Community Ministries
Community Ministries seek to "serve
God's people in and around the Indianapolis community through
gifts, talents and service, demonstrating God's love to the world."
The focus of St. Luke's Community Ministries
is our own neighborhoods, with volunteers joining together in
support of local food pantries, community centers, individual
families and to promote racial harmony. New ideas are always welcome.
Contact Jayne Thorne,
Director of Outreach Ministries, 846-3404, or Robin Howard,
Chair of Community Ministries, 506-9839, scarlettsugarthief@gmail.com, or Jackie Reed, Co-chair of Community Ministries, 573-0024, jsrmolar@aol.com.
Brookside Community Youth Program (BYCP)
Contact: Ken Holyoak, 253-7000, ken@kenholyoak.com
Founded 17 years ago by Bob McKinney, this program works with more than 120 near-eastside children ranging in age from 6 to 16 find a safe haven after school from the negative and harmful influences that surround them. In the program, these children find help with schoolwork, access to computers, drug and alcohol prevention education, recreation, mentors for life and a meal (maybe the only one they will get for the day). But most importantly, they find love.
Brightwood Community Center
Contact: Shelly Sutton, 846-9329 or shelly@indianamusic.com
United Methodist Women (UMW) and Community Ministries partner to help this inner-city community center with many programs including food pantry supplies, tutoring and fundraisers.
Construction Ministry
Leaders: Dave Boyer, 251-1094 or tbucket2@sbcglobal.net
or Kathy Minx, 819-2206 or Ka.minx@att.net
Our focus is to build wheelchair ramps for special-needs
situations in the Indianapolis area.We partner with Second
Presbyterian Church and work as a team each Saturday to
design, build and assemble ramps.Referrals come from the
Indiana Council on Ageing as well as other social service
agencies. Priorities are given to handicapped clients who
have no means of getting in and out of their homes.
Crop Walk
This annual fundraiser is held nationally in October, for the purpose of feeding starving
people throughout the world. In Indianapolis, it will be held at CTS (Christian Theological Seminary). The project involves soliciting pledges
for each kilometer walked, collecting that money, turning it in,
and, of course, walking! We encourage St. Luke's members as well as our youth to participate. Watch for bulletin announcements or call
Don Weiser at 841-1371 for more information.
Challenge!
Second Presbyterian Church has challenged St.
Luke’s to enroll at least 100 walkers in the 2008
CROP Walk on Sunday, October 19 and we want to
meet (or beat) that challenge! Mark your calendar
for 2PM on October 19 and start lining up your friends and family to participate. More information
and sign up will be in the West Passage starting in
late September. This event will culminate the launch
of the citywide Interfaith Hunger Initiative, of which St. Luke’s is a major partner.
Fletcher Place Community
Center
For more than 10 years, St. Luke's has been responsible
for preparing and serving two meals per month at the near-downtown
shelter called Fletcher Place. Volunteers donate, prepare and
transport food to this inner-city haven for the homeless and needy
for dinners on the 3rd Monday and 4th Wednesday of each month.
Breakfast is also provided on the 2nd Tuesday and Thursday and the 5th Friday of
the month.
The schedule:
Breakfast (2nd Tues. & Thurs., & 5th Tues., 2-10AM)
September 5, 9,
11, 19 and 30; October
3, 9, 14, and 15.
Need servers (8-10am), food and paper goods (partitioned paper
plates, plastic knives and forks.) Call Norm Stuart at 293-3535
or cscs34@aol.com for information or to volunteer.
Dinner (Kitchen 12:30-2:30, Serving 3:30-4:30PM)
September 15 and
24; October 20 and 22.
Need volunteers to cook, transport and serve or donate food
items. See bulletin board in hall between Robertson Chapel and
bookstore for information or call Sue Stuart at 293-3535 or cscs34@aol.com.
Good Sam
Meets: TBA at Noon
Contact: Meg Frazer, 844-2903 or Margaret.L.frazer@pfizer.com
A monthly, local, short-term, family-oriented opportunity to
do “good works” in the spirit of the Good Samaritan. Each
participant brings a brown bag lunch, a devotion is shared
and then it’s down to business going to a local site to clean
up, fix up or share time with someone who needs our caring
presence. This is a wonderful opportunity to work side-byside
with other St. Luke’s members and your own family.
House of Abraham
The House of Abraham is a multi-faith housing construction project for which St. Luke's provides meals, water and other volunteer opportunities. The partnership project is coordinated by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis to celebrate the common heritage among the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths while building a safe, affordable house for a family in need. Contact Sally Nielsen at 876-3776 or ssnielse@sbcglobal.net.
House of Abraham Panel Build Volunteers Needed
To promote unity in our community, Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths are coming together to build the House of Abraham for Habitat for Humanity this fall. St. Luke’s is participating by hosting the panel build in our southwest parking lot on Wednesday, September 24 from 7:30AM-2PM. This is an
event where the interior and exterior wall panels are built by
volunteers under the supervision of Habitat. Volunteers can write
messages or their names on the 2 x 4s as a permanent part of
the structure. Around 1PM the house will be standing in the
parking lot, and we will celebrate with a volunteer lunch. The
panels will then be detached and transported to the permanent
location. Volunteer sign-up in the West Passage or contact
Rob Wineland at robwineland@AmericanMetalCoatings.com for more information or to volunteer.
Meals on Wheels
Contact is Lynne Plawecki, 844-1412 or jplawecki@indy.rr.com. Volunteers are needed to make meal deliveries to homebound residents during weekday lunch hours. You can deliver a specific route on a weekly, monthly or substitute basis. Current drivers will orientate you to route with time commitment ranging from 60-90 minutes. Food pick up sites are located on north side of Indianapolis (Marquette Manor) and throughout Hamilton County.
Mentoring & Tutoring
There are thousands of kids in Indianapolis need help in math or reading to have a successful school year. Other children just need a caring adult to share some time. Opportunities ranging from during-school and after-school programs in the St. Luke’s neighborhood to inner-city tutoring are available. Prayerfully consider how you can help make a difference for a child that may be struggling. For more information, contact Don Weiser at 841-1371.
Oaks Academy
St. Luke’s is collaborating with the Oaks Academy for mentoring,
scholarships and other support. Watch the bulletin for announcements
or call Max Hill at 575-1910 or jhill8327@aol.com.
Outreach, Inc.
Outreach, Inc. provides services to homeless and at-risk youths in the Indianapolis and surrounding areas. We provide street outreach, a drop-in center, education/employment assistance and intensive case management. Outreach also provides and serves three nightly meals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. The youth we serve are very diverse. Some come from middle-class homes, while others are from impoverished backgrounds. Most are in need of help as the result of intense family problems, which have resulted in deep emotional and spiritual pain. Our volunteers are an integral part of our team at Outreach, Inc. For further information on how to become an Outreach Volunteer or how to support Outreach, please contact Jackie Reed at 753-0393 or Jackie@outreachindiana.org, and for more information on Outreach, Inc. please visit the Web site at www.outreachindiana.org.
School 20 Partnership
St. Luke's has partnered with an IPS school, Otis E. Brown #20 located at 1849 Pleasant Run Pkwy. S. Dr., to bring additional support and resources to help the students achieve success. Watch the weekly bulletin for opportunities to serve in the areas of Advocacy, Event Production, Facilities, Family Support, Sponsorship, Tutoring/Mentoring and Publicity. Contact Julie Hunt, Chair at school20partnership@stlukesumc.com or 872-6818 for more information.
School 20 Needs You!
Can you tutor a child each week, work at a special event or two each semester or give needed money for projects at School 20? If so, stop by the table in the West passage on Sunday, September 7 and sign up. When
you go to School 20, make sure to stop in and meet the new
principal, Mr. DaJuan Major, so he can get to know the
school’s extended St. Luke’s family.
Scott UMC Partnership
As part of St. Luke's ongoing partnership with Scott UMC (2153 Dr. Andrew J. Brown Ave.), volunteers have an opportunity to connect with inner city students needing help with homework. This is a chance to really make a difference with one-on-one adult attention for a struggling student. Scheduling is flexible from after school to early evening Monday through Thursday. Contact Cecelia Hamric at 824-0797 or cqh223@aol.com.
TheraPets of Indiana
Therapets of Indiana provides emotional and physical support and comfort to people of all ages through animal contact and interaction. Volunteers work with the executive director to develop programs, promote study and research and educate the public through seminars, lectures and workshops. Specific volunteer activities also include dog sponsorship, assist in hospitals, hospice, nursing homes or schools with dogs (after training), daily activites–walking, cleaning cages, etc. Contact Jan Wolff Benedict at 581-1947 or jan@wolff-benedict.com. for more information.
United Christmas Service
To make Christmas more joyous for families less fortunate
has long been an ongoing project at St. Luke's. Each year, up
to 140 families are served with shopping and food assistance,
as well as more than $30,000 in donations. This program requires
a volunteer commitment throughout the holiday season beginning
early November. Contact Bis Whitacre Feldmann, elwhitacre@sbcglobal.net or 727-0436. •••
Also part of UCS is the Bicycles for Kids. Collected used bikes and tricycles are refurbished
and distributed to the families being served through UCS. Drop
off bikes from early November through mid-December. Contact John Rosner, 595-0195.
Underneath It All, We're
All the Same
When school shopping for our own kids in September, we are asked to purchase underwear and socks for needy children. These items are distributed to social workers in schools and made available to children in need. Look for announcements in the Communion Weekly. Contact Kitty Furman (845-0676)
or natef@iquest.net is the chair.
Racial Reconciliation
Celebration of Hope
St. Luke's is a very active participant in Celebration of Hope
which is an interracial movement among Christian congregations
in greater Indianapolis dedicated to building bridges of understanding
and mutual respect and furthering racial reconciliation in our
community. Several faith-based organizations and over 60 Indianapolis-area
congregations of many denominations and diverse racial backgrounds
participate in this movement, which began in 1994. For more information, contact Rev. Marion Miller at 846-3404 or millerm@stlukesumc.com.
Study Circles
MEETS: (six-weeks, dinner included)
• TBA
Call Jayne Thorne,
846-3404 to register.
Join a diverse group led by trained facilitators for spirited discussion about race and race relations. Come away with new understanding, friendships, and the real possibility of racial reconciliation in our community. Over 200 participants from St. Luke’s, Barnes UMC and Scott UMC have
participated and are building bridges of racial understanding with fun social activities, congregational exchanges and further study.
Race Relations & Beyond:
A Journey to Wholeness
A series of open dialogue events that explore personal, community, religious and global issues. Open to all. Future events TBA.
