I had the opportunity today to meet Rev. Dr. Oscar Ramos-Gillardo. Rev. Oscar and his wife Rev. Juanita (Nita) Ramos have been appointed to serve at Abundant Vida Nueva as of February 1, upon the retirement of Rev. David Penalva. Pastors Oscar and Nita are beginning to settle in to their new home in Indianapolis, having just moved from Kokomo, where Pastor Oscar most recently served as Senior Pastor of Kokomo Main Street UMC and Pastor Nita served as Senior Pastor at nearby New Waverly UMC.
Pastors Oscar and Nita have been serving in the United Methodist Church in the US since 1994, in Indiana congregations for 7 years, then in New Orleans for over 10 years after Hurricane Katrina. While there, they founded two ministries, La Semilla, a non-profit organization focused on educational opportunities of the community, particularly the Latino/Hispanic community, and La Sagrada Familia, a ministry of First Grace United Methodist Church.
With their appointment to Abundant Vida Nueva UMC, Pastor Oscar sees many opportunities for connecting and relationship building across the congregation and within the community. He believes this church and the Church are intended to be multi-lingual and multi-cultural expressions of faith. He is eager to learn about the church's Descubriendo Indy annual summer program for children and would like to see both English and Spanish classes be ministries of the church in the near future. He hopes also to connect with community resources to guide young people and their families in exploring educational opportunities after high school.
Please join Metro Ministries in welcoming Pastors Oscar and Nita! I look forward to learning how Metro can best support them, the Abundant Vida Nueva congregation and their community.
We cannot wait to gather at Castleton UMC for this year's Lenten Kickoff Breakfast, "Beginning the Lenten Journey."
We are grateful to Castleton UMW for sponsoring this year's event, and we are honored to have Carolyn Marshall, Executive Director of Lucille Raines Residence as our guest speaker.
Contact Metro's office with questions about the event or registration, at (317) 452-4786.
Here are upcoming events and activities during this season of Lent:
Saturday Breakfasts in Johnson County (all begin at 8:00 am):
March 12: Edinburgh UMC
March 19: Mt. Auburn UMC
March 26: Smith Valley UMC
April 2: Grace UMC
April 9: Greenwood UMC
Southeast Indy Group:
March 26: All-church breakfast at Christ UMC, beginning at 7:30 am. Guest speaker will be G.L. Woods, author of Faith 911.
Crossroads Cluster Lenten Worship Schedule:
All services begin at 6:30 pm.
March 2: (Ash Wednesday): Fountaintown, Rev. Colin Cress
March 6: Morristown, Rev. Steve Brackney
March 13: Fairview, Rev. Meredith McNabb
March 20: Mt. Lebanon, Rev. Heather Cress
March 27: Charlottesville, Rev. Colin Cress
April 3: Fountaintown Fairview, Pastor Debb Ebersole
April 10: (Palm Sunday): Liberty, Choir Cantata
April 14: (Maundy Thursday): Morristown, Pastor Jan Bond; pitch in to follow service
April 15: (Good Friday): Fairview, Rev. Steve Brackney
Refreshments provided by host church at services, except Maundy Thursday (all-church pitch in), Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Host church will determine if there is need for cancellation due to COVID-19 or weather.
Lenten Prayer Services in Irvington
All services begin at 7:00 pm,.
March 2: Ash Wednesday Services at each of the these individual churches by their respective clergy.
March 9: Gethsemane Lutheran Church, with preaching by St. Matthew Episcopal Church's Transitional Deacon Joel Munoz
March 16: Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, with preaching by Rev. Denise Robinson of Irvington UMC
March 23: Downey Avenue Christian Church, with preaching by Rev. Martin Bornhoeft of Gethsemane Lutheran Church
March 30: Irvington UMC, with preaching by Fr. Rick Ginther of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
April 6: St. Matthew Episcopal Church, with preaching by Daren Huber, Ministry Intern of Downey Avenue Christian Church
Due to COVID concerns, no soup suppers will be offered.
Plainfield UMC:
Fat Tuesday Pancake Dinner and Concert, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, 6:30 - 8:30 pm. Musical guests will be The Tad Robinson Band Tad Robinson is a blues musician and gifted harmonica player. He and his band frequently perform in the Indianapolis area and recently returned from a European tour.
If your church is planning any community events, please let us know. We would love to share them in upcoming newsletters!
What: How Race Matters for Us as United Methodists: Stories about Our Past, Present and Future
When: Sunday, February 27, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Where: Grace UMC in Franklin, 1300 E. Adams Drive
Dr. Michael G. Cartwright will lead a conversation for clergy and laity about the haunting heritage of racism in American Methodism. Examples from the past will be discussed to illuminate struggles in the present. Participants will also be invited to consider positive examples from Indiana and beyond that offer hope for our common future as Americans and United Methodists.
Michael is the Vice President for University Mission and Associate Professor of Philosophy & Religion at the University of Indianapolis. He is also an elder in the Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church.
Please contact Grace UMC at grace@franklingrace.org to indicate interest in attending this event.
World Day of Prayer is a worldwide ecumenical movement of Christian women of many traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year, and who, in many countries, have a continuing relationship in prayer and service.
There are three service options for this year's World Day of Prayer on March 4, 2022:
- 1:00 pm: In person at Robin Run Chapel, 5354 W. 62nd St, Indianapolis
The Faith and Action Project of Christian Theological Seminary hosts the seventh annual spring conference on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. This year's event will be in-person at Shelton Auditorium on Butler University's South campus.
The theme this year is Poverty and Mental Health: Examining the Connections. This event is an opportunity to join faith leaders, lay leaders, activists and nonprofit organizations from Central Indiana, to "Push Back Poverty".
Full details and registration information is available HERE.
Organizations planning to apply for a Faith & Action grant are strongly encouraged to attend the Faith & Action Spring Conference.
The Society of St. Andrew Indiana is seeking someone for a Gleaning Coordinator VISTA. This full-time year-long Americorps VISTA opportunity will be located in Indianapolis, from June 2022 - June 2023. Details on this opportunity including duties, benefits and application process are available HERE.
Did your church grow a garden in 2021? Did you share your harvest with your neighbors? If so, Rev. Jake Ohlemiller, the INUMC's new Creation Care Coordinator, wants to hear from you!
The Diversity, Missions and Justice Team wants to know how God used your investment to reveal hope and a future to the world around you. At the 2022 Annual Conference, three local churches will receive "Anathoth Awards", in recognition for their work through community gardens.
Click HERE to learn more about the award opportunity, including why the name "Anathoth" awards and how to submit your church's garden for consideration. Submissions must be made by March 13, 2022.
Applications accepted February 1 to February 28, 2022
Ministries seeking this grant must have a connection to the work of the United Methodist Church either directly by use of church building, members or boards; or indirectly as partners with other faith-based community groups.
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.
Notice of Intention to Apply must be received 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.
The Society of St. Andrew Indiana is seeking someone for a Gleaning Coordinator VISTA. This full-time year-long Americorps VISTA opportunity will be located in Indianapolis, from June 2022 - June 2023. Details on this opportunity including duties, benefits and application process are available 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.
The deadline to submit petitions or resolutions for the 2022 Annual Conference Session is March 10, 2022.
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.
Did you know the Indiana Conference website has a job posting board of open church staff positions and beyond?
Did you know that churches can post staff job opportunities on the INUMC Conference Job Board?
View current openings HERE, and 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.
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