Welcome to the first edition of our brand new Outreach & Justice newsletter! We hope you spend some time reading through all the sections of our newsletter, it is packed full of stories of HOPE from our various ministries, along with so many ways you can get involved for the benefit of our community. You may even want to bookmark the page in your internet browser so you can return to it throughout the month.
This year, I have been studying and meditating on the words SHALOM, FLOURISHING, and WHOLENESS, and how they relate to the United Methodist understanding of BIBLICAL JUSTICE. Over the coming months, I’ll share some thoughts and learnings with you. I hope you’ll join me on this journey, as we learn how to carry Shalom throughout our neighborhoods and workplaces, as we discover the Image of God in unexpected places and people, and as we take part in making our community more livable for all.
Peace is Yours!
Shelly Clasen
Director of Outreach & Justice Ministries
A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places
Isaiah 58: 9-12 | The Message
If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins. If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.
If you missed the September 29 services, Pastor Jen (North Indy) and Pastor Jevon (Midtown) talked about what it means to extend shalom to our communities. And then Susan Peters (Midtown) and I (North Indy) shared more about the role of Outreach & Justice Ministries in doing that work. If you want to watch the North Indy service, you can watch HERE.
We also hope you check out (and check often) our new Outreach and Justice webpage. There are several ways to navigate to it from St. Luke’s home page, or you can always type in stlukesumc.com/outreachandjustice.
Get Out The Vote
Just a few more weeks until our votes are cast and counted for the 2024 election season.
A huge shoutout to the over 200 people who took part in a Get Out The Vote postcard campaign, and contacted more than 11,000 people in key swing states to remind them to vote. Thanks to David Llewellyn and Tom Vandevender for coordinating this giant effort!
Early voting takes place at St. Luke’s from October 26-November 3. We are the only early voting site in Washington Township, and we expect long lines in our parking lot like we saw in 2020. If you’d like to help us show hospitality to waiting voters, you can sign up here. Thanks to David and Theresa Berghoff and JoAnn Hoskins for their leadership in putting together this effort!
Opportunity for Contemplation
If you are feeling weary or anxious because of the divisiveness and toxic rhetoric of this election season, we invite you to find some soul rest at one of these opportunities.
Contemplative Prayer Service
Sunday November 3 | 6:00PM | Robertson Chapel
We invite you to join us for a service of prayer for healing, hope and peace as we approach the anxious time of our national election led by Rev. Eve Mugambi and Rev. Janet Tiebert.
We will share in song, silence, readings and prayer as we center ourselves in the Love, Grace and Peace of God.
Serene — NOW!!
November 4 | 12:00 - 3:30 PM
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church (enter Door #1)
Offered through partnership between WFYI Public Media and St. Luke’s
Registration encouraged but not required
Step away from fuzzy brains and knotted shoulders and join us to experience an afternoon of centering a sense of gratitude and calm. Engage all your senses and look inward to look outward at this come-and-go style event from noon to 3:30 p.m.
You will be welcomed into a largely silent space – or at least very quiet! Explore ways of finding calm and deep gratitude as you visit different quiet activity stations, including coloring, Qigong, journaling, a Taize' service and reading or reflecting on passages from sacred texts and literature. Feel free to visit one or all of the stations, which are appropriate for children and adults, and many will include take-home tools.
This event is part of the Spirit & Place Festival, which celebrates the powerful role the arts, humanities, and religion play in community life. Spirit & Place is housed on the campus of IU Indianapolis and you can learn more about other festival events at spiritandplace.org.
Questions?: Contact 317-614-0451 or gstrong@wfyi.org.
Global Mission Opportunity
Sunday October 27
On Sunday, October 27, we have the privilege of welcoming Emmanuel Pius to St. Luke’s to share his story and the mission of The Angel House. Emmanuel is a young Tanzanian man who was raised in The Angel House, a United Methodist orphanage and school in Tanzania (https://www.grassrootspeople.org/). He is the leader of the UM Young Adults in Tanzania and so excited about Christ and the future. He is a fourth-year medical student, and his dream is to begin medical clinics in the rural villages where he grew up, working to reduce child mortality. The Fuquay family has had the privilege of working with The Angel House for quite awhile, and you may remember meeting Emmanuel when he visited us last year.
St. Luke’s Outreach & Justice Ministries has identified The Angel House as a potential new global mission partner. We have committed to finance a new classroom building, and are planning an exploratory trip in 2025. We hope you take advantage of one of several ways to hear from Emmanuel while he is here in Indianapolis!
- Hear Emmanuel speak briefly in North Indy services at 9:30 and 11:00.
- Tanzania Mission Brunch and Learn in Room N101-102, at either 10:45AM or 12:15PM. REGISTER HERE
- Tanzania Mission Dinner: Exploring Partnership. Hosted by Dr. Chris Bodurow, this dinner will go deeper into understanding The Angel House mission for those who are considering greater involvement with them. There are 30 open spaces at this dinner, and your registration is considered a commitment to attend.
During this inspiring evening, we will:
--Hear Emmanuel share his full story, and learn more about the mission of Angel House
--Consider sponsoring an orphan or making a financial donation towards building a new classroom
--Learn about traveling with St. Luke’s to Tanzania on a world mission experience in 2025.
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER HERE