Friend to Friend July 6, 2022

July 6, 2022

As Way Opens

These are difficult and dark times that we are living in. It seems like we keep having a new story come up each day. Sometimes it is hard to have hope. But hope is exactly what we need right now. And each of us needs to practice hope and see hope in our experiences.

I saw hope this past week in our Vacation Bible School gathering each evening. We talked about the greatness of God who is with us always and will never abandon us. We studied the story of Joseph and the darkness he experienced being sold into slavery and spending years in prison. Joseph did not give up hope and his story is an inspiring one where he utilized his gift of interpreting dreams to become a trusted leader to the Emperor and was wise to store up excess food to be ready for famine. He is reconciled with his family at the end of the story.

It was inspiring for me to see our children engaged, learning, thoughtful and full of hope. I needed to be with our kids this past week to catch a glimpse of our future and our potential through these young lives. They talked about how they experience God and the enthusiasm and love they shared lifted my spirits.

My other example of hope is the nest of a cardinal right outside my screened in porch. The mama cardinal sits on the nest each day and I anxiously go on the porch each morning waiting for the birth of 3 young birds. The mama cardinal is so devoted to incubating these eggs and we seem to have an agreement that she no longer flies away when I come out to the porch. The cycle of life continues and my hope is revived as I watch nature in loving action.

Psalm 71:5-6, 14
5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. 6 From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. 14 As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

Beth

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation -- Meeting Saturday, July 9, 2022 at First Friends
After its customary meeting hiatus during the legislative session, IFCL will meet again in Fellowship Hall on Saturday, July 9, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. Our special guest will be Indiana State Senator J.D. Ford (District 29). He will receive IFCL's annual Legislator of the Year award, and spend some time with us answering questions and discussing priorities. (We've invited our other awardee, Senator Ron Alting (District 22) to be a guest at our fall meeting.) A Zoom option will be available, but we hope you to see you in person. Refreshments will be served, so please RSVP to Diana H to avoid food waste. All are welcome! Members and attenders, Friends, friends and guests--anyone interested in talking about issues that affect Hoosiers. Any questions, ask Phil G. Thank you.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Watch Wolff’s Organ Recital this Sunday! This Sunday Wolff will be playing an organ concert in San Francisco, and you can tune in live! It will take place this Sunday, July 10 at 7pm EST (4pm Pacific time) on YouTube at https://youtu.be/c6TsxqEJUzk. We hope you will join us!

You’re Invited to Lewis’ Graduation Celebration! Pastor Bob and Sue are excited to celebrate Lewis’ high school graduation. We would like to extend an open invitation to the people of First Friends and hope you will join in helping us celebrate Lewis. It will be held on Saturday, July 9 from 12-4pm at the Henry’s home. Please see the invitation for more details!

VBS Sunday! ~ We hope you will join us for VBS Sunday, where we hear about what our kids learned during Vacation Bible School and watch a special slide show presentation. It will be held this Sunday, July 10 at 10:15am both virtually on our YouTube channel and in-person. We hope you will join us!

Guest Rania Maayeh Coming Soon! We hope you’ll join us on Sunday July 17th when Rania Maaveh, current head of the Ramallah Friends School, will be joining us! During Meeting for Worship. She will be giving a presentation, and then will meet in Fellowship Hall after the service to answer questions and chat.

In 2021, Rania Maayeh was appointed by Friends United Meeting to be the head of the Ramallah Friends School, a pre-K - 12th grade co-educational Quaker school in Ramallah, Palestine. Serving 1,500 students, the School was founded in 1869 as a training institute for girls during Ottoman Turkish rule when opportunities for girls' education was limited. A boys school was founded in 1901, and the two campuses now comprise the united Friends School, currently under Israeli military occupation. Rania is a graduate of the Friends Girls School and formerly taught at the FGS before a long career with World Vision.

Rania's and her husband Suheil's son Walid is a recent graduate of Guilford College and the Earlham School of Religion and presently is on staff at Guilford with the Every Campus a Refuge program. With her family, Rania attends the Ramallah Friends Meeting.

Words from the Woods ~ The high temperatures with minimal rain continue. Give your plants and trees planted within the last 3 years a hearty soaking. If the leaves start to droop, give them some refreshing water. Keep your bird baths filled and clean. The birds and insects need some water in these dry times.

These hot temperatures are due to human caused climate change. Be sure and call your senators ask to support legislation that reduces our dependence on energy produced by fossil fuels. It’s good for God’s creation and good for national security.

Let AESIndiana know that as customers, AES needs to change its plan to shut down one of the superpolluter power plants at Petersburg by 2030, not 2042. They are already planning to close it at the end of its lifespan, but scientists tell us that strong action needs to occur in this decade to avoid the worst outcomes from a hot planet.

Here is this month’s HortusScope: a Central Indiana monthly newsletter put out by Wendy Ford. July HortusScope.

Also, tell congress- we need climate action now!

WYM Annual Session Registration Is Open! Everyone is invited to join Western Yearly Meeting (WYM)’s annual sessions. They will be held both online and in person starting Friday, July 22. As usual, the sessions will conclude on Sunday July 24 with worship from 10am-12pm featuring speaker Paul Anderson. This year’s theme is “Better Together in Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13). More information will be coming, but for now you can find details on the Western Yearly Meeting website. If you have questions, please reach out to the WYM office at office@westernyearlymeeting.org or 317-839-2789.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for July

Baltimore Oriole: Lord Baltimore’s Bird

The species was there to greet the early settlers arriving in the colonies. In Maryland, the colony set aside for those adhering to the Roman Catholic faith, folks identified the black and yellow-orange plumage of this bird with the colors in the Calvert family crest (shield). This family bore the title, “Lord Baltimore,” and was the founding family of the colony. The bird was known as “Lord Baltimore’s Bird”. The colors also reminded them of a bird back in Southern England and Europe known as the Golden Oriole. So there you have it. Lord Baltimore’s Bird became Lord Baltimore’s Oriole, and then simply the Baltimore Oriole. One can see the Calvert family black-and-orange pattern in both the flag and license plate of Maryland.

This species summers in our Meditational Woods, possibly nesting there or nearby. It is known for its wonderfully clear whistled song, its preference for sycamore trees (which are in our woods), and its strange but marvelously woven bag-like nest, suspended from the twigs of a tree.

It does seem rather un-Quakerly though. Not the habits, but the naming business. Early Friends refrained from recognizing the reigning nobility, and the titles and authority associated with it. Quaker men often got in trouble for not doffing their hats in the presence of “his Lordship.” Here we have a bird named for a lord. Perhaps Friends encouraged the name change which dropped the title. As a Quaker, I can get past the name, and appreciate the color, song, and nest of this fabulous creature.

Restorative Yoga ~ Please join friend Kristyn G in a restorative yoga practice session on Mondays July 11 & 25 at 4:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. Each session will last for an hour. This gentle practice will stretch and restore you. $10 suggested donation. If you have any questions, reach out to Kristyn at her cellular number 317-409-2116 by text or call. Hope to see you there!

Help Washington Township Students~ Teachers and school social workers in Washington Township are sponsoring “block parties” for students at several apartment complexes in Washington Township this summer. Needed items to be handed out at these block parties are as follows: 1) Sunscreen, 2) Insect repellant, 3) Reusable water bottles, and 4) Hygiene/personal care items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, and feminine products. First Friends (and the other Shalom Zone churches) will be collecting such items through July 3. Please place items in the box in the foyer of the meetinghouse. This coming Sunday, July 10 is your last chance to donate!! Thanks for your support.

Sign Up for the Dairy Bar Now! First Friends will be working at the Dairy Bar again at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, July 30th all day. We still need a few volunteers for the evening shift 3:30-10pm. Volunteers will get free ice cream and sandwiches! If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Beth H. This is a major fundraiser for our youth programming, so please consider volunteering!

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like you to join us from virtually anywhere in the world as we discuss The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (304 pages)

Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?

A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

We will gather in the Parlor via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 led by Cindy K.

FUM and WYM Projects for 2022

The Quaker umbrella organizations, Friends United Meeting (“FUM”) and Western Yearly Meeting (“WYM”) each promote a fundraiser each year to assist in their mission work around the world. Here are the projects for 2022.

WYM: The WYM project is to raise $15,000 to help purchase a good used 4x4 vehicle for Friends Theological College, located in Kenya. The vehicle will be used to 1) transport students who go out to preach and work in the villages, and 2) to haul food, supplies, and other resources as needed. The total vehicle cost is estimated to be $45,000 – $49,000.
FUM: The FUM project is to “cultivate seeds of new life” for its various missions. Such missions include 1) the work of Getry Agizah who serves as Programme Coordinator in the Africa Ministry Office, 2) the work of Nicholas and Dorcas Otieno, FUM Living Letter missionaries serving in Tanzania, and 3) the pastoral ministry of Oscar Mmbali who has initiated outreach programs in Belize in connection with the Belize Friends School.

This is the one time during the year that First Friends promotes a fundraiser for Quaker missions outside the United States. Thank you for whatever support you are able to provide to these worthwhile projects.

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Friend to Friend June 29, 2022

June 30, 2022

As Way Opens

This past week my family was vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We were staying in the town of Kill Devil Hills, where in December of 1903, the Wright Brothers took their first flights over its sand dunes. Even though it was a beautiful day when we visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial, there was a strong breeze blowing. I found myself sensing the thrill of those first flights as the wind blew past me in this space.

Our family has been to many national monuments and parks over the years. One thing they always communicate well is the challenges and obstacles that need to be overcome for there to be success. On this visit, we learned that even the science that the Wright brothers were working with had a learning curve and needed completely rethought.

The brothers made many trips from Dayton, Ohio to Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina until the science was figured out and success was finally achieved. Yet, as we were taught, the real success for the Wright brothers came through their consistency and not giving up.

When I was going through some really difficult times in ministry, I was given some advice by my Yearly Meeting Superintendent that what would see me through these difficulties would be the same thing – staying consistent and not giving up. Consistency is not always easy and often we just want to throw the towel in and move on. Yet, when we stick it out and learn the rhythms and patterns of the lives we live, we find new possibilities – ones that may take us even to new heights.

We are reminded of this in 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NCV)

So, my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Do not let anything move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.

Currently, we are going through some difficult times in our country and the challenges seem to be mounting for many of us. Like the Wright brothers I find myself questioning at times what I thought I already knew. But when it comes down to it, I find that staying consistent, and not letting things move me, allows me to stay focused on hearing and following the leadings of the Divine in the present moment.

I pray as the difficulties arise in your life, you too would lean on consistency and not give up, so that you may soar to new heights with the leadings of the Spirit.

Grace and peace,

Bob

Joys & Concerns

Happy Birthday, Arlene! Arlene S will have her 90th birthday on July 4th! Please join us in showering her in cards!

A note from Leslie K: “Thanks so much to all who have donated to the addiction treatment center; the shoes, clothing and books are deeply appreciated! This is an on-going need; many of our patients are coming straight from jail or have been homeless. Just let Jim or Leslie Kartholl know if you have any men's clothing or shoes, books or Bibles that you would like to pass along.”

We are sad to share the passing of William A. William dedicated much of his time to the upkeep of the area, plants and trees around the Meetinghouse. There will not be an obituary or service. We appreciated getting to know William during his time with us at First Friends. He is now in the arms of God’s love and light.

Quaker-Affiliated Organizations

Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation -- Meeting Saturday, July 9, 2022 at First Friends
After its customary meeting hiatus during the legislative session, IFCL will meet again in Fellowship Hall on Saturday, July 9, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. Our special guest will be Indiana State Senator J.D. Ford (District 29). He will receive IFCL's annual Legislator of the Year award, and spend some time with us answering questions and discussing priorities. (We've invited our other awardee, Senator Ron Alting (District 22) to be a guest at our fall meeting.) A Zoom option will be available, but we hope you to see you in person. Refreshments will be served, so please RSVP to avoid food waste. All are welcome! Members and attenders, Friends, friends and guests--anyone interested in talking about issues that affect Hoosiers. Any questions and RSVPs please forward to the office at office@indyfriends.org. Thank you.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Special Service this Sunday ~ This coming Sunday (July 3) we are planning a special Meeting for Worship. Many of you have shared the need for us to take a moment, reflect, and even lament some of the decisions and situations going on in our world, currently. Thus, our Meeting for Worship will be a time for “Lament and Hope.” The worship time will consist of songs, prayers, times for reflection, and silent prayer in the manner of Friends. The service will be more contemplative in nature and offer more time to pray and listen for the Divine’s leading. Please join us in person or virtually at 10:15am this Sunday morning.

No Monday Meditational Worship & Office Closed ~ Friends, please note that on Monday, July 4, we will not be holding Meditational Worship. The office will also be closed that day. We hope you have a wonderful Independence Day!

VBS Sunday! ~ We hope you will join us for VBS Sunday, where we hear about what our kids learned during Vacation Bible School and watch a special slide show presentation. It will be held Sunday, July 10 at 10:15am both virtually on our YouTube channel and in-person. We hope you will join us!

Restorative Yoga ~ Please join friend Kristyn G in a restorative yoga practice session! These sessions will take place on Mondays July 11 & 25 at 4:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. Each session will last for an hour. This gentle practice will stretch and restore you. $10 suggested donation. Hope to see you there!

Sign Up for the Dairy Bar Now! First Friends will be working at the Dairy Bar again at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, July 30th all day. We very much need volunteers for the evening shift 3:30-10pm. Volunteers will get free ice cream and sandwiches! If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Beth H. This is a major fundraiser for our youth programming, so please consider volunteering!

Creation Care

We just got through our prolonged heat wave, so we hope your plants are thriving with the extra water you provided. Hoosiers will be using more electricity to stay cool in this more frequent heat waves, so remember to conserve electricity in some simple ways. Use Energy Star LED lightbulbs: turn off lights when you leave the room or put them on timers or motion detectors to save electricity. Put your computer and printer on a power strip and turn off the power to them at night. Electricity is drawn by your devices even when the device is turned off.

AES is in the news over requests for price increases for the cost of buying more expensive fossil fuels. From the Indy Star:

“Customers can submit comments to the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) here: bit.ly/3xEGnDm. Cause No. 38703 FAC‐136.

In addition, other interested parties may intervene, then the IURC will hold an evidentiary hearing and evaluate evidence submitted in relation to the statute's requirements, according to Stephanie Hodgin, spokesperson for IURC.”

Here is a link to information by Citizen’s Action Coalition. High fossil gas prices increase AES rates.

With climate change causing increasing weather instability and higher average temperatures, consider signing the petition to AES Indiana’s CEO, Kristina Lund, to move more quickly to cleaner energy sources. They currently plan to delay closing their coal fired Petersburg plant until 2042. Our earth requires that they move more quickly to 2030. There are petitions in Fellowship Hall.

FUM and WYM Projects for 2022

WYM: The WYM project is to raise $15,000 to help purchase a good used 4x4 vehicle for Friends Theological College, located in Kenya. The vehicle will be used to 1) transport students who go out to preach and work in the villages, and 2) to haul food, supplies, and other resources as needed. The total vehicle cost is estimated to be $45,000 – $49,000.

FUM: The FUM project is to “cultivate seeds of new life” for its various missions. Such missions include 1) the work of Getry Agizah who serves as Programme Coordinator in the Africa Ministry Office, 2) the work of Nicholas and Dorcas Otieno, FUM Living Letter missionaries serving in Tanzania, and 3) the pastoral ministry of Oscar Mmbali who has initiated outreach programs in Belize in connection with the Belize Friends School.

Queries for the Week

· Am I more of a complainer than a dreamer?

· What Monumental Dreams has God put on my heart for the world?

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Friend to Friend June 22, 2022

June 23, 2022

As Way Opens

About a week ago I saw a flurry of bird activity in a bush just outside of my screened-in porch. It became apparent that a mom and dad cardinal were building a nest. It seemed kind of late in the season to begin building a nest but here were these two beautiful birds bringing twigs and leaves and stitching together an amazing basket to hold some future babies. The engineering of the basket out of these items in nature is always inspiring and holds me in awe. In the beginning these two birds were flying into the bush with frequency to build the base of the nest. Every day I would go out to the porch early in the morning to watch their progress. As the days passed the activity was reduced and it seemed like they were searching for the right next material to add to the structure. This morning the mama cardinal was sitting on the nest and I see 2 eggs.

This experience each morning was profound for me and brought me into God’s presence. Watching a cardinal build a nest is a holy experience. And knowing that this nest was built for babies, for the future, for the continuation of the cardinal species is the cycle of life that at times in our busy, conflicted and complicated lives can be lost. With all the division and anguish that we feel, this simple yet deeply spiritual practice of birds making nests can bring us together, bring us into the Divine, bring us into nature, and into the arms of God for all our worries.

As Jesus taught us - (Luke 12:22-24) “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Friends are invited to a memorial service for Lowell R. It will take place on Saturday, June 25th at 11am, with a light lunch to follow. It will be at First Presbyterian Church, 512 7th St, Columbus, IN 47201. As you might recall, Lowell passed away peacefully in his home on December 20, 2020, just a few days after having celebrated his 100th birthday. Everyone is invited to attend.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Organ Concert Now Available Online! We truly enjoyed a recent organ concert put on by our new organist, Wolff von Roos, back on June 5th. If you didn’t get a chance to attend, or if you’d like to simply listen again, a recording is now available online! Find the video on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/MizU41pUsiI. It’s available anytime for anyone, so please feel free to share!

MONUMENTAL VBS Starts This Weekend! This year’s theme is Monumental: Celebrating God’s Greatness. Everyone is invited to our kickoff and luncheon which is this Sunday June 26 after worship, with activities starting at 12 noon! VBS will then take place 6:30-8:30pm Monday June 27 through Thursday, June 30. We hope to see you there!

Sign Up for the Dairy Bar Now! First Friends will be working at the Dairy Bar again at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, July 30th all day. We need volunteers for both the morning and the evening shifts, 9:00am-3:30pm and 3:30-10pm, respectively. Volunteers will get free ice cream and sandwiches! If you’d like to volunteer, please contact the office. This is a major fundraiser for our youth programming, so please consider volunteering!

WYM Annual Session Registration Is Open! Everyone is invited to join Western Yearly Meeting (WYM)’s annual sessions. They will be held both online and in person starting Friday, July 22. As usual, the sessions will conclude on Sunday July 24 with worship from 10am-12pm featuring speaker Paul Anderson. This year’s theme is “Better Together in Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13). More information will be coming, but for now you can view the schedule, print a registration form, or print a youth registration form (with youth medical release). If you have questions, please reach out to the WYM office at office@westernyearlymeeting.org or 317-839-2789.

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like for you to join us from virtually anywhere in the world as we discuss The Good Lord Bird by James McBride (417 pages) From the bestselling author of The Color of Water and Song Yet Sung comes the story of a young boy born a slave who joins John Brown’s antislavery crusade—and who must pass as a girl to survive.

Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1857, when the region is a battleground between anti- and pro-slavery forces. When John Brown, the legendary abolitionist, arrives in the area, an argument between Brown and Henry’s master quickly turns violent. Henry is forced to leave town—with Brown, who believes he’s a girl.

Over the ensuing months, Henry—whom Brown nicknames Little Onion—conceals his true identity as he struggles to stay alive. Eventually Little Onion finds himself with Brown at the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859—one of the great catalysts for the Civil War.

An absorbing mixture of history and imagination, and told with McBride’s meticulous eye for detail and character, The Good Lord Bird is both a rousing adventure and a moving exploration of identity and survival.

We will gather in the Parlor and simultaneously via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST Tuesday, June 28, 2022 led by Rik L.

FUM and WYM Projects for 2022

Afghan Family’s Top Priority is Political Asylum;
First Friends Afghan Project Continues Supporting Their Resettlement

***PLEASE PRAY FOR THOSE IN AFGHANISTAN AFFECTED BY THE EARTHQUAKE, HUNGER, POVERTY AND TERRORISTS***

First Friends Afghan Project (FFAP) is seeking the way forward as it continues supporting this second Afghan family’s resettlement in the U.S.A. The family’s primary concern is obtaining asylum. They want to stay in the U.S. and they specifically asked the FFAP to support them in this effort. We are actively engaged in the endeavor. (We do not publish their name in order to respect their privacy and maintain their safety.)

The FFAP finished its co-sponsorship of the family with Exodus Refugee. We completed the commitments we made to 1) set up an apartment for the family, 2) provide rental assistance, 3) collect furnishings and supplies and 4) stock the pantry. We went beyond this as we engaged in transportation assistance, health appointment scheduling and accompaniment, adequate food supply, and providing English conversation and tutoring. Some of us have trained with the Immigrant Welcome Center and are using their curricula to tutor the family during the summer when IWC does not provide classes. We assisted the family in finding sports activities and a recreation center; purchased bikes and helped them learn bike safety and routes; helped them learn bus routes; and found a summer education program. We have assisted them with phones, computers, Zoom, WiFi, email/mail monitoring and app installations. We have helped set up a bank account, provided clothing and shoes (some through Changing Footprints) and helped obtain another air conditioner when a heat wave was looming. We have also provided birthday cakes and lessons in resetting a circuit breaker during a power outage in the middle of the night.

FFAP is no longer co-sponsoring with Exodus Refugee, but we are continuing work with the family. We are supporting political asylum by offering to accompany them to hearings and meetings. We are supporting their attorney in getting affidavits and by offering an instructional legal packet we discovered that is specific to Afghan evacuees. Other areas we have agreed to assist in include financial literacy (including budgeting and monitoring accounts); transportation support; helping with driver education and licensing efforts; attorney assistance when obtaining a new lease and English Language Learner tutoring. We will continue submitting maintenance requests to the landlord. We will look for schools and educational programs for the fall. We will continue to help educate the family by reinforcing medical advice regarding health monitoring and proper use of prescriptions. Assisting the family in comparing health insurance opportunities is a priority.

We are in relationship with other churches and groups who are sponsoring Afghan families. Our conversations are enlightening as we share resources and hope our work is helping to make incredibly difficult transitions a tiny bit easier for Afghan evacuees. The Afghan families have a long haul ahead. Some evacuees are receiving little help and are unaware of important governmental deadlines for submission of specific documents necessary for the granting of asylum. Fortunately, the FFAP has the back of the family we sponsor. We have a team member with expertise and some experience with Afghan asylum. Also, the family has access to an attorney through Exodus Refugee.

Thank you, First Friends and like-minded friends, for joining with us in First Friends Afghan Project and for helping to make resettlement and asylum possible for this brave family. Thank you for helping to preserve lives.

Your Talent is Needed! ~ The choir has gone on break for the summer. Please see the signup sheet on the bulletin board in the hallway to sign up for summer music! We are hoping you will come share your talent with the congregation while our choir takes a break. Be it with your voice by singing or by playing an instrument. Sign up now for any or several Sundays over the summer. We still have many Sundays available! Thank you for sharing your God-given gifts!

Restorative Yoga ~ Please join friend Kristyn G in a restorative yoga practice session! These sessions will take place on Mondays June 27 and July 11 & 25 at 4:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. Each session will last for an hour. This gentle practice will stretch and restore you. $10 suggested donation. Hope to see you there!

Queries for the Week

· Do I limit God to fit my boxes?

· How might I expand my understanding of God?

· In what ways do I need to deepen my contemplative practices to more fully experience God?

Comment

Friend to Friend June 15, 2022

June 15, 2022

As Way Opens

This past week I was on vacation in the south New Jersey Shore staying in a cute house at Bradley Beach (near Asbury Park). My son Greg lives nearby and it was a wonderful chance to spend time with him and his girlfriend Fernanda. Fernanda is from Colombia and her mother Nancy was visiting from there for the week. We had a great time getting to know each other, breaking bread together and having some time by the ocean.

There was one slight difficulty - Nancy does not speak any English and my Spanish is almost non-existent. I think we were both a little nervous about how we would communicate with each other. I was reminded in such a beautiful way that communicating love does not always require words. I think back to the Gary Chapman book about the 5 languages of love that include acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, words of affirmation and physical touch. We hit on almost all of these affirmations of love during the week. Nancy brought me a beautiful carving of a scene typical to Medillen Colombia where she lives. She hugged me every day to welcome me and say goodbye. Her eyes were kind and her smile generous. She and Fernanda made us a delicious lunch that was typical of a meal in Medillen. Through Greg and Fernanda's translation, she shared words of affirmation for me and appreciation I was so touched and realized that through our love of God and our children we could share love with each other even though we speak a different language.

Sometimes I realize that I just need to stop talking and start acting out of love. That is certainly the way that Jesus taught us to love.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

No Monthly Meeting in June! ~ Friends, please note that there will be no monthly meeting in June due to the Father’s Day holiday as well as generally the busy event schedule. Thank you!

Men’s Threshing Together ~ If you are interested in gathering with other men who mull over current issues or topics, where all points of view are heard, no decisions are made, and all in a non-threatening atmosphere over a meal, then Threshing Together is for you! Join us for our next in-person meeting on Thursday, June 16 at 7:00pm. See locations for 2022 here.

The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application is THIS SUNDAY, June 19th. For an application, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Words from the Woods:

It’s hot out there and the trees and other plantings can suffer in this heat. Please give your trees several gallons of water this week. Even though we have had rain, sometimes the actual amount of rainfall can be spotty. Check your rain gauge and if it’s been less than an inch, water your trees and shrubs. They will thank you with CO2 removal, UV light protection, cool shade and life giving oxygen.

Carmel Green had these updates to share:

2040, a film documentary Join us this Thurs. June 16, 7:30 p.m. at Midtown Plaza in Carmel for the FREE screening of the uplifting documentary about climate solutions that exist today and what the world could look like in 2040! We’re excited to announce the Hoosier Environmental Council, Citizens Climate Lobby and CHS Green Action Club will be there. This is a great opportunity to get involved at CHS as well as the city, state and national levels!! Watch the trailer! Read more.

Carmel Students Call for Climate ActionYoung people are worried about how climate change will impact their future! These amazing students have met with Mayor Brainard and Carmel City Councilors to share their concerns and ask for a climate action plan. To support our young people, we’re collecting signatures on this petition which will be presented to the mayor and council members. Adults and youth are encouraged to sign! Please share with friends and family. Read more.

AES Indiana and the Petersburg Power Plant

Petersburg is one of AES Indiana’s power plants 125 miles southwest of Indiana. Most of its energy comes from burning coal and is one of 22 "Super Polluter" coal plants that release some of the most toxic pollution and greenhouse gases in the U.S. Exposure to these kinds of toxic emissions has been implicated in increased respiratory and heart problems, as well as premature births.

The Indianapolis Star reported in June 2020 that AES violated its water permit 120 times polluting the White River, a major source of fresh water with boron, selenium, cadmium and mercury. Groundwater monitors have identified heavy metals in the coal ash ponds that are leaching into groundwater.

In 2019 AES announced plans to keep burning coal at Petersburg until 2042 in its two remaining coal towers, despite requests from the mayor and the City-County Council to replace all of its coal with affordable renewable energy, Climate scientists have determined that carbon emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 to keep the worst effects of climate change from occurring.

Read More at https://coal.sierraclub.org to understand the problem. I will bring petitions on June 26 if anyone would like to let AES know that its customers want more clean renewable energy in its portfolio. Or consider submitting a customer concern through their website. You can reach out to Megan Anderson, coordinator, at Indiana Beyond Coal on Facebook.

Mary B, Creation Care Advocate

FUM and WYM Projects for 2022

First Friends Financial Update: As a friendly reminder, the Meeting continues to seek and welcome financial support. To donate online, visit indyfriends.org/support/#givenow, or text to give at 317-768-0303. Other means of helping include automatic giving, stock gifts, estate planning, and donation of IRA Required Minimum Distributions. For more information, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Opportunities for Community Garden Volunteers; Free Plants ~ June is bustin’ out all over and the gardeners are creating new life in conjunction with our Creator. The plots are beginning to speak of their work. If you would like to have a plot or if you want to help plant, water or weed without making a commitment to a plot, contact Ben, Community Garden Clerk, at ben.frame@gmail.com.

The School for the Blind and Visually Impaired has once again gifted the Garden with plants ready to rehome. Please help yourself to the plants by the cistern, including tomatoes, squash, herbs and eggplant. Donated flowers are awaiting willing hands to root them into the Hope plot. They are potted and waiting in the plot. The Hope plot is dedicated to those who have died or are experiencing difficult times. Flowers may be picked once the plot is growing robustly.

Volunteers are invited to help plant, weed and water the Mid-North Food Pantry plot(s) as well as the Hope plot. Help beautify our grounds and fill up hungry tummies. Have your own plot, help others with their plots, or help keep up the community plots. Do as much or as little as you want. Soak up sunshine and breath fresh air as you exercise. What a deal!

INSIDE, OUTSIDE AT MID-NORTH FOOD PANTRY: OPPORTUNITIES!

Want to help at the food pantry but can't stand the hot sun?

In the olden days, pre-COVID, clients used grocery carts to serve themselves from shelves of food products inside the Mid-North Food Pantry, 3333 North Meridian Street. The First Friends volunteers who assisted them then were many of the same people who, post-COVID, learned to dress for all kinds of weather so that food could be provided to the needy, outdoors, without interruption.

Meanwhile, other volunteers from First Friends work a weekly shift inside the pantry, receiving, weighing, sorting, and packaging foods for distribution. Ruth Kelly, shown sorting many, many pounds of onions, and Barbara Oberreich work this shift every Monday. Corinne Imboden works the same shift on Wednesdays. Pantry manager Susan McMahon is hoping we may send a few more volunteers her way for indoor duty on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, and perhaps one or two others who could do some heavy lifting. It is all happy work!

And, in a new collaboration with The Cooking Matters Program of the Indy Hunger Network, Mid-North Food Pantry will host free cooking and nutrition classes for pantry clients and community. Participants will learn to prepare and eat healthy foods on a budget. Susan would love to have a volunteer from First Friends to assist with the one-hour classes, the first of which will be held on Wed., July 20, at 1 pm, with four more to follow in August. Perhaps you could help with one or two of them?

If you have been wishing you could join the First Friends pantry volunteers, who always seem to be having a great time, these are your opportunities!

VBS: Sign-Ups Open & Volunteers Needed! This year we are having Vacation Bible School from Sunday June 26th through Thursday, June 30th. Registration is now open! We invite you to sign up your kids and grandkids, and invite your neighbors as well! This year’s theme is Monumental: Celebrating God’s Greatness. We are also in need of volunteers for crew leaders and people to bring snacks during one of the weeknights. This is a wonderful event that children look forward to each year and we are able to offer it free of charge thanks to volunteers like you! If you can help, please contact the office.

Restorative Yoga ~ Please join friend Kristyn G in a restorative yoga practice session! These sessions will take place on Mondays June 20 & 27; and July 11 & 25 at 4:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. Each session will last for an hour. This gentle practice will stretch and restore you. $10 suggested donation. Hope to see you there!

Mark Your Calendars! First Friends will be working at the Dairy Bar again at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, July 30th all day. If you’d like to volunteer for a morning or an evening shift, please contact the office.Please consider volunteering for this major fundraiser for our youth programming!

“I Am Spiritual but Not Religious!” ~ “Spiritual but not religious” (SBNR) is a popular phrase and initialism used to self-identity a life stance of spirituality that does not regard organized religion as the sole or most valuable means of furthering spiritual growth. First Friends Meeting of Kokomo invites you to a series of events focusing on examining this idea. The series begins with an evening of worship on Friday, July 8 at 6:30pm. On Saturday the 9th there will be a BBQ picnic at 5pm followed by a Talk on Kenya, Africa. Then on Sunday at 10:30am they will have Meeting for Worship with guest speakers Shawn McConaughey, General Superintendent of Western Yearly Meeting and Oscar Mmbali, Pastoral Minister of Belize City Friends. Join Kokomo Friends at 1801 Zartman Rd, Kokomo, IN 46902. For more information, view the flyer here or contact kokomofirstfriends@gmail.com.

Queries for the Week

· What Light/love does my own heart and soul most need right now?

· Where in my life am I seeing the Light/love shine most brightly?

· Into what darkness might God be nudging me to shine Light/love?

Comment

Friend to Friend June 8, 2022

June 8, 2022

As Way Opens

A few weeks ago, I was browsing the clearance book section at a local store when out of the corner of my eye a book caught my attention. All I could see on the cover were the words Seeking Aliveness and just below were two hands holding a lit candle in a jar. Like many books in my life, this one seemed almost familiar and calling out to me. Once I pulled the book from the shelf, I noticed the author was one of my favorites, Brian McLaren.

Unbeknownst to me was that this title was based on a book that our Seeking Friends group had slowly moved through over a year in 2017-18. That book, We Make the Road by Walking, was also one of my favorite books about the themes of the Bible and one’s spiritual journey. Seeking Aliveness on the other hand is more of a daily reflection or devotional.

After perusing the book in the isle, I decided to buy it and claim it as my new devotional. A couple weeks ago when I began my morning meditation with it for the first time, I found myself riveted by the first couple of paragraphs from the introduction. Let these words draw your attention, as they did mine, this week:

What we all want is pretty simple, really. We want to be alive. To feel alive. Not just to exist but to thrive, to live out loud, walk tall, breathe free. We want to be less lonely, less exhausted, less conflicted, or afraid…more awake, more grateful, more energized, and purposeful. We capture this kind of mindful, overbrimming life in terms like, well-being, shalom, blessedness, wholeness, harmony, life to the full, and aliveness.

The quest for aliveness explains so much of what we do. Its why readers read and travelers travel. Its why lovers love and thinking think, why dancers dance and moviegoers watch. In the quest for aliveness, chefs cook, foodies eat, farmers till, drummers riff, fly fishers cast, runners run, and photographers shoot.

The quest for aliveness is the heartbeat that pulses through the Bible – and the best thing about religion, I think. It’s what we’re hoping for when we pray. It’s why we gather, celebrate, eat, abstain, attend, practice, sing, and contemplate. When people say, “I’m spiritual,” what they mean, I think, is simple: “I’m seeking inner aliveness.”

I invite you to join me during these summer months in taking some time in seeking aliveness and seeing where the Divine will speak to your condition and give you life!

Grace and peace,

Bob

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

No Monthly Meeting in June! ~ Friends, please note that there will be no monthly meeting in June due to the Father’s Day holiday as well as generally the busy event schedule. Thank you!

Friends Education Fund Sunday AND Special Guest Speaker Shawn McConaughey! We hope you will join us for a special Meeting for Worship this Sunday, June 12! It is Friends Education Fund Sunday where we honor and meet our scholarship recipients during worship and with a special reception afterward. Also, we will welcome special guest speaker Shawn McConaughey, our new Western Yearly Meeting Superintendent. Prior to coming to Indiana in April of 2022, Shawn and his wife, Katrina, served in a shared position with Friends United Meeting as the Programme Officers alongside FUM-Africa Ministries director John Muhanji in the Kisumu office in Africa. Not only does Shawn have deep Quaker roots, but he also has 20 years of Friends pastoral experience in two local meetings, and 9 years serving as the Associate Superintendent for Global Outreach and Pastoral Care within the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends. Shawn and Katrina have two adult children, Jerrod and Elsie.

INSIDE, OUTSIDE AT MID-NORTH FOOD PANTRY: OPPORTUNITIES!

Want to help at the food pantry but can't stand the hot sun?

If you have been wishing you could join the First Friends pantry volunteers, who always seem to be having a great time, these are your opportunities!

Afghan Family Update ~ Summer is a time for fun. The Afghan family is enrolled in English classes, working to bring in paychecks and making decisions about school and summer activities. The resettlement process is stressful for them. A little recreation can be helpful. With that in mind, the First Friends Afghan Project is asking for backyard games. The family is particularly keen on having cricket equipment. Other possible game items are Bocce balls, badminton, crochet and cornhole. If you can donate any games, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. Thank you.

Creation Care Updates

Shout out to Mindy, Barb S., Terry T, Ed, David B for tending the courtyard and memorial mound and super big thanks to Brad for knocking down all the overgrown areas of the Woods. It was a huge job!

The Art Park at Newfields has a fantastic pollinator garden that was planted one year ago and it is wonderful to see so many native plants in bloom. Stop by soon- it’s free!

The University of Illinois Extension has several free webinars on gardening.

Signup for “Natives versus Cultivars” webinar on June 21, 2022. Natives vs. Cultivars | Four Seasons Gardening: University of Illinois Extension

Have an area in your yard that gets overrun during a rainstorm? Consider a rain garden!

Join representatives from Marion County SWCD and Purdue Extension for an intensive two day Rainscaping workshop on Thursday 6/16 and Friday 6/17. Attendees will learn how to design, build and maintain residential rain gardens to treat stormwater runoff and provide pollinator habitat in their own backyards. This workshop is funded through the Indiana State Department of Agriculture’s Clean Water Indiana grant program and Purdue Extension and costs $100 to attend, with lunches provided. Participants will take home native plants for their home projects and visit local green infrastructure projects as well as gain valuable experience planting a local rain garden project.

More information about the Rainscaping program is available here: https://extension.purdue.edu/rainscaping/

Registration deadline is Wednesday 6/8-click on the Register link below!

Upcoming Rainscaping
Workshop-Register by Wednesday 6/8!
Rainscaping Workshop Thursday 6/16 and Friday 6/17
Two Day Rainscaping Workshop
Register

Action Alert:

The State of Indiana is investing $25 million dollars in buying conservation land, as our state parks and other areas were highly used during the pandemic. I am thrilled. However, at the same time there are proposed projects that will destroy some sensitive rural areas to build an interstate connection in Southern Indiana. Many of you watched the impact of building the I-69 extension to Bloomington, mature trees removed, topography altered. The Indiana Forest Alliance would like for you to comment on the proposed route through Daviess county, impacted the Gantz Woods Nature Preserve by JUNE 10TH!

INDOT chooses 'preferred route' for controversial Mid-States Corridor

-Mary B, Creation Care Advocate

The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application is June 19th. For an application, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Meditational Woods Birds of the Month for June

Wilson’s Snipe: Is the Joke on You?

This month I am celebrating a bird that made an appearance last month. In fact, it was one of the most unusual avian visitors ever to grace our property. After circling through the Meditational Woods, I made my way northward under the high tension lines above the meadow. One of our neighbors to the east has a reddish-brown fence, and it was on the ground along this fence that I spied what I thought was a mammal: perhaps a slender cat or large ground squirrel. Then it turned its head, and I saw the view in my drawing. The slender head with an enormous bill and long-ways head striping identified this as a Wilson’s Snipe!! Although a few other shorebirds have long bills, the lack of a body of water here narrowed the choices. That bill is used to probe the grass and mud for food. Recent rains had made the ground sloshy, and perfect for picking worms and insects.

As I made my way back through the parking lot, I met one of the supervisors of children on the playground. She asked me what birds I had seen that morning. I told her that I had just seen a snipe. She remarked, “I thought they did not really exist!” Readers who are my age may recall an old prank played by kids on other kids, in which the victim is told that the group is going on a “snipe hunt.” The weapons for the hunt are a sack (burlap bag?) and some sort of stick. The instructions are to walk around, hitting the bag with the stick, yelling, “Here, snipe!! Here, here, snipe!!” When no snipe are found, the practical joke is revealed by telling the participant that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SNIPE!!

The TRUTH IS that snipes DO EXIST, that long ago they were hunted as a source of food, and in May one showed up at Indianapolis First Friends meadow. Instead of a paper sack and stick, I had binoculars! -- Brad J

Mark Your Calendars! First Friends will be working at the Dairy Bar again at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, July 30th all day. Please consider volunteering for either a morning or afternoon shift for this major fundraiser for our youth programming. More details to come!

Restorative Yoga ~ Please join friend Kristyn Greenawald in a restorative yoga practice session! These sessions will take place on Mondays June 20 & 27; and July 11 & 25 at 4:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. Each session will last for an hour. This gentle practice will stretch and restore you. $10 suggested donation. If you have any questions, reach out to Kristyn at her cellular number 317-409-2116 by text or call. Hope to see you there!

We will gather in the Parlor and simultaneously via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST Tuesday, June 28, 2022 led by Rik L.

Queries for the Week

· In what ways am I too binary in my view of others?

· How might I more deeply see with the diverse, multifaceted, and creative eyes of God?

Comment

Friend to Friend June 1, 2022

June 2, 2022

As Way Opens

As we reflect on those we have loved and lost over Memorial Day weekend, I want to share a beautiful tribute that Leslie K wrote about her brother whom she lost to Covid in March. -Beth

My brother died recently from COVID. It was quick and unexpected, we barely had time to process that he was sick before we were attending a funeral. He was vital and tall and funny and introspective, and with his broad shoulders and deep dimples, he was the crush of all my high school friends. An athlete, a traveler, a collector of guitars and lover of motorcycles and, as he discovered when his son became an actor, musical theater.

When I heard he was sick it was already serious; breathing problems sent him right into ICU. I felt helpless and disoriented and incredibly sad, so I did what I have always done for as long as I can remember; I asked for people to pray. Everyone I knew, friends and relatives, co-workers and my church family. My friends asked their friends and their churches, and on and on and I was comforted in the knowledge that there were a great many people praying for a common cause.

I was taught early on that God answers prayer, and that “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” With that in mind, I would present a hopeful shopping list of wants and needs to God, try hard to behave myself and wait for the response. Although I was also taught that sometimes the answer is "no" I frequently felt like my requests disappeared in the ether and no one was listening at all.

Somehow my prayer life evolved or devolved, depending on your point of view, and for a long time I couldn’t pray. When I picked it up again, it looked nothing like it had in its past incarnations, and oftentimes my prayers today consist of a single word or thought. And while at times it does seem God responds directly to a prayer, I have settled into the belief that outcomes are beyond my grasp and my understanding, and I am content to allow life to unfold as it will.

I continue to pray, because even though I may not understand the modus operandi of prayer, I have learned that the heart of prayer is connection. When I am praying, and you are praying, and he is praying, and they are praying connection happens; something electric and beautiful and mystical arcs across those physical spaces that separate us and we are no longer alone in our fear, alone in our sorrow, alone in our joy, alone in our hope. A cosmic current creates a circle of unity with the spirit of Love, and I am “held” in the warm Light of transcendence. And by this I am comforted, and by this I am renewed, and by this I have peace.

I miss my brother. I don’t know why he is gone. I hoped and prayed he would heal and come home but that did not happen. I am bereft but I am not defeated, because all the time we were praying for him, I was constantly reminded that I was not alone, in my grief or my confusion. And he was not alone. There is a chain that emanates and returns to the Source of all that is and links us together in holy unity. And for me, that is the real power of prayer.

Leslie K

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Artful Meditation ~ Join our instructor Shawn H on Saturday, June 4, from 10am-11:30 in Fellowship Hall as we make art while exploring the theme of joy. For this session jars will be prepped for painting and decorating. Also, Shawn will set up a watercolor station and show some cool techniques that can be used. This is open to all ages. Shawn says, "Those that wish to attend will only need to bring themselves and their thoughts of what brings them joy in their everyday lives."

Organ Concert! We hope you will join us for an Organ Concert put on by our new organist, Wolff von Roos. We are very excited to hear him play a concert for us! Join us this Sunday, June 5th at 4pm at Indianapolis First Friends.

HIV Survivors Awareness Day Celebration ~ You’re invited to a celebration honoring long-term survivors and community advocates of HIV and celebrating their stories. It will take place on Sunday, June 5th, 3-5pm at Broadway United Methodist Church, 609 E 29th St, Indianapolis 46205. It will feature keynote speaker Rev. Leah Gunning Francis, Ph. D, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, Christian Theological Seminary. There will be musical entertainment as well as survivor testimonies. For more information, visit https://broadwayumc.org.

Night of 1000 Comics! (Give or Take a Few) ~ You’re invited to a night of clean comedy on Sunday, June 5 at 7:00pm at Epworth United Methodist Church (6450 Allisonville Road). Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, with 25% of proceeds benefitting Society of St Andrew – Feeding America’s Hungry. Featured comics include Paul Aldrich, Robert G. Lee, and Gordon Douglas. To buy tickets and for more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/night-of-1000-comics-give-or-take-a-few-tickets-289003295637.

Words from the Woods ~ The next Woods Work Day is June 6 from 9-10:30 AM. Bring gloves, your favorite weeding tool and sun protection. We will do some weeding around the meditation circle, Peace pole and other places. We will remove dead limbs from some of the shrubs and perhaps transplant some wild ginger on the west side of the courtyard. We’re still figuring out the best way to keep the grasses trimmed up, so bear with the transition from the old mowing service to the new!

Creation Care Updates:

Saturday June 4, 2022 from 11:00-5:00 PM is the Annual Earth Day event in Garfield Park. This free event has live musical performances and youth activities. For more information, visit Indiana Earth Day.

Hoosier Interfaith Power & Light (HIPL.org) a faith based organization whose mission is to make houses a worship a hub of creation care and education, has merged with a regional organization to increase their efficiency and resources. Check out Faith in Place and consider getting on their newsletter. Anyone interested in forming a Creation Care Green Team? https://www.faithinplace.org

The Hoosier Sierra Club created an eye opening report on the Indiana General Assembly’s actions on creation care. See how your legislator worked to either to support or undermine God’s beautiful creation. Sierra Club Legislators Scorecard.

As a volunteer at Hoosier Environmental Council, I (Mary B) have learned a lot about coal combustion residuals and its effect on groundwater. Additionally, as I have advocated for a transition to cleaner forms of energy to protect our earth, I’ve also learned about the adverse health effects of fossil fuel extraction and refineries on poorer communities, causing increased respiratory ailments like asthma, lung and heart diseases, cancer and premature births. A concerning case is before the Supreme Court that seeks to weaken the regulations of the Clean Air Act. Many of us can remember the toxic clouds surrounding the communities of Gary and East Chicago on the way to visit the Museum of Science Industry as children before the EPA was created. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss has a short video raising awareness of this momentous decision: West Virgina vs. EPA.

VBS: Sign-Ups Open & Volunteers Needed! This year we are having Vacation Bible School from Sunday June 26th through Thursday, June 30th. Registration is now open! We invite you to sign up your kids and grandkids, and invite your neighbors as well! This year’s theme is Monumental: Celebrating God’s Greatness. We are also in need of volunteers for crew leaders and people to bring snacks during one of the weeknights. This is a wonderful event that children look forward to each year and we are able to offer it free of charge thanks to volunteers like you! If you can help, please contact the office.

The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application is June 19th. For an application, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Meditational Woods Birds of the Month for June

Wilson’s Snipe: Is the Joke on You?

Donations Needed ~ Leslie K works in a nonprofit residential treatment center for substance abuse disorders; many of the men who come in for treatment have come off the streets or have been incarcerated. If you've been doing spring cleaning and would like to donate gently used men's clothing, tennis shoes, books, Bibles, backpacks, duffels or unused musical instruments, any or all would be greatly appreciated by the residents. Donations can be left at the meeting house.

The Gospel of John: Illuminate Summer Speaker Series ~ You’re invited to join Barclay Press & Pendle Hill for a series of evening discussions with authors of the Illuminate Friends Bible Study summer curriculum on the Gospel of John. The series will kick off on Monday, June 13 at 7:30, and will take place the 2nd and 4th Mondays, June through August, from 7:30pm - 9:00pm Eastern Time via Zoom. Speakers will share insights from their studies as they prepared this summer’s lessons and “Friendly Perspectives.” This quarter’s Illuminate introduces us to the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus in this unique gospel, the most theological of the four gospels in the Bible. “Friendly Perspectives” accompany each week’s lesson, showing Jesus’s encounters with a variety of people, and prompting us to consider what it means to be a Friend of Jesus in this time. The basic fee for the series is $125, or $25 per single session. Financial assistance is available. For the schedule and more information as well as registration, visit https://pendlehill.org/events/illuminate-summer-speaker-series-2022/.

Changing Footprints ~ Changing Footprints is a nonprofit that collects new and gently used shoes for distribution to homeless, disaster-stricken, or underprivileged people. They are on track to distribute a record 50,000 pairs this year just from the north Indy location alone. They provide gently used footwear to local nonprofits as well as refugees and the needy in foreign countries. Please bring to the Donation Station in Fellowship Hall any footwear that you no longer need. They collect all types, and are very grateful for your past contributions! Thank you.

Birdbath Tips from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

When it comes to birdwatching, there’s no place like home. Colorful birds are a delight for the eyes—and it’s easy to make a bird haven right outside your window:

· Put Up a Bird Feeder. The 3 bird-food staples are black-oil sunflower, nyjer, and suet, but there are plenty of additional options. Here's a handy tool that matches common birds with their favorite foods, so you know just what to buy.

· Give Them Water. A quick sip and a place to bathe will bring birds to your yard—including species that won’t visit feeders. Download our full set of birdbath tips.

· What About Squirrels? Those crafty critters are incredibly good at getting to your seed—download our top squirrel suggestions here.

We hope you enjoy the birds around your home!

Queries for the Week

· Am I afraid of entering the wilderness?

· What do I need to face in the wilderness?

· What in my soul needs to quietly emerge?

Comment

Friend to Friend May 25, 2022

May 26, 2022

As Way Opens

I don’t know about you, but I have had an abundance of helicopter seeds this year that hang on top of my gutters, cover my driveway and flower beds and have traveled to other driveways and lawns. I’ve never seen this amount of seeds and decided to do some research on the cause of this phenomenon.

These seeds are often called whirly birds, twisters, whirligigs or whirlinuts. Their technical name is Samara Fruit and they hold the seeds of the mighty maple tree. Because only a few animals eat the seeds and carry them elsewhere, these helicopters are winged in a perfectly shaped dimension to be able to fly and travel. When there is a year of abundance of the seeds, it means that the tree has experienced stress and wants to produce more seeds to ensure that if part of it dies, another tree will grow somewhere else.

What an analogy to our experience. We are coming out of such a stressful time and we need to be sure we are spreading seed for the future. We may never see the outcome of this planting and should not be concerned about that. Our calling is to fly on wings to send out seed in many places for others. As Thomas Merton says in his book, Seeds of Contemplation, “Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul. For just as the wind carries thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of men. Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost, because men are not prepared to receive them; for such seeds as these cannot spring up anywhere except in the good soil of freedom, spontaneity, and love.”

We don’t know the soil where we spread seed but that doesn’t matter. Spreading seed brings vitality to our own soul. And some of these seeds will find fertile soil and flourish far beyond us.

Beth

Joys & Concerns

Mid-North Food Pantry—Over $7,000 Raised! Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Mid-North Food Pantry (MNFP) fundraiser. We were very happy to present a check in the amount of $7,187 to Matt Jennings of the MNFP. We send our thanks to all who helped to make this a successful fundraiser. There were about 100 families helped at the pantry on that day!

Connect To Friends Fair! ~ A huge thanks goes out to those who participated in the fair last Sunday during Fellowship Hour. Many committees and groups were represented and the booths were amazing! We are blessed to have so many faithful Friends doing such meaningful work here at the Meeting.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Gnostic Gospel Group ~ A couple of weeks ago we dug into the ever controversial topic of resurrection and had a very lively conversation! Before taking a summer break, we will meet one more time on Thursday, May 26 at 6:30pm in the Parlor for our usual light meal before discussion. We will be discussing The Prayer of the Apostle Paul and The Second Book of the Odes to Solomon. We will also talk about possible plans for the fall. If you are interested in joining this group study on the non-canonical/Gnostic Gospels, contact the meeting office (office@indyfriends.org, 317-255-2485).

No Meditational Worship Next Week ~ Friends, due to the holiday there will be no Meditational Worship next Monday, May 30. The office will also be closed that day. We hope you and your family have a good Memorial Day!

Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like for you to join us from virtually anywhere in the world as we discuss Hamnet: a Novel of the Plague by Maggie O'Farrell (373 pages) A New York Times Notable Book (2020) Best Book of 2020: Guardian, Financial Times, Literary Hub, and NPR.

Drawing on Maggie O'Farrell's long-term fascination with the little-known story behind Shakespeare's most enigmatic play, HAMNET is a luminous portrait of a marriage, at its heart the loss of a beloved child.

Warwickshire in the 1580s. Agnes is a woman as feared as she is sought after for her unusual gifts. She settles with her husband in Henley street, Stratford, and has three children: a daughter, Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. The boy, Hamnet, dies in 1596, aged eleven. Four years or so later, the husband writes a play called Hamlet.

Award-winning author Maggie O'Farrell's new novel breathes full-blooded life into the story of a loss usually consigned to literary footnotes, and provides an unforgettable vindication of Agnes, a woman intriguingly absent from history.

We will gather in the Parlor and simultaneously via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 led by Loryne C.

Restorative Yoga ~ Please join friend Kristyn G in a restorative yoga practice session! These sessions will take place on Tuesday May 31; Mondays June 20 & 27; and Mondays July 11 & 25 at 4:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. Each session will last for an hour. This gentle practice will stretch and restore you. $10 suggested donation. Hope to see you there!

View our Bloopers! We always work hard to put forth a nice, polished video service each Sunday. But did you know that it took a lot of time and tries to get things just right? We put together a second short blooper reel to share! View it on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/Xqp0aKg2MmA for a good laugh!

Artful Meditation ~ Join our instructor Shawn H on Saturday, June 4, from 10am-11:30 in Fellowship Hall as we make art while exploring the theme of joy. For this session jars will be prepped for painting and decorating, Also Shawn will set up a watercolor station and show some cool techniques that can be used. This is open to all ages. Shawn says, "Those that wish to attend will only need to bring themselves and their thoughts of what brings them joy in their everyday lives."

Save the Date: Organ Concert! We are so excited to announce an Organ Concert put on by our new organist, Wolff von Roos. We are very excited to hear him play! Join us on Sunday, June 5th at 4pm at Indianapolis First Friends. Be sure to save the date!

The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application is June 19th. For an application, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Tell Your Senators: Climate Can’t Wait ~ This is a critical decade for the climate crisis, and together we can make this season a turning point for the health of our families and God’s creation. Join with the Evangelical Environmental Network as we “Flood the Phones, Not Our Homes” by calling your Senators and urging them to act now by investing in crucial climate action. Simply call 1-866-531-4003 and enter your ZIP code. Use this sample message or feel free to personalize as you see fit.

Call Now: 1-866-531-4003 (To call both senators, simply redial the number, and you will be connected with your second state senator.)

VBS: Sign-Ups Open & Volunteers Needed! This year we are having Vacation Bible School from Sunday June 26th through Thursday, June 30th. Registration is now open! We invite you to sign up your kids and grandkids, and invite your neighbors as well! This year’s theme is Monumental: Celebrating God’s Greatness. We are in need of volunteers for crew leaders and people to bring snacks during one of the weeknights. This is a wonderful event that children look forward to each year and we are able to offer it free of charge thanks to volunteers like you! If you can help, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

Afghan Family Update

I joined the team of folks assisting our second Afghan family over 3 weeks ago, helping primarily with transportation. It has been a very rewarding and educational experience so far and we will be continuing to help them beyond the initial 90 days. The funds donated by First Friends members and attenders and community members has been most helpful and essential in helping with transportation needs such as bicycles, and equipment, rain gear, bus passes, etc., in addition to many other living expenses. Our goal is to help them to function independently, but coming to a new country when they have lost almost all that they owned, as well as experiencing deep personal losses has required a lot of assistance for this to happen. I remember having the sense one day when I was assisting a family member that it must feel like having landed on another planet, not knowing the language, culture or local geography, nor having any extended family support.

In regard to transportation, I found a 2019 WalletHub evaluation of public transportation in America that ranked Indianapolis last of 100 cities in the U.S. An example of this was when I looked up directions on my phone to the father’s place of employment which indicated it would be 8 minutes by car, 22 minutes by bicycle and 1 hour and 15 minutes by bus. While going by bus in Indy can be helpful at times, at others it could be described by, “You can't get there from here”, so there are still some challenges to be met.

I am very grateful for the chance to help this family, all of whom are friendly, respectful, appreciative, ready to laugh and to support each other. I am also grateful for our great team who are very supportive of each other and our family. Last but not least, I am grateful to everyone at First Friends who has contributed to this project and I know that our Afghan family members are very grateful also.

Dana F
First Friends Afghan Project
Team Member

Help Barclay Press! Barclay Press publishes and sells Quaker writers and other books of interest to seekers and those who wish to let their lives speak. BP is having a hard time financially and is seeking donations to help it transition into a self-supporting enterprise, as it is no longer funded by Northwest Yearly Meeting. Friends here deem it to be a worthy organization which operates on a shoestring. If you need more information about BP, you may email publisher Eric Muhr at emuhr@barclaypress.com. Here are some things you can do to help:

CHOOSE BARCLAY TITLES: Do you lead a book study group or First Day School class? Instead of selecting from Amazon, choose a Barclay book. Click this link to see the many enlightening titles sold by BP, including Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman, I'll Push You, A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Friends and a Wheelchair, by Patrick Gray, et al, So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo, many wonderful books of poetry and more. Click here to go to their shopping page, where you'll find a search bar in the upper right corner. All Books (barclaypressbookstore.com)

SHOP BARCLAY BOOKS: Birthdays, graduations, Father's Day, Christmas... go to the previous link to search the nearly 400 available titles. You can also search for BP titles on Amazon if you find it easier, but remember that Amazon takes a big cut of sales, so be sure to order directly from BP. When you shop, consider rounding up to the nearest five or ten dollars to make a small donation to BP.

DONATE: Click the DONATE button now on this page: BARCLAY PRESS to make an online donation or send a check to the address at the page of the same web page.

Queries for the Week

· When I am in the thick of the storms of life, do I take Jesus’ advice or simply push on?

· Do I find a quiet place to rest?

· Do I intentionally find time to recover and renew my life?

· Do I, while everyone else is frantic around me, have the personal awareness and fortitude it takes to find a place stop the madness around me and really rest?

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Friend to Friend May 18, 2022

May 19, 2022

As Way Opens

This time of year, as many things are coming to a close, graduations are happening, and summer adventures and new pursuits are finally upon us, I find myself reflecting.

This reflection is more about my awareness than it is a simple reminiscing. John Philip Newell wrote of this in the epilogue of his book, “The Rebirthing of God” (a favorite that I often glean wisdom from). He begins by quoting one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver, and then turns to some very Quakerly thoughts. He says,

“Mary Oliver says of the way of awareness that we need to learn “to be astonished.” We need to see the Light that is within all life the way a child views the brightness of a new day with open-eyed wonder. We need to see with radical amazement the almost unbelievable gift of every moment. For this to happen we need to die to the calloused ways in which we handle the so-called ordinary encounters of everyday life. Jesus says, “You must be born anew.” Rebirth will happen when we see again the glowing luminosity of the numinous in each created thing.”

I think sometimes in our busy lives we lose the child-like ways and not just become calloused but block ourselves from the opportunities to be astonished. We lose the beauty found in the ordinary aspects of life.

For me, summer has always been that time of rebirth. I again begin to see the beauty in nature, in my family, in the lives of those around me. I see the luminous glow in the beautiful goldfinches in my backyard, the vibrant rose buds opening, as well as the late-night conversations under the stars, the laughs while on road trips, and moments that I wish could last forever around a crackling fire.

This summer, join with me in looking for ways to be astonished. Let’s put off our calloused ways and enter as children with open-eyed wonder. I guarantee we will be born anew!

To read Mary Oliver’s poem “Messenger” click here.

Happy Summer!

Bob

Joys & Concerns

We had a wonderful time this past Sunday! The First Friends Children’s Choir under the direction of Barbara K shared a beautiful song, “May There Always Be Sunshine” in worship. Thank you, children for a beautiful song, and thanks to Barbara’s leadership! Also during the service, we honored our high school, college, and advanced degree graduates as well as our volunteers! Congratulations graduates, and thank you to our wonderful volunteers! (Thank you to Sue H & Anna R for photos).

Congratulations Mary Ellen L! We celebrated our Friend Mary Ellen completing her Spiritual Direction Program and we made sure to do it in true “Mary Ellen” and unique Quaker fashion! Thanks to Kathy R, Bob H, and our waiter at Lou’s for taking photos!

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Sunday School & Choir Notice ~ Friends, please note that Sunday School and Choir will have their last meetings this Sunday, May 22, before taking their usual summer break. We’ll see you again in the fall!

America’s Existential Crisis: Our Inherited Obligation to Native Nations ~ The Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center (IPJC) invites you to “America’s Existential Crisis: Our Inherited Obligation to Native Nations”, a speaker event featuring our own Jeff Rasley! The title of this program is the title of Jeff’s 12th book, which is a historical narrative of the complicated relationship two ancestors of Rasley had with Native tribes in the 19th Century. One was an "Indian fighter" and troop leader at the Wounded Knee Massacre. The other was an honored friend of the Potawatomi in northern Indiana. Rasley will share the opposing stories of his two ancestors and will discuss the issue of reparations and recent progress the Biden Administration has made in addressing the USA's inherited obligation to Native nations. This event will take place on May 18th, 2022 at 7:00 pm on Zoom. Please RSVP to indypeaceandjusticectr@gmail.com. A zoom link will be sent to all who RSVP prior to the event.

Illuminate Bible Study ~ You are cordially invited to the First Friends Bible study every Thursday at 7:30, by Zoom. On May 19 we'll begin a new 13-week study of several New Testament books; 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and 1, 2, and 3 John. Here's the link to the book: Illuminate: 1, 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon; and 1, 2, 3 John (barclaypressbookstore.com). Just email the office for the Zoom link, which is the same each week.

Birdwatching with Brad ~ The early bird gets the worm and the early risers will see the birds with expert birdwatching guide, Brad J. Participants will gather in the Holliday Park Nature Center parking lot on Friday, May 20th. The actual walk will start at 8am. Bring binoculars, wear appropriate shoes for hiking and dress for the weather.

Brad knows his birds. His columns and drawings appear regularly in Friend to Friend. This is the third birdwatching walk Connections has arranged with Brad. Please call or email the office at (317) 255-2485 or office@indyfriends.org to R.S.V.P. It is not absolutely necessary, but Brad will know to expect you.

Connect to Friends Fair ~ Attend the CONNECT TO FRIENDS FAIR if you want to get involved in fun activities, deepen your spiritual journey, or engage in efforts to strengthen community or enhance global equity. In order to find out about these opportunities, be sure to attend the Fair after worship during Fellowship Hour on May 22 in Fellowship Hall.

Do you want to become a more active participant in First Friends Meeting and get to know others on a deeper level? Get connected by learning more about Meeting committees and ongoing small groups. Potential examples include Friday Singalongs and Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading. The Fair will give new folks and regular attenders a chance to see where they might be led to “Connect to Friends” and help serve at the Meeting. Representatives will be available to answer questions at each booth. The Fair is sponsored by Connections Program Meeting.

Your Talent is Needed! ~ The choir goes on summer break after this Sunday, May 22. Please see the signup sheet on the bulletin board in the hallway to sign up for summer music! We are hoping you will come share your talent with the congregation while our choir takes a break. Be it with your voice by singing or by playing an instrument. Sign up now for any or several Sundays over the summer. Thank you for sharing your God-given gifts!

Restorative Yoga ~ Please join friend Kristyn G in a restorative yoga practice session! These sessions will take place on Monday May 23, Tuesday May 31; Mondays June 20 & 27; and Mondays July 11 & 25 at 4:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. Each session will last for an hour. This gentle practice will stretch and restore you. $10 suggested donation. If you have any questions, reach out to Kristyn at her cellular number 317-409-2116 by text or call. Hope to see you there!

Save the Date: Organ Concert! We are so excited to announce an Organ Concert put on by our new organist, Wolff R. Join us on Sunday, June 5th at 4pm at Indianapolis First Friends. Be sure to save the date!

VBS: Volunteers Needed! This year we are having Vacation Bible School from Sunday June 26th through Thursday, June 30th—mark your calendars, parents! This year’s theme is Monumental: Celebrating God’s Greatness. We are in need of volunteers for crew leaders and people to bring snacks during one of the weeknights. This is a wonderful event that children look forward to each year and we are able to offer it free of charge thanks to volunteers like you! If you can help, please contact the office.

The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application is June 19th. For an application, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

We will gather in the Parlor and simultaneously via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 led by Loryne C.

New Leadership for Community Garden

Ben F is taking on the leadership of the Community Garden. I have enjoyed this role for many years but feel it is time to turn it over to someone else. I will still garden, but Ben is going to do the organizing and has energy and ideas for our community. Samantha R has also led the garden effort with me in the past and I appreciated our fun partnership. It has been a pleasure to work together with others and a joy to watch our garden grow. It was a respite during the pandemic and will probably still serve that purpose.

If you are interested in having a raised bed in the First Friends organic garden, now is the time to condition the soil and get those plants in the ground before the weeds take over the world! Contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.

—Nancy S

DONATE: Click the DONATE button now on this page: BARCLAY PRESS to make an online donation or send a check to the address at the page of the same web page.

Gnostic Gospel Group ~ A couple of weeks ago we dug into the ever controversial topic of resurrection and had a very lively conversation! Before taking a summer break, we will meet one more time on Thursday, May 26 at 6:30pm in the Parlor for our usual light meal before discussion. We will be discussing The Prayer of the Apostle Paul and The Second Book of the Odes to Solomon. We will also talk about possible plans for the fall. If you are interested in joining this group study on the non-canonical/Gnostic Gospels, email, call/text Ed Morris (emorri@earthlink.net, 317-691-5542) or contact the meeting office (office@indyfriends.org, 317-255-2485).

Afghan Family Update

For a few weeks, I’ve been helping out with the Afghan family that First Friends is serving. It has been a pleasure getting to know the parents and their children. All of them have such welcoming smiles every time I have been in their home. If, as Friends often believe, the light of God is within each person, it shines clearly from the faces of these four people who I've been working with. This cheerfulness is especially remarkable given all the struggles that they have been (and continue to go) through. Learning a new language is not an easy thing to do, and neither is getting around Indianapolis without a car, but these are both challenges that the family enthusiastically faces.

First Friends has obtained bicycles for the family that they can use to get to work or the pharmacy. The Meeting has also secured Internet for the family, and set up ELL (English Language Learner) classes via Zoom. I have tried to learn a few words in Pashto and these two languages are very different from each other! I am very impressed with the parents’ persistence as they participate in the classes three times a week, an hour and a half at a time. They are really trying hard to learn English. I have greatly enjoyed tutoring four members of the family in their efforts with the new language and have thoroughly enjoyed our conversations, as well as my own learning about Afghan culture.

Several times the family has fed me lunch, and always offers delicious tea and treats. I have been amazed by their commitment to hospitality, offering to provide for me when they have so little. I am so proud of First Friends for our own efforts to display hospitality to this sweet family.

Beth F
First Friends Afghan Project
Team Member

Claim or Reclaim Your Community Garden Plot ~ How does your garden grow? The land is ready to receive your gifts of seed. Raised beds are available to people wanting to be a part of the organic gardening community. The garden is located on the north side of the Meetinghouse, beyond the parking lot. You do not necessarily need to be experienced. It does take a commitment to keep up the plot by weeding and watering. It takes extra effort to defeat pests and disease when gardening organically. This mostly boils down to nourishing the soil and using responsible gardening practices. We have a cistern that supplies water when rain is scarce. If one has not gardened before, it helps to be curious and proactive in order to soak up new knowledge. A willing spirit is helpful if you want to help keep up the Hope plot that honors those experiencing difficult times or those who have died. We grow flowers there and people are welcome to pick them. Some volunteer labor is appreciated to keep up the food pantry plot. Harvested veggies from this plot are donated to the Mid-North Food Pantry. Free seeds are available through the Indianapolis Public Library to supplement your own. If you are interested, contact the office.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for May: Ovenbird
Teacher Appreciation

It was a perfect day for birding in the Meditational Woods and the rest of the Meetinghouse property. After a nighttime soaking rain, the morning was cool and crisp, with little wind. Sounds, especially bird songs, carry well in these conditions. There was plenty of activity, birdwise, as first of May begins the two weeks leading up to the peak of spring migration. Perhaps today I will even find a species new to me for our woods.

Then I heard the loud song. I immediately stopped to listen again. This was an Ovenbird, a type of warbler, and this was my second encounter over the years with this species here in the Meditational Woods. The bird almost always sings while on or near the ground. Except for the black-bordered orange cap stripe, the bird resembles a miniature thrush, with a brown back, bold streaking, and a white eye-ring. The unusual name comes from its habit of building on the ground a domed nest with a side entrance, reminding the namer of the outdoor ovens of pioneer days.

What in the world does this have to do with the above subtitle of Teacher Appreciation? I do appreciate that loud song I heard, which is unmistakable. It needs a loud, diagnostic song because this small bird nests in large forest tracts, from Indiana all the way to the far north. It sings, “tea-cher, tea-CHER, tea-CHER, tea-CHUR, tea-CHUR, tea-CHUR, tea-CHUR”. The song gets louder with each “teacher”. Some people say that the syllables are actually reversed, as in “Cher-TEA”. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!!

Note: As it turns out I actually DID add a new species in the Meditational Woods today, but that story will have to wait for next month!! - Brad J

Queries for the Week

· Am I passionate and falling madly in love with this life?

· How might I introduce myself to my “shadow side” this week?

· In what ways do I need to work on embracing “otherness”?

· How am I transforming my suffering into something that brings life?

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Friend to Friend May 11, 2022

May 16, 2022

As Way Opens

As many of you know, I tested positive for Covid Sunday morning. Fortunately my symptoms have been pretty mild and I feel thankful that I have not been that sick. This time of isolation has given me plenty of opportunity for reflection. I realized that I had gotten pretty cocky about not getting sick. I have felt strong and resistant to Covid. I also realized that all my “busyness” the last 2 months had weakened my immune system which made me more susceptible to Covid. This busyness and setting boundaries is one of my spiritual challenges.

God spoke to me during our Mysticism retreat on Saturday. One of the workshops I attended was on a prayer practice called group lectio divina. This is an ancient practice of reading a short passage of scripture four times to first read it, then reflect on it, respond to it and rest in it. The Scripture selected was Luke 10:38-42.

“As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him, and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. "Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.” The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it - it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her”

Two phrases stuck out to me as I kept reading the passage - that Martha was the one to welcome Jesus and also too worried about kitchen preparations. This is my Yin and Yang. Do I pay too much attention to preparations and activities and get worked up over these things while missing the opportunity to sit before the Master and seek the essential and eternal? My time of isolation has me taking stock and looking at the things I need to adjust to live in more fullness and joy.

Hope my test is negative on Saturday and I will be back at Meeting on Sunday.

Beth

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Come celebrate our graduates, teachers and volunteers! We invite you to join us this Sunday, May 15 for a special service in recognition of our graduates and teachers. After the service we will gather for a special time of fellowship—we hope you will join us!

Current Office Hours at First Friends~ Friends, we’d like to share a refresher on the current office hours. The office is open Monday through Thursday, 10am-3pm. Beth is in on Mondays, Rebecca is in on Tuesdays, Bob is in on Thursdays, and all three are in on Wednesdays. If you have an urgent need and are having trouble reaching someone in the office, Bob and Beth are available via cell phone. You can also leave a voicemail and someone will get back to you by the next office day.

Donations Needed ~ Leslie K works in a nonprofit residential treatment center for substance abuse disorders; many of the men who come in for treatment have come off the streets or have been incarcerated. If you've been doing spring cleaning and would like to donate gently used men's clothing, tennis shoes, books, Bibles, backpacks, duffles or unused musical instruments, any or all would be greatly appreciated by the residents. Donations can be left at the meeting house.

Illuminate Bible Study ~ You are cordially invited to the First Friends Bible study every Thursday at 7:30, by Zoom. On May 19 (please note the changed date!) we'll begin a new 13-week study of several New Testament books; 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and 1, 2, and 3 John. Here's the link to the book: Illuminate: 1, 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon; and 1, 2, 3 John (barclaypressbookstore.com). Just email the office for the Zoom link, which is the same each week.

Do you want to become a more active participant in First Friends Meeting and get to know others on a deeper level? Get connected by learning more about Meeting committees and ongoing small groups. Potential examples include Friday Singalongs and Oak Leaf Meeting for Reading. The Fair will give new folks and regular attenders a chance to see where they might be led to “Connect to Friends” and help serve at the Meeting. Representatives will be available to answer questions at each booth. The Fair is sponsored by Connections Program Meeting.

Words from the Woods

We are in the midst of weather weirding with heavy rains in early spring and now temperatures in the 80s with no rain in sight.

If you have planted any trees or shrubs recently, please make sure that they get a good watering once a week if there is little to no rain.

We have a new addition to our wildflower habitat in the Woods- Quaker Ladies! These beautiful light blue flowers bloom in early spring and will “quake” in a gentle breeze. https://www.backyardecology.net/common-bluets-delicate-blue-flowers-of-spring/

Be on the watch for this invasive plant. They are deceptively beautiful, but multiply rapidly and will take over your garden. We have spent hours digging this out of the courtyard.

Nodding star-of-Bethlehem occurs in scattered locations in the Midwest, Great Lakes, Northeast and mid-Atlantic and has been reported to be invasive in Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is adapted to floodplains, fields, waste places, abandoned gardens and grows in full sun to partial shade.

Nodding Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum nutans) and ...

Questions about recycling paper products? This blog from Circular Indiana has clear instructions and a nice graphic to help you decide what can be recycled. https://www.circularindiana.org/post/paper-how-to-recycle-right

Thanks to a hearty crew of volunteers who helped dig up invasives, tidy the garden and tend to the new plants in the memorial mound. Thanks to Mindy S, Amy P, Tim D, Norma W.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for May
Ovenbird
Teacher Appreciation

Note: As it turns out I actually DID add a new species in the Meditational Woods today, but that story will have to wait for next month!! - Brad J

Save the Date: Organ Concert! We are so excited to announce an Organ Concert put on by our new organist, Wolff V. Join us on Sunday, June 5th at 4pm at Indianapolis First Friends. Be sure to save the date!

Queries for the Week

· Reflect on a woman who has been “a mother in Israel” to you. In what ways did she support, mentor, guide, inspire or challenge you to take a particular path, or nudge you to action you were hesitant to take?

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Friend to Friend May 4, 2022

May 5, 2022

As Way Opens

The last couple weeks the weather has afforded Sue and I the opportunity to clean up and beautify the landscaping around our home. I find something spiritual about this process especially as it usually takes place around the time we celebrate Easter, Earth Day and resurrection.

As I look out the window in early spring, I begin to anticipate when life will return to Indiana. The reality is that part of that return takes some work on our part. The ground needs turned over, the dead growth needs trimmed back, and the dormant bulbs need replanted. To appreciate fully the resurrection that is to take place, means we must get a little dirty and put some real effort into the preparation.

The same is true for our spiritual lives. There are winter periods when we feel distant from the Divine, when there seems to be no life around us, and where we need to undergo some spiritual pruning ourselves. I am always reminded of the metaphor the writer of John uses of Jesus being a vine and the Father the gardener. He says,

“I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

In the Japanese gardening technique of open centered pruning the gardener cuts away not only the dead branches and foliage, but also often a number of perfectly healthy branches that detract from the beauty inherent in the tree’s essential structure.

Pruning of this nature allows one to see up and beyond the tree and into the sky, creating a sense of spaciousness and letting light back into the garden. It also enables an individual tree to flourish by removing complicating elements and simplifying the structure. To me open centered pruning seems very Quakerly.

I believe the Divine wants our essential nature to flourish, as well. The spiritual pruning we engage helps simplify our journeys and offer us the space needed to let the Light back into our lives. This week as you work within your natural spaces, take a moment to ponder how the Divine is helping prune you so that the Light may enter and help you flourish!

Grace and peace,

Bob

Joys & Concerns

Babysitting Co-Op a Success! ~ We had our first Babysitting Co-op of 2022 and we were thrilled to be able to hold this event again. The kids had a blast! Thank you to Beth Henricks and Tiffany Beaver for hosting and watching our kids! Also thank you to Sally for babysitting help.

Please hold in the Light those participating in this weekend’s "Mysticism in Ordinary Life Retreat” in honor of Linda Lee. We pray for safe travels for the retreat leaders coming from Oregon and the participants coming from the greater Indianapolis area as they make their way to Beech Grove. Overall, we hope this opportunity for spiritual growth will speak to the condition of all those in attendance in a special way.

Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities

Honoring Our Graduates ~ If you or someone in your family are graduating this season, please let us know! We’d like to honor them in an upcoming service. If you have a high school, college, or advanced degree graduate, please contact us at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.

Claim Your Vegetable Plot in the FF Community Garden ~ The daffodils are leading the way into springtime activity. Adorned in their showy frills they sway dance-like in the breeze, beckoning people to the First Friends Community Garden. If you would like to plant vegetables in a raised bed on the north side of the Meetinghouse, you can request a plot. You do not need to be experienced. It is an organic garden. Free seeds are available at local libraries. To keep your plots from last year, or to join the gardening community, contact Nancy at starlite50@icloud.com.

Meditational Woods Bird of the Month for May

Ovenbird

Teacher Appreciation

Note: As it turns out I actually DID add a new species in the Meditational Woods today, but that story will have to wait for next month!! - Brad J

Queries for the Week

How am I incarnating Jesus to my neighbors?
What fears are getting in my way?

Comment