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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Holy Family Blood Drive
On February 14th, Holy Family hosted its first blood drive in the parish hall with the Indiana Blood Center. Special thanks are extended to all those who signed up to donate. For more information about Holy Family, please contact our church office admin@hfec.org
Shrove Tuesday 2018
On Tuesday, February 13th, Holy Family celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a variety of activities. First, we enjoyed our final hurrah of sweets and treats with a pancake supper hosted by our Youth Group.
We burned the palms used on Palm Sunday last year in order to make the ashes for our Ash Wednesday services.
Finally, we gathered to have the children help Deacon Cathy “bury the Alleluia” until Easter Vigil. For more information about our Easter week services, please click HERE.
