Friend to Friend April 28, 2021

April 28, 2021

As Way Opens

I was really moved by Bob’s message last Sunday of his journey away from art for many years of his life and back to where art feeds his soul. The five paintings he shared in our virtual service were powerful representations of reality that takes us deep inside ourselves for contemplation and reflection.

As I have been reading Eugene Peterson’s book, Practice Resurrection A Conversation on Growing Up in Christ, I was struck by his writing on the term “inscape” which is made relevant in the Church by our inside sense of mystery, light, angle and awareness. He writes, “Often an element of surprise accompanies this experience of inscape: I never saw that before….I’ve never heard anything like that…..I’ve never been so moved….But in fact nothing that the artist brings to our attention was unheard, unseen, untouched previously. It was all there before us in the tree we walked past every morning on our way to work, in the face that we thought we knew through and through. in the whispers of wind in the willows and the lapping of waves on the beach. Why are artists so necessary? And how do they do this? A great deal of attention has been given to understanding what is involved. The stock answer is that the artist makes us aware of beauty in contrast to the dull or the ugly or the commonplace. But that is an obviously an unsatisfactory answer. For much of what the artist brings to our attention, with grateful appreciation, is not so much beauty as reality - the way things actually are, whether it is the excruciating pain portrayed in a Rouault painting of the crucifixion of Jesus or the unrelenting ordinariness of a red wheelbarrow in a poem by William Carlos Williams, neither of which is “pretty”.” (page 139-140)

We are all artists and creators with different manifestations of presenting our reality and becoming aware of our inscape. God as the ultimate Creator has gifted each of us with unique talents and gifts. I hope you spend time this week exploring all the ways you co-create with God in bringing reality into our awareness.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

The Earth Day wildflower walk led by Norma Wallman went well. Though it was windy and cold, the gorges at Holliday Park proved to be warmer and wind-free. There were seven participants so all were able to see the spring ephemerals. These are some of the first wildflowers of the season—short-lived and transitory.

“Life finds a way.” A quote from the movie Jurassic Park as walk participants note the irrepressible dandelion growing from a felled tree trunk. — *“Life finds a way.” A quote from the movie Jurassic Park as walk participants note the irrepressible dandelion growing from a felled tree trunk.*

The snowstorm did not seem to affect many of the specimens we sought. Norma found less common varieties of wildflowers as well as the usual suspects. The delicate blossoms dazzled us with their colors. We noticed how flowers were scattered in small bunches or stood alone as a single example of a species in this spot or another. As an avid lay botanist, Norma partially identifies species by the behaviors she has observed in them over seasons of careful inspection. Because Connections arranged the walk and asked her to bring them, she brought along copies of her beautiful book, Wildflowers of Holliday Park so people could purchase the descriptive guidebook.

We enjoyed the walk so much that, by popular demand, there may be more wildflower walks in the future as some wildflower species step down from the stage to allow time and place for other lovely actors to appear. Thank you Norma for leading us and helping improve our powers of observation—a true celebration of Earth Day.

A BIG Thank-You to our Mid-North Food Pantry Volunteers! Christie Moulton; Linda and Rik Lineback; Virginia Snell; Penny Paraskevas; Kathy and Bill Farris; David Beatty; Phil Goodchild; Mara Snyder; Carol and Jim Donahue; Barbara Oberreich; Ruth Kelly; Corrine Imboden. Thank you so much for your service to those in need!

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

DAY OF ACTION—APRIL 29—7-9 p.m. EDT

All IN for Democracy Redistricting Coalition

This fall, the Indiana legislature will draw new district lines. The lines will determine how Indiana and our communities are represented and whether our voices will be heard. We know that when the public is involved in the redistricting process, the result is fairer maps.

April 29 offers the next opportunity for citizen action.

Join the All IN for Democracy redistricting coalition and ICRC mapping experts Ranjan Rohatgi and John Milburn to learn about the redistricting process and the newest tool for citizen action—map drawing. They will conduct a live workshop on drawing maps using the new map drawing website, DISTRICTr.org/Indiana. Julia Vaughn from Common Cause Indiana will introduce the ICRC citizen mapping competition. The competition--including the chance to win a cash prize--is open to everyone in the state, so register for the April 29 introduction to this tool!

RSVP HERE

The winning maps--those that best serve the public interest--will be submitted to the legislature to help with their map drawing. They will also be used as the standard by which we judge the legislature's redistricting proposals when they reconvene this fall. The idea is to demonstrate that we are more likely to get maps that are good for voters and communities when the legislature does not have complete control over the process. And by comparing citizen-drawn maps to those drawn by self-interested legislators, we will be able to provide a new level of scrutiny and transparency to a process that is usually opaque.

Are you interested in using this software to stand up for your community's needs and get involved in the mapmaking process? Join us for our DistrictR training on Thursday, April 29th at 7:00 pm ET. Even if you don't plan to draw districts, learning about it on April 29th and raising your voice to our legislators will help ensure your community's voice is heard. Contact Phil Goodchild (goodch713@aol.com) with any questions. Thank you.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Please help keep our woods clean! The woods committee has placed a trash can at the entrance to the woods. There is occasionally trash found in the woods so we hope this will keep the woods clean! Please do feel free to use the new trash can next time your visit.

Help Memorialize Our Departed Friends! As some of you know there was a period of time when our practice of writing memorials for deceased members fell by the wayside and many didn't get written. You may remember that for our purposes a memorial is much like an obituary but with a more personal touch and may give information about the person's connection and/or work at First Friends or in the larger Quaker world. If the writer knew the person pretty well there might be a little story or stories that illustrate something about that person.

Here is a list of memorials that are being written and need to be written. Take a who look at the list and see of there is a person that is not yet assigned a writer that you might like to write about. We might be able to help you collect information about the person if you like. If you are interested contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Community Garden Plots Available! Raised beds are now available for wannabe gardeners. No experience is necessary because newbies can learn from other gardeners. It is fun and good for your health. Gardeners pick up healthy bacteria from working the soil. Fresh air, sunshine, exercise, fresh produce and camaraderie are some of the benefits. Contact Samantha R or Nancy S. We would love to have you join us!

Returning gardeners and new gardeners, now is the time to dig up those weeds before they get too big or go to seed. Remember to enrich your soil because good earth is everything when it comes to organic gardening. The more wiggle worms and the fewer slugs, meal worms and cut worms, the better. Gardeners are already planting cold weather crops and some have been growing seedlings indoors ready to transplant around Mother’s Day. Collars can be made to circle around some young plants to protect them from pest attacks. Other common defense methods to ward off hungry slugs that eat roots and tender young seedlings include using sand or washed, crumbled eggshells. Slugs do not want to crawl over these irritants. Unwashed eggshells will attract unwanted guests to your plot--such as curious canines. So be sure to wash shells before crumbling and placing in your plots.

Good luck and get going, gardeners. Our time is NOW. Let’s celebrate 2021 in style by providing a hearty welcome to Spring!

~Sam and Nancy, Community Garden Coordinators

Get a Meal, Support MSPC! Mark your calendars! On Friday, May 28th from 11am-2pm, the Maple Seeds Preschool Co-op (MSPC) will host the Black Leaf Vegan Food Truck in the First Friends parking lot. A portion of the proceeds will support the Co-op, so please consider coming that day! You can place a to-go order, or feel free to stay and make a picnic out of it! If you have any questions, contact MSPC at 317-767-3003.

Write with Friends: New Activity Beginning Monday April 19th ~ Friends are invited to a small writing group where participants may write whatever they want to write—stories, memoirs, journaling, poems, etc. 10:00 AM immediately before Monday Meditation. Two prompts to get you started will be offered, but what is offered need not be accepted.

This will be a live activity in the parlor, socially distanced and masked. Please bring writing materials and a clipboard or notebook. Open to anyone around age 12 and over.

It is not necessary to stay for the Meditation which begins at 11:15 and finishes at noon. Although we have a practice of sharing our meditational experiences afterwards. Meditation participants do not require that you stop writing. Feel free to join us 10:00 to 11:00 AM on May 3, 10, May 17, June 7, 21, 23.

Creation Care ~ Don’t know where to start with adding native plants in your home garden? The Indiana Native Plant Society is hosting this free virtual event on native plants in the home landscape. Register by April 28th! https://mailchi.mp/ea0816263e5e/beauty-and-the-beasties-landscaping-101-for-a-wildlife-friendly-garden?e=7720dfd558

This Thursday, we will be continuing to weed and tidy up the pollinator garden and prepare a planting space for native flag iris to honor the Wood’s benefactor, Marjorie Wright, who passed away many years ago. Marjorie Wright loved iris in the spring and instead of bearded iris, we are planting native flag iris that prefer a wet area in which to thrive. Bring your gardening gloves and head to the Woods at 10 AM for 90 minutes of gardening with others.

Rethink what you recycle! You can be part of the solution with the help of a handy chart on what is and is not recyclable, provided by Consumer Reports—find the link here!

Library Book Highlight! Signs of Salvation: A Biblical Meditation, by Ben Richmond

Ben Richmond is a peace worker, a past editor of Quaker Life magazine and a minister in the Friends Church. Supported by abundant quotes from the Bible, Richmond’s premises are that the Bible is inspired by God and is the authority in matters of faith, that texts should be read for what the words say, and finally Jesus Christ is the interpretive key, and in him the laws of the prophets have their fulfillment.

“God saves us from loneliness—into communities of grace and truth

God saves us from enemies—so we can live free from fear and at peace

God saves us from economic oppression—so we can afford to be generous

God forgives our sins, heals our wounds, and speaks intimately in our hearts”

(Scriptures referred to are NIV, NRSV and RSV).

If you’re interested in checking this book out, we can mail it to you! Simply contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.

Plastics: Impacts and Action ~ We are becoming more aware of the convenience of plastics in our lives, and also becoming aware of the problems of overuse. Cornell University has an online learning opportunity about plastics and how to design an action to reduce plastics pollution. The course, Plastics: Impacts and Action, is a 5-week online course open to anyone! This new course explores the multiple ways we interact with plastics, and uses plastics to investigate the complex dynamic systems shaping our planet and our lives. The course is largely asynchronous--meaning you can access the short lectures, readings, and other materials when it’s convenient for you. We also hold weekly webinars (recorded for those who can’t make it) as well as optional weekly office hours. The course will go from May 17 through June 20, 2021. If you’re interested, you can learn more and register here. Cost is $60 (strongly encouraged), though they also accept participants who are only able to pay less or who are not able to pay. Participants who complete the course are awarded a Cornell University certificate (PDF). Questions? Email CivicEcology@cornell.edu, Use “Plastics” in the subject line.

Reopening Task Force Report. Currently, the Meetinghouse is open to small groups, with requirements for face coverings and social distancing protocol. Participants assume responsibility for risk of COVID-19 exposure. To check on availability of small groups, including Zoom options, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org, 317-255-2485.

Additionally, larger groups of up to 30 people may meet in Fellowship Hall, with the same safety criteria and assumption of responsibility as smaller groups, including mask-wearing. Groups using Fellowship Hall will need to be trained to operate fans and switches, as well as shown how to open and reclose/relock the windows. Training sessions can be coordinated through the office.

The Reopening Task Force presented a report to Monthly Meeting on April 18, available by clicking here. The report included recommendations that the meeting consider plans for outdoors worship on Mothers’ Day, May 9, in Meditational Woods, and for indoors worship the following Sunday, May 16, to continue indefinitely as circumstances allow. A called Clerk’s Council meeting took place April 22 to discuss these recommendations, but consensus was not yet reached. It was agreed that the Reopening Task Force will gather additional input from the Christian Education Committee about how best to serve our children and young families, which will be used to inform an updated recommendation to Clerk’s Council later in May.

Note: For all in-person gatherings, indoors and out, members and guests will be required to maintain social distancing, wear masks and following additional CDC guidelines. Extra face masks will be provided for those who need them.

Ventilation:

· As reported in March 2021, the Trustees have shared the following messaging with the Reopening Task Force: “Trustees established fresh air ventilation is abundant in Fellowship Hall and the Meeting Room. First Friends was built without central air conditioning. Ventilation was an important consideration during construction planning. We are blessed with an excellent ventilation system in Fellowship Hall and the Meeting Room. There are fans and switches in both locations. When fans are running and windows and doors are opened, there is an abundance of fresh air available in each of those rooms. Any group requesting use of Fellowship Hall is required to use the ventilation system in place while meeting.”

· As a review, the Trustees presented a report in November 2020 on the ventilation at the First Friends building, based on assessment including: the HVAC system and filters, attic and exhaust; a 1950s report created by the First Friends Construction Committee; and measurements taken using a CO2 detector. Among the findings:

- In the Meeting Room, there are four windows that open, plus four ventilation fans in the ceiling. With windows opened, the fans can draw air through the Meeting Room to meet the CDC guidelines of six fresh air exchanges per hour.

- In Fellowship Hall, a fan on the west wall and an exhaust fan in the kitchen draw air outside. A fan near the entrance brings fresh air inside, heats and circulates it. There are 11 windows that open and two new air conditioning fans.

$tamping for Dollar$ ~ First Friends is becoming known among Quakers around the country for helping Right Sharing of World Resources by selling donated stamps and sending the proceeds to RSWR. RSWR supports women's self-help grassroots organizations in India, Kenya, and Sierra Leone. Who exactly donates the stamps? This question made the Stamping for Dollars team curious about the geographical distribution of our donors, Norma Wallman kindly attached a red dot to a United States map at every location from which we have received a stamp donation since April 2017. View the map in detail here. Thanks, Norma!

We learned that, as shown in the photograph, donors in 43 states send us stamps. Only Idaho, Nevada, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Rhode Island are without stamp donors. Notice that the eastern third of the US has more stamp-sending locations than either the central or the western third.

We also receive stamps from nine foreign countries: Canada, Costa Rica, Great Britain, France, India, Finland, Australia, Switzerland, and Norway.

We are grateful to all of our stamp donors. For more information, see www.rswr.org.

The newest edition of the $stamping for Dollar$ newsletter is out now! View it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TtEu890xyoqAVZC8zOPUkfnJWN4VBqAU/view?usp=sharing

Queries for the Week

(From self-led guide)

· How have I forgotten the pleasure and joy of the creativity that God has given me?

· How will I use my creativity this week in my devotional practice and in worshiping God?

Comment

Friend to Friend April 21, 2021

April 21, 2021

As Way Opens

Tomorrow, many will celebrate Earth Day. This year, First Friends has made a month-long focus on our Earth, its care, and the important things we can glean from it for our spiritual and daily lives. Sadly, many miss the important connection between our environment and our Creator God.
Just the idea of global warming seems to polarize many Christians still today. Whether you believe science or not, you must admit these issues are on the minds of the world and are creating increased anxiety and fear.

A few years ago, I found it interesting to poll my college students on what they worry about the most in our world. One of their top answers was the weather and natural disasters. Yet, it is an alarming reality that many people don’t seem to be taking this as serious as our young adults. All too often, environmental subjects are dismissed as mere political spin.
On his blog, Nathan Davis mentions two important points that Christians need to address:

1. Christians have a traditional, deeply rooted affiliation with extreme political views, which in the past have disputed the validity of environmental concerns. Under this influence, they parrot statements fed to them that dismiss or minimize any danger we may face.

2. Many are affected adversely by their belief that the world will one day fall into destruction and be done away with by God and that the world will waste away under his judgment.

This belief, of course, can contribute to a careless attitude toward the earth due to the impending doom already set before it.

Along with Davis, I see these views leaving the church insensitive, selfish and out of touch with reality and what science teaches us. The church is often considered to be turning a deaf ear to what many believe to be a moral issue. Are not moral issues to be addressed by the church? And even more, do we not care how the church is seen by the world?

What gives me hope and calls me to respond in a positive manner is knowing we are committed to our Quaker Testimony of Stewardship – that we value the care of our Earth and take it seriously, and seek to promote environmental justice for the benefit of the next generations. If we embrace this testimony and make our voice known, we have the power of changing this perception of the Church in our world today!

Happy Earth Day!

Bob

Joys & Concerns

We at First Friends hold in the Light the families and loved ones of the 8 victims of the senseless shooting at the FedEx facility in Indianapolis. We ask that you join us in prayer.

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

IFCL -- Redistricting Commission Hearing Finale April 22

The Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) will hold its last scheduled hearing on Thursday, April 22 at 7:30pm. A link to register for this virtual event is here. Webinar Registration - Zoom

This will be a chance for people across the state (not just in their own Congressional District) to learn the Commission's conclusions from what they heard from citizens about redistricting at the nine Congressional District hearings to date. The ICRC will be reporting on their findings to the Indiana legislature ahead of redistricting this fall, so this hearing is both a finale and a preview. Plus, attendees will be able to speak up with any comments or questions they might have. A great opportunity for those who attended one of the previous hearings, and for those who missed out the first time. Please feel welcome to attend, whether you know anything about legislative redistricting or not. Contact Phil Goodchild (goodch713@aol.com) with questions. Thanks.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Join Norma for a Wildflower Walk on Earth Day! Connections invites you to a walk through Holliday Park to look at the beautifully blooming wildflowers. It will be held on Thursday, April 22 (Earth Day!) from 1-3pm at Holliday Park (6363 Spring Mill Rd, Indianapolis, 46260). We’ll meet in front of the Nature center for the walk which begins at 1pm. Our guide will be our own Norma W, author of Wildflowers of Holliday Park. If you’re interested you must contact the office at office@indyfriends.org to RSVP, as spaces will be limited. Norma will also have copies of her book available for sale that day. The event will still go on in the event of light rain, but anything harder and we’ll reschedule to the following Thursday. Stay tuned for other programs organized by Connections, including a bird watching event!

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like you to join us from virtually anywhere in the world as we discuss The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson. On Winston Churchill's first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally--and willing to fight to the end.

We will gather via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 led by Loryne C.

Claim Your Raised Bed in the First Friends Community Garden! Earth Day is here! Time to claim a garden plot in the north lot Community Garden! Contact Samantha R. or Nancy S. if you want to keep last season’s raised beds or if you want to join us and start a plot. No experience necessary; we will help you learn.

The garden has kale, spinach, lettuce and onions that overwintered. One gardener has planted peas, a cold weather crop. Some gardeners have cleared their plots ready for planting after the cold snap. Now is a good time to add new soil and nutrients to your raised bed. Weeds are abundant. They are easier to remove now before those long tap roots go deeper and before they shed seeds or develop runners and spread. The thistles are especially irksome since they sport stickers and often need to be dug out. So gardeners get going!!! Spring is here for the breathing.

This will be a live activity in the parlor, socially distanced and masked. Please bring writing materials and a clipboard or notebook. Open to anyone around age 12 and over.

10:00 to 11:00 AM this coming Monday, the 19th, skipping April 26, then May 3, 10, May 17, June 7, 21, 23.

Rethink what you recycle! You can be part of the solution with the help of a handy chart on what is and is not recyclable, provided by Consumer Reports—find the link here!

We also receive stamps from nine foreign countries: Canada, Costa Rica, Great Britain, France, India, Finland, Australia, Switzerland, and Norway.

We are grateful to all of our stamp donors. For more information, see www.rswr.org.

The newest edition of the $stamping for Dollar$ newsletter is out now! View it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TtEu890xyoqAVZC8zOPUkfnJWN4VBqAU/view?usp=sharing

You’re Invited to the USFW Spring Conference! All women are invited to the United Society of Friends Women (USFW) virtual Spring Conference which will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, April 27, 9:00 a.m. – noon. The guest speaker will be Katrina McConaughey, who along with her husband, Shawn, are FUM’s Program Officers in the Africa Ministries Office in Kisumu, Kenya. It is a special pleasure to welcome Katrina to our group as she and Shawn will be moving to Plainfield in March 2022 when Shawn becomes Superintendent of Western Yearly Meeting. In addition to hearing from Katrina, we have exciting business to conduct. If you would like to Join, simply follow this link to join when the meeting starts: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81304893359?pwd=Qmx5R3JsandwVjRJYzRmMDJEMnc4QT09. Or, you can dial 312-626-6799, enter Meeting ID: 813 0489 3359; Passcode: 149396.

Library Book Highlight! America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and Bridge to a New America, by Jim Wallis

Wallis, a well-known evangelical Christian, preacher, teacher, and author of ten books, is dedicated to equality and racial justice. Quoting from a great variety theologians, historians and philosophers, he establishes the social gospel firmly within a Christian foundation. In the chapter “Repentance Means More than Just Saying You’re Sorry he quotes New Testament scholar N. T. Wright: “…repentance is the recognition that the living God has made us humans to reflect his image into this world and that we haven’t done it.” Repentance is not only about personal sins but on the larger scale our societal sins against the poor and people of color. He writes: the next bridge to cross is American’s transition from a majority white nation to a majority of racial minorities. He refers to the demographic shift projected to occur during the next few decades.

If you’re interested in checking this book out, we can mail it to you! Simply contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for April
Golden-crowned Kinglet
The Eyes Are the Key!

In November of 2019 I introduced the reader to the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. This month we meet its cousin, the Golden-crowned Kinglet. Both species can be seen this month, but will leave in a few weeks for their northern nesting locales. As the names suggest, one difference is the color atop the head. Male ruby-crowns have a red spot, while the females have none. Female golden-crowns have a yellow patch surrounded by black, and so do the males, but the latter also have an orange-red patch in the middle of the yellow!! If one googles images of these two species, it will become clear. Let’s complicate matters. These are just about the smallest birds around here with the exception of hummingbirds, and kinglets are constantly in motion. Once a birder locates the spot on the branch where the bird is, it isn’t there anymore. It moves from branch to branch and leaf to leaf, constantly flicking its wings. So you know it is a kinglet, but which of the two? Getting a good look at the head patch is difficult. I have found that it is easier to look at the eyes. The eyes of the ruby-crowned are black, and set in a small oval patch of white, while in the golden-crowned, the black eye lies in a black stripe! So the “eyes” have it, although I do enjoy seeing the crown color. In our woods to really get to know the bird, one should look into its eyes.

I know people like that. They hurry and scurry, accomplishing much, but are difficult to get to know in the midst of activity. With a little patience, and, given a chance to really look them in the eye, true “Friend-ship” can result!! -Brad J

The Reopening Task Force presented a report to Monthly Meeting on April 18, available by clicking here. The report included a recommendation that the meeting consider plans for outdoors worship on Mothers’ Day, May 9, in Mediational Woods. Also recommended is that Monthly Meeting consider resuming indoors worship the following Sunday, May 16, to continue indefinitely as circumstances allow. In response these recommendations, a called Clerk’s Council meeting has been scheduled for April 22 to address these recommendations.

Ventilation:

Queries for the Week

(From virtual worship)

· What am I learning from the creation around me about my faith journey? When will I spend some time in creation this week to glean from its wisdom?

· As Quakers, what do our “purity codes” look like today? Who might we unaware be categorizing, excluding or labeling in our daily life?

· Where do we see God planting a “mustard seed” in the life of First Friends?

(From self-led guide)

· Do you see evidence that we are currently up to the task of answering the spiritual and moral questions at the root of our ecological crisis?

Comment

Friend to Friend April 14, 2021

April 14, 2021

As Way Opens

I am amazed every year that I have lived in my home in the Canterbury neighborhood with this rhododendron bush outside my front door. It bursts forth for about six days each spring and every year I forget how magnificent it stands. I stand in awe of the beauty of creation as I look at this bush morning, noon and night. If you look closely you will also see this amazing bumble bee sucking the nectar out of a blossom here.

As I think about this month that we honor the earth, we need to reflect on the presence of creation in this very moment. It means that we honor and value the moment and everything that we are experiencing. Of course, this can be taken to an extreme as I have seen in relationships in my family where living in the moment and not being concerned about the future means destructive behavior today. We all have to balance living in the moment and appreciating how to be present today with a need to plan and be responsible for our future.

My late husband Jerry (who will have been gone five years this Sunday) helped me a lot with this in the last few years of his life. Some of our best times were sitting on our deck listening to the birds. Because he could only appreciate the moment, he would bring me out of my worry for the future to the current beauty in the trees, the birds, the flowers, the sky. This was a gift and a blessing to steady my life in appreciating the beauty in the here and now.

I like this Mary Oliver poem:

Swan

Did you too see it, drifting, all night on the black river?

Did you see it in the morning, rising into the silvery air, an armful of white blossoms, a perfect commotion of silk and linen as it leaned into the bondage of its wings: a snowbank, a bank of lilies, biting the air with its black beak?

Did you hear it, fluting and whistling

a shrill dark music, like the rain pelting the trees, like a waterfall knifing down the black ledges?

And did you see it, finally just under the clouds- a white cross streaming across the sky, its feet like black leaves, its wings like the stretching light of the river?

And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?

And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?

And have you changed your life?

Beth

Joys & Concerns

MANY THANKS to our Mid-North Food Pantry volunteers: Linda and Rik Lineback; Phil Goodchild; Penny Paraskevas; David Beatty; Mara Snyder; Virginia and Derek Snell; Christie Moulton; Kathy and Bill Farris; Barbara Oberreich; Ruth Kelly; Corrine Imboden; and Carol and Jim Donahue. We finally had a sunny and warm day at the pantry! Thanks to our First Friends volunteers and all who have contributed to the Mid North Food Pantry fundraiser to serve those in need. There is one more week to make your donation for the benefit of the Mid North Food Pantry. You can send a check to First Friends with “food pantry” noted in the memo section—no later than April 18. Or, you can also donate online on our secure website at https://www.indyfriends.org/support and choose the “Mid-North Food Pantry” fund. Or you can donate via text by texting PANTRY to 317-768-0303. We will present one large check to the pantry on behalf of First Friends at an upcoming volunteer day.

We sadly share the news of the passing of Joyce Flight. Joyce was the Christian Education Director at First Friends for a number of years a few decades ago. Her obituary can be found at: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/indystar/obituary.aspx?n=joyce-gladys-flight&pid=198175663&fhid=14502. Please keep her family in your prayers.

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

IFCL -- Redistricting Commission Hearing Finale April 22

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

First Friends Bible Study ~ A new session of the First Friends Bible study will kick off on Thursday, April 15 at 7:30 pm. We'll study the 13-lesson book Christ as Present Teacher: Learning to Love, in the Barclay Press Illuminate series. The class meets by Zoom. All are welcome to join or drop in to see what the class is like. If you have questions, or are interested, contact the First Friends office: office@indyfriends.org.

All are invited to an upcoming Spirit & Place online event! The Spirit & Place Festival holds dozens of "never-seen-before" programs. Artists and authors, entrepreneurs and neighborhood organizers, storytellers and scholars come together with singles and couples, families and friends in a true community conversation. You’re invited to their online event, Living Stories: An Evening with Dr. Elaine Pagels on April 16 at 6:30pm. Dr. Pagels will be helping Spirit & Place bridge its past and current themes -- Origins & Change -- by joining Dr. Maria Hamilton Abegunde in conversation that explores how nothing about religion, its meaning, or purpose is static. With every generation, the stories, traditions, and practices held dear by many, change in some way. New discoveries, questions, and perspectives open a world of possibility on how we understand the nature of religion. Religious studies scholar and best-selling author Dr. Elaine Pagels has spent her career examining not only the origins of (Western) religious traditions and how they shape our understanding of ourselves, but also the necessity of re-interpreting these sacred stories so that they might continue to help us in challenging times. Find more information on Spirit and Place’s 2021 festival here: https://spiritandplace.org/Festival.aspx?access=Year. If you’re interested in this event, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/living-stories-an-evening-with-elaine-pagels-presented-by-spirit-place-tickets-136829886875.

College Care packages - It is time to send care packages to our college students as they prepare for their exams at school. This time, rather than having you drop off your donations at the meetinghouse, we are asking for financial contributions. The First Friends office will use the funds to fill boxes for the students with goodies like candy, cookies, cards, and other treats. There are a number of ways to send your support—you can mail a donation to the office with the notation “college packages”; donate via our secure giving portal at https://www.indyfriends.org/support and choose the “college care packages” fund; or text COLLEGE to 317-768-0303. Please get donations in by Friday, April 16. Thank you for your support!

Gardeners and Wannabe Gardeners: Plots Available. Get Ready, Set, Go! ~ Spring is here! If you want to reclaim or claim a raised bed in the Community Garden in the north lot, please contact Samantha at sam.kg.ryan@gmail.com or Nancy S.

Bread for the World Zoom Event ~ On Tuesday, April 20, Bread for the World will host a Zoom event, Feeding Our Economy: Food Security. Good for Business. This zoom will feature four speakers: Dr. Heather Eicher-Miller from Purdue University Department of Nutrition Science, Eric Halvorson from Kroger Corporation, Michelle Hummel, Organizational Effectiveness Consultant and former WIC staff member, and Senator Mike Braun, to address food security/hunger issues.

Hunger affects us all, either directly or indirectly. Children who are hungry can’t focus or reach their potential. Workers are less productive. Combined, our overall economy is threatened. More importantly, there is enough food for everyone; we just need to get it to those who are hungry because this is what caring people do for each other.

Bread for the World (https://www.bread.org/) is “a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decisions makers to end hunger at home and abroad. Moved by God’s grace in Jesus Christ, we advocate for a world without hunger.” Keeping informed about national legislation that involves hunger-related issues, BFW members contact members of Congress to advocate for the hungry among us and worldwide. This Zoom event, with the goal of 350 people participating, will educate us about food issues that have been exacerbated by the pandemic and will demonstrate our commitment to finding solutions.

There is a strong contingent of workers from First Friends who volunteer weekly at the Mid-North food pantry. These people know the fine line that so many people tread to have food to sustain them. With hundreds of pantries like Mid-North in Indiana and nationwide along with the legislative work that BFW advocates, hunger can be eliminated.

Please consider attending this free Zoom event and register at this link. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/feeding-our-economy-tickets-141487076655

If you have any questions regarding the event or about Bread for the World, you can contact Corinne Imboden, cimboden@sbcglobal.net.

Join Norma for a Wildflower Walk on Earth Day! Connections invites you to a walk through Holliday Park to look at the beautifully blooming wildflowers. It will be held on Thursday, April 22 (Earth Day!) from 1-3pm at Holliday Park (6363 Spring Mill Rd, Indianapolis, 46260). We’ll meet in front of the Nature center for the walk which begins at 1pm. Our guide will be our own Norma Bangel Wallman, author of Wildflowers of Holliday Park. If you’re interested you must contact the office at office@indyfriends.org to RSVP, as spaces will be limited. Norma will also have copies of her book available for sale that day. The event will still go on in the event of light rain, but anything harder and we’ll reschedule to the following Thursday. Stay tuned for other programs organized by Connections, including a bird watching event!

Gloria Gaither’s Songwriting Intensive ~ You’re invited to a songwriting intensive hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University and led by Gloria Gaither—a celebrated songwriter, author, speaker, editor, and academic. Dive into the art of songwriting as a means of storytelling with award-winning and seasoned songwriters. You will be enriched by participants from around the world in a weekend of classes and collaboration. The event will take place from June 17-20, 2021. For more information, to see the other clinicians, and to register, visit https://www.indwes.edu/undergraduate/division-of-music/songwriting-intensive.

This will be a live activity in the parlor, socially distanced and masked. Please bring writing materials and a clipboard or notebook. Open to anyone around age 12 and over.

10:00 to 11:00 AM this coming Monday, the 19th, skipping April 26, then May 3, 10, May 17, June 7, 21, 23.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for April
Golden-crowned Kinglet
The Eyes Are the Key!

Other updates:

· Larger groups of up to 30 people may meet in Fellowship Hall, with the same safety criteria and assumption of responsibility as smaller groups. Groups using Fellowship Hall will need to be trained to operate fans and switches, as well as shown how to open and reclose/relock the windows. Training sessions can be coordinated through the office.

· Three listening sessions for the full meeting to discuss issues related to reopening have taken place. Non-pastoral members of the Reopening Task Force were not in attendance, but have received a follow-up report, available by clicking here. The Reopening Task Force met on April 8 to address listening session results and will be presenting a detailed report at the April 18 Monthly Meeting.

Ventilation:

Notes from the Woods ~ Go out and enjoy the Woods and any place that speaks to you about nature and the power of rebirth! Delight in the sights and smells and plants emerging from their winter rest.

Then consider some of Bob's queries about how each one of us can be better stewards of the earth.

Some actions to consider:

Plant native shrubs and trees.
Reduce your lawn size and plant more native plants for our bees, butterflies and birds.Indiana Wildlife Federation, Hamilton County Soil and Water and Cool Creek Park have plant sales of natives. https://indianawildlife.org/take-action/native-plant-sale/ https://www.hamiltonswcd.org/store/c4/Native_Plant_Kits.html Indiana Native Plant Society has its annual plant sale.https://indiananativeplants.org/native-plant-auction-2021/
Pay attention to your electricity use- where can you draw down your energy use?
How much garbage do you produce as a household? How can you reduce your household waste?
Mount an anti-litter campaign in your neighborhood.. KIB offers support for neighborhood cleanups! https://www.kibi.org/

Carmel Green is putting out the word on residential solar

Hamilton Southeastern Schools is hosting a fun family outdoor event including tours of the school’s solar system this Sat. April 17, 10-1 p.m. Great way to celebrate Earth Day!
Solar webinars are scheduled April through September.

Get the details and RSVP here (scroll down).

The 26% federal tax credit was extended and net metering is still available. So folks interested in going solar can still get a good deal this year.

Happy Spring!

Queries for the Week

(From virtual worship)

From the book "Practicing Peace" by Friend Catherine Whitmire.

· What have I learned from listening to God in the earth, rocks, trees, water, and animals? How has this learning affected or changed my life?

· In what ways does my daily life exemplify, reflect, or belie my respect for the oneness of Creation and my care for the environment?

· Am I willing to change the way I live and make sacrifices in my lifestyle in order to preserve the earth, air, and water for future generations? What changes am I willing to make now?

(From self-led guide)

· What does the life and ministry of Jesus mean to me, today?

· How may I continue to make visible the life and ministry of Jesus by utilizing my own gifting and life?

· What am I giving thanks for as I continue to celebrate the Resurrection?

Comment

Friend to Friend April 7, 2021

April 8, 2021

As Way Opens

A few weeks ago, my parents bought us a new contraption to feed birds in our back yard. It looks like a pillar of glued together seeds that hangs from a metal hook among our other bird feeders. I believe they are actually known as a “Seed Logs” – and specifically used to attract woodpeckers. After just a couple of days of having the log, woodpeckers made their way to our backyard for what, so far, seems to be a tasty treat.

I now enjoy sitting on my back porch to watch the antics of what I have learned is the Downy Woodpecker – a very common woodpecker in Indiana. I read that Downy Woodpeckers are smart and versatile, I have had a rather young-looking Downy visiting on a regular basis. When he first visited our backyard, he seemed a bit disheveled and maybe a bit flighty. He likes to land at the top of our bird feeder hook and slowly work his way down to the seed log – all the while looking around for anything that may fly in to challenge his seed eating.

Then today, I was observing the little guy and I began to wonder if he had lost it. There he sat perched on and pecking away at the metal pole and making a heck-of-a racket. Most of the time this Downy sits perched on the log with a myriad of wild birds from finches to the Tufted Titmouse around him with no concern, yet today was different. This behavior lasted for some time before he finally had scared most of the other birds away leaving him to all the seeds.

I thought he may have been a bit greedy, but after doing some research, I was surprised to find out that banging on that metal pole was his mating call and the marking of his territory. He was just trying to attract more woodpeckers like him. Yet, in doing this, he would consistently scare away the variety of bird friends around him.

I had a mentor who once said, “If I am trying to learn a lesson, I go watch the birds in my backyard. They always teach me something.” And at First Friends we are blessed to have our own bird expert, Brad Jackson to glean some bird wisdom for our daily journey.

The Downy Woodpecker had me thinking about the church. How often when trying to attract new people, do we overlook the variety of people all around us? How often are we just making a racket that turns people off? Could it be that too often we are simply wanting to attract people like ourselves, all the while, God has been leading a myriad of people to our meeting doors or YouTube channel? It is something to ponder.

I encourage you to go watch the birds this week. See what you glean from their presence in your life.

Grace and peace,

Bob

Joys & Concerns

A HUGE thanks to everyone who helped make our first in-person Meeting for Worship a success—especially Ed Morris, who arranged for the canopy and other logistics. We had a wonderful Easter together and we loved seeing everyone! (Thanks to Bob Henry and Kim H for pictures.)

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Please note, this Thursday’s Workday in the Woods has been cancelled due to questionable weather. Please join us on another Thursday from 10am-12pm to help make our woods beautiful!

Still need a Coronavirus vaccine? Light of the World church is hosing a vaccine clinic that is open to the general public. No appointment is necessary, simply show up to the church at 4646 N Michigan Rd, Indianapolis, 46228 on Saturday, April 10 from 9am-5pm. This is for adults age 18 and up. The single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot will be given.

Then the following day, Sunday, April 11 from 2pm-4pm, there will be a clinic for youth ages 16-17 to receive the Pfizer vaccine. For more information or for questions, contact 317-202-7508.

Friendly Reminder from Trustees and Maintenance Committees- Please refrain from planting trees, shrubs, flowers, etc., around the grounds unless approved in writing from Trustees and Maintenance Committees. We need to responsibly manage what is presently planted on the property. Please help us by working together to responsibly and safely maintain the grounds.

Meditational Woods manages the wooded property to the east of the Meetinghouse.

The Community Garden group (Samantha Ryan and Nancy Scott) oversees the small gardens in the north lot.

Thank you for helping us manage the property.

Youth Group Meetup ~ Youth Group will be meeting in person at the Meetinghouse grounds on Sunday, April 11th for an outdoor picnic and games. Please mark your calendars, and contact Beth if you’re interested in joining! office@indyfriends.org.

Book Spotlight from our Library:

Conversation with Christ: Quaker Meditations on the Gospel of John by Douglas Gwyn

“Using guided meditation, Gwyn invites the reader to engage in her or his own conversation with the living Christ.” He refers to biblical scholarship, early Quakers, and his own insights to draw readers into a personal connection with Christ. A few chapter headings will give you an idea of the topics he discusses insightfully, perceptively, and deeply: Women of Samaria, “The Jews”, The Way, the Truth and the Life, Simon Peter.

Gwyn, a recorded minister, has written several other books available in our library.

Mid North Food Pantry ~ First Friends has begun its annual Mid North Food Pantry fundraiser. Mid North relies not only on the volunteers of First Friends and others, but also on financial assistance to purchase food and other supplies needed to operate the pantry. Since Mid North is able to purchase food at a much lower cost than you can, you can show your support for the pantry by making a financial contribution to the pantry. Checks should be made out to First Friends (with a note “food pantry” in the memo section) and sent to First Friends no later than Apr-18. Or, you can also donate online on our secure website at https://www.indyfriends.org/support and choose the “Mid-North Food Pantry” fund. Or you can donate via text by texting PANTRY to 317-768-0303. Thank you for your consideration.

We will gather via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 led by Loryne C. Contact the office for Zoom details: office@indyfriends.org.

Please consider attending this free Zoom event and register at this link. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/feeding-our-economy-tickets-141487076655

If you have any questions regarding the event or about Bread for the World, you can contact Corinne Imboden, cimboden@sbcglobal.net.

Words from the Woods ~ We’ve added a few new plants to the Woods: look for spicebush, New Jersey Tea and a pagoda dogwood. A wheelbarrow full of honeysuckle was pulled out and disposed. We’ve scattered native grass, wildflower and sedge seeds in different areas, so we hope that we will see more growth soon.

Thanks to Mindy and Linda for their helping hands. Amy Perry has rearranged the entry berm that supports the Woods dedication monument to make it even more beautiful.

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) has many activities to help with Creation Care.

· Family learning activities for Earth Month. https://www.kibi.org/nature-learning-activities

· Kick start spring cleaning! Host a Great Indy Cleanup, find out the date of your neighborhood cleanup, or join us on April 24 for a cleanup at Indiana Guide Right.

Do you want a KIB pocket park in your neighborhood? Is there a vacant or under-used lot in your neighborhood? A place that where you and your neighbors could spend time together outside, if it had just a little love and attention? Do native plants and butterflies make your daily walks a delight? Then a greenspace sounds right for you! Applications for our 2022 AES Indiana Project GreenSpace projects are open until May 31, 2021. Apply now!

Other updates:

Larger groups of up to 30 people may meet in Fellowship Hall, with the same safety criteria and assumption of responsibility as smaller groups. Groups using Fellowship Hall will need to be trained to operate fans and switches, as well as shown how to open and reclose/relock the windows. Training sessions can be coordinated through the office.
Three listening sessions for the full meeting to discuss issues related to reopening have taken place. Non-pastoral members of the Reopening Task Force were not in attendance, but have received a follow-up report, available by clicking here. The Reopening Task Force is scheduled to meet on April 8 to address the report.

Ventilation:

As reported in March 2021, the Trustees have shared the following messaging with the Reopening Task Force: “Trustees established fresh air ventilation is abundant in Fellowship Hall and the Meeting Room. First Friends was built without central air conditioning. Ventilation was an important consideration during construction planning. We are blessed with an excellent ventilation system in Fellowship Hall and the Meeting Room. There are fans and switches in both locations. When fans are running and windows and doors are opened, there is an abundance of fresh air available in each of those rooms. Any group requesting use of Fellowship Hall is required to use the ventilation system in place while meeting.”
As a review, the Trustees presented a report in November 2020 on the ventilation at the First Friends building, based on assessment including: the HVAC system and filters, attic and exhaust; a 1950s report created by the First Friends Construction Committee; and measurements taken using a CO2 detector. Among the findings:
In the Meeting Room, there are four windows that open, plus four ventilation fans in the ceiling. With windows opened, the fans can draw air through the Meeting Room to meet the CDC guidelines of six fresh air exchanges per hour.
In Fellowship Hall, a fan on the west wall and an exhaust fan in the kitchen draw air outside. A fan near the entrance brings fresh air inside, heats and circulates it. There are 11 windows that open and two new air conditioning fans.

Queries for the Week

(From virtual worship)

Where is the Divine calling me to “rise up” or “take a stand” to show that another world is possible?
Who do I struggle to find equality with in this world? How might I help bring “resurrection” into their lives, today?
Where do I see “resurrection” taking place as we come out of this time of death known as the pandemic?

(From self-led guide)

What is the Present Teacher - Christ saying to me, today?
Where do I see God’s hand in the changes taking place around me?
Who in my life do I see the face of the risen Christ within? Who might I be missing Christ within?

Comment

Friend to Friend March 31, 2021

March 31, 2021

As Way Opens

I feel an energy in the air as springtime is about to burst forth upon us. I came to the Meeting yesterday and this Star Magnolia tree takes my breath away every year. I took my lunch out to the meditational woods and listened to the gentle breeze, the running water and saw the promise of flowers and buds on trees. The trees were whispering to me almost but not yet. I know I feel this excitement every year for spring, but this year is special. The darkness of the winter, the barren land and the months of staying indoors, has made this spring and its promise sweeter than ever. It's the hope and promise of a resurrection and liberation for all of us. Creation beckons to us almost but not yet.

I was moved by this poem by Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier -

I read each misty mountain sign,

I know the voice of wave and pine,

And I am yours and ye are mine.

Life’s burdens fall, its discords cease, I lapse into the glad release Of Nature’s own exceeding peace

May we feel a sense of God’s peace as we rest in the bounty of Creation this week and celebrate resurrection today, tomorrow, Easter Sunday and every day.

Beth

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Zoom Updates ~ Please note there will be no Sunday School (for children or for adults) on Easter Sunday, April 4. Similarly, there will be no online Fellowship hour. We hope instead to see your smiling faces at our in-person Easter service that day!!

Easter Sunday In-Person Service! – We are excited to share that we will be holding an outdoor service at the Meetinghouse grounds on Easter Sunday, April 4th at 10:15! It will be held on the front lawn. We will have a canopy set up and plan to meet, rain or shine, unless terribly bad weather shows up (though please be sure to dress for the weather). Any relevant updates will be posted to our Facebook page or you can check your email (or contact the office to sign up for text alerts). Please bring a lawn chair for yourself to use if you are able (some chairs will also be provided). Shawn Porter will be playing the organ from inside the meetinghouse 15 minutes before the service, so come early if you’d like to hear him play! We will also hold our traditional Easter egg hunt for the children. We will have Easter flowers for decoration, which will be available for people to take home afterward (feel free to leave a donation of $8 per potted flower, if you feel so led).

Please note we will have the following safety precautions in place:

· Face masks must be worn by everyone including children ages 2 and up

· Social distancing

· No congregational singing (but there will be musical performances)

· No building access except for restrooms

· 1 person allowed in each restroom at a time

· There will be no Easter brunch or food service

· No formal Fellowship Hour

· No childcare provided

For those who would like to continue to join us virtually, we will also offer our usual online video premiere on our YouTube channel as we do every week at 10:15. However, there will be no virtual Sunday School in the morning nor Zoom Fellowship Hour following the service. We hope that these choices will allow you to join us for Easter Sunday in the way that is most comfortable to you and your family. Either way, we hope you will worship with us that day!

Meditational Woods manages the wooded property to the east of the Meetinghouse.

The Community Garden group (Samantha Ryan and Nancy Scott) oversees the small gardens in the north lot.

Thank you for helping us manage the property.

Questions from a student ~ A Butler student is looking for a Quaker who can take just a few moments to answer a short 5-question interview about religious tolerance for a class. If you would like to take a few minutes to answer some questions through email, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Mid North Food Pantry ~ First Friends will kick off its annual Mid North Food Pantry fundraiser on Easter Sunday. If you plan to attend the Easter service in person, please bring a can or two of soup and/or vegetables to the service to demonstrate the support First Friends has for the pantry. Since Mid North is able to purchase food at a much lower cost than you can, you can show your real support for the pantry by making a financial contribution to the pantry. Checks should be made out to First Friends (with a note “food pantry” in the memo section) and sent to First Friends no later than April 18. Or, you can also donate online on our secure website at https://www.indyfriends.org/support and choose the “Mid-North Food Pantry” fund. Or you can donate via text by texting PANTRY to 317-768-0303. Thank you for your consideration.

Spring Greetings from the Woods ~ Plants are emerging from their winter sleep. We have a few wildflowers peeking up through the fallen leaves such as bloodroot and Dutchman’s breeches. Trillium and trout lilies may be next. Hopefully, we will be able to increase the number of spring wildflowers, or ephemerals, as we remove more and more invasive plants.

On Friday, we had a small Woods crew of Mindy Sommer, Brenda Rodeheffer, Nancy Scott, Mary Blackburn and Terry Trierweiler work on the courtyard to get it ready for our first in-person worship service on Easter Sunday. Terry has saved the seeds of coneflower and black-eyed Susans for the children. The Annabelle hydrangea, Little Henry sweetspire, dwarf oak leaf hydrangea and Tiny Wine ninebark shrubs are sending out new shoots. We have a cluster of Tiny Wine ninebark shrubs in the northeast corner of the courtyard that were donated by Helen Davenport’s family. The Davenport family has a tradition of planting a shrub in memory of a loved one. Look for the white blossoms appearing in April and May and think of our dear Helen.

We plan to work every Thursday morning from 10- 12 noon to remove invasives and perform other maintenance. Look for the new spicebushes that will be planted this week in the wet northeast corner.

Get Ready for the City Nature Challenge!

For the fifth year, Indiana Sciences and a coalition of partners are challenging Indianapolis residents and surrounding communities to stay connected with the urban wildlife around them by becoming citizen scientists. People of all ages are encouraged to participate in the “social distancing edition” of the 2021 global City Nature Challenge from April 30 – May 3, 2021.

If you’d like to create a First Friends Nature Team, please contact Mary Blackburn.

For more information about the program, click here.

Do you have extra Tee Shirts that you’ve worn out or outgrown? I’ve just learned about a company that recycles old Tee Shirts into new fibers to create new clothing. You can get $5 credit per T-shirt, up to $25 credit. If you’re interested, check out MarineLayer: Respun https://www.marinelayer.com/pages/respun-2020

Earth Day is coming April 22, 2021. Think about something that you can do to love God’s creation. Is it planting the right native tree in the right place in your yard? Is it cutting down on plastic use in your daily life? Is it turning off your lights when you leave the room?

Send your suggestions for loving the Earth and we’ll post them here in the Woods section of F2F.

Coronavirus Vaccine Age Limit Now 16 and up! The Indiana State Department of Health has now lowered the age threshold for Covid vaccines to 45 and up. If you’d like to sign up, please visit https://vaccine.coronavirus.in.gov/.

Reopening Task Force Report. The most recent Reopening Task Force March report is available here, with details about ventilation in Fellowship Hall. Currently, the Meetinghouse is open to small groups, with requirements for face coverings and social distancing protocol. Participants assume responsibility for risk of COVID-19 exposure. To check on availability of small groups, including Zoom options, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org, 317-255-2485. Additionally, the Ministry and Counsel Committee is working on plans for outdoors Meeting for Worship to take place Easter Sunday, April 4.

Other updates:

· Groups of up to 30 people may now meet in Fellowship Hall, with the same safety criteria and assumption of responsibility as smaller groups. Groups using Fellowship Hall will need to be trained to operate fans and switches, as well as shown how to open and reclose/relock the windows, to maximize ventilation. Training sessions can be coordinated through the office.

Woods Workday Notice ~ It seems that the weather has given us an “April Fool” – so we will meet in the woods on Friday morning as it should be a bit warmer. If you’d like to help take care of the Meditational Woods, please join us on Friday, or any other workday (Thursdays 10am-12pm)!

Please consider attending this free Zoom event and register at this link. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/feeding-our-economy-tickets-141487076655

If you have any questions regarding the event or about Bread for the World, you can contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Queries for the Week

(From virtual worship)

· What “crowd type” would I most identify with, currently? (Curious, Confused, Pretender, Opposer, or Committed)

· How will I commit

…to promote the engagement of the curious.

…to provide clarity and education to the confused.

…to expose the pretending and embrace authenticity.

…to transform the opposers and seek unity.

…and to commit to the work of Christ and to the integration of our lives for the benefit of one another?

(From self-led guide)

· Do I let Jesus accept me for who I am, “dirty feet” and all? Who are the people in my life whose “feet” need to be washed?

· Do I recognize the difference between Jesus’ message of the Kingdom of God vs. the kingdom and powers of this world?

Comment

Friend to Friend March 24, 2021

March 24, 2021

As Way Opens

A few years ago, I heard George Takei (a.k.a. Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise on the original television series, Star Trek) speak about his family’s imprisonment in US camps during World War II. He was taken prisoner at the age of five with his baby brother, sister and their parents in California. They were not charged with espionage or any other crime, instead, his family, along with approximately 120,000 other Japanese Americans, were placed in camps solely because of their Japanese ethnicity.

Takei’s story highlighted another aspect of our country’s deep systemic racism. This legacy of racism and anti-Asian xenophobia reared its “ugly head” again this week in Atlanta with the targeting and killing of six Asian women. Sadly, we have been seeing an increase in the number of Asian hate crimes around allegations that Asians are at fault for the Coronavirus. This is reminiscent of the widespread targeting of the Muslim community after 9/11.

As Quakers who will be discussing our distinctives of Community and Equality in the coming weeks, and who are called to Speak Truth to Power and speak up against racism where it is found, I would like to offer us these helpful suggestions from American Friends Service Committee (https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/how-to-respond-to-coronavirus-racism) on how to respond to Coronavirus Racism, specifically. They have narrowed it down to a four-step process – Interrupt, Question, Educate, and Echo.

Interrupt

Interrupting means taking a time out. It shows the person you’re talking, texting or chatting with that what they’ve said is important enough to pause your conversation to address—that you need to talk about the racism before you talk about anything else. Here are a few phrases to try: “Hang on. I want to go back to what you called the virus.”
“Just a second—let’s get into your point that the virus is somebody’s fault.” “Before we talk about that, I want to talk about the language you just used.”

Question

We’re all familiar with “questions” that are really warnings: What did you just say to me? or Are you really going to do that? But in this context, the goal of questioning really is to better understand why the person said what they did. You might ask: “Why did you call it the ‘Chinese Coronavirus’?” “Why do you think that?” “Where did you get that information?”

One note: Asking someone to explain why a racist joke is funny is a great way to stop them from making racist jokes to you again. But if you want to have a real discussion about what they’ve said, it might work better to ask something like, “What made you say that?”

Educate

The key to educating is to continue the conversation. The goal here isn’t to just provide facts about the topic generally to the person you’re talking to with, but to explain why what they’ve said needs rethinking. That means that, to educate folks around racism associated with the coronavirus, we need to understand not only the virus but also the racism. For example, you might explain that it’s actually not common anymore to name a disease after its place of origin, that there’s a long, bad history of associating diseases with specific groups of people and that the name COVID-19 was chosen very carefully to avoid repeating those mistakes.

If someone doesn’t understand why a comment they made was racist, you can educate them about the long history of stereotyping immigrants—and Asian people, specifically —as people who bring disease. You can explain how this stereotype is both wrong and harmful. And if someone tries to play down racist phrases as “just a joke,” you can educate them about the discrimination and racism many Asian-American/Pacific Island folks are facing right now, so they better understand the impact of their words.

Echo

It takes an effort to speak up against racist ideas and language. This is particularly true of people who are targeted by that language. That’s why we need to have each other’s backs. When someone else speaks up, echo them. Thank them and emphasize or amplify their message any way you can. This not only encourages more speaking up—it also ensures that no one thinks your silence in response to biased ideas or language means you’re OK with it. Of course, echoing is harder while we’re social distancing, but there are many ways to do it. Online, we can re-share antiracist messages. And in chats or conversations, we can respond to offer support and agreement.

If we all commit to interrupting, questioning, educating and echoing to fight racist rhetoric, we can start making our communities safer and healthier today.

Grace and peace,

Bob

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Update on Redistricting Meetings

Virtual public meetings by the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Committee continue this week and through the end of March. The ICRC is a model redistricting body established by the All IN for Democracy coalition, of which the Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation is a member. At public hearings around the state, it is listening to what citizens have to say about how to make redistricting by the Indiana legislature fairer and more reflective of our state’s electorate. The public input will be the basis of a report the ICRC will present to the legislature, advocating for a more open and transparent map-drawing process.

Want your vote to count for the next decade? Register for at least one of the remaining meetings. If you can’t attend the meeting scheduled for your congressional district, feel free to register for another. Upcoming meetings are:

March 30, 7-9 p.m. – Congressional District 2

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5VQihioMQw2Mysl3HyK6kg

Hundreds of Hoosiers have already spoken up by attending the first three ICRC meetings earlier this month. Join them in letting your legislators know you expect a fairer process and better maps this year. Contact Phil Goodchild (goodch713@aol.com; 317-790-9054) with any questions. Thank you.

Joys & Concerns

Many thanks to our Mid-North Food Pantry Volunteers! Virginia and Derek S; Linda and Rik L; Kathy and Bill F; Phil G; Penny P; Christie M; Barbara O; Ruth K; Corrine I; Mara S; and Jim D. Thanks to our First Friends volunteers and all who monetarily contribute to the pantry to enable the pantry to serve those in need.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Woods Workday CANCELLED ~ Friends, due to the weather forecast, the Woods Workday scheduled for tomorrow, March 25th has been cancelled. We hope you will consider joining us for another workday, held every Thursday in April.

Reopening Listening Sessions

Friends, as you may know, we have a Reopening Task Force that has been working diligently and considering many factors, including the recommendations of the CDC and infectious disease experts, to make an informed recommendation to Monthly Meeting for Business about when and how to reopen First Friends for in-person worship and activities. Before the Task Force makes its recommendation on this important decision, it wants to hear from, and take into account, the thoughts of our Friends.

To that end, various members of the Reopening Task Force, Connections Committee, and Ministry and Counsel met and decided to host three Listening Sessions, open to any interested Friends, during which we will ask for your thoughts on four queries. The Listening Sessions will be facilitated by Carl Butler and recorded by Beth Henricks. Carl and Beth will listen, consolidate your feedback, and provide it to the Reopening Task Force.

The four queries will be:

1. What would make you feel safe in order to return to the Meetinghouse for worship and activities?

2. We see from the listening demographics of our streaming worship services that there is interest in First Friends beyond the Indianapolis area. After the pandemic, should we consider ways to continue providing our worship services virtually, in addition to in person?

3. After the pandemic, to what extent, if any, should we invest in technology that would make it convenient for Friends to attend virtual meetings and activities that take place at the Meetinghouse?

4. What have we learned during this pandemic that might help First Friends be better prepared for any future situation where we are unable to, for an extended period of time, meet in person?

These sessions are not designed to debate these queries or make decisions; rather, they will provide opportunities for you to be heard and to listen to your fellow Friends in an open and safe forum. We have scheduled the following dates and times:

Thursday March 25, from 7:00-8:00 pm
Sunday March 28, from 11:00 am-Noon (replacing normal fellowship hour)
Sunday March 28, from 5:00-6:00 pm

To make sure everyone has an opportunity to be heard, we are limiting these Listening Sessions to these particular queries, but, if you have other thoughts, please do not hesitate to communicate them to the office. We will make sure they are brought to the Reopening Task Force as well.

If you would like to participate in one of these Listening Sessions, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485 with your name, email address, and preferred time. Before your chosen session, the office will send you a link to the Zoom conference. We encourage you all to participate in one of these sessions and look forward to seeing you there!

Sunday School Updates ~ Please note there will be no Seeking Friends Sunday School class this coming Palm Sunday (March 28). Also, there will be no Sunday School at all (for children and adults) on Easter Sunday, April 4. We hope instead to see your smiling faces at our in-person Easter service that day!!

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like you to join us from virtually anywhere in the world as we discuss My Family and Other Animals (The Corfu Trilogy Book One) by Gerald Durrell ~ When the unconventional Durrell family can no longer endure the damp, gray English climate, they do what any sensible family would do: sell their house and relocate to the sunny Greek isle of Corfu. My Family and Other Animals was intended to embrace the natural history of the island but ended up as a delightful account of Durrell’s family’s experiences, from the many eccentric hangers-on to the ceaseless procession of puppies, toads, scorpions, geckoes, ladybugs, glowworms, octopuses, bats, and butterflies into their home.

We will gather via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 led by Nancy S. Contact the office at office@indyfriends.org for the Zoom info.

From the Library ~

Reminiscences of Levi Coffin - Abridged and Edited by Ben Richmond

Fascinating stories of escaping slaves on the Underground Railroad. The well edited stories are taken from the journals of Levi Coffin. They read like a good novel, displaying great cleverness in diverting and tricking the slave hunters, narrow escapes, dramatic rescues, physical hardship and immense courage. For those of us who have visited the Levi Coffin home the book will be especially interesting.

Pendle Hill Pamphlets

Beneath the shelf where the newer books stand is a collection of these pamphlets. Since 1934 Pendle Hill has expanded understanding of Quaker life and witness through these pamphlets. Each publication arises from the writer’s spiritual experience, religious concern, or special knowledge of an important contemporary theme. You will find brief, substantial writings by authors including Parker Palmer, Howard Thurman, Simone Weil, John Yungblut, Sandra Cronk, Fritz Eichenberg, Thomas Kelly, Paul Lacey, and Martin Buber. For more information see the Pendle Hill website from whence this information has been copied.

Silent Meeting for Worship Now Also in the Parlor~ Starting Monday, March 22nd, Friends will return to meeting in the parlor for Silent Worship, Meditation and Un-Programmed Worship. Appropriate social distancing and face covering is required. A laptop with the zoom will be available simultaneously to interact with Friends from home. The option to worship via Zoom is still available; those on Zoom will join those in the Parlor virtually. If you’d like the Zoom links, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Coronavirus Vaccine Age Limit Now 40! The Indiana State Department of Health has now lowered the age threshold for Covid vaccines to 45 and up. If you’d like to sign up, please visit https://vaccine.coronavirus.in.gov/.

Please consider attending this free Zoom event and register at this link. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/feeding-our-economy-tickets-141487076655

If you have any questions regarding the event or about Bread for the World, you can contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Reopening Task Force Report. The Reopening Task Force March report as of March 16 is available here, to be presented at Monthly Meeting on Sunday. Currently, the Meetinghouse is open to small groups, with requirements for face coverings and social distancing protocol. Participants assume responsibility for risk of COVID-19 exposure. To check on availability of small groups, including Zoom options, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org, 317-255-2485. Additionally, the Ministry and Counsel Committee is working on plans for outdoors Meeting for Worship to take place Easter Sunday, April 4.

New developments:

· Groups of up to 30 people may now meet in Fellowship Hall, with the same safety criteria and assumption of responsibility as smaller groups. For ventilation purposes, groups will need to be trained to operate fans and switches, as well as shown how to open and close/relock the windows. Training sessions can be coordinated through the office.

· Listening sessions for the full meeting to discuss issues related to reopening are being planned, as detailed below. So that participants will feel comfortable speaking their views, non-pastoral members of the Reopening Task Force will not be in attendance, but are to receive a follow-up report.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for March

Brown Creeper – Quiet and Dependable

Every Saturday morning my wife and I go grocery shopping. We arrive at the same hour each visit, and, half-way through, notice the same woman filling the spice rack. We always say, “Good morning,” to her, and she always returns the greeting in her quiet way. We may or may not buy cinnamon or Old Bay, but it will be there, if needed, because she does her job. You may know someone at First Friends like that…quiet and dependable.

This month’s selection, the Brown Creeper, is so inconspicuous that most folks would walk right past it. You might see one in our woods anytime from October through April, but March is especially good. It is known for its whisper-like “see-it” call, and its song, “see-did-uh see-you” is infrequently heard during migration. Dependable? Yes! This month go into a woods with mature trees, and watch for a chickadee-sized bird creeping up the side of a tree. It may go straight up, or spiral up. When it gets to the crown, it will likely fly down to the bottom of a nearby tree and begin creeping up that one. On its vertical trip, it is looking in the grooves of the bark for insect eggs and spider eggs or perhaps small caterpillars hidden for the winter. Our cottonwood, hackberry, and black cherry trees are favorite food sources for the creeper.

If you are lucky enough to find a nest (perhaps at Ft. Harrison State Park or further north), it will be inside a curl of bark that has come loose from the tree, but is still attached.

So take a silent, long look for a Brown Creeper this month. One will be there, you can depend on it! ~Brad J

Comment

Friend to Friend March 17, 2021

March 17, 2021

As Way Opens

As we continue to honor important women in our history during Women’s History Month, I want to highlight another spiritual hero of mine, Saint Teresa of Avila. I had heard her name before seminary but spent some time studying her life and reading her classic book, The Interior Castle. She was part of an important movement throughout the Universal or Catholic Church’s history, the voice of reform from monastic groups. Throughout the Church history, there has been a tension with tradition and an established organization versus a voice of reform and reimagining. Usually, the voice for reform comes from within the Church as individuals and groups become disillusioned with the deadness of the life of the Church and its leaning to those in power to determine its direction and mission. The monastic groups are one group that removed themselves from the established Church and gathered in monasteries, convents and small groups to pray, live a devoted life of simplicity and community and seek the direct experience of Christ.

Saint Teresa of Avila is an example of one such voice. She was a mystic, reformer and became a religious leader all while working within the patriarchal system of the time as well as the shadow of the violence of the Inquisition. She and John of the Cross (Dark Night of the Soul) founded convents and monasteries throughout Spain, dedicated to the uncompromising spiritual principles of their reform. Just before her death her order the Discalced Carmelites were finally sanctioned as an official Order of the Catholic Church. She made contributions to the Church through her writings. She was a great example of how to live a life of devotion to God. She experienced the embodiment and incarnation of Christ and wrote about the experience in The Interior Castle. The book outlines the seven mansions that she moved through introducing us to a prayer practice to bring us into the intimacy of God. Her writings challenged the lack of passion and the stale nature of Catholic worship as well as a lack of devotion in the life of the Church and its impact on society during the 1500’s during which she lived (1515 to 1582). In the introduction of the translation of this book by Mirabai Starr, she describes this process of prayer and intimacy as a process to “Put away the incense and forget the incantations they taught you. Ask no permission from the authorities. Slip away. Close your eyes and follow your breath to the still place that leads to the invisible path that leads you home. Listen. Softly, softly, the One you love is calling.”

This sounds pretty Quakerly to me. I encourage you to check out this book and learn about Saint Teresa of Avila. And that we take time this week to follow our breath to the still place that brings us into communion with Christ.

Beth

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Update on Redistricting Meetings

March 18, 6-8 p.m. (Central Time) -- Congressional District 8

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_euCRCwNkR8Kb2V_vmXxkEQ

March 23, 7-9 p.m. -- Congressional District 4

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1_Tn9F59Rj2zT5TBPXEu0Q

March 30, 7-9 p.m. – Congressional District 2

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5VQihioMQw2Mysl3HyK6kg

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Ministry & Counsel Minute of Love and Appreciation ~ Friends, please click here to read a recent minute from Ministry & Counsel, rejoicing in the presence of all within our Meeting community!

New developments:

· Groups of up to 30 people may now meet in Fellowship Hall, with the same safety criteria and assumption of responsibility as smaller groups. For ventilation purposes, groups using Fellowship Hall will need to be trained to operate fans and switches, as well as shown how to open and close/relock the windows. Training sessions can be coordinated through the office.

Reopening Listening Sessions

The four queries will be:

1. What would make you feel safe in order to return to the Meetinghouse for worship and activities?

3. After the pandemic, to what extent, if any, should we invest in technology that would make it convenient for Friends to attend virtual meetings and activities that take place at the Meetinghouse?

4. What have we learned during this pandemic that might help First Friends be better prepared for any future situation where we are unable to, for an extended period of time, meet in person?

Thursday March 25, from 7:00-8:00 pm
Sunday March 28, from 11:00 am-Noon (replacing normal fellowship hour)
Sunday March 28, from 5:00-6:00 pm

If you would like to participate in one of these Listening Sessions, please contact the office with your name, email address, and preferred time. Before your chosen session, the office will send you a link to the Zoom conference. We encourage you all to participate in one of these sessions and look forward to seeing you there!

First Friends Friday Singalong!! Warm up your voices and break out your tambourines because it's time for another virtual singalong with your hosts Jim, Jesse, and Matthew. Watch the premiere on Friday, March 19, 7:00-7:30pm. Of course, if you miss us at 7, you can watch the video at any time immediately afterward. We hope you will join us on Youtube! https://youtu.be/AzjNHIYHMf0

Silent Meeting for Worship Now Also in the Parlor ~ Starting Monday, March 22nd, Friends will return to meeting in the parlor for Silent Worship, Meditation and Un-Programmed Worship. Appropriate social distancing and face covering is required. A laptop with the zoom will be available simultaneously to interact with Friends from home. The option to worship via Zoom is still available; those on Zoom will join those in the Parlor virtually. Please contact the office if you would like to join on Zoom, or feel free to stop by the building at the start time if you want to join us in person!

FWCC, Friends World Committee for Consultation, Section of the Americas (from Canada to South America) will hold a Section Meeting virtually from March 12th through March 21st. FWCC’s purpose is to bring Friends together from all styles of worship and diverse theological perspectives. Two session will be open to all, not just yearly meeting representatives. Saturday, March 13 starting at 6pm there is an open program led by the FWCC Traveling Ministry Corps and on Sunday, March 21 at noon there will be a worship service. The links are not yet available but you can go to FWCCamericas.org to find out more about FWCC and the 2021 Section Meeting.

Creation Care Update ~ Spring is getting ready to spring forth! The more birds are singing in the early morning hours and a lot of activity is taking in the treetops and below ground.

We are blessed to have several beautiful specimens of our state tree, the Tulip Poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera. The tulip tree is fast growing and has been called a pioneer tree, as it grows rapidly in open areas and is intolerant of shade. A new factoid I learned is that the woodland indigenous people used the tulip tree for dugout canoes.

While the tree generally blooms in May, sometimes it is hard to see their beautiful flowers way up in the canopy, so keep your eyes open for them on the ground after a gusty day.

Volunteers for Woods maintenance are invited to join our merry crew on Thursday mornings from 10am-12 noon starting March 25th.

Interested in Native Plants? Check out the Indiana Native Plant Society webpage (https://indiananativeplants.org and look for GrowNatives!

IFCL Environmental Care legislation relies on expert opinion from the Hoosier Environmental Council, Indiana Conservation Alliance, White River Alliance and others. For updates on legislation being followed by the Hoosier Environmental Council, please click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M4YW4kyOzcOgiizils8o_vObR0s_m1zd/view?usp=sharing

Mark Your Calendars – We are excited to share that we will be holding an outdoor service at the Meetinghouse grounds on Easter Sunday, April 4th at 10:15! Keep an eye out for more information, coming soon!

Youth Group Meetup ~ Youth Group will be meeting in person at the Meetinghouse grounds on Sunday, April 11th for an outdoor picnic and games. Please mark your calendars, and contact the office if you’re interested in joining! office@indyfriends.org

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for March

Brown Creeper – Quiet and Dependable

If you are lucky enough to find a nest (perhaps at Ft. Harrison State Park or further north), it will be inside a curl of bark that has come loose from the tree, but is still attached.

So take a silent, long look for a Brown Creeper this month. One will be there, you can depend on it! ~Brad J

Adult Quaker Affirmation Coming Soon ~ We are glad to offer an adult Quaker Affirmation class series which will begin on Sunday, April 18, tentatively to be held on Sundays from noon-1:30 (times may be adjusted in accordance with participants’ availability). This is a 9-week study of what it means to be a Quaker. It will cover Quaker history, theology, and what Quakers are doing in the world today. There are only a few spots left, so if you’re interested, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Coronavirus Vaccine Age Limit Now 45! The Indiana State Department of Health has now lowered the age threshold for Covid vaccines to 45 and up. If you’d like to sign up, please visit https://vaccine.coronavirus.in.gov/.

Queries for the Week

(These queries are in response to Parker Palmer’s writings as discussed in last Sunday’s sermon. To find the context for the queries, watch the sermon on YouTube or find the text version on our website.)

• What words or phrases grab my attention or speak to my condition?

• What surprises me?

• What causes me to have an emotional response?

• Do these words cause me to want to make any changes, reconcile, or make amends?

• What is God teaching me about the need for peace and bearing one another’s burdens in this text?

(From self-led guide)

Where do I recognize and experience violence (lack of peace) in my life?
How have I been desensitized to the violence around me?
In what areas do I have influence and the ability to help bring true peace?

Comment

Friend to Friend March 10, 2021

March 12, 2021

As Way Opens

The month of March is Women’s History Month and I would like to highlight one of our great Quaker leaders and a personal hero for me, Lucretia Mott. Lucretia was born in 1793 in Nantucket Massachusetts. Nantucket was a whaling town so the men of the town would be out at sea for months at a time. This meant that the women basically ran the town. They were the shopkeepers, political and religious leaders and provided all of the services the town needed on a day by day basis. Lucretia grew up in an environment, where women were leaders out of necessity and they did an amazing job in these roles that, in other communities, women were never given a chance.

Lucretia went to a Quaker school and became a teacher. She found out that she was making substantially less than the male teachers and she knew that was wrong. Her future husband James was one of those teachers and he probably was the one to share his salary versus hers. This sent Lucretia on a lifetime journey of seeking equality for women in all parts of society as well their right to vote and was a significant participant at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. She was also an abolitionist and a reformer and tirelessly worked against slavery. She was a great writer and an even greater speaker.

What I appreciate about Lucretia is that she was not just a reformer, abolitionist and feminist, but she was a wife, a mother, a hostess that welcomed so many people into her home, a great cook and a woman that did this through the transformational power of Christ. She was moved to her work through the Spirit and her power came from God. She gave a message about the Likeness to Christ to Cherry Street Meeting in Philadelphia in 1849. Here are some excerpts:

“It is time that Christians were judged more by their likeness to Christ than their notions of Christ. Were this sentiment generally admitted we should not see such tenacious adherence to what men deem the opinions and doctrines of Christ while at the same time in every day practice is exhibited anything but a likeness to Christ… they are adhering to old church usages, and worn out forms and exhibiting little of a Christ-like disposition and character….Jesus bore his testimony - doing always the things which pleased his Father. He lived his meek, his humble and useful life - drawing his disciples around him, and declaring great truths to the people who gathered to hear him. His apostles and their successors were faithful in their day - going out into the world, and shaking the nations around them. Reformers since their time have done their work in exposing error and wrong, and calling for priests of righteousness in place of vain forms.”

Lucretia challenged the power structures of the day. I’m sure she heard the words that you are going too quickly, we are not anti-women and appreciate our wives but they are not ready to vote or be in position of power, slaves are not ready to be citizens or take care of themselves or their families etc… These words today sound shocking but this is our history. Change and reform always bump up against tradition and the way things are. We continue to wrestle with the issues the Church faces today. May we turn to our inward Christ that speaks to us and leads us into action.

I was thrilled to sit in Lucretia’s bench at Arch Street Meeting in Philadelphia during our Affirmation trip with Lucy Kay, Kwali Thornburg and Sue Henry. May we all embrace the courage, vision and hospitality of Lucretia Mott.

If you would like to learn more about Lucretia Mott, we have 2 great books in our library that you could borrow - Valiant Friend: The Life of Lucretia Mott by Margaret Hope Bacon and Lucretia Mott’s Heresy: Abolition and Women’s Rights in Nineteenth-Century America by Carol Faulkner. You can request these two books or any others in our library and we will mail them to you. Just contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Beth

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Update on Redistricting Meetings

March 10, 7-9 p.m. -- Congressional District 9

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wnyJd97cRUuZuF_DQkzUxA

March 13, 3-5 p.m. -- Congressional District 3

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ujw84BSPStaPvW19xJc7hg

March 16, 7-9 p.m. -- Congressional District 6

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sz1D_NtNRleutD2o-ieeqQ

March 18, 6-8 p.m. (Central Time) -- Congressional District 8

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_euCRCwNkR8Kb2V_vmXxkEQ

March 23, 7-9 p.m. -- Congressional District 4

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1_Tn9F59Rj2zT5TBPXEu0Q

March 30, 7-9 p.m. – Congressional District 2

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5VQihioMQw2Mysl3HyK6kg

Joys & Concerns

Thank you to our Mid-North Food Pantry Volunteers! Phil G, Linda and Rik L, Mara S, Christie M, Bill F, David B, Virginia and Derek S, Jim D. We welcomed back Mara S who brought with her beautiful weather (for a change!). Thanks to all.

Congratulations to Shawn P as he has decided to retire from teaching at the end of this school year after 33 years. Shawn has been a great teacher and mentor to so many students at Hamilton Southeastern High School as well as Pike High School. One of our most treasured Sundays during advent would be the Sunday that Shawn would bring his show choir to Meeting and we would listen to their glorious voices and Christmas music. Shawn and Brett have also sold their home in Indianapolis and have bought a home on Lake Lemon. Shawn will continue to come to First Friends and play the organ once we are back to our Sunday service in the building. Many exciting changes for Shawn and we wish him the best.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

China Relations at the Periphery: Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Taiwan ~ As the Biden administration moves to re-set U.S. policy toward China, join us for a probing discussion of three recent hot spots in China with three China experts from local universities. All are invited to this Zoom virtual presentation, sponsored by the Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center. You need to sign up to be included for this discussion which happens TONIGHT, Wednesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. Hope you can make it for what will be an interesting discussion of important happenings in China. If you wish to join, please rsvp to indypeaceandjusticectr@gmail.com. A Zoom link will be sent to all who RSVP.

First Friends Friday Singalong!! Warm up your voices and break out your tambourines because it's time for another virtual singalong with your hosts Jim, Jesse, and Matthew. Watch the premiere on Friday, March 19, 7:00-7:30pm. Keep an eye out for Friend to Friend next week for the link, or check our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvZfU5zoW_wKzWzMWhXAZvQ.

Coronavirus Vaccine Age Limit Now 50! The Indiana State Department of Health has now lowered the age threshold for Covid vaccines to 50 and up. If you’d like to sign up, please visit https://vaccine.coronavirus.in.gov/.

Why I Do $tamping for Dollar$ for RSWR ~ A long, long time ago, when I lived overseas as a boy and letters were basically the only way our family had to communicate with friends and relatives back in the States, I collected postage stamps. I was fascinated by the reflections of history, culture and national pride in each country’s stamps, advertisements by governments to their people and to the world of what matters to them. And stamps were beautiful works of art in miniature.

Fast forward to the 21st century, stamps and snail mail are practically anachronisms. As a board member of Right Sharing of World Resources, I was vaguely aware of the tiny-but-mighty efforts of a few to raise money for RSWR by soliciting stamp donations, then selling them to collectors. The devotion of the “Stampers” didn’t really register with me until First Friends became the hub of these efforts. I began hearing more about the camaraderie of Amy Perry’s merry band of Stampers, the sheer volume of stamp donations they methodically transform into funds for RSWR, and the fun they have doing it.

But it took the pandemic to really draw me in to this caring circle. Undaunted by disease, they figured out safe and responsible ways to carry on their mission, and volunteering with them, especially this past winter, has been a life-affirming gift of fellowship and service for me in a dispiriting time. I’m admittedly the least efficient, most occasional member of the Stampers crew. But I know that RSWR is grateful for the Stampers’ constancy and support of RSWR and its women partners in India, Kenya and Sierra Leone. And I’m still captivated by the power of tiny bits of multi-colored paper, vestiges of innumerable individual human intentions, to help someone else’s tomorrow. ~Phil G

Reopening Task Force Report ~ The Reopening Task Force’s most recent statement as of February 18, is available here. Currently, the Meetinghouse is open to small groups, with requirements for face coverings and social distancing protocol. Participants assume responsibility for risk of COVID-19 exposure. To check on availability of small groups, including Zoom options, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org, 317-255-2485. Additionally, the Ministry and Counsel Committee is working on plans for outdoors Meeting for Worship to take place Easter Sunday, April 4.

Notes from the Woods: Look up and you will see the maple trees budding and swelling, so blooms will be happening soon! From WildAdirondacks.org: “The Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is a large, slow-growing, deciduous tree which flourishes in well-drained soil in the Adirondack Mountains. It is a member of the Soapberry Family. The Sugar Maple is one of about twenty species in the genius Acer which occur in North America. This species has a life span of 200-300 years, with some specimens in old-growth stands persisting to nearly 400 years ”

The sugar maple hosts the Cecropia Silkmoth and Rosy Maple Moth. The Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Evening Grosbeak feast upon the seeds, buds and flowers. The sap is a food source for Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.

Do you enjoy weeding and planting?
Here is our work plan for March and April:

All times are 10 AM-12 noon, reschedule if weather conditions aren’t good. As soon as everyone is immunized, we could go out to lunch afterwards :)

March 12: reseed areas in the understory in the Woods, remove invasive grass from the butterfly garden, apply Hollytone to acid loving plants, like azaleas and dogwoods. We are watching the weather. If its raining, feel free to stay home and join us on March 25.

March 25: It’s time to cut back the perennials after allowing native insects to overwinter in the dead stalks. Consider rearranging some of the plants in the butterfly garden.

April 1 & 8th: Its English ivy pulling time in the northeast section of the woods. Wear long sleeves and pants and have work gloves with no holes in them! There could be some poison ivy hidden in the area, so keep yourself safe. I’ll bring some Fels-Naptha soap, so everyone can wash their hands well when we’re done. We’ll be planting some native flag iris to join the the river of blue that Terry has been creating at the bridge. The iris will be in dedication to Marjorie Wright’s gift to the ongoing support of the Woods and are due to arrive at the end of April.

April 15 & 22 & 29: To be determined

IFCL Creation Care updates:

We are halfway through the 2021 Indiana General Assembly session, which was supposed to focus primarily on the budget and COVID-19 relief. If you would like to be on the IFCL mailing list, let me know. Mary.blackburn4@gmail.com

Here is a bill (HB 1283) to support urban agriculture that has crossed over to the Senate. It’s great to have a bill that focuses on helping people grow their own food in the city by having urban agricultural zones. Here’s a digest of the bill.

http://184.175.130.101/legislative/2021/bills/house/1283#digest-heading

HB 1191 would deprive local governments and universities control over utilities deemed harmful to the community. You can read more about it in the HEC newsletter below. At the end of the email, I’ve been put in the spotlight as a regular volunteer. ~Mary B.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M4YW4kyOzcOgiizils8o_vObR0s_m1zd/view?usp=sharing

The Covid19 virus and updated facts

Written by Erin T, a member of First Friends Youth Group

What should you do about the virus?

Covid19 has been happening. You are probably asking yourself, “How do you handle this shocking time?”Most of us know that you should always wash your hands for 20 seconds. You probably already know this one from kindergarten. You can think about what other things you can do to defeat the virus such as avoiding being in crowds, wearing a mask whenever you’re out somewhere.You can make an effort to try to make yourself healthy. You have to watch your social distancing and stay 6 feet apart from people that you don’t live with. However, I thought that it was a useless rule to do that. I started gathering information and research about Covid, I found out that Doctor Fauci knows his stuff about Vaccines, you can research him when you have your own free time. There are vaccines for adults, so you should schedule your vaccine at the Indiana state website.

How to stay positive during this time

You can try to think about the positive things that make you happy. For example, if you like to draw, you can doodle on your sketch pad. You can also go on a bike ride with friends or your siblings. One thing that I learned is that I can spend more time with family and my cousins. You have more time to go rollerblading with each other and/or take the dog on a walk. You can also exercise your amazing body that God made.

Personal Experience

My personal experience is that I have had some good days and some bad times. Life is a highway because life can go up and down. Wherever you go there will always be someone who looks out for you, and helps you get back up on track. You can be that person. You can do this. You can unite with one another to help each other when you fall. You will always fall, but you will get up more times.

You can be the change, it starts with us. If you want to change the world, start by changing it with yourself. God will always be the light at the end of the tunnel. You will always see the light.

If you want to learn more about Covid or the vaccines

• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

• IU Health North Hospital - Carmel | IU Health

• Meijer | Vaccine

• https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/08/world/covid-19-coronavirus

• https://www.cdc.gov/

Adult Quaker Affirmation Coming Soon ~ We are glad to offer an adult Quaker Affirmation class series which will begin on Sunday, April 18, tentatively to be held on Sundays from noon-1:30 (times may be adjusted in accordance with participants’ availability). This is a 9-week study of what it means to be a Quaker. It will cover Quaker history, theology, and what Quakers are doing in the world today. Spots are limited, so if you’re interested, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Queries for the Week

(From virtual worship)

· How can I apply the Testimony of Simplicity to my own life?

· Are there ways I can simplify my dress, speech/behavior, or overall quantity (and relationship with) my material possessions for the benefit of my neighbors and world?

(From self-led guide)

· As I enter this season of hope and new beginnings, what spiritual “spring cleaning” should I be addressing? Where am I struggling to see the hope and new life springing forth in my life? What changes do I want to make? What new challenges do I want to take on?

Comment

Friend to Friend March 3, 2021

March 4, 2021

As Way Opens

For the last several days, I have taken walks outside again. I have loved to breathe in the fresh air, see the daffodils and tulips popping up through the soggy ground, and enjoy the beauty of the Creator. It is also good to hear the chatter of the children in our neighborhood out on their bicycles and playing at the park. After the long winter and a full year in a pandemic, we are finally coming out of our “hibernation” in multiple ways.

We have just been through what most of the world is hoping to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The pandemic has taken its toll on each of us in different ways. Some have lost loved ones, others have lost jobs, but everyone has been impacted in some way.

Even though we are seeing some improvement with lower daily numbers of new cases and deaths here in Indiana, and many are receiving their vaccines, the reality is that the crisis is still far from over. Don’t get me wrong, I think we are starting to get a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel.

As children we heard stories of bears coming out of hibernation after the long winter, but most people don’t know that for bears, coming out of hibernation is not as simple as flipping a switch. Scientists describe the stage the bear enters after emerging from their den as a “walking hibernation.” A bear is lethargic for weeks, and wanders around trying to relate again to its surroundings and slowly over time they return to their former activity levels. In this time, they seek stable environments where they are able to develop their children and grow as a family, again.

As we enter our own “walking hibernation,” remember that we may be a bit lethargic on our re-entry. We may be finding new ways to relate and reorient to our surroundings. It may not be that easy and at times we may feel a bit discouraged or uncomfortable. Take your time, and only re-engage when you are ready – when your environment feels stable and safe. Just as when we entered this pandemic, we are going to need to slowly allow ourselves to adjust back to our new “normal.” And remember, we ALL are going through this “walking hibernation” time, so be kind to one another and walk with a sensitivity for your neighbor.

Grace and peace,

Bob

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Coming Soon to Your Couch: Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission Public Meetings

We hear people say all the time, “I’m not interested in politics.” To which it can be replied, “Well, that’s really too bad, because politics are interested in you!”

In Indiana, we have a system in which elected politicians draw the legislative district maps used for state and congressional elections. Every ten years, they get together and literally place you into the groupings--districts--where they figure they are most likely to win based on voters’ Census data and voting records. By drawing made-to-order maps, your representatives are choosing you long before election day, when you are supposed to be choosing them. In this way the process called redistricting is the ultimate conflict of interest. If you sometimes doubt that your vote makes any difference, or wonder why in some elections you don’t even have a choice of candidates to vote for, our redistricting system is a big reason why.

This year is a redistricting year. It happens only once a decade. Would you like a voice in the process this time? The Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) has been formed to demonstrate that redistricting done in a transparent way that encourages public participation will result in congressional and state legislative districts that are better for voters than districts drawn by incumbent representatives behind closed doors.

The ICRC is holding virtual public meetings to hear from Hoosier voters what they want in their new districts. Should districts emphasize compactness? What about competition--should maps be drawn to maximize competitive elections? Should current politicians have districts drawn around their residences, or should they be drawn “incumbent blind”? Also, what are the important communities of interest in Indiana, and should they be kept intact, or divided, in the new districts?

You are invited to this conversation. What do you think should drive redistricting where you live? There will be an ICRC public meeting for each congressional district. It is important that the ICRC hear from a broad range of Hoosiers, because the testimony from these meetings will be consolidated into a report the ICRC will give to state legislators before they begin redistricting this spring, so they will know what voters say they want their maps to look like.

Redistricting will impact federal and state elections for the next decade. It really matters that Hoosiers from all over the state are a part of this conversation. Including you.

Here is the schedule for the public meetings. Again, all virtual—you can participate from your own couch! Register in advance, either at www.allinfordemocracy.org, or by using the link following the meeting for your congressional district listed below. And feel free to share this; the invitation is open to all. Note that the meeting for the district including Indianapolis (district 7) is first, and the meeting for many Indy suburbs (district 5) is second.

Now is the time to make your voice heard! Please contact Phil Goodchild with any questions (goodch713@aol.com). Thank you.

February 24 – Congressional District 7, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jOCUnFlrSqqrITaeeTAKlg

March 3 – Congressional District 5, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bN5cRbOjRqmjk64-LT4_Qg

March 6 – Congressional District 1, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. CST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tfTusC9tQCe72z1DDzuCxQ

March 10 – Congressional District 9, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wnyJd97cRUuZuF_DQkzUxA

March 13 – Congressional District 3, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ujw84BSPStaPvW19xJc7hg

March 16 – Congressional District 6, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sz1D_NtNRleutD2o-ieeqQ

March 18 – Congressional District 8, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. CST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_euCRCwNkR8Kb2V_vmXxkEQ

March 23 – Congressional District 4, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1_Tn9F59Rj2zT5TBPXEu0Q

March 30 – Congressional District 2, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EDT

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5VQihioMQw2Mysl3HyK6kg

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Coronavirus Vaccine Age Limit Now 50! The Indiana State Department of Health has now lowered the age threshold for Covid vaccines to 55 and up. If you’d like to sign up, please visit https://vaccine.coronavirus.in.gov/.

Jaimie Mudd’s Sermon is Online Now! Friends, the sermon that Jaimie Mudd recently gave in our online Meeting for Worship is now available in printed form online at Friends Journal. Find the piece here: https://www.friendsjournal.org/knowing-that-we-belong/. Thanks again to Jaimie Mudd for being our guest pastor that day!

MSPC Silent Auction ~ You’re invited to Maple Seeds Preschool Co-op’s annual Silent Auction. This auction is the school's largest fundraising event of the year. Money raised goes towards updating classrooms and playground and providing scholarships for families. Please consider helping MSPC reach their $5,000 goal! There are over 80 amazing prize packages to bid on, including local and national restaurants and shops, tickets to various museums and amusement parks, family fun activities, golf, wine tastings, autographed sports memorabilia, original art, and of course play dates with our wonderful teachers. This year's auction will be held virtually, beginning at noon on Friday, March 5th and ending at 10:00pm Saturday the 6th. You can view the auction here: https://www.32auctions.com/MSPC21Auction. Feel free to pass the auction link to other friends and family members who may be interested in bidding. We are also accepting donations via Venmo (@Sarah-MSPC) or PayPal (money@mapleseeds.org). As always, thank you for supporting our school!

Three notable books in our library are: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, White Fragility by Robyn DiAngelo, and How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi.

Alexander writes in The New Jim Crow: We have not ended racial caste in America, we have merely redesigned it.” She goes on write of mass incarceration as social control, policing, denial of voting right, redlining and other systemic lack of equality.

White Fragility is about understanding white people’s role in racism, how race shapes the lives of white people, and its impact on education.

In How to Be an Antiracist Kendi takes the reader through a widening circle of antiracist ideas—from the most basic concepts to visionary possibilities—that will help readers see all forms of racism, understand their consequences and work to oppose them in our systems and in ourselves. ~ Linda L

We will gather via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 led by Nancy S. Contact the office for the Zoom link.

~Phil G

Notes from the Woods ~ One of our senior trees in the Woods is the Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) that typically grows 50-80' (less frequently to 120') tall with a broad, open-rounded shaped habit. Nuthatches, brown creepers and kinglets are known to find tasty morsels on cottonwoods!

You can view this large tree just east and south of the meditational circle. This tree is important for our bird and insect population by hosting 368 caterpillar species. Watch her to bloom in March and April. Later in the summer, look for Mourning Cloak, Red-spotted Purple, Viceroy and Tiger Swallowtail butterflies whose larvae have been hidden there.

Do you enjoy weeding and planting? Let Mary and Mindy know a day of the week that works for you to help make our Woods even more beautiful and inviting. Office@indyfriends.org

We also encourage you to join us for any of these woods workdays! (When it’s not raining!)

March 12: 10am- Planting seeds for understory

12pm- Applying holly tone to azaleas, weeding butterfly garden

March 25: 10am- Cutting back perennials

Also every Thursday in April, 10am-12pm. We hope you’ll join us!

Highlighting a local environmental non-profit:

Reconnecting our Waterways or ROW

ROW convenes community partners to enhance the quality of life through innovation, analysis, cultural advancement and investment along Indy waterways and in neighborhoods.

See their February newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/e884ac9be74d/current-news-from-row-nov-8105370

IFCL Creation Care updates:

We are halfway through the 2021 Indiana General Assembly session, which was supposed to focus primarily on the budget and COVID-19 relief. There are some interesting bills to consider. If you would like to be on the IFCL mailing list, let me know. Mary.blackburn4@gmail.com

http://184.175.130.101/legislative/2021/bills/house/1283#digest-heading

For an update from the Hoosier Environmental Council, please click here to see which bills they believe are important for Indiana.

For all you Purdue Fans, here’s a link to the latest report from the Purdue Climate Change Research Center. Among the report's key findings:

* Predicted changes in climate – warmer, wetter springs followed by hotter, drier summers – may increase habitat suitability for a growing assortment of tree species in Indiana.

* Warmer temperatures may increase the number of new invasive species, as plants such as kudzu and Chinese privet expand their ranges northward in response to an altered climate.

* The number of days with frozen soil is projected to drop by one-half to two-thirds by late century, dramatically shrinking the time window for harvesting trees without environmental disturbance and damage.

Here’s the link: https://mailchi.mp/0f8e01ad8a65/in-ccia-newsletter-may-2457745?_ga=2.120209032.1679945187.1614610276-225662745.1614610276

For a Friendly view of Creation Care, check out Quaker Earthcare Witness: https://www.quakerearthcare.org

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for February

Blue Jay: Beacon or Bully?

It seems to be a human trait to categorize and label. In volunteer work at two charities, I am tasked with sorting. In one, different types of shoes, and in the other, various stamps; and in both after sorting I must label each pile for future reference. In nature, mankind wants to put a label on animals as well, calling some good and others bad, some cute and others ugly. In which of these would the reader put snakes, spiders, chipmunks, baby skunks, and turkey vultures? In truth, I find each of these interesting.

Blue Jays are noisy neighborhood dwellers who visit our woods year-round on a daily basis. They often travel in groups. Males and females are identical. The issue here is our perception of jay behavior. On one hand two or three blue jays can dominate a bird feeder, threatening all smaller birds, and therefore getting a “bully” reputation. On the other hand, they serve as a sentinel to warn all others (including those same smaller birds) of an enemy’s approach, whether that present danger be an owl, a hawk, or, as we saw on our recent bird walk, us! When our group was walking along Parker Street, two jays raised the alarm. Other birds, such as Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, and three species of woodpeckers all showed up to see what the trouble was. The relationship between Blue Jays and American Crows is also a mixed bag. If a hawk or owl is present, crows and jays are allies in driving the predator away. But if a crow comes near the nest of a blue jay, look out for the blue-feathered fury! I suggest not being quick to use the good/bad labels with birds; perhaps some careful study will reveal one of God’s nature secrets! ~Brad J

Queries for the Week

(From virtual worship)

• Who are the people in my life that help carry my burdens, how have I connected with and thanked them lately?

• How well am I living out my call as a “burden bearer”? Is there someone in my life currently that I am neglecting being the incarnate Christ to in their daily struggle?

• Which of the S.P.I.C.E.S. challenge me the most and draw me to further exploration this week?

(From self-led guide)

• If casting my cares upon the Lord means casting and leaving them there. Why is it so common practice for me to pick them up again after my prayer's "amen"?

Comment

Friend to Friend February 24, 2021

February 25, 2021

As Way Opens

I received a devotional book of Mary Oliver poems from a friend for my birthday this year. What a delight to wake up each morning with a Mary Oliver poem.

This one spoke to my heart as I think about prayer and how I pray and its importance in my life and in others.

Whistling Swans

Do you bow your head when you pray or do you look up into that blue sky?

Take your choice, prayers fly from all directions.

And don’t worry about what language you use, God no doubt understands them all.

Even when the swans are flying north and making such a ruckus of noise, God is surely listening and understanding.

Rumi said, there is no proof of the soul but isn’t the return of spring and how it springs up in our hearts a pretty good hint?

Yes, I know, God’s silence never breaks, but is that really a problem?

There are thousands of voices, after all.

And furthermore, don’t you imagine (I just suggest it) that the swans know about as much as we do about the whole business?

So listen to them and watch them, singing as they fly.

Take from it what you can.

May we this day and this week see and hear the voice of God through creation. And may we pray to God in the tongue that is unique to each of us as God hears what is in our hearts.

Beth

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Coming Soon to Your Couch: Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission Public Meetings

We hear people say all the time, “I’m not interested in politics.” To which it can be replied, “Well, that’s really too bad, because politics are interested in you!”

Redistricting will impact federal and state elections for the next decade. It really matters that Hoosiers from all over the state are a part of this conversation. Including you.

Now is the time to make your voice heard! Please contact Phil Goodchild with any questions (goodch713@aol.com). Thank you.

February 24 – Congressional District 7, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jOCUnFlrSqqrITaeeTAKlg

March 3 – Congressional District 5, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bN5cRbOjRqmjk64-LT4_Qg

March 6 – Congressional District 1, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. CST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tfTusC9tQCe72z1DDzuCxQ

March 10 – Congressional District 9, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wnyJd97cRUuZuF_DQkzUxA

March 13 – Congressional District 3, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ujw84BSPStaPvW19xJc7hg

March 16 – Congressional District 6, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sz1D_NtNRleutD2o-ieeqQ

March 18 – Congressional District 8, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. CST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_euCRCwNkR8Kb2V_vmXxkEQ

March 23 – Congressional District 4, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1_Tn9F59Rj2zT5TBPXEu0Q

March 30 – Congressional District 2, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EDT

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5VQihioMQw2Mysl3HyK6kg

Joys & Concerns

Mid North Food Pantry News – Thanks to all the volunteers from First Friends for helping at the food pantry for the past several weeks. Many have braved the cold weather to help serve those who themselves endured the cold to come to the pantry for food. Susan and Matt at the pantry have mentioned how thankful the pantry is for the time and effort of all those from First Friends who help out at the pantry.

An Account: Birding With Brad in Saturday’s Successful Snow Stomp ~ Sixteen degree weather forecasts and a foot of snow on the ground could not stop the 13 snow stompers who showed up for Brad’s birdwatching tour of the Meditational Woods and Meetinghouse grounds last Saturday. Some of the walking was single-file since a path made it a little easier. It was an invigorating morning and many found it increased their energy, allowing them to explore other pursuits after the walk, resulting in a productive afternoon.

Brad has studied the birds on First Friends property for three years. He showed us the best spot to see and hear them. He noted the best direction to face a bench in order to birdwatch. He knows where the bluebirds hang out. He pointed out flight patterns of various species—how some undulate, some drop down into dives and more secrets known to true birdwatchers. People attended this walk for in-person companionship, sunshine, exercise and fresh air. Some are birders while others have a casual interest. Brad spent much time pointing and listening. He taught us how to distinguish among the different tappings to identify specific species of woodpeckers. He informed us about the colored markings and differences among birds. I learned that what I thought was a squirrel nest was actually a Cooper’s hawk nest. It was made from sticks rather than leaves.

Going birding in the winter is an excellent way to see birds since there is little foliage to hide behind. Brad pointed out that the winter singers are male. They are claiming territory and getting an early start enticing females. He said the robins are not harbingers of spring since they have been in Indianapolis all winter. He did know where many went in Indiana to stock up on berries. Brad can say exactly when various species will return to First Friends. He can debunk myths. He has many stories about the birds and an eagle eye to spot them. He is willing to do more birdwatching walks on our property and in nearby places. Saturday we learned there is a definite interest among Friends. Here is a list of birds we encountered:

· Mourning Dove

· Cooper’s Hawk

· Red-Bellied Woodpecker

· Downy Woodpecker

· Norther Flicker

· Blue Jay

· Carolina Chickadee

· Tufted Titmouse

· White-Breasted Nuthatch

· Carolina Wren

· European Starling

· American Robin

· House Sparrow

· House Finch

· Dark-Eyed Junco

· Song Sparrow

· Norther Cardinal

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

News from the Woods ~ Spring is just around the corner and nature is getting ready to spring forth! One of our early blooming trees is the Eastern Redbud. The eastern redbud typically grows to 20–30 ft. tall with a 26–33 ft. spread. It generally has a short, often twisted trunk and spreading branches. A 10-year-old tree will generally be around 16 ft. tall. The bark is dark in color, smooth, later scaly with ridges somewhat apparent, sometimes with maroon patches. The twigs are slender and zigzag, nearly black in color, spotted with lighter lenticels. The winter buds are tiny, rounded and dark red to chestnut in color. The leaves are alternate, simple, and heart shaped with a smooth edge 3–4.5 in. long and wide, thin and papery, and may be slightly hairy below. (Thanks Wikipedia!)

Here are two species that are dependent on our redbud trees:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenter_bee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callophrys_henrici

This spring we will be removing invasive English ivy and plant a grouping of native iris in its stead to celebrate the generosity of Martha E. Wright for her endowment of the ongoing maintenance of the Woods.

Be sure and think about your home landscape this spring. Please consider adding more native species to your home landscape, so you can help sustain our native birds, butterflies and other creatures. Our beautiful Earth requires your help! Genesis 1:29, ESV: "And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food." And our fellow creatures, as well!

Our Woods is now on the Map of the Homegrown National Park. Listen to Dr. Tallamy explain why using your yard is essential. https://homegrownnationalpark.org/tallamys-hub-1

Updates from IFCL Creation Care:

Call your State Senators about: SB 373 (to support a carbon credit bill), HB 1381 (to support pollinator friendly solar farms), SB 249 (to extend net metering), and oppose HB 1191 (removes local control over public health concerns.

Call your State Representative about: HB 1337 ( to oppose another bill removing local control of logging and factory farm siting near municipal boundaries), HB 1469 (to support a bil that protect our rivers and groundwater from coal ash contamination), and SB 389 ( oppose a bill that removes protection of isolated wetlands.

Read more in the Hoosier Environmental Council’s newsletter: http://bit.ly/HECnews02-21

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for February

Blue Jay: Beacon or Bully?

Changing Footprints Is Still Active! We are still collecting all types of gently used footwear for Changing Footprints. If you are not able to drop off shoes at First Friends on a Wednesday, you can go to changingfootprints.org, where there is a listing of our many community collection sites (Shoe Drops). Thanks for helping us to provide footwear to those who need it!

From the Friendly Library ~ During Black History Month you may want to read Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, by Ibram X Kendi, a National Book Award winner.

“My definition of a racist idea is a simple one: it is any concept that regards one racial group as inferior or superior to another racial group in any way.” He realized he himself also harbored racist ideas along with W E B Dubois, Booker T Washington, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and many more famous people both black and white.

Racism doesn’t always occur purposely. It is often subtle and unintentionally treating African-Americans (American-Africans) as superior in sport and music, inferior in intellect, for example. Kendi writes that slavery began in ancient times in many countries. He gives multitudinous examples from early US history to present time.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is another National Book Award winner.

Writing a letter to his adolescent son, Coates weaves together personal history with national history from the earliest settlers up to our current crisis. “What is it like to live in a black body?” Coates tells us with passion, insight and skill. He writes his struggle not to introduce his own fears to his son, not wanting to rein him in even while fearing for that son’s safety.

Both of these books contain sorrow, pain, and hope. Both are likely to evoke compassion, regret, and desire for a truly equal society where people are viewed as an individual.

Contact the office if you would like to borrow one of these or any other book from our collection. Books can be mailed, picked up on a Wednesday or delivered by a volunteer.

Queries for the Week

(From virtual worship)

The next time you enter worship, either alone or in community, consider this query:

When thinking about our post-COVID-19 life, what will we—each of us—do to belong to one another, to be the change we wish to see?

(From self-led guide)

How am I experiencing the ongoing or continual revelation of God during this pandemic? In what ways?
What new revelations of the Divine am I struggling to embrace or consider?
Where might I need to lean on discernment and become more aware of my life situation, currently?

Comment