Outdoor Chapel: Taizé
On Saturday, July 11, we used our new outdoor chapel for the first time for a Taizé service. It was a beautiful evening, finally free from rain.
Music was provided by two members of our youth group.
During the service, congregation members were given a chance to spend time with the cross while we sang songs.
Thanks, Father Bruce!
Special thanks to the Reverend Bruce Boss for sharing his time and talents with us during the first half of Father Mike’s sabbatical.
Senior Warden Bryan Luce extended his gratitude on behalf of the congregation.
We enjoyed a special hospitality hosted by our vestry following the 10 AM service.
City of God: First Fruits Blessing
On Sunday, June 28th, Deacon Cathy Scott and Charles Forman spoke with congregation members about the biblical tradition of first fruits offerings in relation to our City of God campaign.
The Reverend Bruce Boss blessed the ingathering of contributions as well as pledge planning cards at both of our Sunday morning services. More details about our City of God capital campaign can be found HERE.
2015 Mission Trip: Gathering
On Saturday June 20, several members of the Holy Family mission trip team met to prepare for their upcoming mission to Philadelphia in July. The afternoon meeting included fellowship time and discussion about some of the systemic issues of racism and economic oppression as they pertain to those the team will be serving in Philadelphia.
The second portion of the gathering focused on safety awareness and self defense techniques. Recommended Fourth Dan Black Belt Deanna Dicken from North Indy Taekwondo shared a discussion about general safety principles and ways to avoid danger. It included suggestions on how to escape a variety of dangerous situations.
Mrs. Dicken modeled several physical attacks and simple ways to escape.
Students, adult mentors, and parents were encouraged to practice the escape techniques.
As is often the case at Holy Family, we ended the evening with a pitch-in picnic meal. Thank you to all who made the afternoon possible. We are almost ready to go and serve at the Episcopal Mission Center! Our next Mission Trip gathering is planned for July. jjohnston@hfec.org
Godspeed, Father Mike!
Following our City of God outdoor Eucharist, we turned the focus of our picnic to sending Father Mike off on his adventure in style. We set up a Bon Voyage table with decorations that nod in the direction of his sabbatical trip to the British Isles.
Congregation members wrote well wishes on small tags that were dropped into a suitcase on the table display. At the end of the evening the tags were bound into a booklet to send with Father Mike on his journey.
During the picnic we enjoyed catered barbecue with all the fixings and sweet treats made by congregation members. We also enjoyed some karaoke and discovered hidden talents within the congregation. Later in the evening, members of our youth group presented Father Mike with a suitcase of small items that might be helpful on his trip including snacks, puzzle books, a sleep mask and neck pillow, hand sanitizer, and Airborne cold medication.
At the end of the evening, Deacon Cathy read the Traveler’s Prayer for Father Mike from the Book of Common Prayer. She then invited the congregation members to hold up their hands to bless the entire Galvin family who will travel with Father Mike for at least part of his sabbatical. She read The Irish Blessing. Godspeed, Father Mike!
City of God: Celebration Picnic
On Saturday, May 16th, Holy Family members gathered for our annual spring outdoor Eucharist and parish picnic. This year the event was the final in a series of special occasions related to our City of God capital campaign.
Father Mike and Deacon Cathy led the congregation in a beautiful liturgy under a large tent.
Music was provided for the service by youth group members led by guitarist Ethan Everett.
Father Mike invited congregation members to bring forward their City of God pledge cards and mite boxes to be blessed during the Offertory. In addition, congregation members returned their river stones that they had personalized earlier during the campaign. The stones will be added to the foundation of the new building during construction.
Father Mike blessed all of the items as well as the regular offering.
Following the service we celebrated with a picnic of grand proportion. Our City of God logo, designed by Holy Family member Stephen Beard, took center stage on a delicious cake. At the picnic’s end, Father Mike announced an updated in-gathering amount of $615,000 toward the building project. More information about our City of God campaign can be found by clicking HERE.
May 2015 Celebrations
Sunday, May 10th was a super-sized day at Holy Family. We began our celebrations by blessing all Sunday school teachers and Christian formation leaders and thanking them for their service to the spiritual journeys of others. Father Mike offered a blessing.
We honored our 2015 high school graduates and presented them with our traditional gifts – bibles signed by adult mentors and prayer shawls handcrafted by our Prayer Shawl Ministry members. The shawls were made with love and prayers in every stitch.
Father Mike blessed the graduates. Each student shared his or her upcoming college and degree choice.
We also presented Deacon Cathy Scott with a prayer shawl. Deacon Cathy graduated on Saturday with a Master of Theology degree from St. Meinrad Seminary.
At the end of each service, Father Mike offered a blessing for mothers of all kinds.
Our Brotherhood of St. Andrew chapter hosted a lovely Mother’s Day brunch.
We also indulged with cake for our teachers and graduates. It was a special day for all who attended.
City of God: Advanced Commitment Dinner
On Friday, May 8th, members of Holy Family’s congregation gathered at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Carmel for fellowship and the Advanced Commitment dinner for the City of God capital campaign.
Father Mike shared a few words about the campaign and his hopes for Holy Family’s future.
Envision Our Future committee members Charles Forman and Dan Chillemi gave updates on the campaign so far.
Generis fundraising consultant Tom Melzoni shared stories from his extensive work with other churches and their capital campaigns.
The event’s guest speaker was the Reverend Canon Gray Lesesne. Reverend Lesesne was appointed by Bishop Waynick as the Vicar of the new Episcopal community in Brownsburg, Indiana.
Following the main address, congregation members were invited to prayerfully discern their campaign pledges and return their pledge cards to a collection basket.
Church members lit a City of God candle during this special ceremony and were invited to take them home at the end of the evening. Our initial ingathering of pledges yielded $582,000 toward a total project goal of $1 million. More information about our City of God capital campaign can be found by clicking HERE.
City of God: Clypping the Church
On Sunday, May 3rd, we joined together as a holy family to participate in “clypping the church.” Clypping the church involves the congregation members processing outside to surround the space designated for expansion.
Congregants held hands while surrounding the new space and then turned to face the larger community while a prayer service was held. In this manner, both the church and the community are embraced by the parishioners.
Readers were chosen to represent our 8 AM and 10 AM services as well as our youth population. We gathered to celebrate that God is found in our church community and our surrounding community.
Following the liturgy we enjoyed traditional clypping buns (hot cross buns.)
Father Mike, Deacon Cathy, and members of Holy Family’s congregation were joined by Aspen Group architect Doug Franklin. Doug has been working closely with our City of God team to design our new building spaces.
Delaware Township Trustee Debbie Driscoll participated in our event as well. Pictured here with Brotherhood of St. Andrew “senior brother” Joe Spangler, Debbie accepted our most recent donation of items for the township’s food pantry. Debbie also took two trays of hot cross buns to share at the township office. For more information about our City of God campaign, please click HERE.