Guide My Feet: A Hurdle Parable

Leave a Comment

When we were invited to write a MennoExpressions article on the hurdles one might encounter when “running the race,” both of us immediately thought of a hurdle incident that happened several years ago – okay, let’s be honest, it was actually several decades ago by now. We were walking on the Purdue campus when we came upon a hurdle that ended up sending one of us to the Purdue Student Hospital with a broken elbow. In reflecting on this hurdle encounter, we discovered that it actually reveals a lot about life hurdles in general.

First the short version of our “hurdle parable:” On our walk, we came across a parking lot that was cordoned off by a chain strung between metal posts. Beth wanted to use the parking lot as a short cut and suggested that we simply jump over the chain, treating it as a hurdle. In spite of Andrea’s cautions and protestations, Beth proceeded to demonstrate her “hurdling technique” to show Andrea how easy it would be to do. Then, splat! There was Beth lying on the ground (albeit on the other side of the chain) with her elbow bent in a rather peculiar way.

Now, the lessons learned from this literal hurdle (or shall we say “hurt-le”?) for facing other obstacles we may find blocking our path:

  1. Recognize that jumping over the hurdle may not be the only or best way forward. Crawl under it, walk around it, slowly climb over it, kick over the hurdle — there may be alternative (and safer) ways to move forward.
  2. Realistically assess hurdle-jumping capabilities and resources, but don’t underestimate your untapped potential.
  3. Deliberately build your hurdle-jumping skills.
  4. Make sure it is your hurdle to jump over.
  5. Remember that you don’t have to go it alone – ask for advice and seek out additional support.
  6. Actually listen to (and heed) the advice of others.
  7. Realize that not everything that looks like a hurdle really is a hurdle. You might discover that you can take a hurdle apart – maybe even make it into a ladder that you could use to get over the barrier.
  8. Give yourself a second chance moment to think before you jump. This is wise advice in decision making in general. 
  9. (and ¾). Embrace the moment you commit to jump. Sometimes you just have to have enough faith – like Harry Potter – to run at the brick wall and trust that it will not be a hurdle but a portal that will get you where you need to go.

Yet, know that sometimes you might still end up in the emergency room with a broken elbow.

Previous article | Contents | Next article

Editor’s Note

Leave a Comment

let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us

Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Moving forward, setting goals, charting progress… when the MennoExpressions team met to discuss our theme for this year we knew we wanted to capture the excitement of the church meeting in person again, learning to know Monica Miller, our new, already-beloved full-time pastor, and expanding our welcome to the community around us. Running the Race seemed an ideal metaphor for these and many experiences and challenges we may encounter.

Now personally, I claim no affinity for actual racing! I enjoy walking or biking on quiet paths, but I would prefer to cheer for others rather than compete in a sporting event. Still, planning and completing each issue of MennoExpressions feels like a race, though a relay with shared responsibilities for the team. And the finish line completing one issue blends into the beginning of the next—as in many life events.

As you explore these articles, we hope you glean wisdom from the theme of racing and find inspiration in the stories of racers who share their hard work of training and competing, or ponder turning hurdles into building blocks. Appreciate a behind-the-scenes glimpse into keeping the pastoral team running smoothly.

Enjoy learning about the way Kaden, an excited high school graduate, is already preparing for his next big challenge at Purdue.

You may want to race to the Top Ten article to complete the quiz for a chance to win ice cream, and see the update on the marathon project to enhance and care for the FMC Memory Garden.

A group of visuals could help you see the intersection of art, nature and pies(!) in a new way.

Don’t miss the dramatic “race for life” narrative, which reinforces the urgency to get help quickly when stroke symptoms appear suddenly.

Finally, in this issue we are launching Milestones, a new feature to share important life events for the Shalom and FMC families.

Blessings to each of you as you consider this encouragement.

But those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength… they will run and not grow weary…

Isaiah 40:31

Contents | Next article

First Mennonite Church Seeks a Half-Time Pastoral Team Member

Leave a Comment

FIRST MENNONITE CHURCH Indianapolis, IN is seeking a half-time paid pastoral team member (with benefits) to join our full-time pastor. See the complete job description or contact the search committee chair at email hidden; JavaScript is required

Update: First Mennonite Church Seeks a 3/4-Time Pastoral Team Member

FMC Covid-19 Response & In-Person Worship Service Status

Leave a Comment

In consultation with FMC healthcare professionals and commission leadership, Trustees and Pastors have developed the FMC Covid-19 Plan. Decisions for whether, and how, we engage in worship services and other activities at FMC are based on cues from local institutions, while understanding that we will follow all published national, state, and local mandates/ordinances. To reduce risk as much as possible, the FMC Covid-19 Readiness Guidelines have been jointly developed by the Pastors and Trustees, FMC medical professionals, the Worship Commission, the Faith Formation Commission, and the Facilities committee. Please familiarize yourself with this document and be prepared to follow practices described therein.

FMC is currently holding indoor, in-person worship services, and masking is required at all times within the building (specific exceptions are described in the Readiness Guidelines).

Individuals or groups wishing to make use of indoor facilities must have a representative receive approval from Trustees and clearance from the church office prior to meeting at FMC. The process is initiated by submitting this form.

Contact email hidden; JavaScript is required if you would like a link to join our Sunday morning service virtually and/or to receive our weekly newsletter. The office can also put you in touch with FMC leadership if you’d like to raise questions or concerns about the Covid-19 Plan or Readiness Guidelines.

Editor’s Note

Leave a Comment

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

II Corinthians 4:7

It was a heartfelt plea, an entreaty to welcome everyone who walks through our doors. We don’t know their story, but “each person is a treasure in a clay jar.” Somehow, those simple words from our FMC interim pastor Frances Ringenberg struck a chord and transformed my view of reaching out with a welcome for all—visitors or long-time members. As one who enjoys wandering through antique stores, I could picture a cherished jar, easily broken if not handled with care.  And certainly, experiences and losses in the struggles with Covid emphasize the fragility of life. I cherish the wisdom and caring that Frances and her husband Ron shared with us.

Frances Ringenberg (left) chatting with Monica Miller.

Preparing for the installation of Monica Miller as the new fulltime pastor for First Mennonite has accentuated our emphasis on welcoming and transformation. Various groups gathered at her home to clean, unpack and paint as she moved into her new apartment. We will continue to look for ways to ease her transition into a new congregation in a new city.

Also in this issue, continuing our theme for the year, we explore additional ways our lives are being transformed—by remembering Dagne Assefe, beloved pastor at Shalom Mennonite Church, by sharing wisdom from guest speakers, taking walks to soak in the beauty of autumn, and preserving the abundant harvest of fruits and vegetables.

Traveling continues to bring challenges and changes. But the treasure of time with family and friends encourages us to seek out ways to stay safe when we are not at home. 

A renewed emphasis on improving and beautifying the Memorial Garden at First Mennonite has allowed the congregation to visualize the new plans and share in the task. Finally, pondering life lessons from the seasonal transformations in a flower garden encourage us to treasure the last bouquet of autumn—and maybe even arrange it in a clay jar.

Some photos from the licensing and installation service on November 7 at First Mennonite Church—welcoming Monica as our pastor on this day of joy!

Waiting expectantly for the service to begin
Conference Minister Sharon Yoder leads the licensing service
Paul Hartman, search committee chair, welcomes Monica
Monica is surrounded by prayers from the congregation
Celebrating Monica with a festive feast of pies

Contents | Next article

Van Gogh Makes Me Dance

Leave a Comment

I have long been a fan of Van Gogh, and two years ago spent a couple of days in Arles, France, where the artist spent his last four years and produced an astonishing number of masterpieces. I was dubious about seeing The Lume at Newfields, while in Indianapolis, fearing that it would be a schmaltzy disappointment. I was wrong. The digital presentation was excellent, giving a total immersion feel to the great artist’s work. The presentation was intimate, constantly in motion, and accompanied by rich music. The large rooms had dozens of people mesmerized. When a family with small children entered, the kids immediately broke into dance. They became part of the artwork, which I imagine would please Van Gogh himself!

Previous article | Contents | Next article

Last Autumn Bouquet

1 Comment

As I sit here typing, the rain pounds the windows and the deck, the ground and the garden. Unlike the fresh warm rains of spring that bring growth and life, this rain seems to be beating a cold, beckoning rhythm of an ancient song. It sings to the earth a lullaby from Ecclesiastes, in lyrical harmony with the northern wind, “to all things there is season, a time to plant, a time to pluck from the ground” … and to the leaves they gently nudge, coaxing the them to the ground, reminding them that, after all, “Nothing gold can stay.” Soon, a white blanket will cover the sky, the earth and all will be hushed as the growing world sleeps

Autumn is often closely associated with death and dying. It does have a way of reminding us of our mortality. Almost all plant life and gardens die in the fall, however rigorously planned, religiously watered, relentlessly weeded and regularly fed! In the same way, no matter how well we take care of our bodies there is only one common end to us all and it is not that different than what happens in our gardens in the fall and winter. We wither, we dry up, and we die. It is no accident that Halloween and the Day of the Dead are part of fall celebrations. Like many others, I dread the end of the sunny growing season and the darkness that seems to wrap the world in a shroud here in Indiana during the fall and winter months. And though there is no doubt that the benefits of gardening are many and far reaching, yet, I have to agree with the musician Arthur Schnabel who says, “The notes I handle no better than many pianists, but the pauses- ah, that is where the art resides.” Even The Divine Gardener rested after six days. There is a cycle to life, a rhythm which enables life. And it requires rest, hibernation, Sabbath and sometimes death. Could fall and winter be thought of as a Sabbath for the garden and the gardener?

Several weeks ago, I cut my last bouquet, arranged it in a vase and posted the picture on Facebook, announcing the end of my garden in the post: “The last of my summer flowers” or something like that. A sad day, indeed! But the next day I ventured outside and began collecting something different. Not as colorful or typically pretty, but still full of beauty and life. As I walked along the back row of my garden, I looked at the brown curled up sunflower heads, and there I saw them–seeds. Each sunflower had one large head or a dozen or so small flower heads, and each flower head had seeds for dozens upon dozens of sunflowers.

 I find sunflowers so amazingly beautiful. The way the seeds are arranged within each head like a mandala, a pattern so intricate and rhythmic, a glorious testament to The Divine Biologist, Artist, and Gardener. And then, of course, there were the marigolds. I could collect seeds from those flowers for days and if each flower has roughly 25-50 seeds. There would be enough to give everyone I know a garden full of marigolds.

Everywhere I look as I drive down the road the land is turning brown. But when I look carefully, I still see an abundance of life and hope. Encapsulated in a seed pod, held tight by the head of a shriveled-up flower or buried by the feet of well-meaning gardeners, seeds are at rest, like fetuses in wombs, fast asleep and awaiting warm breezes and an ancient, triumphant song of birth and life. To everything there is a season, after all.

Previous article | Contents

The Memorial Garden—Transforming Grief into Solace

Leave a Comment

Life, in many ways, consists of a series of transitions and transformations. We transition from the womb into the world, from childhood into adulthood, from work into retirement, and finally from life into death. What better place than a garden – a memorial garden – to help us commemorate this process of life’s ultimate transformation. At First Mennonite Church (FMC) Indianapolis we are fortunate to have such a garden space, one that is currently undergoing its own process of transformation – something we would like to tell you about in this article.

FMC’s memorial garden has a 27-year history. The current church building was constructed in 1985-86, with our first worship service occurring on Easter Sunday, March 30, 1986. Wow, 35 years ago! The move from Kessler Boulevard to our existing Knollton Road location was an all-consuming but energizing process for the congregation. At that time, we were a congregation with a much younger average age, and many new possibilities were on the horizon. With ample acreage available and limitless creativity, there were opportunities that did not exist at the previous location. So in the mid-90s, a memorial garden was established. It consisted of a mulch path, wooden bench, two trees and some wildflowers. Over the years, shrubs and memorials to individuals were added – a granite bench, a large stone, a lilac bush, and a redbud tree.

Our congregation’s average age is now older than what it was when the first garden was created. We as a community experience death. In addition to grieving the deaths of older adults among us, our congregation has not, and will not, be spared the grieving of premature deaths due to miscarriages, stillbirths, suicide, overdoses, accidents, violence, malignancies and other maladies. It is only logical to assume the memorial garden will become a more integral part of remembering our departed loved ones here at FMC. In fact, the ashes of at least one member have already been scattered in the garden. In the past, a straw vote one Sunday morning showed ten people had interest in having their ashes scattered in the garden. The garden is a tangible, cost-effective, and loving way to memorialize our loved ones who are no longer with us.

But, as many of you know from your personal gardening experience, a garden needs careful tending. Our memorial garden is no exception. In early 2021 a Memorial Garden Committee, consisting of volunteers with a passion for one or more aspects of the garden, began to meet regularly to further develop the current garden. This committee identified the purposes of the garden to be a designated and accessible space, a place to enjoy God’s awesome creation, a place for quiet, prayer and meditation, and a place, where, either alone or in small gatherings, we can name our grief, shed tears, scatter ashes, and celebrate memories. 

Over the past ten months, the Memorial Garden Committee, with renewed energy and commitment, developed a plan to update and revitalize the memorial garden and, with that, has set the transformation process in motion. 

A vision for transformation of FMC’s Memorial Garden

We are happy to report that some steps have already been completed, including installing a stone path from the church to the memorial garden, procuring a detailed landscape design, and creating well-water access for watering planted trees.  Other steps, such as the construction of additional benches, installing a stone path within the garden, and planting privacy producing shrubs, are in progress or pending.  The steps we look forward to tackling in 2022 include planting additional trees, building columns for attaching plaques with the names of loved ones, and creating a space focused on children.

Our committee is excited about the progress made to date and thanks those who have so generously donated to this project.  Already this year, over $13,000 has been donated.  This includes proceeds from the fall bulb fundraiser and individual monetary gifts.   Fundraising will continue.  Explore our holiday bulb sale, where you’ll have the opportunity to purchase amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs, which make awesome Christmas gifts.  Committee members will also personally solicit additional donations from the congregation.  Anyone can contribute by indicating the memorial garden on a check or by choosing the memorial garden fund on the Givelify App.

Any “seed” money, large or small, is greatly appreciated at any time!

Contact any of us to learn more about our plans for transforming the memorial garden.  We would love to talk with you about this place for quiet, prayer, meditation, and solace!

Memorial Garden Committee of First Mennonite Church

  • Donna Haines, facilitator
  • Gloria Hood
  • Lu Culp
  • Marty Miller
  • Nancy Fletcher Lichti
  • Rachel Friesen
  • Robin Helmuth
  • Sarah Burkholder

Previous article | Contents | Next article

A Transformational New Beginning

Leave a Comment

After living in Los Angeles and Phoenix for the last three years with their two seasons—“hot” and “very hot”—the cloudy, rainy chill of Indianapolis today feels like the dead of winter to me. In the southwest, I had a difficult time remembering what time of year things happened, because the scenery changed so little with the seasons. Not so in Indianapolis! Here, I’ve watched the trees outside my windows burst into bright oranges and yellows in the span of a week. But perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself… who is this unfamiliar voice writing to you?

I’m Monica Miller, the new full-time pastor at First Mennonite—pleased to make your acquaintance! By the time you read this, I will have started work at the church, but as I’m writing, I still have another week to settle in. That’s a very good thing, because there’s still a LOT to do. I’d be remiss, though, if I skipped over all that happened. My new place is in the middle of a transformation as I make it my home, and we found it takes a whole village to move a pastor. Between hosting and cleaning, unloading and painting, almost two dozen people from FMC pitched in to help in one way or another!

Robin Helmuth and Ned Geiser rejoice that only one wall had wallpaper. (Of course, it had to be one of the larger walls!)
Deb Helmuth, Diane White, Ray Miller (Monica’s father), and Doug Schwartzentruber tackle the kitchen.
Before transformation.
Mid-transformation… What might it look like in the end?

I’m not sure how many months it would have taken me to do everything we were able to accomplish together in less than a week. That’s not to say I don’t still have my work cut out for me, but this transformation from “house” to “home” is well underway. For that, I’m grateful!

A massive “thank you” to everyone who helped, and I look forward to growing alongside the congregation and larger community of Indianapolis Mennonites in the years to come!

Previous article | Contents | Next article