A Note from Pastor Marc

The glory of the young is their strength,

but the beauty of the aged is their gray hair.  (Proverbs 20:29)

This verse has taken on more meaning for me as my age and gray hair advance.  Though recently one of my grandsons mentioned that my hair color has moved past gray to white! 

This verse has also been meaningful to me in this crisis.  It reminds me that there are gifts in each age and stage.  Everyone has the opportunity to add value to our life together.   We need each other.  No one is expendable.

Social distancing is the most important work for most us.  We have an opportunity to help suppress the transmission of this virus and the suffering it brings.  I have been grateful for the way social media allows communication, connection and personal expression while ensuring safe interactions.  I have been encouraged by a hopeful song beautifully offered by two children from our church family.  Another member offered a meaningful poem.  Three great nieces of mine who are sisters put together a funny video to share with the extended family.  A picture of my three grandsons playing on their backyard swing-set warmed my heart.  Artists in my household have created paintings of beautiful color and form and shared them online.  I have a feeling you have been touched and encouraged by these same sorts of gifts.

In a time like this adding more beauty to the world is a reflection of our Creator and the peace and strength we feel from Christ.  Let’s thoughtfully choose beautiful words and actions in our households.  This is a stressful time for all of us, which might be amplified by the amount of time we are spending together in close quarters.  Let’s send out some beautiful expressions that bring encouragement.  This is a stressful time for all of us; a picture, a poem or a song can mean more than we imagine.  Let’s offer a beautiful word of appreciation to those whose essential work (at personal risk) is moving our world toward the resolution of this crisis.  Let’s offer prayers that are beautiful by their sincerity, gratitude and quiet listening.

Thank you for being Christ’s ambassadors of beauty, faith and love in a time when these gifts are especially needed.

Grace and peace to you and the world God loves.

And, remember to get updates and participate in virtual worship at www.FriedensUCC.org.

Pastor's Paragraph - March 26, 2020

How to Find Meaning in a Time of Pandemic
I am often asked how  we find meaning in such a chaotic and confusing world. One thought that often helps me is to recognize the ways in which I think in comparisons. Things seem good or bad, pretty or ugly, successful or non-successful. Author and priest Richard Rohr calls this dual thinking. Not only do we judge people and things with dual thinking but we also judge ourselves. We think we are coping or falling apart, managing well or feeling stressed. This thinking leads to an all-or-nothing mindset and builds anxiety.  The truth is that we can feel both feelings at once - a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. We can feel vulnerable and strong. We can embrace the uncertainty and remind ourselves of our strengths. We can feel broken and be strong. We can know we are guilty and feel grace. My son says,’ it is what it is.’ I like that phrase. Our hope is that God will mysteriously provide the meaning. And hope is a good thing even with the mix of hope and doubt.

I sometimes use this exercise to help with conflicting thoughts and feelings: Get comfortable and holding your hands in front of you, palms up, now look at your right hand. Imagine that hand representing the stresses and anxieties of your life. Really let that image soak into your hand. Then look at your left hand and let the goodness of your life be represented there. Hold your palms directly facing each other and let go - letting the two hands slowly and naturally draw closer together - they will! This is a visualization for the integration of the two contrasting thoughts or feelings coming into a more comfortable place. 

            I pray for the blessings of quiet, transformation, and love for your Lenten journey.

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 

“Peace, be still!”And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

Mark 4:39 New King James Version (NKJV)

A Note from Pastor Marc

When I face challenges it sometimes helps to think about a role model whose example I can follow.  Lately I’ve been thinking about my mother’s mother.  Her name was Bessie Burt; she was a strong person of faith.  She was born in the 1880’s and died in the 1970’s, when I was a young teen.  My mom, Louvine, was her 11th of 12 children.  Sadly, Bessie had to endure the loss of four of those children plus her husband, Lem, after six decades of faithful marriage.  She also lived through a number of other hardships including life on a farm looking after a large family, world wars, a terrible flu pandemic, the Great Depression as well as a tremendous amount of change in the nine decades of her earthly journey.

Bessie persevered with the love of family, by helping and receiving help from neighbors and church members, with hard work, an enduring faith, a love of Hoosier basketball, and a sassy sense of humor.  So many of her grandchildren and great grandchildren, like me, were fortunate to have her to set the example for living a meaningful and purposeful life.  Bessie passed away while I was confirming my faith at St. Mark UCC in Terre Haute.  I chose my grandmother’s favorite verse for my confirmation verse:

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God and who are called according to God’s purpose.  (Romans 8:28)

For me this verse is a reminder that God is the source of all that is good.  It is a verse that reminds me not to blame God for evil.  It helps me to focus on loving God and loving self and others as an expression of God’s purpose.  My grandmother’s example and her favorite Bible verse provide the kind of practical wisdom that helps me, especially in times like these.

Who is one of your role models?  What is one of your favorite verses?  Maybe some reflection on these questions will bring some calm and direction to your life right now.  Maybe sharing the story of your role model and your favorite verse will bring calm and direction to others in your circle of influence.

Let’s keep sharing our stories (in safe ways, of course) so that the goodness of God grows through us.

By the way, your pastors continue to be praying for you and are available for conversation and spiritual support at pastormarc@FriedensUCC.org; pastorsarah@FriedensUCC.org; and pastorpam@FriedensUCC.org.  Virtual worship and other information is available at www.FriedensUCC.org.

May the peace of Christ be with you.

Pastor's Paragraph - March 19, 2020

Dear Friends,

How grateful I am for God's gift of prayer to us! How good it is to be able to reach out to God in anytime and anyplace! How wonderful that we can connect through God's Spirit even when we are apart!

I am an in-person kind of person. I only remember one snow storm when I was in high school that caused church buildings to close for corporate worship. My friends from a few blocks away walked through the snow, and we had worship together at our kitchen table followed by brunch. At the same time, I am so very thankful for our leaders who made decisions for everyone's safety and health. I am thankful that we have ways to stay in touch when we cannot meet together in the same physical space. Here are some ways we can connect through prayer:

• The prayer concern list will continue to be sent over e-mail. If you do not receive this but would like to, please let us know.

• Your pastoral staff is available to receive prayer concerns over e-mail, text, or the phone.

• We have 20 seconds of pause every time we are scrubbing our hands. We can prayer for brothers and sisters near and far - for doctors, nurses, researchers, grocery store workers, sanitation workers, government leaders, and those who are most in danger during this time. We can thank God for being God. We can express our love and trust in God. We can express our fears and our anxiety. God hears it all. God is big enough (and beyond big enough) for it all.

• I shared the idea of breath prayers in a recent pastor's paragraph. Feel free to call and we can do one over the phone if you'd like.

• There are many on-line devotionals and prayer apps. Friedens QUEST ministry uses the Bible app. I also use the Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals app. I will be sharing more resources in the weeks to come.

• If coloring or dancing or walking or woodworking help you relax and connect with the Creator, you can listen for God's Spirit as you enjoy your activities.

• We can find a song to sing or hum to the Lord and to calm our minds.

• You can join a zoom online prayer meeting from 4 to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays. For more information contact Pastor Sarah.

These are just a few ideas. Please be in touch if you'd like to talk about any of them or share others.

Thank you for uniting in prayer. Let us pray - God, You are so good! May we continue to put our trust in You. Thank you for the gift of caring communities. With hope in You, may we receive and share the love and peace of Jesus near and far. Amen.

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2)

Pastor's Paragraph - March 12, 2020

As we have been studying the Gospel According to Mark in worship we paid attention to an important moment in the story. Mark 3:14 reads:

Jesus appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles (which means those sent out), to be with him and to be sent out to proclaim the message.

First, it is rather astounding that Christ would choose to partner with us to advance the Divine mission of grace and peace. What a privilege and honor to share in the ministry of Christ; it is our highest calling.

Second, there is a certain rhythm set in this calling of apostles. We are invited in to be with Jesus for inspiration and instruction and then the movement of ministry is outward to the community and world Christ loves. Worship in the sanctuary goes hand in hand with service outside the walls of the sanctuary. This movement in to worship and out to serve is the rhythm of apostles.

This may feel natural to us who have been worshiping for most of our lives. But for most people in our neighborhoods (and maybe in our families as well) this movement in to worship feels strange, especially Friedens' worship that is ancient in its rites, rituals and sacraments.

This disconnect requires us to talk about why this movement in to worship and out to serve is important to us and our living of the way of Jesus. However, as we have noticed in Mark's narrative about Jesus, we do not start with talking and telling about what matters to us. Remember those three words we have been using to describe discipleship? Prayer, listen, care.

Prayer is how we develop the mindfulness of Christ's companionship, calming life's storms and bringing healing to our places of brokenness.

Listening is how we sense the next step Christ calls us to take and is the way we develop relationships of trust with those we know and meet.

Care is the practical actions of Christ's love we share with others so that they too can experience the calm and healing of Christ's transformative presence.

These steps will open the door for conversations about why we do what we do and what matters to us as disciples. These conversations will open the door for inviting others to join us in this way of life and this rhythm of movement in to worship and out to serve. These invitations expand the circle of discipleship.

I look forward to learning and growing with you in worship and stepping out with you to serve.

~Pastor Marc

As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Colossians 3:12. 

Pastor’s Paragraph - March 5, 2020

All Things Become New

Have you ever had clothes that you threw away to update your wardrobe just to have them come back into style? Have you ever thought of clothes you wore back in "the day" that you wish would come back into style? All kinds of styles come to my mind - Nehru collars, saddle oxfords, and so on...  

Traditions in the church are practiced in the same way. Traditions comes and go. I recently read on FaceBook that traditions are peer pressure from dead people, which may well be. I am particularly interested in the history of traditions of the church. For example, the dead sea scrolls were discovered around 1947 which is not very long ago considering it was the year of my birth. The scrolls are Jewish manuscripts found in the Judaean Desert caves. These scrolls were dated from the last three centuries before Christ and the first century after Christ's life on earth. There were also some manuscripts from Egypt found a little later. These writings gave new insight to the way that the early followers, mothers and father of the faith, emerged themselves in fasting, self-examination, and prayer in the community of the desert. They chose the desert to escape the negative influences of the culture of the time.

Recently the prayers of convents and monasteries as well as the scholarly interpretations of these early writings have created a revival of Christian mindfulness and contemplative prayer and brought this to conventional Christ followers.  I have found it a blessing to be able to receive training and knowledge in this way of prayer. I am excited to lead the Meditation and Prayer service on Sunday evenings, the second Sunday of March, April, and May. We will be sharing contemplative prayer in this service.

Contemplative prayer is only slightly different than a time of naturally occurring contemplation on the things of God. We spend a little time relaxing into the prayer time and then praying together with a unified focus or a prayerful activity. Our intention is to be quiet, calm, receptive, and healing in worshipful prayer to clear away the garble that agitates our lives. You are certainly invited to enjoy our quiet evening of prayer at any or all of the times indicated.

He has made everything beautiful in its time.  

He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;

yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3 : 11.

The Meditation and Prayer service takes place this evening at 6:30 pm. 

Pastor’s Paragraph - February 27, 2020

I have really enjoyed Pastor Marc's sermon series this winter and the emphasis on praying, listening, and caring. I also really enjoy the opportunity to learn and grow as a disciple of Jesus with each of you. I thank God for you and the blessing it is to work together to reach out to others with the Creator's love through the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit.

Throughout this winter I have also been praying and thinking about mindfulness and healing (in many different forms - relational, communal, mental, emotional, physical, spiritual).

As I combine the focus of praying, listening, and caring, with a focus on mindfulness and healing, I am reminded of the transforming hope that I find in breath prayers and wanted to offer them to you as a spiritual practice/discipline that you might try during Lent if you have not tried them before.

For a breath prayer, you can pick a few words that you can say as you breathe in and out. Here are a few that I use.

Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Mold me. Use me. Make me.

Lord I love me. Help me to love you with all I am.

God I love you. I want to surrender my all to you.

Be still. God has it.

Breathe in God's Spirit. Breathe out God's love.

I look forward to hearing about any breath prayers that you have used in the past or that you use during the season of Lent. Please reach out if there are ways that I can be of support and encouragement to you in your journey of faith and life ~ Sarah

"Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations,

I am exalted in the earth."  

Psalm 46:10 

Pastor’s Paragraph - February 20, 2020

Friedens Moving Outward is Friedens' path toward vitalization. A careful process of learning, discernment, and congregation-wide input led to a plan that was approved by the Council of Ministries in November of 2019.

This plan consists of three major emphases:

1. Moving one another through inspiration and instruction from an identity of being church members whose needs are served to an identity of being active disciples who follow the loving and serving way of Jesus.

2. Transforming our church structure, resources, campus, staffing and ministries toward a ministry focus of sharing the love of Christ with children and youth in our community.

3. Partnering with other like-minded churches and non-profit organizations to maximize our ministry focus with children and youth in the community, including partners who can share the church campus and share in its ongoing maintenance.

Once we recommit to being disciples of the loving way of Jesus and show that commitment by joining a Ministry Team to focus on serving children and youth in the community, we can begin seeking and developing partnerships that multiply and advance our impact in the community. There is no reason for us to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, or to act on our own in the community. We trust that when our Ministry Teams connect more in the community serving children and youth, Christ will connect us with others also engaging in this mission. Working together in partnership and collaboration is part of the multiplication of impact Christ will provide. What will these partnerships be? I don't know, but Christ does! As we take that leap of service in the community, it will become clear.

Another important area of partnership is related to the use of our church campus. Our church campus is a blessing. We have a beautiful, functional, accessible and safe place to gather, to worship, to be inspired and to learn to serve children and youth in the community. It is also true that like any campus there are significant costs related to maintaining the campus. We are already having some challenges to generate the revenue needed to maintain the church campus. We do not want campus maintenance costs to undermine and overtake our ministry focus of serving children and youth in the community. If that happens we will need to consider whether or not our current campus is a liability or an asset for the future.

How can we pay for our campus so that we can remain here for many years to come? If the church campus is an asset for our future then we need to develop partners to share the campus and to share the costs of the campus. What will these partnerships be? I don't know, but Christ does! As we take the leap of service in the community, it will become clear.How can you help? Renew your commitment as a disciple of the loving way of Jesus. Join a Ministry Team. Roll up your sleeves and be part of a ministry with children and youth in the community. Pray and be open to the partnerships Christ will provide. If you have ideas, connections, or want to know more, I am always happy to meet over a cup of coffee or chat by email at pastormarc@friedensucc.org.   

This is an exciting time to be part of Friedens UCC.

Pastor Marc 

As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  

Colossians 3:12 

Pastor’s Paragraph - February 13, 2020

Fear-less!

In "Daring Greatly," social researcher Brené Brown tells a story about an experience she had in graduate school that surprised her. Called to a meeting with a professor, she expected to be intimidated and rebuked. Instead, her teacher was an ally. She pulled up a chair, sat down beside her, and offered Brené ideas for adjustments. I have become aware that sometimes when I turn to prayer, I feel the same fear. Recently I thought that I might take time to explore that fear. The Brené Brown story was helpful. I think that I am probably expecting to be intimidated and rebuked by God. That probably comes from reading and hearing scary stuff about God. Some of the names of God are frightening in themselves and paint pictures of judgmental images (not necessarily the appropriate understanding): almighty, most high, lord, master, and jealous are a few. Other names/images of God are less intimidating: shepherd, healer, provider, counselor, and mother hen. How we approach our prayer may make a difference. Turning over our humanness for loving adjustment and transformation can be helpful. Accepting the peace of Christ which fills us with silent treasure is another way to come to increased peace in the love of God. I give thanks to God that I can cast fear aside and come to prayer with an ally. What a friend we have in Jesus! I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you;

I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Isaiah 46:4 (NIV) 

Pastor’s Paragraph - February 6, 2020

Although the beginning of Lent is still several weeks away, I wanted to invite you to begin thinking about what this upcoming season might mean for you. Since the end of 2019, I have noticed that my book list keeps growing with titles that involve healing, especially healing the divides and painful places/spaces/experiences we have within ourselves and within our communities. Our sermons for the winter also began with conversations about healing as we explored the stories at the beginning of the gospel of Mark that help us remember that Jesus' ministries involved teaching and healing. As his disciples we are called to be involved in his ministries of healing, learning, and growing. With this in mind, I want to make a special invitation to you the Time to Pause lunch. The Christian Education Ministry often offers this opportunity to the first Sunday of Lent - this year on March 1st. In addition to enjoying lunch together and the connections and conversations that happen when we visit and break bread together, we will have special stations for you to rotate to if you would like.  

Heather from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful will help us think about how we can be part of healing and restoration through creation care and environmental efforts. Joy, the author of Shift, will help us think about how we receive healing through God's beautiful world and how these gifts can offer us pause and time for prayer and meditation. Shelby - a U Indy nursing student and participant and leader of QUEST and Engaging Young Adults will help us connect with our Maker who molds us with love and grace through the forming of clay creations.   Nicole from the Co-op Play Academy will also share her special gifts of working with children with us.

We hope you will come, and we hope you will use these next few weeks to pray about and reach out to someone who could come with you who does not currently have a faith community.

Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.

2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.

4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.

5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

6 The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre.

8 He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills.

9 He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry.

Psalm 147:1-9 

Pastor's Paragraph - January 30, 2020

Friedens Moving Outward is Friedens' path toward vitalization. A careful process of learning, discernment, and congregation-wide input led to a plan that was approved by the Council of Ministries in November of 2019. This plan consists of three major emphases:

1. Moving one another through inspiration and instruction from an identity of being church members whose needs are served to an identity of being active disciples who follow the loving and serving way of Jesus.

2. Transforming our church structure, resources, campus, staffing and ministries toward a ministry focus of sharing the love of Christ with children and youth in our community.

3. Partnering with other like-minded churches and non-profit organizations to maximize our ministry focus with children and youth in the community, including partners who can share the church campus and share in its ongoing maintenance.

Once we renew our commitment to following the loving way of Jesus as disciples we can begin committing ourselves to the second emphasis of Friedens Moving Outward-the ministry focus of serving children and youth in the community.

This is not brand new for Friedens Church. We have been serving children and youth throughout our 109 year history. We have served children and youth with Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Confirmation, Children's Choirs, Youth Groups, Mission Trips and more. These ministries continue to make a positive difference for the children and youth who come through our campus doors. We give thanks for this heritage of service in Christ's name and Spirit.

What is new is the focus on serving children and youth in the community. Fewer and fewer people (young adults and their children in particular) find church participation relevant; we are honest about this reality at Friedens. For us to continue to make a positive difference, we understand that we can move outside the doors of our campus with ministries of service in Christ's name and Spirit.

How do we do that? We are starting this new ministry focus in two ways: 1) by connecting more with the Scouts and the Preschool that are already in our campus; and 2) by working through the Ministry Teams to identify and implement new ministries with children and youth in the community.

How can you help? Join a Ministry Team! The Ministry Teams are the teams of disciples who come together to do the work of Christ through the church and into the community. Friedens Moving Outward will only lead to vitalization if all the disciples of Friedens roll up their sleeves and get to work.

Who can help you get involved? Pastors Sarah, Pam and I can get you connected; so can the leader of Friedens Moving Outward, Megan Powell; or our President, Greg Wilkinson, or our Vice-president, Jerry Weissinger. Contact info for these disciples is available by contacting Heidi, our Office Manager, at 317-881-6779 or at office@friedensucc.org.

It is an exciting time to be part of Friedens UCC!

Pastor Marc

As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with

compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

Colossians 3:12