I hope that you were able to celebrate Easter on Sunday and that you continue to experience the hope and promise of this Easter season!
We are moving from Lenten Moments to Easter Moments, as we share videos this week and next. This week's videois from Metro board member Craig Guhl. Watch and listen as Craig shares about how Metro helped ensure all Central Indiana kids had coats last year.
For everyone who has given to Metro during Lent this year, we thank you! If you have not, do consider a gift today to help us reach our $8,000 goal - we are less than $2,000 away from our goal! The campaign will run through April 30th. All donations will go towards Metro's 2023 Grants program.
This past Saturday I had the pleasure to attend a celebration, as folks gathered, many in traditional African attire, to celebrate the work and ministry of Rev. Dr. James Anyike, Senior Pastor at Scott UMC. The event was to thank Rev. Anyike for his service and to wish him well as he prepares to leave for Zimbabwe in August to start the next chapter, or perhaps book, in his faith journey.
The event was a true joy and a learning experience for me. I was not familiar with the African libation ceremony, where the ancestors of those celebrating are named and remembered. This ceremony at the beginning of the program was very moving.
Rev. Anyike has served as Scott UMC's senior pastor for 14 years. Before this appointment, he served at Christ UMC in Gary, and at Wesley UMC and University UMC in Indianapolis, as well as with Metro Ministries back in 2007.
One of the hallmarks of Rev. Anyike's service at Scott UMC is the annual Generation to Generation Conference. Rev. Anyike was concerned with what he saw as a generational gap on many fronts, both in Scott UMC's congregation and in the community in general. So in 2008, he launched the first Generation to Generation Conference. The G2G Conference has been an annual multi-day event for the past 13 years, with worship, workshops and speakers, focused on bringing the community together to face and tackle the many issues disproportionately affecting the black community. The G2G Conference was held in both 2020 and 2021, in spite of the pandemic, with in person attendance limits, Zoom options for all workshops and mask protocols upheld.
Rev. Anyike has authored three books, having published these as well as the works of several other black authors through Popular Truth Publishing, his publishing company. He intends to continue with his writing and plans to work with Africa University while he is in Zimbabwe.
Metro Ministries thanks Rev. Anyike for his servant leadership in the Central District and beyond! We wish you well on your journey!
Every year as Earth Day approaches, I tell myself I'm going to do more to appreciate and respect our planet. While I may make one or two small changes each year, there is always more that I could do in my daily life to better care for the environment. I do try to be more intentional on April 22nd at the very least. Here are a few resources to consider for this year's April 22nd Earth Day.
Indy Parks and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful invite individuals and families to participate in Earth Day Cleanup at area parks. Free trash bags and gloves are available at all Indy Park Family Center locations. You are encouraged to visit one or more Indy Park locations on Friday and help clean up!
Do you reside outside Marion County? You can spend some time cleaning up parks or neighborhoods in your county. Here are links to park information for the counties surrounding Marion.
As part of Indiana Youth Institute's Youth Worker Cafe, they are offering a grant writing workshop on Friday, May 13, 1 - 4 pm. The title of this workshop is "Your Power Prospectus: How to Get a Grant Funder’s Attention Without the Stress of What to Say and Do" and will provide:
a toolkit for presenting programs and projects to funders
a "power prospectus" template
a script of top ten questions to ask to help establish relationships with funders.
Family Promise of Greater Indianapolis kicked off this year's #NightWithoutABed campaign on April 1, where they joined with churches and organizations to raise funds and to raise awareness of the issue of homelessness in the Greater Indianapolis area.
Several United Methodist churches in and around Indy have partnered with Family Promise for a number of years, many having served as host sites until the COVID-19 pandemic suspended that temporary family shelter program.
The fundraising campaign officially launched April 1, with a challenge for churches, organizations and individuals in friendly fundraising competition. The campaign will conclude on April 30, with an opportunity to spend a night without a bed. University UMC will host a Community Sleepout in the church parking lot and on the church grounds. Beginning at 7pm, participants will hear first-person stories of families' paths from homelessness to housing. There will also be a DJ on hand, fire pits with s'mores, awards and more.
To participate in the sleepout at University UMC, email info@fpgi.org with your name and whether you need a parking space or if you will be bringing a tent and will need tent space. Click HERE for more information about #NightWithoutABed.
In response to many inquiries that are emerging, the Cabinet of the INUMC has decided to host District gatherings to help facilitate providing accurate information and answer questions that may emerge regarding the current realities facing the United Methodist Church.
The Central District Gatherings will be:
Saturday, April 30 at noon, Greenwood UMC
Sunday, May 1 at 3:00 pm, Lawrence UMC
Sunday, May 1 at 6:00 pm, Chapel Hill UMC
Thursday, May 19 at 6:30 pm, via Zoom (Zoom link coming)
These gatherings will be a time for worship, providing information and an intentional time of prayer. Each gathering will last no more than 75 minutes, and the same information will be presented at each gathering.
These gatherings are open to all laity, clergy and those who are curious. There will be no open mic for debates; however, there will be opportunities to raise pertinent questions.
Matching grants up to $2,000 are available to help create new ministries or enhance current ministries with economically disadvantaged families and individuals. Click HERE for full details.
Urban Transitional Community Grants
Application deadlines are June 1 and December 1, with Notice of Intention to Apply due by March 1 for the June 1 deadline or September 1 for the December 1 deadline.
Matching grants up to $20,000 are offered by the based on criteria in the INUMC Urban Ministry Comprehensive Plan. Before applying for a matching grant, applicants should become familiar with this plan.
If interested in applying, review all the information HERE.
Love God, Love Neighbor is the theme for this year's Indiana Annual Conference, to be held June 9 through 11 in person at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana.
With the theme "Love God, Love Neighbor", the offering and service project focus this year is on our Afghan neighbors. Here are ways your church can participate:
Collect and bring a financial offering that will go to resettlement organizations for our Afghan neighbors.
Prepare and collect school kits comprised of THESE SCHOOL SUPPLY ITEMS and bring your church's collected kits to the Conference.
Have your church be a collection point for School Kits during the month of April and contact Jennifer Huff at jennifer.huff@inumc.org to arrange pickup in May.
Share stories of how your church has been present with and serving our Afghan neighbors. Contact Jennifer Huff at jennifer.huff@inumc.org for your stories to be shared during Annual Conference.
Consider co-sponsoring an Afghan family with other churches or organizations. Contact Metro Ministries for more information on this opportunity.
We hope to offer first names of our Afghan neighbors for churches to be in prayer for them.
Metro Ministries is aware of the following job opportunities within the Central District. If you have questions about any of these opportunities, feel free to reach out to Tina McAninch at metrodirector1923@gmail.com.
Indianapolis:
East Tenth United Methodist Children & Youth Center is seeking Infant, Toddler, Preschool, Afterschool and Summer Program teachers. Multiple positions are available, email the Center at jcasmirhill@east10th.org.
TeenWorks is hiring for its Summer Employment program. They are actively seeking to fill their supervisor(s) and assistant supervisor(s) positions. This is a great opportunity to serve our local high school students and introduce them to the workforce! Please share this with any prospective adults in your networks!
United Way of Johnson County: Helpline Associate - This f/t position is an entry level opportunity in social work/human services. This unique role directly connects Helpline callers to appropriate resources in and around Johnson County. Application is available on Facebook.
Grace UMC: Family & Children's Ministry Director (f/t): The qualified person will have good experience and personal skill in relating to children and families. A job description is available upon request by emailing Amber Whitman at grace@franklingrace.org. This person will work with the associate pastor, along with a dedicated Ministry Team. The position is part of a wider church staff.
Grace UMC: Outreach Coordinator (p/t): This person will oversee numerous ministries in the area of food insecurity, outreach, and partnership coordination. The person will work with the senior pastor and the Outreach Ministry Team, along with other committed volunteers. For more information, please contact Andy Kinsey at andykinsey@franklingrace.org.
INUMC Job Posting Board
View current openings throughout the Indiana Conference HERE. To post your open position(s), scroll down to the "Post a Job" button to add your church's open positions.
Did you miss the latest newsletter from Metro Ministries? Is there a specific article you are looking for? You can access past issues at www.indymetroumc.org/communications!
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 automatically 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 very valuable tool now works in the donut counties as well as 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.
.PNG)
.png)
.png)
.jpg)
