Sights & Sounds of Summer, Children Matter Most, Church Collaboration Grant, Upcoming Events & More!
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WEDNESDAY WORDS
FROM METRO MINISTRIES, INC.
July 14, 2021
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Sights and Sounds of Summer
Along with so many other happenings that didn't happen last year, did you miss VBS? How about church camp or community festivals,? Did you miss volunteering with children and youth last year? Did you miss experiencing the sense of community, being a part of the sights and sounds of summer? I daresay each of us can recall at least one summer community event that didn’t happen because of the pandemic, that made it seem like a “non-summer” last year.
If you haven’t noticed, many of these experiences are back this year. Some not quite the same as years past, but they are BACK! You may have had the opportunity to teach or work on crafts at your church’s VBS or to read with a child at Cumberland UMC’s Project Transformation. Or maybe you have been able to attend a Strawberry Festival. Or maybe your opportunity isn’t here yet but is coming up soon in your church or your community. It feels good to have summer back, doesn’t it?
Seeing these and many more images of this year’s activities made me realize how much I missed all of this last year. Notice the smiles, the sharing and the connecting in these images. Can you hear the laughter - I can! I’m so grateful for these sights and sounds of summer 2021!
There are more summer event to come, and more photos will be shared in a few weeks.
Note: I am unable to give credit to the awesome photogra(in advance) for allowing me to borrow these from Facebook!
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The Children Matter Most Team is working to assist churches as they care for all children and youth. You are invited to complete this brief survey to help the team better understand the needs that churches may have in uplifting children and youth.
Visit their webpage to learn more about the Children Matter Most initiative.
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Attention Church Leaders!
In case you missed it last week, Metro Ministries invites all United Methodist Churches in the Central District to consider proposal submissions that demonstrate caring for children in meaningful and lasting ways. We are seeking proposals focused on children in or more of these areas:
Non-violence
Food insecurity
Education
Mental Health
Application submissions will be accepted now through August 8, 2021. Review all of the details of this grant opportunity on our website. Don't miss this opportunity to support children and youth in your community!
Churches are encouraged to collaborate on their proposals with other churches, schools, and/or organizations in their respective communities.
NeighborLink Indianapolis has opportunities to help low income individuals with disabilities and senior homeowners in Marion County with household repair and maintenance. Painting, yard cleanup and handy projects are available. Details and volunteer registration can be found HERE.
Society of St. Andrew Indiana has gleaning opportunities each week in and around Central Indiana. To register a volunteer profile and view upcoming volunteer opportunities, click HERE.
Pack Away Hunger is sponsoring a Public Meal Pack event at Interchurch Food Pantry in Franklin on August 7. Help in packing 33,000 meals for the pantry. Details can be found HERE.
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Check out these upcoming community events:
July 17: Family Day at Abundant Vida Nueva UMC 10 am -
July 17: Kids Bike Safety Day at Old Bethel UMC 10 am - ???
August 14: Community Resource Day at Barnes UMC Noon - 4 pm
August 15: Back to School Block Party at Pittsboro UMC 4 - 7 pm
August 27 - 29: G2G Conference at Scott UMC, details coming soon!
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Global Leadership Summit 2021
This year's two-day Global Leadership Summit has two United Methodist host sites in the Central district, Franklin Grace UMC and St. Luke's UMC. Check out the summit speakers and details HERE.
Join hundreds of thousands of curious, growth-minded, and change-driven people like you who want to understand more about leadership in today's world: learn more about the Global Leadership Summit, hosted by Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin on August 5 & 6, and begin to register. Whether you attend in-person at a station like Grace or online, you will experience two days of rich, high-impact, inspiring sessions from folks who will share their wisdom and practical perspective to support you in your leadership program.
The summit is August 5 - 6, 2021. You can reserve either in-person or online at either Grace UMCor St. Luke's UMC.
If you know of other resources we should share, please let us know by emailing Tina McAninch at metrodirector1923@gmail.com.
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FOOD RESOURCES
Community Compass
Community Compass is a tool created by Indy Hunger Network and has two key ways to connect individuals with food resources near them. The first is an app for smart phones that automically provides food resources based on where the individual is. The second is the ability to text for food resources if an individual does not have a smart phone. Check out details of Community Compass. This is a very valuable tool but does not currently include all food pantries beyond Marion County.
Listing of Central Indiana Food Pantries
We have updated the format of the food pantry list, making it easier to view when printed. You can download the updated listingHERE or from Metro's website's Resources Hub. Please let us know if you have food resources to add or update. We will make updates to this list on a quarterly basis.
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Metro Ministries, Inc. 2560 Villa Avenue Indianapolis, Indiana 46203metrodirector1923@gmail.com (317) 452-4786 www.indymetroumc.org