FY2026 STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN | | |
180 HOUSEHOLDS AND COUNTING!
Help us reach our FY2026 goal of $900,000.
We are grateful to the 180 households who have pledged $682,738.64 toward our $900,000 goal for Fiscal Year 2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026). Will you join them? Add your name to the growing Honor Roll of Households by submitting your Estimate of Giving by May 31 - click the button below, text 2026GIFT to 97000 or fill out a pledge card on Sunday and place it in the offering plate
Children and youth are invited to participate too! Click below to learn more.
| | | INTERIM RECTOR REFLECTION | | |
Hello friends of St. Paul’s,
Before I served St. Paul’s, I was the Interim Rector at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Like St. Paul’s, it is a wonderful congregation – full of hope and possibility and deep history. The church, located on the Philadelphia Mainline, sits on 40 acres of fields bursting with wildflowers, a lazy river that winds its way around a small forest and empties into a marshland, an extensive and unruly community garden, and near it, six bee hives. The church property is home to the original chapel built in 1715 by Welch immigrants.
Every Sunday for the early service, I would walk to the chapel from the main sanctuary through the church’s hallowed graveyard and I’d read the names on the gravestones as I walked by. There was one gravestone whose engraving had long since been reclaimed by weather and moss. And yet, on the Sunday before Memorial Day, early in the morning as I walked by on my way to chapel, it donned a small bit of decorative bunting – the red, white, and blue. It turns out that that ancient, not-so-forgotten gravestone belonged to a member of a Black Brigade of Union soldiers.
Nearly 40,000 African American men died while serving the Union Army – 30,000 of which from infection and disease. By the end of the Civil War, roughly 179,000 black men (or 10% of the Union Army) served as soldiers in the U.S. Army and another 19,000 served in the Navy. After the Emancipation Proclamation passed in 1862, recruitment of black men for the Union Army began in earnest – to little effect. Recruitment was slow until Frederick Douglass encouraged black men to become soldiers to ensure eventual full citizenship.
This Memorial Day I’m thinking about the countless men and women who valiantly served a country that didn’t always love them back.
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YOUR STORY BELONGS HERE!
Sharing our stories helps us grow closer as a community. Every person in our congregation brings a unique perspective, experience and voice to the life we share — and we want to celebrate that! Personal introductions will gradually take the place of weekly rector’s reflections, giving voice to the diverse journeys within our parish. We’d love to hear from you! Click here to email Meegan Kriner and take part in a community storytelling series.
| | Starting Sunday, May 25, join us for worship at 8:30 and 10 a.m. or livestream on YouTube and Facebook at 10 a.m. Nursery care will be available for ages 0-3 from 9:35-11:30 a.m. | | |
BON VOYAGE, REV. JEFF!
This week, St. Paul's staff gathered for a joyful bon voyage lunch in honor of the Rev. Jeff Bower. His final day with us before his sabbatical begins is Sunday, May 25. We send him off with gratitude, love and prayers for a time of much-deserved renewal and discovery. We offer this blessing: May God the Father, who by Baptism adopts us as his children, grant you grace.
May God the Son, who sanctified the poor and the downtrodden, fill you with love.
May God the Holy Spirit, who has made the Church one family, keep you in peace.
Amen. (from The Liturgy of Leave-Taking)
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BE HEARD - SHARE YOUR VISION FOR ST. PAUL'S FUTURE
At the Rector Transition Forum on Sunday, May 11, Senior Warden Jeff Kelsey invited all parishioners to reflect on four key questions about our community and its future. Your voice matters deeply in this time of transition. Click below to share your thoughts and help guide the path ahead for St. Paul’s.
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THANK YOU FOR THE PASTA!
We are grateful to those who donated boxes of pasta! St. Paul's Indy collected 100 pounds of pasta for use at Second Helpings, who prepares and delivers more than 1,000,000 meals to the central Indiana community each year. Second Helpings food donations are generally rescued from stores and restaurants - much of the rescuing, sorting, preparation, cooking and delivery is done by volunteers. Click here to learn more about Second Helpings and/or their volunteer opportunitities. Click here to email George Slenski with questions.
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"TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME"
Get tickets now to hear St. Paul's Choir School sing the national anthem!
Thursday, September 11, game time 6:35 p.m.
Victory Field
Don't miss a fun-filled evening of baseball, music and community! A limited number of seats in Section 106 are being held — perfect for cheering on the St. Paul’s Choir School as they sing the national anthem, watching for "St. Paul's Indy" to appear on the scoreboard mid-game and rooting for the Indianapolis Indians as they take on the Iowa Cubs. Sit with others from St. Paul's - tickets are just $15 each ($15.50 for credit card sales) and they’ll go fast. All seats must be reserved and paid for by Monday, August 25. Click below to view details and reserve your seats before summer schedules fill up and the tickets are gone!
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ADVOCACY IN ACTION SUGGESTION: Please stay engaged during the months when state lawmakers are not in session.
As part of St. Paul's mission to strive for justice and share Christ’s love, the Advocacy, Equity & Justice team is providing regular action suggestions aligned with Episcopalian values. The Indiana General Assembly will not convene until January 13, 2026. Legislators stay in touch with their constituents through town halls. You may click here to contact your legislators directly or telephone representatives at 317.232.9600/800.382.9842 or senators at 317.232.9400/800.382.9467. Your input can help shape legislation that ensures justice and equity for all citizens. Please click here to email Irma Boyett with suggestions or questions.
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MOSAIC BOOK CLUB
Thursday, June 5, 6:30-8 p.m.
Fire by the Monon Restaurant
Hijab Butch Blues is a memoir exploring author Lamya H.'s experience as a queer, Muslim immigrant and hijabi navigating the complexities of faith, gender and sexuality. The book follows Lamya from childhood into early adulthood, as she struggles with her identity and finds ways to reconcile her religious beliefs with her queer identity - offering a unique perspective on belonging and acceptance. All are welcome to join, regardless of reading the book. Mature St. Paul's teens who would be interested in reading this book and joining the discussion in June are welcome! Please click here to email Susie Holtz, or call/text 317.370.4262, with questions and to RSVP.
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Please click on red links for available details
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Tuesdays, 12-1:15 p.m., Tuesday Study Group, Broad Ripple Brewpub
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Tuesdays, 6-6:45 p.m., Centering Prayer, RCR (second floor, Parish Ctr. bldg.)
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Tuesdays, 6 p.m., Slow Flow Yoga
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Sat., June 7, Broad Ripple Duck Race
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Sun., August 17, 11:30 a.m - 2 p.m., Mess Fest
- Fri.-Sun., Sept. 19-21, Parish Retreat at Waycross
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