YMGI Grant Proposal Submitted
During the summer of 2016, Holy Family Episcopal Church will pilot the week-long Mission: United in Faith event for youth. This mission trip is part of the larger Episcopal Youth Exchange Program. The goals for this program are to provide experiences that will positively impact faith formation and develop the Episcopal identity of our youth.
The mission group will participate in team-building activities, worship services, urban and rural community outreach efforts, nature conservation activities, and educational experiences. We hope that this impact will lead to continued active church participation and a life guided by Christian values. We believe that the proposed programming will have a lasting impact not only on the youth, but also the entire congregation of Holy Family.
The Episcopal Youth Exchange Program is made possible by a Youth Ministry Grant Initiative from the Center for Congregations. The program was developed and directed by Holy Family member Rachelle Galvin. Signing the grant proposal, shown above, are Holy Family’s rector, The Reverend Michael Galvin and Senior Warden, Benjamin Paden.
City of God: Building Dedication
On Sunday, April 24, 2016 The Reverend Catherine Waynick, Bishop of Indianapolis, joined Holy Family for a day filled with excitement. Bishop Cate celebrated our 8 AM and 10 AM worship services and spoke during our 9 AM Christian Education hour. Following the 10 AM service, Bishop Cate led a special service to dedicate our new City of God additions. Holy Family’s congregation was joined by representatives from Aspen Group (shown above.) A special hospitality was also held to thank Bishop Cate for her service to the people of Holy Family and our Diocese during her 19 years as Bishop. For more photos from this special day, please CLICK HERE.
Community Garden Opens
The Holy Family Community Garden is exactly that, a community of gardeners! Of the 32 individuals and families who garden in it, 28 (88%) are not members of Holy Family. They are members of the surrounding community. Every year gardeners express how much they appreciate Holy Family providing this garden area, and every year we get emails from others saying, “I have a friend who gardens there and I’d like to see if I can get one.” Or, “I live nearby and I think this is wonderful! Do you have a spot available?” The gardeners recently kicked off the 2016 growing season with an informational meeting and planning session.
Everyone works together to make it happen! Recently we saw clear evidence of this community coming together to help one another. When James’ trailer broke down, he was unable to bring his tractor tiller. With only a rented hand tiller, our job of tilling 63 garden plots looked daunting, at best. Call it what you will, but in my words “God happened” that day!
Several gardeners showed up and began helping clean up and take turns on the hand tiller. Boy Scouts came and helped tear down the old compost bins and rake old grass from plots to help the tiller get through. A mom and her young Girl Scout showed up and asked how they could help, then spent the next couple of hours pulling weeds and removing old tomato cages.
And then, something really amazing happened. A man came up to us and said he drove by and saw us working. He said he had a Kubota tractor with a 5 foot-wide tiller on the back, and asked if we’d like his help. We agreed and asked what he would charge. “No charge,” he said, “just Christians helping Christians.” He spent the next few hours tilling up 50+ plots, much to the relief of many arms and backs. He requested nothing in return. The odds of someone in a suburban neighborhood having a tractor/tiller like that are very low. He just happened to drive by that day and was kind enough to help. God’s love for us was obvious that day. I really do believe that. If ever there was a true “community” garden, Holy Family’s is it!
submitted by Jim Agnew, Community Garden Co-Chair
Earth Day 2016
Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 for awareness, understanding, and support of the environment. Since that time, it has been an annual event, celebrated worldwide on April 22. Please enjoy the following resources to help preserve God’s creation.
Disciples: Hospitality Hosts
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Students from our Disciples Sunday school class gathered recently to prepare snacks for a special hospitality brunch. They enjoy working together to serve others, particularly with food preparation.
