Be Thankful. Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire... if you did, what would there be to look forward to?

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1 The Valley Voice November 2017 Monthly Newsletter of Valley Mills Friends Meeting Be Thankful Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire... if you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don't know something... for it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times... during those times you grow. Be thankful for your limitations... they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for each new challenge... which will build your strength and character. Be thankful for your mistakes... they will teach you valuable lessons. Be thankful when you're tired and weary... because it means you've given your all. It's easy to be thankful for the 'good' things... yet, a life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are thankful for the setbacks. Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive... find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings. Author Unknown

2 Please Hold in the Light: Respecting the privacy of Friends who, nevertheless, have asked for prayers for health, discernment, family and Friends/friends, we hold them in prayer. Please continue to hold Marilee in the light and in your prayers. For possible visits, please contact Jo Vickers on her cell at If you don t reach her, please leave a voic or text her. Marilee s Caring Bridge Website is This site keeps family and friends updated in one place and you can send Marilee words of hope and encouragement. Cards can be sent to her at: Abbie Hunt Bryce Home 4760 Pennwood Drive Indianapolis, IN Announcements/Upcoming Events: November 3-12: Spirit and Place Festival November 8: Peace and Social Concerns Committee will meet on Wednesday at the Meeting House at 5:00PM. November 8: Ministry and Counsel meets Wednesday, at 6PM at the Meeting House. November 12: Monthly Meeting November 28: Men s Night Out, 7PM. Bru Burger, Plainfield. Guest Speakers for November: November 5 th - Sue Whitesel November 12 th - Michael Jay November 19 th - Michael Jay November 26 th - Karla Moran Happy Birthday! Cathryn McBride celebrated her 102nd birthday on Monday, October 30! We are a people that follow after those things that make for peace, love, and unity." - Margaret Fell 2

3 Valley Mills Monthly Meeting Minutes October 8, 2017 Valley Mills Friends Meeting for Business was convened by the clerk on October 8, The September 10, 2017 minutes were approved as read. Treasurers Report: The General Ledger balance as of September 30, 2017 with bank transactions was presented along with the Profit & Loss Budget Performance as of September 30, The reports were approved as presented. Building & Grounds: Drinking fountain repair, termite inspection and front door repair are scheduled to be completed. Social Concerns: Speakers are scheduled through November, please inform Toby about any new speakers that might be contacted. Christian Education: Volunteers are needed for Children s Sunday School. There is a sign- up sheet in the foyer. The book by Rob Bell, What is the Bible was a suggested reading for adult Sunday School. Ministry & Counsel Report: After discussion it was approved to search for a part-time (20hrs) pastor to be advertised in the Friends Journal, Quaker Life, CTS and Western Yearly Meeting. This would include a compensation package of parsonage and health insurance if desired. An was sent to the Finance and Nomination committees for a report to be presented at the November meeting. This was approved. The Christmas schedule was approved: December 3 rd, Hanging of the Greens; December 17 th, Christmas dinner; December 24 th, Christmas Service. A clearness committee meeting will be planned for the Riggans. Norma Gaston will plan special music at some of the services. Jim Jay will send a map for the Worship in the Woods event. 3

4 2017 Spirit & Place Festival The 2017 Spirit & Place Festival occurs November More than 110 community partners have created 37 events, with 59 occurrences, in 32 venues across the city. From art exhibitions and dance performances to family-events and lectures, there is something for everyone! Make sure to check out our opening night event, Superhero's Bash, as well as our five "Award of Awesomeness" nominees. This year's Public Conversation will offer a new take on how Spirit & Place not only works to model civil discourse but help the community develop the skills it needs to engage in its own powerful conversations using the arts, humanities, and religion. This link, will provide more specific information on the scheduled events. ABOUT SPIRIT & PLACE Spirit & Place connects 20,000 Central Indiana residents a year with creative events, community conversations, and skill-building activities that spark radical collaboration, launch innovative experiments, and reveal invisible stories. Spirit & Place is without peer in the U.S. Winner of the NUVO Cultural Vision Award and the Indiana Achievement Award, it has engaged over 1,000 community organizations, presented over 1,080 events, featured over 6,400 "idea-makers," and reached over 360,000 since its founding in

5 A Thanksgiving Prayer "In the spirit of humility we give thanks for all that is. We thank the great spiritual beings who have shared their wisdom. We thank our ancestors who brought us to where we are now. We are grateful for the opportunity to walk this planet, to breathe the air, to taste the food, to experience sensations of a human body/mind, to share in this wonder that is life. We are grateful for the natural world that supports us, for the community of humankind that enables us to do many wondrous things. We are grateful that we are conscious, that as intelligent beings we can reflect upon the many things we have been given." ~ Tom Barrett Did You Know? John Bellars is probably a name you may not have heard before. I just discovered him two months ago. He was a brilliant English educational theorist and Quaker who lived from 1654 to He was born into a Quaker family and remained a Quaker his entire life. He was a close friend of William Penn. He helped bring to Pennsylvania a large group of French Protestants who were forced out of France. He was ahead of his time in different fields. In 1699 he became the first European to denounce capital punishment and the overall mistreatment of prisoners. In 1695 he wrote of a utopian settlement where there would be a mixture of agriculture and manufacturing. People would live there too. Children would be educated and the elderly would be cared for. Karl Marx showed the influence of Bellars in his work Das Kapital. Bellars also called for a Congress of Europe which was similar to the League of Nations which was created two hundred years later. In 1714 Bellars wrote of a national health service. This wasn t created until after World War II. He was an advocate of prison reform, education reform, and election reform. Again he was far ahead of his time. He was a radical and innovative thinker. Some even consider some of his ideas to be forerunners of Socialism. Submitted by Earl Hurst 5

6 Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie. Jim Davis Thanksgiving Traditions: 1. Thankfulness 2. Thanksgiving Day Parade 3. Thurkey 4. Thootball 5. Thleep Unknown Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale. Lauren DeStefano 6

7 November 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday School 9:30AM Worship 10:30AM Fred Mills 12 Sunday School 9:30AM 6 13 David Jay 7 8 Peace & Social Concerns Committee Meeting 5PM Meeting House 14 Ministry & Counsel 6PM Meeting House National Deviled Egg Day 9 10 National Vanilla Cupcake Day Move your clocks back 1 hour tonight! Worship 10:30AM Monthly Meeting 19 Johnny Jay 20 Nat l Young Readers Day Timothy Cox Sunday School 9:30AM Worship 10:30AM 26 Phyllis Paulsen Sunday School 9:30AM Worship 10:30AM National Peanut Butter Fudge Day Sara Buchwald Men s Night Out, 7:00PM Bru Burger, Plainfield Susie Havens 29 Stephen Cox Thanksgiving 30 Small Business Saturday James Jay Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others. - Marcus Tullius Cicero 7

8 Valley Mills Friends Meeting 6739 W. Thompson Rd. Indianapolis, IN We re on the web and Facebook! 8