Click here for a mobile-friendly view.

ST. PAUL'S :: BEING IN COMMUNITY

Growing up in the Episcopal church, I am no stranger to a friendly competition. Euchre tournaments, ultimate frisbee games, trivia nights… I’ve done a lot of winning (and occasionally losing). Doing them with different generations? Now that is more challenging. 

For the All-Parish Retreat last month, I decided to make a Jeopardy! game for the first part of Whole Group Time. Retreat goers were divided into small groups and given whiteboards to quickly write answers on. They answered questions from the categories Devon Anderson, St. Paul’s, Indiana Natives, Waycross, and Nature Knowledge. I had a lot of fun writing these questions, thinking about what would be something that a Godly Play attendee would know (what is one of names of the three Godly Play classes?) or an adult who read Jeff Bower’s sabbatical updates (what countries did Jeff travel to while on sabbatical?). There were also a few questions that were intentionally hard, so that the whole group could collectively go “what was THAT question!”. 

The second part of our Whole Group time was doing an acrostic activity with small groups. Each small group was given words that had to be filled out with facts about their group members. For example, one word was LOVE. The group wrote down, “Harrison is learning Spanish. Katie D’s favorite animal is an octopus. Ryan’s fingers are very flexible. Josiah loves to eat grilled cheese.” The groups had a limited amount of time to work together, and were instructed to not repeat facts. There was a lot of conversation happening to come up with those answers. Making connections, building community- that’s the overall goal of intergenerational programming. 

Later that day at the retreat, we had Talent Show night, and it was incredible. Retreat goers were encouraged to go with their small group and to make additional groups to showcase their talents. There was standup comedy by Jackson, ukulele playing by Alexandra, joke telling by a small group of adults, and I sang my favorite camp song and it’s funny variations (I Am A C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N). There is so much talent in our congregation, and it was a pleasure to see the originality and passion.

Last Sunday was our first All-Parish Coffee Hour of the program year. Pet Blessing Sunday is my favorite church day of the year. The dogs woofing and sighing, the cats meowing, and people laughing to themselves about what the pets are doing. Pets bring happiness, and joy, and pride in your family, and excitement to show others how awesome your pet is.

The leading purpose of the two teams I’ve led recently, the Retreat Planning team and the Intergen team, are to build community in our congregation. The Retreat Team did an excellent job of planning and putting the retreat into action. As a kid, I knew adults who were not my parents and they were interested in me. They were my babysitters and camp counselors, they taught me Sunday School and were my youth group leaders, they chopped strawberries with me for our Strawberries on the Blacktop charity event, I beat them in Euchre tournaments. I want a similar experience for my daughter as she grows up at St. Paul’s. I want her to find a community that will guide her and be her friend, and the way to do that is for me to be present and open to opportunity. So I’ll keep leading the Intergen team, and I’d like to invite you to join us in our community building. 

Leah Ehlhardt, Parishioner

Linens are being collected the next two Sundays, October 19th and 26th. 

The next All-Parish Coffee Hour is November 2nd,

and will be honoring All Saints and All Souls Sunday. 

Want to be part of the Intergen Team? Click here to email Leah Ehlhardt. 

THIS WEEKEND

CONNECTIONS GATHERING

Friday, October 17, 6-8 p.m.

Connections is a group for childless folks in their 20s, 30s & 40s who are interested in finding community and exploring faith. Join the next meeting at parishioner Jacob Denning's home for s’mores and a bonfire! To RSVP and receive the address, please click here to email Jacob Denning.

NEW: Bi-monthly, look for an outing open to adults of ALL ages - those with kiddos too; watch for future intergenerational outings for kids AND parents. Click here to email Amanda Collins with questions or ideas for other “outings” around Indiana! 

Adults 21+: Save the date for a November 23 adult outing (details to come)!

ADULT FAITH FORUM :: Sabbatical Summary

10:15-11 a.m., Parish Hall

Join the Rev. Jeff Bower as he shares reflections and photos from his sabbatical experience this summer. There will also be time for questions and conversation.

SUNG MORNING PRAYER

Sunday, October 19, 11:15 a.m., Sanctuary

Enjoy the morning companion of Choral Evensong. This service contains choral canticles, responses and psalms and congregational hymns. Music will be by Stephen Paulus, William Byrd, Annabel Rooney and more. Communion from the reserved sacrament is available.

MARK CARPENTER PIANO RECITAL

Sunday, October 19, 4-5:30 p.m., Sanctuary

Parishioner Mark Carpenter will be presenting a piano recital of music originally composed for organ, which he has transcribed to be played on the piano. This recital will include pieces by Johann Pachelbel, Johann Ludwig Krebs, Cesar Franck, Ralph Vaughan-Williams, Paul Hindemith and Johann Sebastian Bach.

SHARING CHRIST'S LOVE :: UPDATES & SPECIAL SERVICES

LITURGY FOR ALL SOULS' DAY

featuring Requiem by Herbert Howells

Sunday, November 2, 11:15 a.m., Sanctuary

The commemoration of All Faithful Departed gives sacred time and space to remember those who have died, and a way to pray and remember them. Our staff singers and teen singers provide the underpinning of the service featuring the soul-stirring Requiem by the 20th century British composer Herbert Howells. Also included in the service is Howells’s motet “Take him, earth, for cherishing,” composed as a response to the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. We will also pray for those from St. Paul’s who have died during the past year and for loved ones you have lost, whether recently or in the past. If, during the service, you would like us to mention the name of a loved one who has died, please email the name to Meegan Kriner by Monday, October 27. 

HONORING OUR VETERANS

In observance of Veterans Day on Tuesday, November 11, we invite St. Paul’s veterans to share details about their military service. No later than Monday, November 3, please click here to email Meegan Kriner with your name, title, location(s)/years served and a photo of yourself. If you submitted your details last year, we'll highlight your information again unless you ask us not to do so.

SACRED GROUND

Sacred Ground is back, and we’d love to have you along for the journey! Sacred Ground is a seven-month Episcopal dialogue series on race, grounded in faith and open to all. Together we will explore America’s history of race and racism, including the particular American histories of Black, Indigenous, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American communities as they intersect with European American histories, our own family stories, economic class, and political and regional identity. This year’s Sacred Ground circle will again meet in a hybrid format: most sessions will take place on Zoom on Sunday evenings from 7-8:35 p.m., roughly twice a month, with occasional in-person sessions to anchor our community. The program kicks off on Sunday, November 2, 12:45-2:30 p.m., with a pitch-in lunch in the Lilly Room to get acquainted and for an overview of the course. Click below to see all details and register. Questions, click here to email the Rev. Beth Scriven.

ST. PAUL'S JOINS STREETS TO HOME

'Tired of asking, “What can I do to make things better”? Here’s your chance — help end homelessness in Indianapolis. Team with Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP), Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance (GIMA), and other public/private partners, to support the Streets to Home Indy initiative — a major effort to end homelessness in Indianapolis. St. Paul’s Community Engagement is committing $25,000 to Streets to Home and inviting the congregation to match that gift with an additional $25,000. Fundraising will begin November 9! This is an opportunity to put our mission — sharing Christ’s love, creating community, and striving for justice — into action. Together, we can help move our neighbors from uncertainty to stability through permanent housing and the supportive services needed to remain housed. Questions, please click here to email Janie Frazier. On Sunday, November 9, St. Paul's welcomes Rabbi Dr. Aaron Spiegel (Executive Director/President of GIMA) to preach at 9 & 11:15 a.m. services and lead the 10:15 a.m. faith forum that day, sharing more about Streets to Home.

"SPOOKENSONG" CHORAL EVENSONG

Sunday, October 26, 4 p.m., Sanctuary

Treble and teen singers of St. Paul’s Indy will combine with the staff singers of Trinity Episcopal Church and Christ Church Cathedral in a tongue-in-cheek service of Choral Evensong. This service includes singers wearing Halloween costumes and music that is - in turns - dark and stormy and lighthearted. Spookensong will include Pumpkin Carols and there will be a reception afterwards. Spookensong will also be livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook.

CREATING COMMUNITY

TGIF GATHERING

Friday, October 24, 6-8:30 p.m., Parish Hall

'Ever wondered why European food tastes better or seems healthier? Join for this month’s TGIF to watch short documentaries on European bread and food, then discuss how to shop more mindfully. Adults 21+ are invited to bring a favorite chili recipe, or a side to share, for a potluck - don't forget your favorite beverage. Click here to RSVP to Alan Davis by Thursday, October 23.

SPIRITUALITY IN THE SECOND HALF OF LIFE MINI-RETREAT

Saturday, November 1

8:30 a.m. breakfast, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. retreat

Lilly Room (first floor, Church bldg.)

Join the Rev. Devon Anderson, Brad Hughley and other guest stars for a mini-retreat the day before All Saints’ Sunday, to explore what a deep and growing spiritual life can look like in the second half of life. We will focus on theologian Richard Rohr’s “two halves of life” idea — one building the vessel, then the second filling the vessel with meaning — as a spiritual framework. We will then shift to looking at preparing for a “good death” as part of spiritual work in the second half of life. We will learn, share, sing and eat. Please click here to RSVP or call Tana Hunnicutt at 317.253.1277.

MOSAIC BOOK CLUB

Thursday, November 6, 7-8:30 p.m.

Youth Lounge (first floor, Parish Ctr. bldg.)

Join in a discussion of "A Day in the Life of Abed Salama" by Nathan Thrall — praised for his “severe allergy to conventional wisdom” (Time). Through the story of a father’s desperate search for his son after a tragic school bus accident, Thrall offers a deeply human portrait of life in Israel/Palestine and the challenges faced by Palestinians. All are welcome! Click here to email Susie Holtz, or text 317.370.4262 with questions. Looking ahead: December's book will be "Kindred," by Octavia E. Butler.

NOTEWORTHY DATES & INFO

Please click on red links for available details

• Ongoing, Community Engagement Volunteer Opportunities
• Sunday Small Snacks after 9 a.m. worship
• Mondays, Swashbuckling & Beginning Fencing classes with Drew Tharp, Yoga Room (second floor, Parish Ctr. bldg.)
• Tuesdays, 6-6:45 p.m., Centering Prayer, Roberts Library (first floor, Church bldg.)
• Tuesdays, 6 p.m., Slow Flow Yoga, Rm. 213 (second floor, Parish Ctr. bldg.)
• Wednesdays, Oct. 1-29, Chair Yoga, Room 213 (second floor, Parish Ctr. bldg.)
• Thursdays, 10-11:30 a.m., Women's Bible Study, Rm. 207 (second floor, Parish Ctr. bldg.)
• Sat., Oct. 18, 5:30-7:30 p.m., "Considering Matthew Shepard" ISC Concert benefiting Trinity Haven, St. Christopher's Episcopal Church
• Fri., Oct. 31, 8:30-11 a.m., Habitat for Humanity Multifaith Build, Second Presbyterian
• Nov. 6-16, 2025, Spirit & Place Festival, various locations
• Sun., Nov. 9, Choral Evensong, 4 p.m., Sanctuary
• Sat., Dec. 6, 9 or 11:10 a.m., Breakfast with Buddy the Elf, Parish Hall

SHARE YOUR STORY, CELEBRATE OUR COMMUNITY!

Every story matters — and yours can inspire others! Do you have a milestone to celebrate, an event to promote or good news to share? Let us help you spread the word. Submissions may appear in eConnections, Sunday bulletins, on social media, our website (stpaulsindy.org) or the Burrows Commons digital display. Share your news by 4 p.m. Mondays for that week’s publications (early is even better!). Space is limited, and content may be edited or adapted for the best fit. Please click here to email Meegan Kriner with questions. Click below to share your news:

Follow us:

Tell your friends: