Spotlight on Community Meals

Several churches throughout the Central District host weekly or monthly community meals, which are wonderful opportunities for outreach to their neighbors. This week, we'd like to highlight two of those churches' programs, Greenwood UMC's Shepherd's Table and Grace UMC's Soup's On. These two churches responded to Metro's request for Expressions of Interest back in April, and both programs received funds through the Anonymous Family Foundation awards.

Shepherd's Table at Greenwood UMC

 

Yesterday morning, 35 cars came through the drive-thru line in just the first few minutes. During the 11 - 1 lunch time, a total of 60 meals were served, with 80 meals served the week before. Greenwood UMC launched Shepherd's Table free community lunch in 2011 and have continued to serve the community every Tuesday since, overcoming many obstacles and challenges, including a pandemic. They quickly adapted their sit-down self-service model to a drive-thru format, continuing to serve many regulars as well as first-time guests from the Greenwood neighborhood. They have managed with a crew of around 12 volunteers each week.

Greenwood UMC's congregation faithfully monitors the Shepherd's Table bulletin board, to know what items are needed, ensuring the ministry continues to thrive. Their pianist continues to play for the volunteers  each week, and she and all of the volunteers are looking forward to their re-opening dine-in service next week, with several modifications in place to ensure optimum safety for guests and volunteers.

 

Soups On at Grace UMC

 

Grace United Methodist Church has been offering a free community meal called Soups On every Friday evening for 15 years.  Prior to the pandemic, anywhere from 50 to 80 meals were served each week, and they have continued to serve at or above this range since.

When Franklin schools closed last March a week before Spring Break due to CDC and state official guidelines, Soups On leaders quickly gathered to figure out how and if to keep the weekly meal going. That first week, three individuals came together to send out notifications and make phone calls, letting folks know the meal would be served and offer guidance  for those who were concerned to stay home. The dedicated volunteers did not miss a beat. By the next Friday, Soups On had pivoted to the drive-thru model that is still used today, 16 months later. Sturdier carts and walkie-talkies were purchased as well as a surplus of to-go containers. One of the biggest shifts that needed to be made was that desserts have had to be purchased commercially instead of homemade.

Grace UMC's partnerships with many service organizations and local officials and businesses have provided new opportunities. Shortcake left over from the recent Strawberry Festival was donated to Soups On and was the dessert that Friday, and recently 200 pounds of ground beef was donated for future Soups On meals.

 

In 2013, Greenwood UMC and Grace UMC were two of five faith communities in Johnson County that initially formed the Johnson County Community Meals Network. Today, nine Johnson County churches and one south Indianapolis church make up the network that strives to make free community meals available at least 5 days/week in Johnson County and surrounding communities.

This is what sustained collaboration can look like. Metro Ministries thanks both of these churches for your commitment to your neighbors!   _______________________________________________

 

Workshops for Children and Youth Workers

Children, Youth and Family Ministry Leaders, what could these workshops add to your church's ministries? These are not free but are worthwhile opportunities to learn how to better serve the needs of children and youth.

• Intentional Relationships: Youth with strong developmental relationships benefit powerfully in their learning and development, but less than half of all youth experience them through school and the programs they attend.  This is offered August 4 and 5 or September 1 and 2.
• Developmental Assets & Developmental Relationships: This interactive training teaches how these two frameworks and bodies of research work together to help young people be and become their best selves. This workshop is offered August 10 and 11 or September 14 and 15.
• Engaging Families - a Relationship-Centered Approach: Across the board, schools, youth- and family-serving organizations and yes, churches, struggle to engage and partner with families. This workshop reframes family engagement based on developmental relationships. This workshop is offered August 18 and 19 or September 16 and 17.

_______________________________________________

 

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 UMC or St. Luke's UMC.