Sudanese Bishop Visit
The Rt. Rev. Moses Anur Ayom, Bishop of the Diocese of Athooch in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, and Rebecca Koryom, head of the Mothers Union in that diocese, visited Holy Family on May 3, 2018 as part of their Global Missions Commission partnership. They were accompanied by The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Bishop of the Diocese of Indianapolis. and The Rev. Jeffrey Bowers, Associate Rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
The Diocese of Athooch was formed in 2014 when then-Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul split the Diocese of Bor into two entities and established the new diocese north of Bor. Deng Bul retired last month and was succeeded by the Most Rev. Justin Bada Arama. The Diocese of Indianapolis had a companion relationship with the Diocese of Bor from 2002-2016. For more information about the Global Missions Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, please click HERE.
For more photos of tonight’s gathering, please click HERE.
Spruce Up For Spring!
Members of Holy Family’s Youth Group gathered to spruce up the church grounds by trimming ornamental grasses, raking leaves, and pruning rose bushes in preparation for upcoming Holy Week services. The students and adult leaders finished their monthly gathering by sharing Compline together. For more information about Holy Family’s Youth Group, please contact Director Marty Blake. mblake@hfec.org
Lenten Lock-In 2018
On Saturday, March 10th, Holy Family Youth Group held its annual Lenten Lock-In. As an extra special wrinkle, the participants enjoyed (or didn’t!) losing an hour of sleep due to Daylight Savings Time.
The students began the evening with an Agape meal. An Agape Meal is a Christian fellowship meal recalling the meals Jesus shared with disciples during his ministry and expressing the koinonia (community, sharing, fellowship) enjoyed by the family of Christ. At certain points in the Agape Meal, food was passed and shared with the group between readings and songs.
Following the Agape meal, youth participated in a spiritually-moving Stations of the Cross service featuring a social justice focus. The Reverend Cathy Scott, Holy Family’s Deacon, gave readings for each station that compared the original path of Jesus to the cross to modern-day examples of suffering in our local community and around the world.
The evening also included a teambuilding activity in the Narthex and some free time for games and fellowship.
As is tradition for the Lenten Lock-In, the youth prepared and delivered a meal to those who serve our community in the dark of night. This year they prepared a salad, lasagna, cake, and drinks for the officers working the night shift at the Fishers Police Department. The students and youth leaders toured the station and participated in a lively discussion with Officer Simmonds.
Back at church, everyone prepared for bed and finished the evening with Compline from the Book of Common Prayer.
Following breakfast in the parish hall, the lock-in participants attended the 8 AM service and shared Eucharist. The event has become a very special part of our youth ministry. For more information on upcoming events, please contact Youth Director Marty Blake. mblake@hfec.org
For more Lenten Lock-In photos please CLICK HERE
Miracle Place – Making a Difference
Sister Barb McClelland (Miracle Place) and Matthew Johnston
Early in 2018, Holy Family members were challenged to make monetary and snack donations to support Miracle Place in Indianapolis. This project was led by Youth Group member Matthew Johnston as his “Make a Difference” project for Fishers Junior High School. Miracle Place offers a safe afterschool place for children with help for homework, meals and snacks for neighborhood kids, assistance for the elderly, and a variety of other resources. The drive brought in a large assortment of snacks and paper goods as well as just over $400 to purchase fresh fruit and other perishable items for the afterschool program.
Matthew created individual bags of snack mix using donated items then led Youth Group members in making decorated tags to add to the bags. In past projects, the kids at Miracle Place particularly enjoyed these notes from Holy Family kids. so they were sure to repeat the loving gesture. All items were delivered to Miracle Place and unloaded with the help of kids in the program. The cash donations were so generous that a portion of the money was reserved to purchase and deliver a second set of items later in the spring. For more information about Holy Family’s Youth Group or Miracle Place partnership, please contact Youth Director Marty Blake. mblake@Hfec.org
Holy Family Blood Drive
On February 14th, Holy Family hosted its first blood drive in the parish hall with the Indiana Blood Center. Special thanks are extended to all those who signed up to donate. For more information about Holy Family, please contact our church office admin@hfec.org
Coffeehouse Talent Show 2018
This year the Youth Group hosted its second annual Coffeehouse Talent Show fundraiser on February 10th. Youth Group students, parents, and adult leaders volunteered to share their talents with the community. This year we had acts that included singing, playing instruments, dancing, and comedy. Guests enjoyed coffee drinks and other beverages as well as desserts baked by congregation members. For more information about Youth Group activities, please contact Youth Director Marty Blake at mblake@hfec.org.
Flowers, Friends, and Fun
Members of Holy Family’s Mary & Martha Chapter of Junior Daughters of the King led a fellowship visit to Brookdale Senior Living Solutions in Castleton. The Junior Daughters were joined by siblings, parents, friends, and members of Holy Family’s Youth group. (To maintain the privacy of residents, only photos of youth are shown.) Holy Family members visited the rooms of residents as well as common areas and handed out flowers to all who wanted them. Special thanks are extended to Brookdale representative Destiny who guided the visitors through the facility. This is a continuing project of Holy Family’s youth that was inspired by an impromptu visit to an assisted living facility during the mission trip of 2017. For more information about Holy Family’s Junior Daughters of the King or Youth Group, please contact the church office. admin@hfec.org
Flowers for Friends
Members of Holy Family’s Youth Group recently visited the Hamilton Trace Assisted Living facility in Fishers. Students met with residents and delivered flowers to those who wanted them. (To maintain the privacy of residents, we only post photos of our youth.)
This trip was inspired by an impromptu visit to an assisted living facility while on their 2017 summer mission trip in TN. For more information about Holy Family’s Youth Group or outreach programs, please contact Youth Director Marty Blake. mblake@hfec.org
Care Kits for Kids
During our 9 AM Sunday school hour, our Godly Play class (PreK-1st grade) chatted with Holy Family’s Deacon, the Reverend Cathy Scott, about children in need right in our own city. They talked about all the items that help kids stay clean and healthy, and how some families do not have enough money to buy those items.
Children packed 61 bags with toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, mouthwash, shampoo, body wash, and lotion. The bags will be distributed to one elementary school and one intermediate school in Fishers. These bags will be added to the supplies from the Gleaner backpack program that supports children who need food and other items at home.
During our 10 AM service, the children were invited forward to bless with bags with our visiting clergy, The Reverend Jay Lawlor. The bags will be delivered early next week. Special thanks are extended to Dr. Jennifer Kugar at Northeast Pediatric Dentistry and Dr. Malinda Mundy-Burgett at Grin Dentistry for donating supplies. For more information about outreach projects in our Sunday school program, please contact Children’s Ministry Director Jolene Johnson. jjohnston@hfec.org
Mission in the Mountains Presentation
On Sunday, September 17th, Holy Family’s Mission in the Mountains team members shared stories and reflections from their summer mission trip. You may CLICK HERE to download the slides used during the presentation. The slides contain reflections from each of Holy Family’s youth that attended as well as a few from the Tennessee participants.
The Mission in the Mountains participants would like to thank everyone who supported our mission work. Our 2018 mission trip will take place in Indianapolis with guests from St. John’s Episcopal Church in Johnson City, TN. For more information, please contact our Youth Director Marty Blake at mblake@hfec.org.