Farewell, Father Larry
A message from our Senior Warden, Ben Paden:
It is with mixed feelings that we part ways with The Reverend Larry Walters this week. Father Larry has served this congregation for the past five months during the tail-end of our search process for a new Rector. We have great joy and respect for having had the pleasure of serving with him for so long as he’s done a phenomenal job. We are also sad that our time has to come to an end. Mix in a large amount of excitement surrounding our new rector, and you get a complicated bundle of emotions.
The service of priests like Father Larry often goes under-appreciated as his time could be viewed as a stop gap, a lull, or a period we all just look beyond. However, I believe that his time with us was anything but that. I hope that during these past five months he has empowered you, shown you a different perspective and style, and prepared you for the next phase of our journey together. Father Larry did far more than fill in the gap. He shared with us deep and thoughtful sermons, he was provided the opportunity to really get to know us and serve with us personally, and he continued to challenge the way we had grown accustomed to. No, he wasn’t just a fill-in priest at all. He has become another part of our history which has made us who we are today and has helped prepare us for who we are to become.
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you, Father Larry and your wife, Teresa, for all you’ve shared with us. And with that, we will not say “Goodbye”, but instead “Until next time!”
Following our 10 AM service on March 18th, Holy Family hosted a farewell reception for Father Larry and Teresa. We also thanked the members of our rector search committee for their work during the past year.
Spruce Up For Spring!
Members of Holy Family’s Youth Group gathered to spruce up the church grounds by trimming ornamental grasses, raking leaves, and pruning rose bushes in preparation for upcoming Holy Week services. The students and adult leaders finished their monthly gathering by sharing Compline together. For more information about Holy Family’s Youth Group, please contact Director Marty Blake. mblake@hfec.org
Girl Scout Sunday 2018
On Sunday, March 11th, Father Larry recognized the active Girl Scouts of America who attend Holy Family. Girl Scouts was founded by Juliette Gordon Low on March 12, 1912. To honor this history, Girl Scouts celebrate a week that starts on Girl Scout Sunday and ends on Girl Scout Sabbath, and it always includes Girl Scouts’ birthday, March 12th.
Lenten Lock-In 2018
On Saturday, March 10th, Holy Family Youth Group held its annual Lenten Lock-In. As an extra special wrinkle, the participants enjoyed (or didn’t!) losing an hour of sleep due to Daylight Savings Time.
The students began the evening with an Agape meal. An Agape Meal is a Christian fellowship meal recalling the meals Jesus shared with disciples during his ministry and expressing the koinonia (community, sharing, fellowship) enjoyed by the family of Christ. At certain points in the Agape Meal, food was passed and shared with the group between readings and songs.
Following the Agape meal, youth participated in a spiritually-moving Stations of the Cross service featuring a social justice focus. The Reverend Cathy Scott, Holy Family’s Deacon, gave readings for each station that compared the original path of Jesus to the cross to modern-day examples of suffering in our local community and around the world.
The evening also included a teambuilding activity in the Narthex and some free time for games and fellowship.
As is tradition for the Lenten Lock-In, the youth prepared and delivered a meal to those who serve our community in the dark of night. This year they prepared a salad, lasagna, cake, and drinks for the officers working the night shift at the Fishers Police Department. The students and youth leaders toured the station and participated in a lively discussion with Officer Simmonds.
Back at church, everyone prepared for bed and finished the evening with Compline from the Book of Common Prayer.
Following breakfast in the parish hall, the lock-in participants attended the 8 AM service and shared Eucharist. The event has become a very special part of our youth ministry. For more information on upcoming events, please contact Youth Director Marty Blake. mblake@hfec.org
For more Lenten Lock-In photos please CLICK HERE
Youth Retreat Spring 2018
Holy Family youth and adult leaders joined others from the Diocese of Indianapolis for a weekend retreat at the Waycross Camp and Conference Center in Brown County during the weekend of March 2-4, 2018. The weekend’s theme “Unity in Community” challenged participants to find ways to connect and communicate with others, finding common ground and ways to help others. As always, the students enjoyed time together in fellowship, games, music, and amazing Waycross food. The weekend ended with Eucharist, healing, and goodbyes until next time. For more information about Holy Family’s participation in Diocesan youth events, contact Holy Family Youth Director Marty Blake. mblake@hfec.org
Miracle Place – Making a Difference
Sister Barb McClelland (Miracle Place) and Matthew Johnston
Early in 2018, Holy Family members were challenged to make monetary and snack donations to support Miracle Place in Indianapolis. This project was led by Youth Group member Matthew Johnston as his “Make a Difference” project for Fishers Junior High School. Miracle Place offers a safe afterschool place for children with help for homework, meals and snacks for neighborhood kids, assistance for the elderly, and a variety of other resources. The drive brought in a large assortment of snacks and paper goods as well as just over $400 to purchase fresh fruit and other perishable items for the afterschool program.
Matthew created individual bags of snack mix using donated items then led Youth Group members in making decorated tags to add to the bags. In past projects, the kids at Miracle Place particularly enjoyed these notes from Holy Family kids. so they were sure to repeat the loving gesture. All items were delivered to Miracle Place and unloaded with the help of kids in the program. The cash donations were so generous that a portion of the money was reserved to purchase and deliver a second set of items later in the spring. For more information about Holy Family’s Youth Group or Miracle Place partnership, please contact Youth Director Marty Blake. mblake@Hfec.org
Flower Sale Orders
Orders are now open for spring flower sales. This sale helps the church cover its annual operating expenses. Orders are due by March 11th. Please CLICK HERE to print a form. You may make a payment for your flower order by clicking HERE and choosing Spring Flower Sale in the drop-down menu.
Ash Wednesday 2018
Holy Family offered the Imposition of Ashes at 8 AM and 7 PM to mark the beginning of the penitential season of Lent. This is the first of the forty days of Lent, named for the custom of placing blessed ashes on the foreheads of worshipers at Ash Wednesday services. The ashes are a sign of penitence and a reminder of mortality, and may be imposed with the sign of the cross. Ash Wednesday is observed as a fast in the church year of the Episcopal Church. For more information about Lent at Holy Family, please contact Holy Family’s Deacon, the Reverend Cathy Scott. cscott@hfec.org
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