions.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for March
Eastern Bluebird
Bluebird of Happiness

I often hear the male before I see it, and bird guides describe the song as, “Cheer cheerful charmer”. This month I heard it sing only the “Cheerful” syllables.

Shalom Zone 5th Tuesday - CANCELLED ~ Shalom Zone’s next 5th Tuesday event which was to be held at First Friends on Tuesday, March 31st has been cancelled. Shalom Zone hopes to reschedule the event for a future date, if possible. Be on the lookout for updates later this year.

1. "Finding Our Voice"

2. Voice Lessons from My Father

3. Our First Family: Where We Learned (Not) to Speak

4. Should You Share Your Vulnerability?

For questions, help getting a book or more information, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Plugged in devices notice ~ Friends, please refrain from unplugging devices from outlets around the building. Many of these devices are essential to the operation of the Meeting, such as Wi-Fi routers and security system peripherals. These should never be unplugged under any circumstance. If you see a device plugged in that you are concerned about, please bring it to the attention of church staff or a member of the maintenance committee. Thank you.

Queries for the Week

Fear of the Coronavirus has “cut me off” in many ways, how do I hear “be not afraid” in this difficult time?
How am I learning that it is alright to have fear, but not be fear in my world?

Comment

Friend to Friend March 11, 2020

March 12, 2020

Services Cancelled & Coronavirus Update

Dear Friends,

With the Coronavirus now being labeled a pandemic, our first priority is to help keep all members—and in particular our most vulnerable populations—as safe as possible. As a result, we have decided to suspend this Sunday’s gathering at First Friends, including Unprogrammed Worship, Sunday School, and Meeting for Worship. The scheduled Meeting for Business will be postponed one week to Sunday, March 22 (unless circumstances require us to make other plans).

Also, we are asking that clerks and committees who are scheduled to meet this week refrain from doing Meeting business in person. Instead, we encourage you to seek an email format, conference call, or a video conferencing application (such as Zoom, Skype, Campfire, etc.) to do business.

We are also suspending Meditational Worship on Monday at noon and Unprogrammed Worship on Wednesday night at 7pm and our Experiment with Light which meets this coming Tuesday at 7pm—at least for this week, and until further notice. Also, the event at Marian University we shared in Friend to Friend, “Tradition and Transformation” on Friday, March 13 has been cancelled as well. We ask that small groups and other gatherings please take a hiatus for at least this week as well. With the impact of the Coronavirus changing daily, at this time, we are taking these measures for this week only, but will reassess next week and provide another update by next Thursday, March 19.

During this time, the First Friends Meeting Office plans to stay open, and our staff and leadership will work to communicate the ongoing state of the Meeting and cancellations of upcoming events. Our goal is to keep you as informed as possible of any and all changes in the life of the Meeting and its programming by email, phone, and other means we are currently exploring.

The pastors are working to create a self-guided worship resource to be sent by email for personal and family worship which will enable us to join together at 10:15am—as we always do on Sundays—but from the privacy of our own homes or other settings.

Also, this morning we were contacted by the leaders of the Maple Seeds Preschool Co-op (MSPC) housed in our building. They have chosen to close the preschool immediately due to the Coronavirus and plan to stay closed through the end of their spring break (April 6). Closer to the end of that time they will be reassessing the situation and deciding when to reopen.

As you heard yesterday in our Friend to Friend newsletter and on our social media sites, Western Yearly Meeting has postponed/canceled the Spring Retreat that was to be held this Friday and Saturday at Fort Benjamin Harrison and at First Friends. We have also been receiving word that several Friends Meetings within our Yearly Meeting have chosen to cancel Meeting for Worship and larger gatherings for the foreseeable future.

We know this is alarming and worrisome for many, but we want you to know that we at First Friends are being proactive and precautionary in our approach. We ask that you join with us in holding in the Light our country’s leadership, the health professionals, and all those who are working hard to stop the spread of this horrible virus. Also, we ask that you, personally, take every precaution possible to ensure your own safety and the safety of others at this time. For current updates and preventative measures on the virus, please review the Center for Disease Control’s website https://www.cdc.gov/.

In the Spirit,

The Pastoral and Office Staff of First Friends

As Way Opens

I returned last Saturday evening from a relaxing week of vacation in Orlando, Florida. I love having a week that I can read a book that I have been looking forward to for a while. Jon Meacham’s The Soul of America - The Battle for our Better Angels is just such a book. It is a fascinating journey into the history of our country highlighting a number of our Presidents and the key accomplishments, struggles and deficiencies in these men over the last 250 years. Reading this book gives me so much hope for our future - over the arc of our history things have improved and we continue to take steps forward (even though the movement includes lots of steps back). Even the greatest of our Presidents have had flaws and disappointed folks with their action or inaction. Our issues of race, class, immigration, and foreign influence have impacted our government and our culture right from the beginning. It was a good reminder that progress is usually slow and compromise is crucial to moving towards the ideals set up in our Constitution.

With all that is going on in our politics and in our country with this potential health crisis, we can lean into our history and remember that we are all called to be leaders with open hearts and minds, listening to all, remaining calm and not giving in to fear and panic. It is in our most difficult periods that we turn to God as our place of refuge and strength. As Psalms 46:1-3 says, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Many thanks to our food pantry volunteers last week: Kathy and Bill F, David B, Linda L, Dan H, Terri T, Christie M, Beth F, Mara S, Brad J, Carol and Jim D. A BIG THANK YOU to all of our volunteers, especially to newcomers Terri and Brad. Without you this ministry wouldn’t be possible.

Nichole and Joshua M welcomed to the world William Daniel M at 1:45 AM on March 8th. Weight: 6 pounds, 13 ounces. Welcome and happy birthday new Friend!

Lindsay and Stephen D are welcoming their new son, Oliver Thomas who was born Friday, March 6 at 10:13 PM. He is 4 lb. 15 oz. (15.5 inches long)—small but healthy! Lindsay and baby are doing well. Also, congratulations to Jim and Lynda S, the proud grandparents!

Steven & Lindsay P had a new addition to their family. Quinn Maeve P was born on March 2nd, weighing 7 lb 8 oz. Steven and his family live in Boston. Congratulations to them, and to grandfather Bob P! We know Ann P would have loved to meet her new granddaughter.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Western Yearly Meeting Retreat - CANCELLED~ PLEASE NOTE this message from WYM: Due to the concerns surrounding the coronavirus, the WYM Spring Retreat scheduled for this weekend, March 13-14 has been postponed/canceled for now.

We are giving consideration to rescheduling this event, but it will probably be scheduled, at the earliest, in the fall. We will let you know of the new date when that decision has been made.

Thank you for your understanding. If you have questions, you can contact the WYM Office at 317-839-2789 or 800-909-3452.

It’s not too late to pledge! Friends, please consider helping First Friends Meeting meet their financial needs this year. Your pledges help immensely with budgeting and making sure we have enough to carry out our ministries. If you’d like to make a pledge for 2020, you can fill out a card at the Meetinghouse, fill out our online form at https://forms.gle/Nb1r1ctRrfgAPigY8 or simply contact the office. First Friends would also like to sincerely thank all Friends in support of our ministries. We are grateful to everyone who’s turned in a pledge for 2020 and/or have turned on automatic donations through their bank. Thank you for supporting First Friends in the new year!

Tradition and Transformation - CANCELLED ~ Suzanne Moore’s presentation of “Tradition and Transformation”, scheduled for 3/13, has been cancelled as a precaution in light of COVID-19. We hope to reschedule her visit for a later date. If you would like to be notified when the program is rescheduled, please email saintjohnsbible@marian.edu.

Experiment with Light - CANCELLED ~ Please note that our regular Experiment with Light event scheduled for Tuesday, March 17 has been cancelled. Please see the statement above regarding coronavirus for more information.

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Needs Your Help! KIB needs your help to keep Indianapolis beautiful. Whether you are interested cleaning up litter, building pocket parks, creating greenspaces, planting trees, preparing mail, or assisting with special projects, there's a way you can help. If you are interested, please visit https://www.kibi.org/projects for more information and to volunteer. Our Tree Planting Quakers are signing up for Saturday March 14 from 9:00am until about 12 or 1pm, located at 2150 N Capital (21st and Capitol). If interested, there will be litter-grabber options for alternative volunteer tasks on site. If you have any questions, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. We hope you will sign up for that day and join us!!

Weekly Lenten Reflections Week 3: Habitat

In Richard Bauckham’s book, The Bible and Ecology, the author provides biblically grounded scholarship to show God’s ever-present concern for all creation. His writing makes the case that we are co-creatures with everything on this planet and not demi-gods to rule over the earth. Read Psalm 104 and listen to the beauty and magnificence of the vision. Here are a few verses:

“You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills,
giving drink to every wild animal;
the wild asses quench their thirst.
By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;
They sing among the branches.“ Ps 104: 10-12
“The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
In them the birds build their nest;
The stork has its home in the fir trees.
The high mountains are for the wild goats;
The rocks are a refuge for the coneys.” V 16-18

God designed the world to support all forms of life. Through human activity, habitat is being lost throughout the globe. Since 1970, there has been a loss of 3 billion birds as a result of development & habitat loss. If we are to love God’s creation & its inhabitants, what can we do?

We can do a lot, right in our own yards. Dr. Doug Tallamy says that “if half of American lawns were replaced with native plants we would create the equivalent of a 20-million-acre national park – nine times bigger than Yellowstone, or 100 times bigger than Shenandoah National Park.” https://ourstoriesandperspectives.com/2013/07/10/saving-nature-by-learning-to-live-with-it-the-benefits-of-native-plants/

We have evidence that this is true. Almost 20 years ago, First Friends made a commitment to change an acre of grass into an urban wood. Since that time, we’ve seen an increase in the number of native birds and insects. We had beautiful hummingbird moths drinking bee balm nectar this past summer. It is full of life that nurtures us, the community and our world.

As we prepare for Spring, look where you live. Is there an area that you could convert to native plants and flowers? To understand more, read Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, or Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard, by Dr. Doug Tallamy https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Best-Hope-Approach-Conservation/dp/1604699000. For local ideas, consult the Indiana Native Plant Society https://indiananativeplants.org/ and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. https://www.kibi.org/. Come join the Tree Planting Quakers on March 14 as we volunteer with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.

Abrahamic Traditions Dinner ~ The Niagara foundation invites you to their annual Abrahamic Traditions Dinner, which will be on Thursday, March 19, 6:30-9:00pm. It will be held at Meridian Street United Methodist Church, 5500 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, 46208. This is a free event. Please make reservations for this meal by March 17th at cenk@niagarafoundation.org. For more information, visit https://www.niagarafoundation.org/mirror/interfaith-engagement/abrahamic-dinner/.

Quaker Earthcare Witness ~ “...Daily, we become more aware of the suffering of the planet and its people. We find an increasing call to do justice, to ‘let our lives speak’, individually and corporately. We are led, as Friends have been at other daunting moments in history, to overcome our own despair, to relieve suffering, and to unite with Spirit in ways never before imagined to bring new possibilities to Life. Living in Blessed Community in peace with each other and the natural world takes more than words, it requires action.” —Southeastern Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, 2019 Fourth Month

Beverly Ward, Southeastern Yearly Meeting's Field Secretary for Earthcare, shares these words in this newest issue of BeFriending Creation as a "faith touchstone" for earthcare action. Find the online PDF version of BeFriending Creation here, which highlights reflections and responses on the climate crisis.

Help Send a Friend to FUM! ~ We are asking for financial support so that Maggie C can attend Friends United Meeting (FUM) Triennial in Kenya this summer. She received a partial grant from WYM, but is in need of a bit more support to cover remaining expenses. It would be wonderful to have Maggie there to represent First Friends. Checks can be made out to First Friends with Maggie’s name in the memo line. Thank you for supporting a Friend, and for supporting FUM!

WYM Visioning Process – Phase 2 Survey ~ Western Yearly Meeting (WYM) is now carrying out phase 2 of its visioning process. WYM is asking everyone who can, to please take 10-20 minutes to complete their survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7WG2CXZ. This survey will help focus the yearly meeting and help prepare for upcoming years. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact the WYM office at (317) 839-2789. If you would like a printed copy, please contact the First Friends office at 317-255-2485 or office@indyfriends.org.

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 meeting on Thursday, March 19 at 7:00pm. See Winter/Spring 2020 locations here: http://bit.ly/ThreshingSpr2020.

First Friends Library Features ~ Wisdom’s Daughters: Stories of Women Around Jesus By Elizabeth G. Watson

“We find Jesus breaking every major taboo against women in his day. This book is a continuous (chronological with flashbacks) story of the life of Jesus pieced together from the four gospels to be as consistent as possible.”

Each story is told in detail as events seem likely to have happened. They read as easily as good fiction while being supported by scripture. The author is familiar with the looks, smells, clothing, customs of the times, so it all seems very real.

Chapters include scripture, commentary on the biblical scholarship, and questions for personal reflection or group dialogue.

Go to the library new bookshelf quickly because if you don’t someone else will be enjoying this book and you will need to wait!

Jim and the Band on the Third Friday ~ Singing Friday will be showing up on the calendar on the 20th of March. Jim, and probably Jesse and Luke will also be with us again. If we have as good a time as last month, everyone will have an enjoyable, relaxing evening. You may learn a new song or a few. Gather in the parlor from 7-8:30 or so.

Babysitting Co-Op ~ Our babysitting co-op is happening Saturday March 21, 5:30 - 9:30, hosted by Tiffany B and Beth H. Dinner will be provided for the kids. Please contact the office (office@indyfriends.org) if you would like to have your kids join in the fun that evening!

Free Lenten Concert ~ All are invited to this free concert presented by the vocal group VOCE, of which Carolyn T is a member. The “Road to Resurrection,” a show of hope and wholeness, features Schütz's Musikalische Exequien and works by Purcell, Rheinberger, Paulus, and Hogan, with special guest: Erica Rubis, viola da gamba. There are two available concert times, the first is Sunday, March 15th at 3:00pm at St. Francis In-The-Fields Episcopal Church, 1525 Mulberry Street, Zionsville, IN 46077, with reception to follow. Another concert will take place on Sunday, March 22nd at 4:00pm at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, 8320 E 10th St, Indianapolis, IN 46219, also with reception to follow. For more information, visit VOCE’s facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/voceindy/. We hope you will consider attending this special feature!

Shalom Zone 5th Tuesday ~ All are invited to the Shalom Zone’s next 5th Tuesday event which will be held here at First Friends on Tuesday, March 31st at 7 pm in Fellowship Hall. Dawn Barnes of the Society of St. Andrew plans to speak. The topic is “gleaning” and Dawn will tell us what is involved in gleaning and how gleaning helps to distribute food that otherwise would go to waste. The program will end by 8:30 pm and will include time for questions. For additional information on “gleaning” please visit Endhunger.org’s newsletter at https://www.endhunger.org/PDFs/Newsletter_Current.pdf.

1. "Finding Our Voice"

2. Voice Lessons from My Father

3. Our First Family: Where We Learned (Not) to Speak

4. Should You Share Your Vulnerability?

For questions, help getting a book or more information, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Queries for the Week

Will I recognize God making that new life in me? Or will I ignore it, not believe it, or even stifle it?

Comment

Friend to Friend March 4, 2020

March 5, 2020

As Way Opens

This past Sunday, we had the wonderful privilege of dedicating eight children (Lucille Elise F, Jacqueline Anne F, Aries Alexander T, Stella Valvo A, Samuel Rain A, Berlynn Anne S, Graham Christian S, and Foster Lee S) at First Friends. Due to it being a while since our last dedication, I wanted to make sure people understood what we were acknowledging during Meeting for Worship and in the lives of these children and families. I shared the following at the beginning of the dedication.

For those unfamiliar with child or infant dedications, we at First Friends see this as a public affirmation made by parents/grandparents on behalf of their children. They stand with their children in front of the Meeting and make a promise to raise their children in the ways of Jesus. As well, the Meeting stands together and promises to help support, encourage, and hold the parents/grandparents and children accountable on this journey of faith.
To not confuse this with other ceremonies of its nature, we make it clear that Child Dedication is not baptism. It is not a sacrament of any kind, nor does it impart salvation on the child. It is simply the commitment of parents/grandparents and the people of First Friends to raise their children in the faith.
Child dedications were very common throughout the Bible. If you remember in Scripture, Hannah dedicated Samuel to the Lord, Abraham dedicated Isaac, and 8 days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to be dedicated in the temple. Part of the Jewish tradition of dedication was a public naming of the child.

To introduce our eight children, I read the meanings of each of their names, followed by the Meeting promising support and stretching out their hands to bless and pray for the dedicated. We are so blessed to have this opportunity to support, encourage, and hold these parents/grandparents and children in Light as they grow in their faith here at First Friends.

Grace and peace,

Bob

See more photos at www.facebook.com/Indyfriends. — *See more photos at* *www.facebook.com/Indyfriends*.

Joys & Concerns

We received a wonderful thank-you note from a Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) Board Member:

“I’m writing, as a member of the RSWR board, to thank First Friends for your generous financial, moral, and spiritual support of Right Sharing in 2019.

With your help, RSWR was able to fund 41 new groups last year. That means that your giving helped to enable over 1092 women in Kenya, India, and Sierra Leone to support their families and transform their communities.

Please pass on our deep gratitude to your Witness & Service committee, to the stamps team, and to the congregation at large. -Blessings and peace, Jonathan B, Seattle, WA”

Congratulations to Dan M and family! Dan M just welcomed a new grandson. Theo Mitchell S came into the world late at night on Monday, March 2nd. Congratulations to Sally and Peter on their new addition to the family!

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Remember, Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday, March 8th at 2:00 am!! This means that we “spring forward” in time as we anticipate the wonderful weather to come with it. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward for Sunday morning!

Preparedness and Awareness Regarding Coronavirus:

Friends, we know that the Coronavirus is something on your minds and that needs to be taken seriously, and by no means do we want to create hysteria or unnecessary worry. Instead, we want you to know what we are doing at First Friends to help ensure our collective safety and reduce the spreading of disease within our building and community.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most people in the United States have little immediate risk of exposure to this virus today. The virus is not currently spreading widely in the United States. However, it is likely that person-to-person spread will continue to occur and that, at some point, widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the United States may occur. The CDC offers us the following action steps:

Stay informed – the situation with the coronavirus is fluid and the CDC is updating its website daily with the latest information and advice for the public.
Remember to take everyday preventive actions that are always recommended to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:

Avoid close contact with sick people.
While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible. Stay home if you are sick.
Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub with at least 60% alcohol.

3. The CDC and State Department have issued advisories asking people to avoid all nonessential travel to China and South Korea at this time. Travel alerts have also been issued for Japan, Italy and Iran.

First Friends has chosen to take additional steps to ensure the safety of all those who gather within our building:

Since we have a preschool housed in our building, we have been working closely with them regarding their preparedness. They are currently developing a plan of action.
We have contacted our janitors to ensure all door handles and surfaces throughout the building are being disinfected on a regular basis. Items which cannot be properly sanitized may be temporarily or permanently removed.
Starting this Sunday, we will refrain from shaking hands during greeting time following waiting worship.
Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the building, paper towel dispensers have been installed in all bathrooms, and nursery toys are being sanitized on a regular basis.
In the case of an outbreak within our community, we will inform all members and attenders and cancel our public gatherings until the health professionals deem it safe. We will also notify our insurance carriers and public health authorities. With access to technology, we will be creative and continue to provide opportunities for worship and alternative ways to stay connected within the Meeting.

We ask that you inform the Meeting Office immediately if you—or someone you have been in contact with—has (or may have) COVID-19, or any other serious communicable diseases.

The next women’s gathering will be this Friday March 6th. We’ll be going to see Ruth Kelly’s photography on First Friday. She is the featured artist in March at Full Circle Nine Gallery, 1125 Brookside Ave Suite B21 inside the Circle City Industrial Complex. If you would like to come, please let the office know you are going— office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485. We will meet around 6:00 there - if folks want to carpool they should let the office know and we will leave at 5:30 from the Meeting. We can decide after we see the artists if we want to go to dinner afterward.

First Friends Library Features ~ Wisdom’s Daughters: Stories of Women Around Jesus By Elizabeth G. Watson

Chapters include scripture, commentary on the biblical scholarship, and questions for personal reflection or group dialogue.

Go to the library new bookshelf quickly because if you don’t someone else will be enjoying this book and you will need to wait!

Weekly Lenten Reflections- Week 2 Our Daily Bread

As we return to the first creation story in Genesis, let’s look at days two and six from Eugene Peterson’s translation:

God spoke:” Earth, green up! Grow all varieties of seed-bearing plants. Every sort of fruit- bearing tree.”
And there it was.
Earth produced green seed-bearing plants, all varieties. And fruit-bearing trees of all sorts.
God saw that it was good.
Later, on Day Six after God created the creatures including human kind:
Then God said, “I’ve given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth
And every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food.
To all animals and all birds, everything that moves and breathes,
I give whatever grows out of the ground for food.”

According to the text, God intended for us to make fruits and vegetables the major part of our diet. Much recent dietary research promotes generous servings of fruits, vegetables and seeds for a healthy diet. Here’s a pretty picture from our northern neighbor on what a healthy plate would look like- https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

And a consensus from the World Health Organization- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet

For the rest of Lent, make it a practice to have one meatless day each week. Don’t substitute meat with heavily processed foods; instead concentrate on eating whole foods full of color and taste. Project Drawdown is a science-based approach to caring for the earth and its resources. Eating a plant rich diet is #4 out of 80 strategies to help the planet recover from humankind’s overuse and poor management. https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/food/plant-rich-diet

As part of our concern for other creatures, if you do eat meat, consider getting your meat products from a farmer who raises animals humanely. Shop your local farmers’ market when you can. Here’s a blog post from a farmer who has pasture raised animals. https://blog.whiteoakpastures.com/blog/6-reasons-to-eat-grassfed-beef-pasture-raised-poultry-2020. Celebrate the earth’s abundance and for God’s ever-present Wisdom.

Tradition and Transformation ~ All are invited to this event sponsored by The Indianapolis Foundation Library Fund and presented by Suzanne Moore. Suzanne Moore is a painter, printmaker and lettering artist whose eclectic interests fuse in the diversity of her artists’ books. Suzanne Moore’s career as a maker of manuscript books spans more than 30 years. Her work is rooted in traditions of historical manuscripts, but her books are contemporary in approach, content and imagery. Suzanne’s work on The Saint John’s Bible, including 10 interpretive illuminations and 3 special treatments came at a key time in her career, altering her perspectives, enriching her vision and offering challenges and inspiration for future work. Her illustrated presentation will describe the connections with, and divergence from, the rich history of the codex book. Her work is exhibited widely, and she teaches in the US and abroad. This event is free and open to the public. It is being held on Friday, March 13, 7:00-9:00pm at Marian University Theatre, 3200 Cold Spring Rd. For more information, visit https://events.marian.edu/events/#!view/event/event_id/10210.

Western Yearly Meeting Retreat ~ All are invited to the Western Yearly Meeting (WYM) retreat to be held here at First Friends on Saturday, March 14! This is a one-day conference for everyone featuring the authors of Slow Church, John Pattison and Chris Smith. The event will run from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. This begins with a continental breakfast and includes lunch and snacks. For more information and for registration forms, visit https://mcusercontent.com/acf67475c86114d6972c3a2fa/files/2fca754e-c4f4-4409-9f96-fe4716514b77/Brochure.2020.pdf.

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Needs Your Help! KIB needs your help to keep Indianapolis beautiful. Even a few hours can make a big difference! Every year KIB relies on nearly 20,000 volunteers to help carry out a mission to help people and nature thrive together in our city. Whether you are interested cleaning up litter, building pocket parks, creating greenspaces, planting trees, preparing mail, or assisting with special projects, there's a way you can help. If you are interested, please visit https://www.kibi.org/projects for more information and to volunteer. Our Tree Planting Quakers are signing up for Saturday March 14 at 21st and Capitol. We hope you will sign up for that day and join us!!

Experiment with Light ~ Friends, our monthly Experiment with the Light (EWL) is Tuesday, March 17, at 7 pm in the parlor. All are welcome, whether this is your first time or you’re a regular. Attenders find it a remarkable experience. Please join us. We begin promptly at 7 pm and end at 8:30. Peace and love, ~Mary Ellen L.

Babysitting Co-Op ~ Our babysitting co-op is happening Saturday March 21, 5:30 - 9:30. Dinner will be provided for the kids. Please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org if you would like to have your kids join in the fun that evening!

Join us at the Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading book club as we discuss Beartown by Fredrik Backman (432 pages) on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream—and the price required to make it come true. "People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.” (from goodreads) Larry C will be leading the discussion in the Parlor starting at 7 pm!

Comment

Friend to Friend

As Way Opens

Bob

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Reopening Discernment

Queries for the Week

As Way Opens

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Queries for the Week

As Way Opens

Bob

Joys & Concerns

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Queries for the Week

As Way Opens

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Queries for the Week

As Way Opens

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Queries for the Week

As Way Opens

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Queries for the Week

As Way Opens

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

As Way Opens

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

ALL WORSHIP AND EVENTS CANCELLEDCoronavirus Update from First Friends

Queries for the Week

Services Cancelled & Coronavirus Update

As Way Opens

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Queries for the Week

As Way Opens

Bob

Joys & Concerns

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

ALL WORSHIP AND EVENTS CANCELLED
Coronavirus Update from First Friends