Our Calendar
Featured Events
Quaker Q&A: IT'S FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST NEW ATTENDERS! NO REGISTRATION NEEDED! How much do you really know about Quaker practice? What, for example, is Gospel Order, and how does it teach us to resolve conflict? What is a gathered meeting? OR do you call it a covered meeting? How do you take your Quaker values into the world/community?
During coffee hour on Sundays, February 1 and 8, a panel of our members will share their knowledge, but also their personal experience with Quakerism and Quaker practices. Bring your questions and concerns and share along with them in fellowship hall. No registration, no charge. Lunch and childcare will be provided. Many thanks to our panel members: Megan A, Jim R, Eric T, Norma W, and Jason W.
A Note to Monthly Meetings from the Elders at Balby
Accompanying a letter of advice
1656 from records at Marsden Monthly Meeting
Lancashire, England
“Dearly beloved Friends, these things we do not lay upon you as a rule or form to walk by, but that all, with the measure of light which is pure and holy may be guided: and so in the light walking and abiding these may be filled in the spirit, not in the letter, for the letter killeth but the spirit giveth life.”
It is in that same spirit that “giveth life” that Ministry and Counsel brings you this series of discussions on Quaker worship, processes and values. Not as dictates, demands or absolute rules but as ideas, thoughts and interpretations from Quaker tradition and spiritual evolution.
WINTER SINGALONG! Come join us on Friday, February 13, in the parlor, from 6:30-8:00 pm, as we celebrate Valentine's Day by singing popular love songs. Pizza will be served at 6:30 and singing will follow at 7pm. Any questions? Contact Jim K
Are You Interested in Quaker Affirmation? We plan to start a Quaker Affirmation Class for youth on February 15! This 8-week course is held each Sunday at 11:00 am. We will explore Quaker History, testimonies, discernment practices, theology, as well as inspire personal growth and strengthen relationships with God. If you’d like to sign your kids up, please contact Chrissy at chrissy.sommer@indyfriends.org.
Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading would like you to join us as we discuss The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall. In a world that seems so troubled, how do we hold on to hope?
Looking at the headlines--a global pandemic, the worsening climate crisis, political upheaval--it can be hard to feel optimistic. And yet hope has never been more desperately needed.
In this urgent book, Jane Goodall, the world's most famous living naturalist and Doug Abrams, internationally-bestselling author, explore--through intimate and thought-provoking dialogue--one of the most sought after and least understood elements of human nature: hope. In The Book of Hope, Jane focuses on her “Four Reasons for Hope”: The Amazing Human Intellect, The Resilience of Nature, The Power of Young People, and The Indomitable Human Spirit.
Told through stories from a remarkable career and fascinating research, The Book of Hope touches on vital questions including: How do we stay hopeful when everything seems hopeless? How do we cultivate hope in our children? Filled with engaging dialogue and pictures from Jane’s storied career, The Book of Hope is a deeply personal conversation with one of the most beloved figures in today’s world.
And for the first time, Jane tells the story of how she became a messenger of hope: from living through World War II, to her years in Gombe, to realizing she had to leave the forest to travel the world in her role as an advocate for environmental justice. She details the forces that shaped her hopeful worldview, her thoughts on her past, and her revelations about her next--and perhaps final--adventure.
There is still hope, and this book will help guide us to it.
We will gather in the parlor and simultaneously via Zoom starting at 7 pm EST on Tuesday, February 24th led by Ruth K.
Seasoned Friends Gathering ~ Our Seasoned Friends group for those of retirement age will meet on Thursday, February 26, from 11:30 am–1:00 pm for fellowship, lunch, and a fun get-to-know-you game. Whether you’re new to the group or a longtime participant, this gathering offers a relaxed time to connect, share stories, and enjoy one another’s company. RSVPs are appreciated, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. We welcome anyone that considers themselves a Seasoned Friend to join us.
Save the Date: Family Bowling! ~ Everyone is invited to join us for a bowling party hosted by the Christian Education Committee on Sunday, March 1st from 12:30-2:30pm (check-in starts at 12:15) at Royal Pin Expo, 5261 Elmwood Ave, 46203 (note the change of location from last year). First Friends will provide games of bowling as well as shoe rental, pizza and soda for everyone. There will be prizes for the winners in different categories. Please RSVP with Chrissy Sommer at chrissy.sommer@indyfriends.org. This has always been a fun day, and we hope you will come!
Oak Leaf 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. Here is the 2026 book list:
January 27 ~ Wintering by Katherine May
February 24 ~ The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall
March 31 ~ A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
April 28 ~ The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
May 26 ~ Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green
June 30 ~ Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
July 28 ~ Twice: A Novel by Mitch Albom
August 25 ~ West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
September 29 ~ My Friends by Fredrik Backman
October 27 ~ What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
November 24 ~ A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst
December 29 ~ A Home in the Woods by Howard Johnson