Our Calendar
Featured Events
Helping Families This Christmas—due December 8! First Friends is sponsoring three families for Christmas this year. In the hall near the front entrance of the building, we have tags available for those of you who wish to assist in buying the gift items. If you choose a tag or a few tags, please bring the items back wrapped with the tag on it by December 8. Self-care gift basket items for the caregivers can be returned in the basket below the tree. If you have any questions, please contact Jenn C or the office.
The ILLUMINATE Friends Bible Study “Zoom Only” group cordially invites you to join us this fall Thursday evenings beginning November 20th at 7:30 pm for our 14-week study Christ in the Poor and Imprisoned.
Christ in the Poor and Imprisoned addresses themes of care for our neighbors. Jesus promised when we care for the hungry, those lacking clothing, and the imprisoned, we are caring for him. Jesus and his disciples, as well as many prophets from the Hebrew Scriptures, found themselves imprisoned unjustly, and Jesus’ challenging call to wealthy would-be followers to sell everything and follow him echoes through the ages. We explore the themes of poverty and imprisonment, abundant life and Christ’s liberating power—in both spiritual and material aspects—in this topical study of Scripture.
Humbled (Philippians 2:1–11; Matthew 27:15–31)
Treasure in Heaven (Mark 10:17–31; James 2:1–13)
God’s Justice (Isaiah 58:1–11; Selections from Proverbs)
Pure Religion (Isaiah 1:11–20; Nehemiah 5:1–13)
Enough for Everyone (Deuteronomy 15:1–11; Acts 4:32–37)
Life over Law (1 Samuel 20:33–34, 42; 21:1–6; Mark 2:18–28)
Bread for the People (Exodus 16:1–12; John 6:1–13)
Giving Generously (2 Corinthians 8:1–15; 2 Corinthians 9:1–15)
Caring for the “Undeserving” (Romans 12:9–21; Luke 15:11–24)
Joseph in Prison (Genesis 39:20–40:4, 9–15; 41:9–14)
Paul in Prison for Christ (Acts 16:20–34; Philippians 1:12–26)
Peter Freed from Prison (Acts 12:1–19)
Freed from Sin (Isaiah 42:1–9; Galatians 5:1, 13–25)
Good News for the Poor (Isaiah 61:1–4; Psalm 107:4–16)
To purchase your booklet go to this link: https://www.barclaypress.com/illuminate. Attendance each week is not required; feel free to drop in whenever you are able. To join, contact the office for Zoom link. Everyone is welcome.
Happy Holidays Oak Leaf Friends! You are welcome to join us at our 12th Annual Lasagna Holiday Dinner hosted by Kathy & Gary R at their home on Tuesday, November 25th at 6:30 pm. We will be discussing Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench with Brendan O'Hea hosted by Kathy R.
There will be no Zoom.
Discover the work of the greatest writer in the English language as you've never encountered it before by ordering internationally renowned actor Dame Judi Dench's Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent—a witty, insightful journey through the plays and tales of our beloved Shakespeare.
Taking a curtain call with a live snake in her wig...
Cavorting naked through the Warwickshire countryside painted green...
Acting opposite a child with a pumpkin on his head...
These are just a few of the things Dame Judi Dench has done in the name of Shakespeare.
For the very first time, Judi opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth and Titania to Ophelia and Cleopatra. In a series of intimate conversations with actor & director Brendan O'Hea, she guides us through Shakespeare's plays with incisive clarity, revealing the secrets of her rehearsal process and inviting us to share in her triumphs, disasters, and backstage shenanigans.
Interspersed with vignettes on audiences, critics, company spirit and rehearsal room etiquette, she serves up priceless revelations on everything from the craft of speaking in verse to her personal interpretations of some of Shakespeare's most famous scenes, all brightened by her mischievous sense of humour, striking level of honesty and a peppering of hilarious anecdotes, many of which have remained under lock and key until now.
Instructive and witty, provocative and inspiring, this is ultimately Judi's love letter to Shakespeare, or rather, The Man Who Pays The Rent.
Please bring a covered dish (see below) and an unwrapped book for our Annual Holiday Book Swap.
If your last name begins with the letters:
A-L Salads/Covered Dishes
M-Z Fruit Dishes/Desserts
RSVP to the office.
Everyone is welcome! Hope to see you all there!
Quaker Q&A: Worship, Process, and Values ~ Do you have questions about Quaker worship or about how committees are organized? Do you wonder why people stand up and speak in waiting worship? Do you wonder why it's called "waiting worship"? Or do you want to know what "meeting for business" means and why does it happen every month? Find out the answers to these questions and more at QUAKER Q&A, a two-part panel discussion on Quaker worship and Quaker practices. The first session will focus on worship and Quaker spirituality. Bring your questions and your appetite on February 1ST at 11:30AM. In the second session on February 8TH, the panelists will discuss meeting for business and how the meeting functions. Registration will open in January.
Centered Voices and Inner Wisdom: A Journey Through the Enneagram Centers ~ Save the date now! Our next annual women’s retreat will be February 7, 2026 - 10:00AM - 4:30PM. It will take place at the Seton Cove Spirituality Center, 2025 Dugan Dr, 46260 (located behind St. Vincent Hospital). Women can choose to spend Saturday night at Seton Hall for a continued private retreat (for a separate charge).
In this retreat, Centered Voices, we’ll explore the Enneagram’s three Centers of Intelligence through story-based interviews, music, and shared reflection. Rather than a lecture-based retreat, this day invites women to speak from their own experience, listen deeply to one another, and discover how each of us embodies these Enneagram patterns in our own unique way. Expect a day of sacred conversation and personal reflection that engages your whole self; head, heart, and body.
While this retreat does not require knowledge of the Enneagram as a prerequisite, you are strongly encouraged to have a basic grasp of the system and the type that you lead with to get the most out of the experience. The following texts are an excellent place to begin, and we will have information on additional resources and learning opportunities in the near future.
The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso & Russ Hudson
The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr
The Essential Enneagram by David Daniels & Virginia Price
Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading meets on the last Tuesday of the month in the Parlor. If you’d like to be on the monthly email list, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.
January 28 ~ Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips
February 25 ~ The Measure by Nikki Erlick
March 25 ~ Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper
April 29 ~ Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg
May 27 ~ Maus a Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman
June 24 ~ James by Percival Everett
July 29 ~ Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
August 26 ~ Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson
September 30 ~ The Women by Kristin Hannah
October 28 ~ A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan
November 25 ~ Shakespeare by Dame Judi Dench
December 30 ~ The Delgado Connection by Gary J. Rhyne