Lenten Youth Group Outreach
Six youth from HFEC and four adults gathered on Friday evening, March 22nd, for time focused on the importance of effective communication and how it impacts our daily lives. The group participated in a nonverbal game of “telephone,” to understand the importance of detail in all forms of communication. As always, the end result is far away from the original piece of information! After our Compline worship service, the group delivered a prepared meal for the Hamilton County Emergency Communications dispatch center located at the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office/Jail Complex in Noblesville. After setting up the meal in the break room, the group was given a tour of the 911 dispatch center controlling the police, fire, and other emergency response operations in the county. The group was able to hear one-sided live 911 calls and see the required calm and effective action to perform this important job 24 hours a day! The group was also allowed to see the Emergency Operations Center which is activated during major events such as flooding, potential earthquakes, or other major disasters. Many of our youth and adults asked excellent questions and were able to learn about this potential career path is this important part of our lives. For more information about Holy Family’s Youth Group, please contact director Marty Blake. mblake@hfec.org
More photos from this event can be viewed HERE.
Jr. DOK Gathering
In preparation for Lent, the Mary & Martha Chapter of the Junior Daughters of the King shared in an Agape Meal on Saturday, February 23rd. This is a meal of Christian fellowship that mirrors the meals Jesus shared with his disciples and others throughout His ministry. Fellowship and community are celebrated around the theme of a meal that can include items such as bread, cheese, olives, grapes, and juice with scripture and music intertwined. Following the meal, the girls prepared and packaged homemade granola as an outreach for Miracle Place in Indianapolis. The afternoon concluded with the girls reviewing the JOY (Jesus, Others, You) and the Five Finger Prayer formats and creating a Lenten Prayer Chain with 40 days of prayer topics. For questions regarding the Jr. Daughters of the King (for girls in 3rd grade through age 18), please contact co-directresses, Ruth Everett or Kristine Canter at mmjrdok@gmail.com.
Blood Drive 2019
On Sunday, February 10th. Holy Family hosted a community blood drive in the parish hall. Congregation members and volunteers from the community participated. As a fun twist, Father Bruce and Ben Paden recorded the podcast for the following Sunday during the event. For more information about the blood drive, please contact Jolene Johnston. jjohnston@hfec.org
For more photos from the blood drive, please click HERE.
CPR/AED Training
On Wednesday, January 16th, Holy Family hosted an American Heart Association CPR/AED training and certification in the parish hall. Generous members of Holy Family’s congregation recently donated funds to purchase an AED unit for the church and cover the cost of the training led by Shaun Barnett. The course was attended by members of the congregation, staff, childcare volunteers, preschool teachers, vestry members, and ushers in an effort to be better-prepared to serve the community in case of an emergency. Special thanks are extended to Holy Family member Dr. Douglas Tannas for coordinating the AED purchase and CPR/AED training. For more information, please contact the church office. admin@hfec.org
For more photos from the CPR/AED training please click HERE.
Rocked the Socks!
This fall Holy Family teamed up with The Episcopal Church of All Saints in Indianapolis in an attempt to donate 10,000 pairs of socks to Wheeler Mission in Indianapolis. Socks are the most needed (and at least donated) items for the homeless community. At the end of the drive which took place over about six weeks, 20, 732 pairs of socks were purchased or donated to Wheeler Mission! Many thanks to those who participated in donating money, socks, or helping deliver the donations. For more information about outreach projects at Holy Family, please contact Deacon Cathy Scott. cscott@hfec.org
Angel Tree 2018
Holy Family delivered gifts to children at Fishers Elementary as part of its annual Angel Tree ministry. This beloved tradition brings together young and old and the spirit of giving. For more information about Angel Tree, please contact Jolene Johnston jjohnston@hfec.org
Mission Trip Presentation 2018
On Sunday, September 9th, members of the 2018 Serving in the Circle City mission trip crew presented stories from their outreach work in Elwood and Indianapolis. Click below to view the slides used during the presentation. Contact Youth Director Marty Blake for more information about Holy Family’s youth mission trips. mblake@hfec.org
SITCC Presentation Online
Education Sunday 2018
Holy family kicked off the Christian Formation year with a multi-generational formation festival. Participants from all levels of Sunday school, youth group, and adult formation engaged in interactive team building activities centered around a farm theme. Participants spent ten minutes learning about each other by separating into groups such as “sweet” or “salty” and “hand-held Bible” or “electronic app” before breaking into smaller groups for continued work together. Participants were required to utilize effective coordination, communication, and trust to achieve a common goal. Finally, the larger group was broken into their appropriate formation age groups to discuss upcoming curriculum in their classes. For more information about Christian formation at Holy Family, please contact the following leaders:
Children’s Ministry: Jolene Johnston jjohnston@hfec.org
Youth Ministry: Marty Blake mblake@hfec.org
Adult Formation: The Reverend Bruce W. Gray bgray@hfec.org
For more photos from Education Sunday at Holy Family, please click HERE.
Community Solidarity Gathering
The Reverend Bruce W. Gray spoke at tonight’s Community Solidarity Gathering at Congregation Shaarey Tefilla in Carmel after recent vandalization. The following is the text of Father Bruce’s presentation.
I greet you tonight on behalf of Episcopalians throughout the Indianapolis region and beyond.
One of the privileges and opportunities human beings receive when each of us is created is to participate in the divine task of growing day by day in our awareness of how interconnected we all are. We all, every one of us, are created in the divine image, and given the holy task of loving each other, both people seemingly different from ourselves and those apparently more similar.
Yet too often people resist this awareness through various means, such as labeling and persecution. In those moments human desires for superiority over others try to overwhelm the divine truth of the wholeness of creation and the oneness of all people. These types of behaviors seek to divide us, to deny the holy bonds that exist among us all. As a Christian, I have a responsibility to especially respond to attitudes, actions, and words of Anti Semitism, since too often Christian texts and institutions have been used to justify the creation and propagation of Anti-Semitism. Millions have died as a result, and so I must explicitly say, and pray for “no more.”
No more hatred. No more destruction. No more violence.
But to simply say and pray it is not enough.
So
I offer to you all the promise that I, and so many others, will hold and uphold the divine truth that we all, all people, are one, equally loved and cared for by God. And we all stand in solidarity tonight, and will continue to do so, facing together the people in this world who desire our division from one another and want to hear fear in our voices. Instead, we vocalize holy solidarity, divine courage, and blessed joy.
Pride 2018
On Saturday, June 9th, clergy and members of Holy Family Episcopal Church participated in the Indy Pride Festival Parade and Festival. The Rev. Cathy Scott (Deacon) and The Rev. Bruce W. Gray (Rector) marched with others from the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis led by The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Bishop. Over 150 participants from the Diocese gathered for a prayer service and blessing before the parade. Following the parade, members of several Episcopal churches manned a booth at the festival, sharing God’s love and information about the inclusiveness of the Episcopal Church. For more information about Holy Family in Fishers, please contact Jolene Johnston. jjohnston@hfec.org