TIME-2010-04

APRIL—JUNE 2010

Hunger Please Pass the Audacity

How - To Turn the World Upside Down Mission Possible Kids Get It Done

Haiti Quake Cannot Shake Foundations of Faith

in this issue | mission | staff

together in ministry everyday ST. LUKE’S CLERGY STAFF:

st. luke’s identity We are an open

community of Christians gathering to seek, celebrate, live and share the love of God for all creation.

st. luke’s vision We envision being transformed

by God

and transforming the world into a compassionate, just, inclusive,

Christ-like community.

4 11 12 14

4

Haiti

14

15 16 17 18 20 22 23 24

IN THIS ISSUE: Haiti Interfaith Hunger Initiative Later@St. Luke’s His Holiness the Dalai Lama Visit / Community Ministries UMW Troop Support Endowment / Summer Splash Youth Ministries Music Ministries Spiritual Life Center Welcome New Members Turn the World Upside Down

HHDL / IHI

100 W. 86th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46260 TELEPHONE: 317-846-3404 • FAX: 317-844-1034 • WEB: www.stlukesumc.com

Kent Millard, Linda McCoy, Marsha Hutchinson, Marion Miller, Stan Abell, David Williamson, Jamalyn Peigh Williamson, Adolf Hansen ST. LUKE’S STAFF:

Kathy Alexander, Administrative Team Assistant Jason Barnes, Director of AV/Media Dawn Bick, Assistant Director of Children’s Ministry, Elementary Betty Brandt, Director of Spiritual Life Center Kristi Chamberlain, Childcare Coordinator Terri Coe, Director of Adult Ministries Marsha Coyner, Director of Joyful Rhythms Lori Crantford, Director of Communications, Marketing & Development Kevin Davis, Director of Youth Ministries Jan Emmons, Finance Sylvia Forbes, Membership & Care Bertie Gilster, Receptionist Mary Hach, Assistant Director of Children’s Ministry, Early Childhood Adolf Hansen, Theologian in Residence Leslie Hazelwood, Facilities Kathleen Headington, Associate Director of Youth Ministries Martha Heinrich, IT Manager Carol Helmus, Special Event/Wedding Coordinator Sharon Holyoak, Oasis Bookstore Manager Julia Johnson, Executive Director of Ministries Mike Keller, Director of Wesleyan Ringers Faina Kleyner, Finance Beth Lammers, Building Scheduler Erica Lampe, Benefits/Development Assistant Tujuianna Lockhart, Facilities Bobbi Main-Jackson, Director of Weekday Ministries Charles Manning, Assistant Director of Music Ministries Linda McGlothlin, Adult Ministries Bonnie McMenamin, Music Ministries Assistant Janet Miller, Children’s Ministries DeAnna Moran, Adult Ministries Registrar Rickie Murphy, Facilities Debra Nethercott, Director of Children’s Music Sarah Nevin, Publications Design Jan Nichols, Coordinator of World Missions Projects Julie O’Connor, Administration & Celebration Team Rich Potterf, Building & Grounds Ministry Brian Schnitz, Facilities Mary Katherine Schnitz, Director of Care Ministries Cara Scott, Receptionist Kelly Scott, Facilities Winnie Sibotshiwe, Facilities Mark Squire, Director of Music Ministries Tara-Lynne Sinicki, Director of Children’s Ministries Ben Spillman, Facilities Alison Strawmyer, Assistant Director & Registrar, Weekday Preschool & Parent’s Day Out Program William Taylor, Facilities Jayne Moynahan Thorne, Director of Outreach Ministries Chris Thornsberry, Associate Director of Adult Ministries Cheryl West, Director of New Song Adra Wheeler, Director of Hospitality & Volunteers Rich Wisman, Facilities

THE GARDEN CLERGY STAFF:

Editorial: Lori Crantford; Design: Sarah Nevin CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Kathy Alexander, Betty Brandt, Kathy Dalton, Sue Fields, Erika Gibson, Natalie Harris, Jenny Hawke, Carlie Jensen, Kathy Levine, Marion Miller, Dave Miner, DeShong Perry, Megan Peterson, Beau Scott, Tricia Tomson, David Williamson, Jamalyn Peigh Williamson.

CIRCULATION MANAGER: Sylvia Forbes.

Linda McCoy, Stan Abell

EDITORIAL/PRODUCTION STAFF:

NEXT T.I.M.E. DEADLINE:

June 1 for July—September 2010

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THE GARDEN STAFF:

Troye Kinnett, Director, The Good Earth Band Steve Whipkey, Director, Oak Hill Band Judy Tolley, Administrative Team Leader Beth Fried, Communications & Worship Larry Fletcher, Director of Marketing & Operations Matt Peyton, Media Ministry Specialist

from the desk

APRIL—JUNE 

Friends: During Lent we focused on both loving God and loving our neighbor.

For the past six weeks we engaged in SPIRITUAL SPRING TRAINING where we focused attention on practicing some of the Spiritual Disciplines as we all sought to walk closer with God in our journey through life. But we also were actively engaged in reaching out and loving our neighbors in need. Since the first of January, the generous people of St. Luke's:

1. Gave over $55,000 to Haiti Relief efforts through a special offering. Bob and Sharon Zehr also donated the food and facilities of Oak Hill Mansion for benefit fundraiser for Haiti relief, where over $30,000 was raised.

2.

Co-sponsored a Black History Month Musical celebration with Barnes United Methodist Church to support their Community Center, which is saving lives and decreasing crime in that part of town. The musical generated over $10,000 in gifts and pledges to help Barnes support this outreach ministry.

3.

Led a food drive to bring in groceries to support five different food pantries throughout our city during March. We thank our United Methodist Women for this semi-annual effort, and all those who responded so generously.

I thank God for the way the people of St. Luke's follow the Great Commandment of Jesus to love God with our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Our church-wide theme for the next quarter is TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN. When Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica in Greece they proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah and celebrated how God had been at work in his life. The religious leaders in Thessalonica opposed Paul and Silas publicly, saying: “These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also.” (ACTS 17:6) When the followers of Jesus come into a community, God uses them to turn the world upside down.

The vision of St. Luke's is that we will be so transformed by God that God will use us to transform the world into a compassionate, just, inclusive and Christ-like community.

During this next quarter, we will not just be looking at the activities of our congregation but at the results of these activities. How does what we do result in a better, more compassionate world for all of God's children?

It is a joy to journey beside you in this quest to be God's agents in "turning the world upside down."

Grace and Peace,

Kent Millard

Senator George McGovern Speaking at St. Luke’s St. Luke’s welcomes Senator George McGovern to St. Luke’s on Sunday, June 6. He will be speaking at all three morning worship services.

Senator McGovern was appointed in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy as the worldwide director of the Food for Peace program, and he remained a longtime leader in ensuring nutrition and food security as a means to fight poverty and political instability. McGovern was appointed United Nations Ambassador on World Hunger in 2001. In 2008, he and Senator Bob Dole were named the 2008 World Food Prize Laureates for their work to promote school-feeding programs globally. He will speak on the topic of world hunger while at St. Luke’s. n

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haiti

together in ministry everyday

What I Learned on My Haitian Vacation

by Lori Crantford

On Sunday, February , I left Indianapolis bound for Port-au-Prince, Haiti, for what will end up being the most memorable experience of my life, outside of childbirth.

Childbirth was easier.

Maybe you watched televised coverage of the earthquake that struck Haiti on January  and its aftermath so vigilantly that you felt like you were there... but nothing prepares you for actually being there. I cannot stress this enough. It’s like the difference between watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon, and walking on the moon yourself.

LEFT TO RIGHT:

Going to post-earthquake Haiti feels like going to another planet. First of all, they speak another language, as in not English. I really should have taken this more seriously before going. The only phrase I ever managed to hang onto was Mwen pa pale Creole, which means “I don’t speak Creole.” The irony of saying this in Creole is not lost on me.

Our baggage. Thank you to everyone who donated much-needed tents, tarps and health kits.

The first thing you notice is government housing, which in this case is a good thing. Military tents had been erected near the airport, a comforting beige neighborhood of stability and order. Like having The Supernanny move into your chaotic home.

One of many "tent" communities in Port-au-Prince.

The destroyed capitol is surreal to behold.

The quality of tents rapidly declines, while the quantity increases. As you move into and through Port-au-Prince, you are overwhelmed by a pandemic of tent communities. The mobile home parks of Haiti. While they are not as well constructed as mobile homes—substitute sticks and sheets for pre-fabbed walls and ceilings, with the occasional tin siding upgrade—they are mobile homes in the way a feather is mobile in the wind. A stiff breeze, a hard rain, and off they go.

Israel (second adult from the left) and his family.

So first, you see the tents. Then, bit by bit, as if your mind is slowly adding elements to your mental storyboard display, more images begin to sink in.

Dining area inside the makeshift orphanage.

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There are people everywhere. People sifting through rubble. People trying to sell what they find in the rubble, or whatever they can... but the sellers far outnumber the buyers. People sitting on sidewalks, in doorways. People on bikes, on foot, careening down crowded streets in cars and trucks, horns blaring. People salvaging parts from crushed autos lying on the sides of roads as if tossed there by a giant bored, destructive toddler. What were once treasures are now trash... and then suddenly you see the trash, which to an outsider would appear to be the Haitian gross national product. As if trash farmers were paid subsidies to plant and harvest more trash, but then the exporting dried up and now they have all this trash. (Of course, as Americans, we really have no room to talk.

We’re just better at hiding it.)

There are other images, of course—tap taps (colorful taxis jammed to the max with passengers), livestock, starving animals, and remnants of life before January —storefront signs with smiling girls offering cell phone service, a city bus with the words “bling bling” merrily painted on the back, the place where a university once stood—now a pile of broken bricks and crumpled dreams. While your mind takes all this in, through the suffocating chaos of tents and people and trash, you start to be aware of what is no longer there. Of how much is simply GONE. Haiti is a war zone of destruction. Perhaps the vastness of it is exaggerated by the lack of structures to block your vision—the landscape is open and raw, an ocean of dust, waves of rubble, crests of still-standing walls. The broken and jagged remnants of buildings are like looking inside a hockey player’s mouth —something busted here, a big gap there.

Between the teeming humanity and the vast landscape of destruction,

APRIL—JUNE 

Reflections from Haiti

by Rev. David Williamson there are things to be learned and shared from this crippled country. Has this nation been knocked down hard, pinned against the ropes? Yes. Are they bruised and battered, the Rocky underdog, lightweights in a global heavyweight competition? Absolutely. But like Rocky, Haiti will not quit. Like Rocky, the Haitian people have a fighting spirit, a heritage of pulling themselves up and facing heavy challenges. Like Rocky, they cry out—they cry out for God, not asking where God is, but praising God and putting their faith, trust and lives into God’s loving hands.

This past month, a movie called “2012” was released on DVD. It’s been called the “mother of all disaster movies”—it’s about the end of the world, and the clips I’ve seen show all these floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis destroying civilization as we know it (and somehow John Cusak is navigating his family through all these natural disasters). Apparently there’s this whole thing called “The 2012 Phenomenon”—I looked it up on Wikipedia and discovered it has something to do with the end of the Mayan calendar, which some take as a prediction of the end of the world. At any rate, the movie didn’t really fare that well in American theaters—at least it didn’t make my “must-see” list—but it apparently made its way to as remote a place as Fondwa, Haiti.

Their faith is stronger than any earthquake. It is 10.0 Richterscale faith. And it is really quite something to witness.

“Will you still be living in America in 2012?” The question came from my godson, a 16-year-old boy named Yves-Marie (pronounced “Eve”-Marie). At first I didn’t understand what he was getting at. Yes, of course I plan on living there two years from now. Why?

I’d like to share with you a few lessons I learned (or relearned) on my recent Haitian “vacation.” Seven days spent traveling with Rev. David Williamson, Rev. Stan Abell, Rev. Frank Van Allen (St. Paul UMC, Bloomington, IN) and David Priest (volunteer videographer at Later @ St. Luke’s).

Lesson #1: Never travel with three pastors and a Priest.

I really don’t think I need to elaborate.

Lesson #2: Hospitality and grace have nothing to do with abundance.

Because we knew it would be important not to leave our footprint, so to speak, on Haiti, we took our own food and

His eyes look worried. He glances down to the side, as if studying the rocks.

“Because I’ve seen the movie. I know what will happen. I will pray for you.” Yves Marie is old enough to know it’s just a movie. And yet he is genuinely concerned.

I look around at where we stand. Just above us is the APF center—the guesthouse where I once lived. Besides the school, it’s easily the largest building in the Fondwa valley. It was the center, the heartbeat, of that valley. It was where important meetings were held and momentous occasions were celebrated. It was where people came when they were sick or in need (to the clinic on the first floor); it was where people received their daily news (from the radio station housed there).

And yet, like the school, it collapsed on the day of the earthquake. As Yves Marie and I talked, about fifty strong Haitians were demolishing the building by hand.

Some were pounding on the walls with sledgehammers, others were throwing rocks down to the ground below, where still yet others were shoveling the rubble into the back of waiting trucks. All worked in this great cloud of dust and heat.

Just behind me, across the road, were three big piles of rock, each memorializing a house which once stood there. One house had belonged to Yves Marie’s aunt Jesula (whose husband, Boss, was working at the school at the time of the earthquake and barely survived); another belonged to his great-uncle Ciné (who lost a foot in the earthquake and now gets around on crutches); and the final one belonged to Yves Marie’s older brother. This was where Yves Marie had slept prior to the earthquake. They were once all nice homes—small perhaps, but built in block, believed at the time to the most stable and durable form of housing. Now all three were little more than piles of rock.

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haiti

together in ministry everyday

cardboard and scraps of plywood. The bad ones were nothing more than a skeleton-frame made of sticks no wider than my forearms, with bed sheets stretched across from the corners. They looked more like overgrown box kites than anything else, and you wondered what would happen when a stiff breeze came along.

So back to Yves Marie. All this—the APF center, the houses, the scenery of dust and destruction—registered in a second, while his expression of concern still lingered in the air. On the one hand, it feels deeply ironic, that this boy who has lost and endured so much should be worried about me, an American who lives a life of relative ease. But there’s something also tragic about his concern, because it occurs to me that, post-earthquake, the idea of the world coming to an end doesn’t seem like such a strange possibility for this young man.

We drove by these “villages,” all teeming with people—older men sitting in the openings, children running up and down through the narrow spaces between huts, women taking the laundry down to the nearby stream to wash in the muddy water—and we wondered what life was like for them. Then we arrived in Fondwa and got a close-up look at what life was like in such a place.

My wife, Jamalyn, had been in Haiti at the time of the earthquake.

She’d been standing just above the orphanage when she felt the ground moving beneath her “like someone had just grabbed the corner of the earth and was whipping it up and down like a sheet.” She watched as the children ran out of the building below like they’d “been shot out of a cannon,” and she tried to herd them all up to safety on the road above. Every child, she remembers, was shouting, “Jezi! Jezi!” They

Not that the conditions in Fondwa were quite as bad—not at all. The sisters, as usual, were doing the very best they could with meager resources. In the week following the earthquake, the sisters had landed

upon a former tree nursery as their new living site. They chose this site because of the existence of shade trees (which used to protect the tree saplings but now provide some measure of cover for the children) and because of the surrounding fence, which they feel gives them some measure of security in the evenings (when they seem to feel the most vulnerable). They cleaned out the chicken coop below and used that to store all the things which they’d salvaged from the fallen school and guesthouse. They attached tin to the chain link fence in order to make "walls" which do a surprisingly good job at blocking the winds. And they’ve paid local carpenters to build a giant structure over the rest of the nursery using traditional Haitian materials—stripped "dogwood" trees (different from our dogwood trees, but a very hard and durable tree that grows reasonably straight) and corrugated tin. At the time of our visit they'd covered about half the nursery in this way, while the other half was still covered with a patchwork of tarps.

truly believed that Jesus had returned. When one child asked her point blank if Jesus had returned, Jamalyn replied in half-seriousness: “I don’t know if Jesus is here, but if he is, he can find us up on the road!”

When the dust settled, it turned out that Jesus hadn’t come, that the world had not in fact come to an end. But I imagine it continues to feel that way for the people of Fondwa. My visit was a full six weeks after the earthquake, and people still talked about everything that was lost.

Look at our community center, they said. Look at the school. Look at our churches. Look at our homes. All these beautiful things, broken.

That’s the word they use—kraze—as if their homes and churches were like fine vases that someone took and shattered on the ground. Broken.

And now, in place of these beautiful things, the conditions they are now living in are just plain ugly. That’s what struck me on the ride out to Fondwa from the airport. It wasn’t the trash, or the crowds, or even the broken-down buildings. The first two I’d experienced plenty on prior trips through Port-au-Prince, and the third I’d seen on TV plenty the past month. It was the tent villages (and “tent” is a generous word in this instance) that got me. The military camps were neatly ordered—those who lived there were the lucky ones. But the further we got out from the airport, the fewer and far-between those military camps became, and in their place we saw the saddest collection of tents you’ve ever seen. The “good” ones were pasted together with tin and

The sisters moved the entire orphanage up into this nursery, and they also took in the surrounding neighbors (like Yves Marie) whose homes were destroyed. All in all you have about 80 people living in a pretty tight area—I'd guess somewhere around 5,000-6,000 square feet, although I never officially paced it off. In the evening, they roll out carpet they salvaged from the guesthouse so that the children don’t have to sleep on the bare ground. Even still, the carpet is tough to keep clean, and most of the mats that the children are sleeping on have been ruined by the dirt and mud.

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APRIL—JUNE 

HAITIAN VACATION, cont’d from page 5

filters to pump and clean our own water. When you go to a country like Haiti, even before the earthquake, you do not want to impose yourself on people who have so little by comparison. Also, there can be some attendant health risks (which is why I took to saying, “Why is it that when other people get out their passports, they get to learn Italian, and every time I get mine out, I get a typhoid shot?”). So we came to Haiti with our little provisions of peanut butter and nuts, dried fruit and protein bars, Jolly Ranchers and freezedried Neopolitan ice cream (every bit as yummy as it sounds). We were self-sufficient, a burden to no one.

Turns out we didn’t get the hospitality memo. If we had, we would have known that no one in Haiti was going to let us simply feed ourselves. You see, we were their guests. It did

In the midst of poverty and hard times, even by Haitian standards, we were fed, welcomed, not seen as a burden but as honored guests. They didn’t give because it was easy. They gave because their hearts were full. As Dave Duba (St. Luke’s World Missions chair) wrote to us when he learned of our astonishment in the face of this unexpected generosity: “Welcome to Haiti.”

Lesson #3: Earthquakes crush buildings, not dreams.

For those who lost loved ones in the earthquake, many dreams were also buried in the rubble. But the vast majority of people we met still have big hopes for their futures. Dreams of obtaining a college education are on hold, not terminated.

Schools and homes will be rebuilt. Jobs will return.

Come back home and try to find something to complain about. Eventually you’ll start to complain again, but never as much.

It just doesn’t seem sportsmanlike any more. not matter to the sisters who run the orphanage in Fondwa that they were now living on dirt floors with tin siding for makeshift walls, sheets and tarps for flimsy ceilings. It was their home, for now, and they were our hosts. Breakfast and lunch (or if we were out visiting, then dinner) were prepared for us every day. Rice and beans, of course, but also delicious fried plantains, okra, vegetable soup, eggs, chicken, freshripened bananas.

This hospitality extended throughout the community.

People whose homes had been destroyed and were now sometimes two and three families living together in one small house would invite us in for coffee (not at all like American coffee unless you happen to add maybe molasses and a quarter cup of sugar to yours), hot cocoa, yams, some kind of fried dough (which a very lucky kitten near my chair was happy to take off my hands) and more chicken. I have to tell you, as a vegetarian, if someone could have verified for me that the chicken on the platter was the one crowing at , I would have eaten it and not had second thoughts.

Just seconds.

We were even treated to coconuts, picked right off the tree for us. While the coconut “milk” did not rank high on our ~ colada without the kick or lists (think watered-down pina little umbrella), the delicacy of fresh coconut meat made my all-time list of good eats. Plus, when was the last time a coconut woke anyone up in the middle of the night?

While their spirits and their faith were not broken like so many of their bones, they know the road ahead is long and difficult. Israel, a friend of the Williamsons, is a wellspoken young man who was attending university in Portau-Prince. He was at the home of his older brother when the earthquake came and, as he put it, “My brother’s house broke.” Israel, his sister Claudina (who taught first grade in the Fondwa school that was destroyed), his brother, sisterin-law and their children all now live in the small rural home of their parents. It sits high up the mountainside, about a -minute leisurely uphill hike from Fondwa. As we walked back down the mountain after our visit with this lovely family, we came upon children who had fashioned kites out of plastic bags and sticks. The sight of these children laughing and their soaring kites reminded me to ask Israel a question that had been nagging me since our arrival. “The children seem so happy,” I said. “How are they able to be so happy?”

Israel looked at me with serious eyes. “Because they are free,” he replied, pointing to his head. “They are free in their minds. I am not free in my mind.”

The weight of those fallen bricks and stones is with the Haitians, but it has not crushed them. They get up every day and start again the work of clearing, hauling, finding a way to rebuild their dreams.

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LEFT TO RIGHT:

A street scene in Port-au-Prince.

The remnants of the APF center.

Ciné oversees the demolition of the APF center.

Boss talks to David about his experiences during and after the earthquake.

Taking barrels for water up the mountain.

Market day in Tombe-Gateau.

haiti

together in ministry everyday

REFLECTIONS, cont’d from page 6

The Scripture reading for the day is an unusual one—from the Old Testament, we read the story of Jonah, and then from the Gospels we read how Jesus told his critics that no sign would be given to them except the “sign of Jonah” (MATTHEW 12:38-42). Not exactly the kind of scripture I would’ve chosen—it seems to talk about judgment more than hope. But in Father Joseph’s hands, it turned out to be a wonderful selection. Certainly, he says, things look like we’re in the “belly of the whale.” It’s dark, and you might think that we’re without hope. But there were still, Father Joseph insisted, “signs of life” all around.

There was a fierce storm the first night we were there. Not too much rain, but an incredibly strong wind that lasted through the night. Midway through the night, I exited the tent just to see what it looked like.

The wind would gust up, and the tents we were sleeping in would lay down flat. But as soon as the wind let up, they’d pop up again like magic. I thanked God for good old American construction (but then again, maybe the tents were made in China). Either way, I was pleasantly surprised that they made it through the night.

The tarps over the orphanage, though, didn’t. Some of the knots tying the tarps to the trees came loose and so the tarps whipped and waved and crackled all night long. I wondered how any one of the children or neighbors could sleep underneath all that noise. Turns out they didn’t.

Early in the night a particularly strong gust of wind ripped off part of the tin roof. Most of the children and adults stayed standing all night long. They were afraid to lie down and have something fall on them.

Just for good measure, we experienced two small aftershocks in the middle of the night, too. A strange feeling, to feel 1,000+ feet of rock trembling beneath your sleeping body.

That ultimately became my mantra for the week—looking for those signs of life. We saw it in worship, in the humble faith of those gathered to receive the Eucharist. In the children who played games with broken-down wheelbarrows and made kites out of bits of string and plastic. In the neighbors who received us with open arms and always offered coconut or coffee or whatever they had. In the workers who were clearing the way for the buildings to come. Or, perhaps my favorite, in the birth of a new little child during our second night there.

The mother had come to the clinic in the middle of the night, in the midst of a painful labor, and the sisters made special efforts to get her to a hospital. The next day, the mother and child returned to the encampment, and they stayed with us until the sisters could help get her back on her feet. Every time I saw that new mother, tenderly watching and holding her child, I was filled with hope.

Then the morning came, and we emerged from our tents into the gray light which somehow brought the comfort that another day was starting, that life had not ended. We watched as some of the children started their chores—fetching water, cleaning dishes, etc—while the kitchen workers set up a make-shift kitchen (the tin enclosure they’d used the day before had blown away) and started making breakfast to feed us and all the children. We entered the enclosure, and the sisters had cleared away the carpet in the front room and set up chairs for a mini church service. The dining room table was now transformed into

Truly, life continues on. And as I witnessed those signs of life, I was reminded that homes will be rebuilt, that schools will be reopened, that these children will have a future. And here’s the thing Father Joseph said that hit home that morning: He told us Americans that for them,

She watched as the children ran out of the building below like they’d “been shot out of a cannon,” and she tried to herd them all up to safety on the road above.

LEFT TO RIGHT:

Wilkens recuperates at his parents' home.

Inside the temporary orphanage.

Haitian field prep.

Washing dishes.

Tin siding of the orphanage.

we were also “signs of life”—a sign that the outside world still cares, that our aid will not stop until those homes are rebuilt and schools reopened and “normal life reclaimed.” It’s a humbling thing, to be called a sign of life. But Sister Carmelle echoed the sentiment: “When I see you,” she said, “I don’t see just you, but I see also the families and churches that you represent. So when I say thank you, I’m speaking through you to them.”

an altar. A young man began playing a soft beat upon his drums, and the sisters fell in with their singing. The children gathered off to the side. Mass was about to begin.

In a place like this, the very act of worship is in itself an act of resistance. The Haitians know their situation is dire, they’ve witnessed the loss of everything they’ve built for the past 20 years, and yet they refuse to have their spirits broken. They still praise God for life, and they still understand (maybe now more than ever before) that they depend upon God’s provision for daily living. When the Haitians say the Lord’s prayer—“Give us today our daily bread”—the line has particular force and meaning.

So back to Yves Marie. Here’s this young boy, whose home and school have been destroyed. And he’s saying—in full sincerity—that he will hold me in his prayers. Oh, that I might do the same, Yves Marie. If only all of us would, and so become the “signs of life” that Christ calls us to be. n

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APRIL—JUNE 

HAITIAN VACATION, cont’d from page 7

Lesson #4:

Calling chickens is fun!

At Israel’s house, they taught me to call chickens. It was the most fun I’ve had in ages. Look for me at the State Fair this summer.

pieces of stone imprisoning Wilkens, until finally, arms raised over his head, she was able to pull him free. As he gathered himself and looked up to thank her, she was gone. He does not know her name. He does not believe he will ever see her again. He believes that God sent an angel in the form of a small, thin woman to rescue him.

Lesson #5: Complaining is overrated.

Try this: go live in an underdeveloped nation for a week. Leave everyone you love at home. Sleep on the ground while a radio plays Celine Dion or salsa music all night, and did I mention the chatty roosters? Have no access to any type of indoor plumbing. Dream of port-a-potties. Have a conversation with a smiling amputee. Sit in a -degree airport terminal with  other people and only two coolers of water for everyone for five hours. Come back home and try to find something to complain about. Eventually you’ll start to complain again, but never as much. It just doesn’t seem sportsmanlike any more.

As we were preparing to leave Fondwa, I was carrying my backpack and a suitcase down the hill to the van when I realized that I was only carrying my backpack. Remy, a precocious little imp from the orphanage, had come up beside me, slipped the suitcase out of my hand and was now marching next to me, the suitcase perched Haitian-style on top of his head. Remy is probably four feet tall. Maybe if you never tell anyone they’re too little to do big things, it will never occur to them not to try.

Maybe angels have dancing eyes and a killer hug like Remy, strong wills and a compassionate heart like Wilkens’ rescuer.

Lesson #7: Lesson #6:

Big problems have small solutions.

Small people do big things.

Probably the most powerful story we heard while there came from the soft-spoken Wilkens. A student who hopes to one day get his master’s in human resource development, Wilkens sat on the porch of his parents’ home in the mountains and quietly shared his story. He and a teacher were at the university in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake hit. They were immediately buried under the rubble; Wilkens’ right ankle was pinned, and heavy stone lay on top of him. They began to cry out for help. Within a few hours, someone was able to extract the teacher but they were unable to free Wilkens. They promised to return, but hours passed and no one came back. Wilkens spent all of Tuesday

I won’t sugarcoat it here. It’s easy to feel hopeless in Haiti. You could get on a plane back to the States, shake your head and declare the situation to be—to use a highly technical term—toast.

While the situation in Haiti is heartbreaking, it is not hopeless. The Haitian people understand their plight, and yet they have hope. Life has never been easy for most of them and while they have been struck a magnificent blow, they are not defeated. They are resourceful, resilient and proud. Their history has prepared them to fight for their country.

But they do need help, and for a long time to come.

I started thinking of the situation in Haiti in terms of getting my sons to clean their room. Telling them to tackle a room ankle-deep in clean and dirty clothes, littered with pencils, candy wrappers, papers—a microscopic Haiti if you will, sans goats—would only produce a deer-caught-in-the headlights gaze on their faces. They were frozen, unable to comprehend what to do first. But if I guided them to start with their desk, or work on this little corner here, then little by little they were able to achieve the desired goal.

If you stand back and look at all of Haiti, it produces the same kind of paralysis. So much to do, so many problems, where to

night trapped—calling for help, crying, praying. On Wednesday, a stranger appeared—“a thin woman” is how Wilkens described her. She had heard Wilkens crying and came to help. When he saw how thin and small she was—and a woman to boot—he did not think she would be able to free him. Determined, she worked to shift and move the heavy

start? The thing is, we each have to start small, and then big things will eventually happen as we all pull together. As a community, as a nation, as a world.

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haiti

together in ministry everyday

HAITIAN VACATION, cont’d from page 9

My aunt Sue is  years old and has lived in Haiti for  years.

For the past two years, she has lived on her own caring for orphans who are either pending adoption or who are unadoptable (due to lack of birth certificates). We were able to stay with my aunt on our last night in Haiti. Besides now being my favorite relative due to her house having indoor plumbing, my aunt—like the sisters who run the orphanage in Fondwa, like Dr. Marie Rene at the Haitian Academy (a long-time mission of St. Luke’s)—is changing her little corner of Haiti one child at a time.

Whether the work in Haiti speaks to you, or in Africa or Honduras, the Appalachian mountains or a food pantry in Indianapolis, the biggest lesson we all can learn is that our actions matter. I think maybe every article Kay Walla (St. Luke’s World Missions volunteer extraordinaire) has ever written about mission work includes that saying “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.” It’s really true. Kay would never lie.

My Friends Went to Haiti and All I Got Was This Great T-Shirt...

Here’s one small, innovative way to help Haiti. St. Luke’s member Mike Marker and his business partner Jeremy Chastain, owners of Bring the Hope, have created “Bring the Hope to Haiti” t-shirts—100% of the proceeds of each t-shirt sold will be donated to the orphanage in Fondwa that the Williamsons are affiliated with. Bring the Hope was launched in March 2009 with one goal in mind: to bring a little optimism to the world. They believe that if more people wear apparel with messages of hope or optimism, that people will see it and think about it, and it may cause them to do something about it. So far they have supported causes like KidsFirst Foundation, Folds of Honor Foundation and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. n

There’s a song on my iPod by Train entitled “Calling All Angels.” I’ve been listening to this song for years but when I heard it after I got back from Haiti, the words really struck me: I need a sign to let me know you're here All of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere I need to know that things are gonna look up 'Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from a cup

For more information on Bring the Hope, visit their website at www.bringthehope.com. You can order the Haiti shirts there ($15), as well as others.

Having the Audacity

by Dave Miner

When there is no place safe and no safe place to put my head When you feel the world shake from the words that are said And I'm calling all angels I'm calling all you angels I won't give up if you don’t give up I won’t give up if you don’t give up I need a sign to let me know you're here 'Cause my TV set just keeps it all from being clear I want a reason for the way things have to be I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me And I'm calling all angels I'm calling all you angels

I talked with the brother of a good friend the other day about the increasing level of hunger in this country and around the world. “When will we see the day,” I asked, “that everyone who is willing to work and work hard can feed their own family?” My companion expressed his belief that this has never happened in the past and will never happen in the future.

As the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday approached, I was reminded of this quote from his Nobel Prize acceptance speech: I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, other-centered men can build up.

I won't give up if you don’t give up I won’t give up if you don’t give up

I responded to my companion’s sentiment with the observation that over the last three decades we have had enough food to feed everyone. This is the first time in the history of the world that there is enough food to feed everyone.

This was never the case before.

The people of Haiti are not giving up. And we shouldn’t give up on them. We have a lot to teach each other.

At Interfaith Hunger Initiative we are working together to see that all are fed from this bounty. We have the audacity to believe it can be done now and in our town.

And that’s what I learned on my Haitian vacation. n

Over the last two decades, two major economic powers of the world—China and Brazil—among others, have made dramatic progress towards ending hunger in their countries. They set out very intentionally to do it. They had the audacity.

And once all are fed, maybe then we can also find ways that everyone can feed their own families. Will we have the audacity?

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feeding the hungry

APRIL—JUNE 

Moments from last fall’s Un-Lunch Hour at Monument Circie

2009 IHI Report Card In the ‘busy-ness’ of our daily journey we can lose sight of the ground we have covered. The following is a report on what generous congregations and individuals have made happen in , the first year of operation of the Interfaith Hunger Initiative.

Changing the Systems—IHI was a key contributor to the startup of a

Awareness and Engagement—Raising awareness and engagement is key to

In the area of advocacy, six IHI congregations spoke up for the hungry via a letter-writing campaign to our representatives and senators, an ‘Offering of Letters’, asking them to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our development assistance.

ending hunger. Attracting new congregations to IHI builds the movement.

We had nine new congregations participate with us in —Christ the King Catholic, First Baptist Cumberland, First Baptist North Indianapolis, Friedens UCC, Holy Cross, Indiana Buddhist Center, Islamic Society of North America, St Mark’s in Plainfield, and Trinity Church. Welcome to all!

new collaboration among the major food providers in our city—the Indianapolis Food Resource Network which held its inaugural event October 16, 2009 at Conseco Fieldhouse.

It Takes a Community—In addition to the more than two dozen congrega-

Our  Un Lunch featured more than two dozen faith leaders representing twenty widely varying congregations and attracted two television spots. Collections in multiple individual congregations raised over ,. A joint St Luke’s/Beth El Zedeck production of “Fiddler on the Roof” raised . The five Thanksgiving services, including three new ones around the city, connected us with lots of new folks. Collections at the five services raised another .

tions that have been engaged in IHI in various ways, several other organizations have been essential to our success. The obvious ones are our partners Gleaners and the Global Interfaith Partnership who run Umoja.

Feeding the Hungry in Indianapolis—In coming together we are making a bigger difference than we could alone. We are feeding the hungry. We are changing the systems.

Less visible but equally important are the church Federation of Greater Indianapolis who helped form IHI and provide ongoing support, Pacers Sports and Entertainment, Pearson Partners, Print Resources, Church World Service, the Indianapolis Archdiocese, the International Interfaith Initiative, and area Boy Scouts.

Final Thoughts—Over the past year I met many wonderful people from a

With IHI financial backing the number of Pantry Partners through Gleaners grew from zero to seven during the year. These Pantry Partners provide the hungry more ready access to food. Our $55,000 helped these pantries procure a remarkable 450,000 lbs (225 tons !) of food in 2009.

variety of faiths and churches, including traditions about which I previously knew little. From their different faiths they felt a common sense of call to feed the hungry. They are coming together to end hunger, and building bridges of understanding across our diverse community in the process. Praise to the almighty. n Dave Miner Volunteer Executive Director, Interfaith Hunger Initiative

Feeding the Hungry in Kenya—Partnering with Umoja’s interfaith efforts,

over 2000 vulnerable children in Kenya received a life-giving lunch every day in school. The gift to these children is so much more than a meal— many are AIDS orphans and from child-headed households and would not be able to attend school at all without the meal. Our , also supported efforts to move the schools towards self sufficiency!

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later@st. luke’s

together in ministry everyday

Mission Possible Kids: “Turn the World Upside Down”

by Dr. Marion Miller

Sunday evenings around Later@St. Luke’s is buzzing since we introduced a chartered program to the Midwest called Mission Possible Kids (MP Kids).

No doubt, they can turn the world upside down!

Haiti, they wanted to help even more. So these special agents accepted the “top secret mission” of making comfort blankets for their little Haiti sisters and brothers. Thanks to St. Luke’s World Missions who funded the project, blankets are now on their way to keep little children in Haiti warm.

Also for Haiti, they have engaged with World Missions and the Changing Footprints Organization to collect clean, gently used or new shoes for Haiti. Covered collection bins have been made available in various hallways around the church.

This program originated out of Plano, Texas at Christ United Methodist Church in . Its goal was simple—to empower kids to change the world through missions. Introduced to the program while living in Texas, Cathy Robinson, daughter Kennedy and son Riley became deeply involved. Upon relocating back to Indianapolis, they brought with them much enthusiasm and passion as a result of their involvement. Looking for a “multicultural” church home, they found Later@St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. A few weeks later the program was launched.

For them, it's all about creating that intangible called PEACE, something it seems we adults have a hard time grasping when everything around us is described as a fight.

But, I am convinced that these kids really know what peace is: "Love and no violence.''

Since the launch in December , boys and girls involved in the program have touched over  lives. According to Agent Coordinator Cathy Robinson, she believes that by starting early in life and embracing the philosophy of caring for others, these MP Kids will lay down the foundation for a life of caring actions, and that the ripple effect can change the world one small act at a time.

Cathy Robinson reports, "Everyone gets along, and everyone is happy.''

And Agent Handler Peggy Meyer says, "Help people even if you don't know them.''

But is it really that simple?

Every Sunday evening at -, the MP Kids listen to spy music to hear the next “top secret mission” from Agent Coordinator Cathy Robinson.

It is for these kids, who meet once a week thinking they can change the world—they are actually turning the world upside down! These kids, Grades 1 through 5, experience the unique opportunity of learning how to do mission and ministry at an early age. Parents are saying this is the most exciting activity we have seen in decades for our children. The concept is brilliant!

Then, they're off. Their first top-secret mission was supporting the Children’s Ministry with the Mitten Tree mission project during Christmas.

Then they made over  Bandana Buddies for the Orphan Outreach in Honduras and Russia. Our kids made over  Busy Bags for the children in Romania and Moldova and, locally, for the Julian Center and Coburn Place. Next they made over  Valentine Cards for vets in Iraq; and for the Day Springs Shelter, where they took their first mission field trip on Valentine’s Sunday. Over  kids plus supporting parents were in attendance.

Later@St. Luke’s continues to collaborate with World Missions, Children’s Ministry and the Indiana United Methodist Conference Mission and Advocacy Associate Director to make this program the best it can possibly be. As a result of this collaborative effort, we currently have over  kids registered. These special agents have relocated their group twice in the building due to growth in size; and they are well on their way to a third

These little hands have also touched Iraq, Africa, South Dakota and Haiti with Eye Glasses and Sweet Sleep Pillows. When the earthquake struck in

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partnerships

APRIL—JUNE 

A Girl’s Gift, Inc.

by DeShong Perry and Ericka Gibson, Executive Directors campus location. Apparently, the need is great!

All you have to do is listen to the prayers of the little children as they pray over each finished project. All of the laughing, giggling and cookie-grabbing kids of early evening, take on a serious look of pride on what they have accomplished. When they prayed over the completed projects for Haiti and South Dakota, you heard these words, “Dear God, please bless these blankets for the children in Haiti that need them. When they sleep under them, let them know that someone in Indianapolis cares.” And another child said, “Dear God, we worked hard on these blankets. Please see that they get safely to those that need them.”

What I like most about this program is that the special agent theme makes it all fun. And for each mission they complete, the children earn a star that they wear on their bright lime green T-shirt. As they collect stars, they rise in the agents ranks and get new titles. Promotional ceremonies are held at the Later@St. Luke’s worship services open to the public. It isn’t all work, however. There are games included in the program, like a form of “Simon Says” that involves secretagent type actions, such as creeping, dropping, about face, etc., that can only be done when preceded by “Headquarters Says...”

Our children have already touched so many lives. Can you imagine what that number will be in a year or two? We are so thankful for Cathy Robinson, her team of agent handlers and youth associates, as well as supporting parents who help to round out a cohesive team. What an impact they are having with our children as they touch lives around the world.

Mission Possible Kids are always looking for top secret agents. Our program is on the same calendar year as the Children’s Ministry program, so we only have a few months left before summer break. So come join up with us as we find out our next “top secret mission.”

It is easy to catch the excitement and anticipation between the partnership of Later@St. Luke’s and A Girl’s Gift, Inc. This awesome mentoring program focuses on girls in grades 5 through 8. So many pre-teen girls grow up without giving success a chance. They look at the positive images of polished, professional women on TV, but Codi Perry and Diana Dewberry never mentally see themselves in the picture. This newly formed non-profit organization is dedicated to introducing girls to positive female role models, and improving the quality of their lives.

There are currently over 35 girls in the program going through workshops that target topics ranging from study habits and self esteem to financial literacy, online safety and community service. These girls will be equipped with the tools, resources and mentors they need during this highly susceptible age. The goal is for girls to feel confident about who they are and what they can achieve, and at the same time be able to look in the mirror of success and see their own faces smiling back!

A Girl’s Gift Inc. will provide positive female role models and strong support structures to motivate pre-teen and teenage girls who are ready to explore who they are and discover their community at large. The mentors—all Indy-area professional women—will share personal experiences and pearls of wisdom, as well as their many years of experience.

Through collaborations with supporting organizations like Later@St. Luke’s, they will make great strides in reaching girls from all walks of life. We invite you to be a part of the village it takes to raise and save a child.

The program structure enhances self-esteem and build confidence and leadership skills of pre-teen girls. The goal is to address these issues, while the girls are still young, in order to avoid many of the pitfalls that teenage girls and young women face. Later@St. Luke’s partnership will also provide three key workshop speakers: Nan Schulte Russell (Lily Scientist), LoriLee Andrews (Artist) and Meribeth Hoffman (Knitting). n If you are interested in being a part of this worthwhile program, please contact DeShong Perry-Smitherman (DPerry@wthr.com) or Ericka Gibson (erickagibson@aol.com) who are participants of the Later@St. Luke’s community. Also, feel free to visit Girls Gift, Inc. at www.agirlsgift.org.

LaKisha Reed, Associate Director of Mission and Advocacy, is extremely interested in this program making its way into other churches throughout the Indiana Conference. You can learn more about MPKids at the national website www.mpkids.org. Or, if you want to register your child in this program, contact Cathy Robinson at crobinson411 @yahoo.com. Also available and supporting the efforts of this program are Jamalyn Williamson, Associate Pastor of Children’s Ministries; Jan Nichols, World Missions Coordinator; and Dr. Marion Miller, Pastor of Later@ St. Luke’s. n ABOVE AND LEFT: MP Kids having fun, making blankets, and praying together RIGHT: Participants in A Girl’s Gift, Inc.

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turning the world upside down | partnerships

together in ministry everyday

On Friday, May 14 at 9:30AM, Indianapolis has the distinct honor to host His Holiness the Dalai Lama in a public talk at Conseco Fieldhouse. The program, expected to draw an audience from around the globe, will be hosted by the Interfaith Hunger Initiative (IHI), the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center (TMBCC) of Bloomington, and the Indianapolis-based Indiana Buddhist Center (IBC), forging a new partnership among organizations whose mission of community outreach and service is universal. The title of the talk, “Facing Challenges with Compassion and Wisdom,” reflects the core mission of these groups as well as speaking directly to issues central to today’s world.

Long-time friend, board member of the TMBCC and Bloomington resident Elaine Mellencamp serves as spokeswoman for the visit. “We are eager to welcome His Holiness to Indiana once again,’ she stated. “His prior visits have been a source of true inspiration for so many people who will have another opportunity to hear him speak.”

Formed in Indianapolis in 2008, the Interfaith Hunger Initiative is comprised of Indianapolis-area congregations of many faiths. They come together to help end hunger for children and families by changing food-access systems and creating opportunities to feed more people together than they could alone. Dr. Kent Millard serves as President of IHI. “The Indianapolis Interfaith Hunger Initiative is honored to be one of the sponsoring organizations of the Public Talk to be given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Conseco Friday, May 14,” Dr. Millard said. “His Holiness will speak about wisdom and compassion. We express compassion when we feed the hungry around us and in other nations, and we express

The Enormous EGG for LUNCH

by Kathy Levine, Fox Hill Principal

Rita Novak, a retired teacher from Batesville, IN, comes weekly to Fox Hill Elementary for a third grade Book Club. Mrs. Novak spends one lunch hour per week with several students from Mrs. Erin Cecil’s classroom.

The students who participate have advanced reading levels, and benefit from the challenge of reading quality literature beyond grade-level text.

Research shows that the best way for students to increase their vocabulary and reading level is by reading for pleasure and information.

The children love the lunchtime Book Club and are looking forward to the next book, Charlotte’s Web. Here are some of their comments:

All the children read The Enormous EGG by Oliver Butterworth. Nate Twitchell is surprised when one of the hens on his family’s farm lays a giant egg. The mystery deepens when the egg hatches and it is a baby triceratops instead of a chick. The baby dinosaur is named Uncle Beazley.

The news spreads and reporters arrive to see Uncle Beazley and interview Nate’s family. The family quickly realizes that they cannot care for Uncle Beazley so with help from a scientist friend, Nate and the dinosaur head to the National Museum in Washington D.C. That is when the real trouble begins!!

JOAQUIN: It is peaceful in our group, and I am learning new words.

ROSEMARY: We get to eat with our friends, and we get to read a great book.

SHEREE: We read more difficult books. I enjoy being in a small group. We

feel like grown-ups in the conference room.

Lunchtime Book Club earns an A+! n

The Enormous EGG was originally published in , and is a classic in children’s literature.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Rita Novak is not a St. Luke’s member, but is the neighbor of Jayne Thorne, St. Luke’s Director of Outreach Ministries. Jayne shared with Rita about the St. Luke’s/Fox Hill partnership, and Rita excitedly asked if she could participate—she loved the idea of a church/school partnership. Obviously her participation is making a big difference. It only takes one person to turn the world upside down—if you would like to be one of those people at Fox Hill Elementary, see the Communion Monthly or visit www.stlukesumc.com (visit the school partnership page) to find out how you can get involved.]

Besides reading and discussing this literature, Mrs. Novak is helping the children to write limericks about monsters. Each child chooses a letter of the alphabet and creates a monster with a name that starts with that letter; for example—Squeezy Steve sneezes on the silly Steelers. Mrs. Novak will help the children create a prototype of his/her monster with everyday art supplies and materials. The children were also impressed with Mrs. Novak’s laptop on which she created a dictionary of all the new words they encountered while reading The Enormous EGG.

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umw

APRIL—JUNE 

wisdom when we work together across religious lines to more effectively care for families and children in need.”

Mary Magdalene Circle Gets Crafty

by Kathy Dalton

Tickets for the Indianapolis event are available at the Conseco box office or at area Ticketmaster locations.

General admission tickets are $25; student tickets are $15. Additional information may be obtained at www. interfaithhungerinitiative.org and www.consecofieldhouse.com.

Every month, children at the United Methodist Children’s Home in Lebanon, Indiana have a reason to celebrate - the arrival of the monthly “party box” prepared

by St. Luke’s United Methodist Women. The party boxes hold treats not typically available at the Home: books, movies, magazines, soft drinks, pizzas, chips and rewards for the children to help them celebrate positive behaviors and remind them that others are thinking about them and praying for their success.

Half of the proceeds of this event will go to the Interfaith Hunger Initiative to help end hunger for children and families. n

Mary Magdalene Circle stepped outside the box last fall and decided to hand craft individual fabric bags, about the size of a Bible, for each child. Since Mary Magdalene Circle is traditionally known as the working women’s circle, with not a whole lot of time to devote to crafts, this was quite an undertaking! With the help of a couple of our “craftier” members, who devoted numerous hours on the sewing machines, the project was completed on time. The children loved their new handmade, specially crafted bags (not to mention the popcorn and soda inside!). The boys especially appreciated the “manly” fabrics carefully selected for them. When they graduate from the Home, they can take this bag with them as a reminder of the love and concern St. Luke’s women have for them.

Mary Magdalene Circle was formed to fill the need for an evening circle for working women. Over the years, it has evolved to include women of all ages & working status. These ladies are involved annually in all UMW events, including the semi-

annual Rummage Sales, the Holiday Bazaar, Bake Day, retreats, food pantry collections, and Race for the Cure. MMC members hold several positions on the UMW Board.

You know the old saying, “If you need something done, ask a busy person.” This is where Mary Magdalene Circle steps in every time.

Join us at any time. Our monthly meetings are the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7PM in members’ homes. Watch the Communion Monthly for our meeting locations & topics. n

ABOVE LEFT TO RIGHT:

Kathy Dalton and Gladys Thompson show off the finished product.

Mary Magdalene Circle members peeling apples for pies on Bake Day. Rita Burroughs, Kathie Clemenz & Paula Elam.

Elizabeth Keller, Kathy Dalton, and Lori Schick working on bags for children at the United Methodist Children's Home.

LEFT: Fox Hill Lunchtime Book Club

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supporting our troops

together in ministry everyday

A Heartfelt Thank You

by Kathy Alexander and Sue Fields

On a typically “normal” day my phone rings, and I answer. It’s my son, Tony. “Hi, Mom, I’m being deployed.” My typically “normal” day turned into the beginning of a journey into worry, fear and pride.

Mark Elkins & Tony Alexander

Sue Fields received a similar phone call from her grandson. He was returning to Iraq for the second time.

These phone calls happen daily all over the country; the only difference is this time they had happened to us. As the two of us talked and shared our worries, we started to think that as large as St. Luke’s is there have to be more families affected by this than just us... and so we began the “Military Support” program.

BELOW: Thank you letter and

a typical care package

Our idea was to have a display board for pictures of family members active in the military and “pray for our troops” bracelets. Then a call came from the USO asking if we would adopt a deployed unit for Christmas. Mary Katherine Schnitz, Director of Care Ministries, took the call and true to form responded, “Of course we will.” The three of us crossed our fingers, said a prayer and embarked on the Christmas box project. Boxes were ordered, labels were made, supplies were gathered, and then the call went out. A simple announcement in the bulletin. The crowds gathered at our table on that Sunday morning. Once again the St. Luke’s congregation opened their hearts to a cause: ninety-one names were given out by noon that first day.

Incredible! All the names were given out by the second Sunday. One hundred and sixty-one deployed men and women would know they were thought of and prayed for by St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.

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Not only were all the names distributed. but donations were given, too. I emailed the captain of the unit, Captain John Lubbe, letting him know multiple boxes would be coming. His reply was, “From myself and the soldiers of my unit, we greatly appreciate the generosity of your congregation. We’d like to thank you for the gifts, but most importantly for your appreciation and prayers.” We were also able to purchase and send a pair of combat boot socks for each soldier, and several phone cards for them to share.

Captain Lubbe wrote, “We received the socks today. Some soldiers learn early that socks are one of the single most important pieces of equipment for every soldier. Especially those who spend a lot of time on their feet. We are also happy to receive the phone cards, thank you.” Since we had extra money from donations, I asked him if there was there anything else they could use or wanted. Several of his soldiers were passing around a copy of Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages, and he ask if possible could we send some copies of that book. It was our good fortune to contact the publisher the same time that changes were made on the book, and they were more than happy to sell us 161 copies of the “old” book at a discounted price to send overseas to the military.

Not wanting our project to end, Sue and I decided to do something for this same unit for Valentine’s Day. Sue made cards, and once again we sat at a table on Sunday morning... and once again St. Luke’s members signed them with messages of love and support. Then the cards, candy and books were mailed off to “our” soldiers. 1SG Robert Hempstead was our contact person for the Valentine’s delivery. He emailed this to me, “The candy is great but these books are what the Soldiers need. I can’t thank you enough for the thoughtful gift, and I know the Soldiers really appreciate it.”

All of this could not have been accomplished without the love and generosity of the people of St. Luke’s. Thank you so much for your support of our project and of the United States Armed Forces. n

APRIL—JUNE 

endowment | children’s ministries

Endowment Sunday:

Inspiring St. Luke’s Future

by Tricia Tomson

On Sunday, April 25, 2010, St. Luke’s will welcome Reverend William G. Enright, Ph.D. (pictured left) to the pulpit during all three morning services to deliver an inspiring message to our congregation. Dr. Enright is the Executive Director of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, and former Senior Pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis.

An expert on building church endowment support and renowned for his research and insight into religious giving, Dr. Enright will share his insights and stories on the importance of building upon endowment funds to ensure the sustainability of the church’s programs and services.

lectured at numerous colleges, universities and theological institutions, as well as for business associations such as The Young Presidents and World Presidents organizations.

Dr. Enright is a graduate of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois; Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California; and McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. His Ph.D. is from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He also holds two D.D. (honorary) degrees from Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana and Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. His civic involvement in Indianapolis has included: serving as co-chair of the Mayor’s Taskforce on Racism; member of Envisioning Indianapolis; the Police Advisory Board; the Board of Directors of the Central Indiana Council On Aging; the Wishard Hospital Foundation Board, and the St. Vincent Hospital Advisory Board.

Endowments allow congregations to live through tough times and survive through those times with vitality.

They are the catalyst for change and provide sustainability, allowing congregations to continue programs and create new services to better the community. Endowments are about expressing passion and sharing that passion with future generations.

St. Luke’s Endowment was founded over 20 years ago by members who had the vision and passion for securing our church’s future for generations to come. Over the years, the endowment has helped build and sustain programs such as: The Garden, Staff Parish Fund, Sowers Fund, Deaf Camp Fund, Carillon Fund, Christmas Fund, and the Jean Bepko Children’s Resource Fund. In addition, the Christian Life Scholarship Fund has awarded thousands of dollars in college scholarship support to youth members who have demonstrated a passion for their faith and their willingness to help make a difference in the lives of others.

In addition, Dr. Enright is currently a director of the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and a trustee of Hanover College. He is also currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis. He has authored several books, the latest being Channel Markers, and

We hope you will join us Sunday morning, April 25, to hear Dr. Enright deliver an inspirational message about passion and hope for a better future. If you would like to learn more about the St. Luke’s Endowment and how you can use your faith to create a legacy, stop by the Endowment tables in the East and West Passages on April 25 to pick up some materials and speak with a committee member. n

Summer Splash

by Jamalyn Peigh Williamson

here. One way we have started this new journey is by giving the traditional Vacation Church School a more modern name—Summer Splash. Doesn’t that just make you want to register your child and get involved yourself as a volunteer?!?

When I was in the 3rd grade some neighborhood friends of mine and I started a club. This club met every few days at my friend Stephanie's house in her sister's bedroom closet. (It was larger and therefore more conducive to three girls.) We had special nametags we made and were required to wear during the meetings. I am not sure what our agenda was for each meeting, I just know that things really came together for us when we finally had a name. We named ourselves the “Pink Ladies.” I think we were in a “Grease” stage and felt that would be a cool name for our club. Anyway, it made us tighter to know we were official because we had a name. We dreamed of having special jackets (like the movie) and I am sure finding boyfriends with cool bikes.

Names matter. They give us identities and help us feel more involved.

The Children’s Ministry team is working hard to help create opportunities for the children in our church to feel like they have an identity

You’ll have a chance to do just that as we begin registration for “Summer Splash: Hero Headquarters” 2010 on Easter Sunday, April 4. Summer Splash will be June 21-25 from 9AM-Noon.

All ages are welcome (volunteers too!) We will need “Crew Leaders” for all the activities. On Friday, June 25 we will conclude with a program in the sanctuary followed by a Summer Splash party outside – bathing suits required! There will be water slides, water balloons and for the little ones, baby pools. Plus, we will celebrate an awesome week with a cookout outside as well. Please plan to attend even if you do not have a child in Summer Splash so you can see what God is doing with and through our youngest members. n

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together in ministry everyday

Youth Ministry, First Person by youth staff and Natalie Harris, Beau Scott, Carlie Jensen and Megan Peterson

Some of the most amazing parts of youth ministry are the opportunities for growth and faith development that we, as a church community, are able to provide for our teens. While life is a journey, and there should be growth throughout, the teen years offer a unique time in each of our lives where physical, mental and spiritual development are occurring simultaneously. The culmination of all these changes is a child becoming their own person. Just as each person is given unique gifts from God, we, as a ministry, intentionally offer a wide variety of ministry opportunities for youth in grades 6-12—from small group discussions to large group worship time, from service days around the city to international work camps—in order to reach the wide variety of youth and families that make up the St. Luke's Youth Ministries family.

By the time our youth reach 12th grade, they've most likely been a part of a variety of service projects, fellowship events and even national and international work trips. For this issue of the magazine, we've asked four of our current seniors to share some of their favorite youth ministry moments so you have the opportunity to see these ministry opportunities from the perspectives of the youth being served. Natalie Harris, Beau Scott, Carlie Jensen and Megan Peterson attend different high schools, come from different families, participate in different sports, clubs and school-related activities and community projects, but despite all the differences in their lives, they have each found a home here at St. Luke's, and we encourage you to find out why.

THIS PAGE:

Megan Peterson at our 2009-10 annual Kickoff event.

“For me, faith has been an ever-changing, albeit ever-present, commodity in my life.”

Natalie Harris

Our group at the New York workcamp, hanging on the lawn.

OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE:

Natalie Harris on the Michigan workcamp. (standing right) Carlie Jensen in the Bahamas. (she is the one standing center) A group of confirmation youth. (whom Beau helps lead in small groups) Beau Scott on Senior High Lake Day.

For me, faith has been an ever-changing, albeit ever-present, commodity in my life. I have spent most of my high school career exploring places where I could be most in touch with my faith. I have to admit that the places and times when I felt closest to a God and a "Jesus high" have been on some of the retreats and mission trips at St. Luke's UMC. One of my favorite stories from these trips is from a mission trip I went on a few spring breaks ago (to D’lberville, MI). Obviously, like most teenagers, I was not very ecstatic about the prospect of devoting my entire spring break to manual labor, rather than the expected sun bathing and lounging by a pool someplace in the warm southern states. I have always loved mission trips, but I still wanted to be selfish and keep that week for me to relax and unwind.

However, I decided that I would go into the trip with an open mind and give it my all. This mindset proved to be one of the most beneficial decisions I've made in my short life. Not only did I have a great time with the wonderful and energetic people on the trip, but I also ended up with the best spring break I've ever had to date. As we helped refurbish homes in Biloxi, Mississippi, I felt as if the more I gave to these families the more I received in return. I can't gush enough about how great of a time I had, and it was all due to St. Luke's for giving me the opportunity and providing an amazing group of volunteers to learn from.

Beau Scott I didn't know what to expect after I volunteered to lead a small group of seventh graders going through confirmation. I figured that, if nothing else, my friend that I was leading with and I would grow closer. However, while I was watching each child get confirmed about twelve weeks later, I reflected on an experience that truly was valuable. I discovered that, even though I am young, I DO have advice and knowledge to share with the younger youth. Leading a group allowed me to reflect on my experiences, and better identify God's role in them. Every week I would not only share a valuable lesson that I experienced that week, but I would hear a half dozen others from the kids that were eager to share. It helped me realize my identity as a role

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model for the younger youth in the community. I recognized that these kids really want to hear what I have to say and helped me work hard to be a positive influence in their lives.

Carlie Jensen My favorite experience with St. Luke’s Youth Ministries was going to the Bahamas for a mission trip this past summer. The experience was truly humbling. My life was forever changed by the relationships that I built with the Bahamian people and other St. Luke’s Youth. While we were there, we put on a vacation bible school for an orphanage of about 50 children. Although the children lived in cramped housing and had no families to love them, I was amazed how they always had a smile on their face and seemed to know that God had a plan for them. They were possibly the happiest children I have ever seen in my life.

My experience in the Bahamas was incredible in many ways. Seeing the Bahamian children grow in their faith and building friendships with them was an awesome experience. We seemed to make a real difference in their lives and it was truly gratifying. Those children changed my perspective on life. I grew in my faith more that week than ever before. God was clearly working through the orphans and St. Luke’s Youth that week. Our mission trip to the Bahamas was my favorite experience with St. Luke’s Youth Ministries, and one of the best experiences of my life.

Megan Peterson Since I joined the St. Luke's youth group in seventh grade, I've gained so many memories and had multiple life-changing moments. One youth group experience in particular that I will never forget happened while we were on the New York workcamp two summers ago. In the middle of the week, we spent an evening with a group of homeless men from a nearby shelter. They came over to the church where we were based, and we cooked a big spaghetti dinner for all of us to share. As we ate, we talked, drew some pictures, and told jokes with the men. I was not expecting conversation to flow as easily as it did. We talked for hours, and every man had so many interesting things to say. This may sound bad, but before that night, most of the youth (myself included) did not necessarily view the homeless as regular people who have valuable stories and advice to share. My whole view of the homeless and the importance of including them completely changed due to this experience. It helped me to better realize what being a Christian is all about.

These are just some of the experiences shared by the youth that St. Luke’s Live in Tune Youth Ministries are reaching. No matter what their gifts or passions may be, our prayer is for youth to find a place to plug in at St. Luke’s in order to create their own memories for the future. If you are interested in finding out more about what is going on in St. Luke’s Live in Tune Youth Ministries, please check out our Youth page on the website for up-todate information on retreats, work camps, Sunday night themes and more! n

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together in ministry everyday

Loving & Learning in Joyful Rhythms

by Jenny Hawke

There is a special group of St. Luke’s members where the age range is large, skill levels are varied, the focus on tasks intense, and the passion for synchronicity borders on obsessive. But the members of the Joyful Rhythms Handbell Ensemble wouldn’t have it any other way. Each week they meet to rehearse, improve their abilities, encourage each other, and enjoy the music-making experience. Director Marsha Coyner describes Joyful Rhythms as a “teaching choir” that gives individuals a chance to learn to play handbells for the first time or, for those with some past experience, to get back to playing again. For others whose skills are more advanced, there is still the opportunity to work on those “four in hand” ringing skills, where players hold two bells in each hand. All skill levels are welcome, and the ensemble invites ringers as young as . The key is to keep it fun while improving basic ringing and music-reading skills.

“We grow together in our music,” she said. “The keys are to have some sense of music and timing and a desire to learn.”

Kim Stewart joined Joyful Rhythms after enjoying her experience in previous years with another church’s handbell choir. She also had played clarinet in high school but, like many a former band member, stopped playing after graduation. Joyful Rhythms provided a new musical outlet.

“For me, this was a way to get back into music,” she said.

As anyone can tell from watching either Joyful Rhythms or the Wesleyan Ringers, St. Luke’s other handbell ensemble, handbell ringing has unique challenges. First, it redefines the meaning of teamwork. Unlike an orchestra where individual players are responsible for their own long lines of melody or harmony, handbell ringers play only select notes of lines. It works only when all players focus on sounding like one ringer.

“It takes a lot more teamwork than I thought,” said Ashley Williams, who was recruited to Joyful Rhythms three years ago by her sister, Brianne Williams Kirkpatrick. Williams grew up with music, learning flute and piano and singing in choirs. “No one is more important than anyone else.”

ABOVE: Brianne Williams Kirkpatrick recruited

her sister, Ashley Williams, to the handbell choir.

Joyful Rhythms in a Thursday evening rehearsal.

OPPOSITE PAGE: Joyful Rhythms played between

services during December. FRONT ROW: Kent Guild, Ashley Williams, and Brianne Williams Kirkpatrick; SECOND ROW: Marsha Coyner and Amie Schurig Pratt; THIRD ROW: Kim Stewart, Scott Pratt, Susan Campbell, Debbie Bushfield, and Jim Bushfield.

Debbie Bushfield encouraged her husband, Jim, to join her for Thursday evening rehearsals.

ORCHESTRA: Bob Zehr directs the side-by-side

orchestra. Young players and mentors.

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That need for teamwork makes everyone’s contribution valuable. At age 15, Kent Guild, the ensemble’s youngest ringer, is often asked for help by members standing next to him, whether it’s deciphering a musical symbol or key signature. “As in the kingdom of God, everyone has a place,” said Coyner. “You grow as an ensemble, you get to know each other, and you grow in patience when learning new things.”

It takes everyone to succeed, but then everyone gets to celebrate together, especially during rehearsals. It makes individual achievements, such as mastering new three-bell-ringing sequence, a moment for cheers all around. It makes the ensemble’s successful transition in a piece to a new key worth a spontaneous “woo-hoo.”

Currently, Joyful Rhythms plays three to four times a year during Sunday services. This past December, the ensemble performed Christmas carols in the second-floor gallery between services. Players also “hit the road” during the holiday season for a unique mission outreach activity. They packed up handbells and the silver hand chimes and took them to Marquette Manor. While there, they held a “side-by-side” concert, giving each resident a chime to play while a handbell ringer sat next to him or her and ringing the corresponding handbell.

“It was wonderful to watch,” said Coyner. “It goes to show that anyone can ring a handbell.”

A combination of good fellowship and a love of music keeps this small band of players coming back every week—and, Coyner hopes, will encourage others to consider joining them.

“It’s a fun group to be part of—it’s great to make music together,” said Williams. “It’s an uplifting experience—it gets your mood going.”

“I think a lot of people underestimate their ability in music,” said Coyner. Once they give themselves a chance to try something new, they can surprise themselves, she added. n Joyful Rhythms performs next on Sunday, April 18 at all three Sanctuary services.

Side by Side Orchestra The ranks of the St. Luke's Orchestra swelled in February as 29 young players participated in the SideBy-Side rehearsal and performance during the February 21 Sanctuary services. The students, ranging in age from 14 to 18, joined the adults in the fast-paced preparations, taking direction from two conductors, accompanying the Chancel Choir, and supporting the congregation's hymn singing.

"This is the largest group of young players we've had for our side-by-side performances," said Bob Zehr, orchestra conductor. "It's rewarding to see the students' interest and commitment—they represent the future of this orchestra." n

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spiritual life center

together in ministry everyday

Finding My “Spiritual Tribe!”

by Betty Brandt

We look at ourselves and see that for many years we rested on what we had learned as children in Sunday School. We developed physically, socially, intellectually and emotionally but we relied on professional clergy to do our spiritual development work for us. No more! We are claiming our responsibility to catch up with what scholars have been discovering for the last 200 years about the life of Jesus, the early church and 2000 years of church history.

After years of searching, I have found my “spiritual tribe.” These are folks who understand what I mean when I talk about “original blessing” or “gender-free hymns.” These are folks who will walk in the Annual Gay Pride Parade and venture out in a downpour to hear the brothers Hamilton (former Congressman Lee and Rev. Dick) talk about the intersection of religion and politics. They want to drive to Bloomington on a wintry day to experience writer and outspoken leader of Progressive Christianity, Bishop John Shelby Spong. They’ll check their calendars to see about a road trip to Earlham University to hear Biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan. They look forward to October 9, 2011 when Marcus Borg returns to St. Luke’s.

We found each other because we all thrive on the work of contemporary theologians, sociologists and spiritual leaders of all faith traditions.

Some of us can no longer attend worship because of the theology imbedded in traditional hymns and creeds. Some of us crave genderfree language. Some are more interested in practice than belief. Some gobble up theology books at the rate of one a week. We all seek love not hate; inclusiveness rather than exclusivity; opportunity not entitlement; and intelligent questioning of our faith rather than blind belief.

Even though those discoveries may undermine what we learned as children, we struggle on. We are living with uncertainty. We are living with ambiguity. We think “doubt” is a holy word. We keep asking questions week after week not knowing when we might find an answer. We meet every Sunday morning at 9:30AM in the Spiritual Life Center for “Speaking of Faith,” and at 11AM in E105 for a DVD series and discussion.

If you think this might be your “spiritual tribe” too, you are welcome to join us. If this isn’t your tribe, keep on looking. You owe it to yourself and your relationship with God to find others who will share your spiritual journey.

Speaking of Faith (SOF) is a new kind of conversation — and an evolving media space — about religion, spirituality, and large questions of meaning in every aspect of life.

Podcast and live radio show versions available at: http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org

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concerns & celebrations

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CONDOLENCES TO: Ron Ernst on the death of his mother Audrey Ernst Steve Pigecella on the death of his father John Pigecella Linda Oliver on the death of her sister Carol Peterson Friends and family of Frieda Ellingwood Jack, Tracy, Alanna, Connor and Erica Downey on the death of mother and grandmother Phyllis Downey Pam Fischer on the death of her father Max Fischer Wanda Thompson on the death of her mother Blanche Cotton Mike Miller on the death of his brother Madison Miller Rich Murphy on the death of his brother Michael Murphy Gail Brandenburg on the death of her father Charles Brandenburg Karen Fahle and Neale Moosey on the death of mother and sister Phyllis Nolan Michael Condit on the death of his father Gordon Condit

CONGRATULATIONS TO: Lynn Bereman on the death of her mother Sally Carbaugh

Jennifer Evancich-Skinner on the death of her father Emil Evancich

Paula Montgomery on the death of his grandmother Margaret Montgomery

Suzanne Gray on the death of her mother Louise Ackerman

Bill Yoerger on the death of his father Robert Yoerger

Norma and Brenda Anderson on the death of husband and father John Anderson

Debra Peek on the death of her father Ray Smith Lauren Walawender on the death of her grandmother Eugenia Poynter Mary Lou Edwards on the death of her husband Jerry Edwards Nancy Hoffman on the death of her husband Barry Hoffman Dick & Marion Tewksbury on the death of son-in-law Ernie Moya Cynthia Robertson on the death of her husband Ed Robertson John & Connie Haimbaugh on the death of their son Robert Haimbaugh Dennis and Wanda Thompson, Staci Hendrickson and Kelly Witte and family on the death of mother and grandmother Dorothy Thompson

Diana Cochran on the death of her father Charles Collins Mary Beth Hinkle and family on the death of her father Maurice Haag Tana Moore and family on the death of husband Tom Moore Suzanne Moffett on the death of her husband Paul Moffett Reyna Dodds on the death of her brother Luis Miguel Reyes Doug Mason on the death of his mother Betty Mason Friends and family of Faye Martin Wendy Sommers and Julie Sommers Neuman on the death of their mother Sher Lee Sommers

Ashley Brattain & Matthew Andryuk on their wedding of January  Cris Schilk & Brian Giffin on their wedding of January  Kacie Motsinger & Joel Kauffman on their wedding of January 

Tim & Elizabeth Kinsinger on the birth of daughter Madeline Claire Dwight & Rebecca Todd and Dallas & Louise Todd on the birth of daughter and granddaughter Audrey Claire Stephanie Surgoth Winkel, Susan, Amy and Steven Surgoth on the birth of daughter, granddaughter and niece Vivien Marie Winkel Marcia Capron and Dan & Bonnie McMenamin on the birth of great-granddaughter and granddaughter Sophia Jeannette Tetour Don & Anna Weiser on the birth of grandson Tyson Edward Weiser

Jill Overton on the death of her son Eric Overton

WELCOME!

new members

The following persons completed the October, January and February membership classes.

The next opportunities to join St. Luke’s are: All classes are 6:30-9PM Thursday, April 15 Wednesday, May 26 Wednesday, June 23 Contact Sylvia Forbes at 846-3404 or email forbess@stlukesumc.com to register.

January

(bottom two photos) Jerry Bean, Kay Bean, David Browning, John Connell, Linda Connell, Mike Copher, Missy Copher, James Fox, James Hamilton, Marilyn Hamilton, Pam Hursh, Mike LeTourneau, Jan Lindemann, Leslie Oleck, Cindy Parker, Eric Powell, Terry Smith, Pam Smith, Mittie Voorhest, Ashley Williams, Sandy Williams, Chris Zimmer, Mary Jo Zimmer, Kaitlyn Zimmer

February (top photo) Bianca Bair, Gary Bryant, Lynn Bryant, Maya Carraway, Justin Ogden, Bradd Evers, Courtney Linder, Linda Gregory, Kristine Keech, Donna Martino, Jamie Reamsa, Trent Sandifur, Jill Sandifur, Naomi Uechi, Bob Weaver, Kelly Weaver

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APRIL—JUNE 2010 NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID INDIANAPOLIS, IN PERMIT NO. 1569

Address Service Requested St. Luke’s United Methodist Church •  West  Street • Indianapolis, Indiana 

T.I.M.E. Series April 18 – May 30

Turn the World Upside Down We are surrounded by many modern examples of prophets. Women and men, children and youth, who by words, actions, silent prayers and service, challenge systems of injustice and inequity. They have become, in a myriad of ways, the very voice, hands, and heart of God in our world.

During "Turn the World Upside Down” we’ll have the opportunity to learn more stories of these change-agents, from the famous to the unknown, and consider ways that we, too, can personally step out in faith to makea real difference.

We all have opportunities to change our world. We’ve been in Spring Training, now’s the TIME to launch out and love our community with every possibility of grace, peace, and justice.