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LAST CALL - FY2025 ENDS ON JUNE 30!

INTERIM RECTOR REFLECTION

I have just finished reading Pádraig Ó Tuama’s glorious new book of poetry, “Kitchen Hymns.” The volume begins with this gem:

In the Name of the Bee

I asked the grasses if they believed

but they said believe is a poor verb.

I asked the sun but it had eclipsed.

I asked the tree, and it said stand.

I asked the fieldmouse, it nibbled

a seed in my outstretched hand.

I asked the hare, but it didn’t stop. I asked

the ground but it just kept spinning.

Things grew, then died, then rotted, then

renewed the soil. New things grew. I went to ask

the bee about the future but it had gone

extinct with a bead of nectar on its tongue.

I asked the songthrush about the soul

and it sang until a gate to hell opened.

I asked the mountain what mattered.

It said nothing. 

Thomas Aquinas is thought to have said, “Nature is the first Bible.” Even if he didn’t say it, someone did. And it’s brilliant. Indeed, as the poem points out, knowing God, living a life in the shadow of the Holy is inherently relational — about the heart and the senses and the cycle of life around us, embodied in the natural world. Everything we need to know about the Trinity: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, we can discern and feel and know and understand in nature. 

In a few days I leave for time to be spent in Ireland. My husband, Michael, is leading a summer abroad program for Carleton students in a class entitled “Holy Pilgrimage and Sacred Sites,” and I get to join him and the group on their travels. The weekends are our own. Basically we’ll be visiting what the ancient Celtic tradition coins “thin places” — those natural places where the veil between this world and the next is especially opaque. Among other things we will hike Croagh Patrick - Ireland’s most holy mountain, where it’s thought St. Patrick climbed and lived for 40 days in the year 441. Before that the mountain was sacred to the nature-based, celtic religions for centuries. I’ve climbed it before - and it’s a straight up grind — 4 hours of boulders, and not for the faint of heart. Except for the odd pilgrim and wind, though, the mountain is silent. And if the clouds clear while you’re climbing, the views of ocean bays and inlets present their majestic selves. That mountain has a lot to teach its pilgrims — about resolve and persistence, about silence so dense you can hear the blood rushing through your body, about the poetry of God’s creation: patient, stubborn, cyclical, perpetual, both changing and changeless. At the top, after I caught my breath and nursed a pulled muscle, I felt the Presence. It wasn’t because I was on a mountain or because the view was stunning, or because I had mastered a physically crazy thing. It was because it felt like there was nothing between me and the Divine - not my own ego, or noise, or phones, or responsibilities. I felt the stark and wonderful nakedness of my soul in close proximity to the creator of that soul. It wasn’t about creeds or theology or the church. It was just presence, a wholeness, the heart. 

This summer, what might nature teach us about God? Though it might feel awkward (or silly) at first, why not, when we’re on a lake or taking a walk or camping or in a boat, ask ourselves: what does this tree have to teach me? or this body of water? or this hummingbird? or this perennial? Yes, it’s about beauty. But there are deeper riches of feeling and epiphany waiting for the attentive and open disciple. 

The Rev. Devon Anderson, Interim Rector

THIS WEEKEND

CONNECTIONS YOUNG ADULT GROUP

Friday, June 27, 6-8 p.m., Saraga Food Court

Connections is a group for childless folks in their 20s, 30s and 40s who are interested in finding community and exploring faith. Please join for the next meeting - newcomers are welcome! Click here to email Jacob Denning with questions.

PREACHING: The Rev. Yuri Rodriguez

The Rev. Yuri Rodriguez, our Interim Associate Rector, will preach on Sunday, June 29. Click here to read Yuri's introduction letter and learn more about her.

SUMMER FELLOWSHIP

Thank you to St. Paul's Community Engagement team for providing refreshments! 

Please join us Sunday, June 29 after the 10 a.m. service in St. Paul's Courtyard (weather-permitting)/Burrows Commons for fellowship and coffee, light refreshments and outdoor children's activities. 

GREEN TEAM BOOK DISCUSSION

Sunday, June 29, 9-9:45 a.m., St. Paul's Courtyard

Please join members of the Green Team as the summer tradition of discussing a nature-related book is continued. In this summer's book, The Serviceberry, Indigenous scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer asks how can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most. Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.” Click here to email Larry Johnson with questions.

WHERE IS FATHER JEFF!?

The Rev. Jeff Bower has entered his final stretch of pilgrimage along the Camino Ignaciano. He began the week in Igualada, a historic town along the Anoia River known for its medieval old town and wine-producing region. From there, he traveled to Manresa, a city central to St. Ignatius’s journey and the birthplace of his Spiritual Exercises. Jeff then made his way to the stunning mountains of Montserrat, home to the Benedictine abbey and known for its dramatic rock formations. He’ll conclude his pilgrimage with time for reflection and prayer in Barcelona, focusing on the fourth-week contemplation: how Christ appeared to our Lady. Click below to follow along and see more details about Jeff's sabbatical. Parishioner Pete Holtz will lead a geared-for-children (but open to all) session on Sunday, June 29 to tell more about "Where in the World" Jeff is; plan to meet outside (weather-permitting) after the 10 a.m. service.

SAFETY UPDATE FROM VESTRY & INTERIM RECTOR

Out of an abundance of care, we want to make all aware of a situation involving a former neighbor, Richard (“Rich”) Sackett, whose behavior toward staff and volunteers became increasingly erratic. While there was no physical harm, he was trespassed from our buildings and grounds for safety reasons and no longer lives nearby. If you see him on the St. Paul’s Indy campus, please do not engage — instead, notify Devon, a warden or staff immediately. We continue to pray for Rich’s healing and the well-being of all in our community. For more details and a picture of Rich, please click below:

SHARING CHRIST'S LOVE

INDEPENDENCE DAY LESSONS & CAROLS WITH HOLY EUCHARIST

Sunday, July 6, 10 a.m., Sanctuary

Join us for a festive and reflective service of Lessons & Carols celebrating Independence Day and the birth of democracy. Modeled on the beloved Christmas tradition and drawn from "The Book of Occasional Services," this liturgy highlights how our Christian faith informs civic life. Holy Eucharist will be included. The service will include excerpts from John Winthrop's "A Modell of Christian Charity," the Declaration of Independence, "Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address," "Declaration of Sentiments" from the first Women’s Rights Convention, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" and "Confronted by God: The Essential Verna Dozier" — culminating in a blessing by the Rev. William Sloane Coffin. Music will feature America, the Beautiful (Calvin Hampton), Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever, special hymns and more. Please plan to stay after the service and gather in the courtyard for festive popsicles and fellowship!

STRIVING FOR JUSTICE

MOSAIC BOOK CLUB

Thursday, July 3, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Fire by the Monon

Take time this summer to explore books by authors of color - join the Mosaic Book Club! Mosaic seeks to be a group as diverse as the books on its reading list - meet for dinner and discussion of the latest (powerful) book, Martyr!. This novel is about Cyrus Shams, a young, newly- sober, queer Iranian American grappling with the deaths of his parents and his identity as an artist. Author Kaveh Akbar's story follows Cyrus's search for meaning and purpose, intertwined with a family secret related to his mother's death in a plane crash during the Iran-Iraq war. It explores themes of addiction, grief, martyrdom and the search for identity in a world that can be both cruel and indifferent, according to NPR. All are welcome to join the conversation, regardless of reading the book. Click here to email Susie Holtz or call/text 317.370.4262 with questions.

CREATING COMMUNITY

UPDATE: REUNIFICATION DISCERNMENT

Curious about the ongoing conversations around reunifying the Episcopal Dioceses of Northern Indiana and Indianapolis? The Reunification Discernment Committee met on June 10, 2025. Click below for the summary highlighting key reflections on governance, budgets, healthcare and more. This provides a transparent look at how both dioceses are listening, learning and discerning together.

VOLUNTEER TO FEED YOUNG MINDS!

St. Paul’s Indy is partnering with the MLK Center to provide after-school snacks for 65–80 youth each day and you can help! Sign up to be a snack shopper for one month. We’ll give you a $200 Visa gift card with a shopping list and easy delivery instructions. You choose the month that works for you — maybe in honor of a birthday, anniversary or just because! This is a fun, flexible way for families, empty nesters or individuals to make a real impact. Volunteer today and help keep kids nourished, focused and smiling! Please click here to email Susie Holtz or text 317.370.4262 to pick and sign up for a month, or to ask more questions!

NOTEWORTHY DATES

Please click on red links for available details

• Tuesdays, 6-6:45 p.m., Centering Prayer, RCR (second floor, Parish Ctr. bldg.)
• Tuesdays, 6 p.m., Slow Flow Yoga
• Sun., July 20, IU Schola Cantorum singing 10 a.m. service at St. Paul's Indy
• Wed., Aug. 6, St. Paul's Indy office closed for staff outing - NO WEDNESDAY WORSHIP
• Sun., Aug. 17, 11:30 a.m - 2 p.m., Mess Fest
• Thur., Sept. 11, game time 6:35 p.m., All-Parish Indians Game at Victory Field
• Fri.-Sun., Sept. 19-21, Parish Retreat at Waycross

'HAVE NEWS TO SHARE WITH ST. PAUL'S INDY!?

Do you have a story to tell, a milestone to celebrate or an event to promote? We’d love to hear from you! Share your news for possible inclusion in eConnections, bulletin announcements, social media, on our website or on the Burrows Commons digital display. Submissions are due by 4 p.m. on Mondays for that week’s publications — early submissions are always welcome! Space is limited, so content will be shared based on timing, relevance and audience. Announcements may be edited or featured in different formats to best serve our community, and selected items typically run for up to two weeks. Please click here to email Meegan Kriner with questions. Click below to share your news:

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