Through conversation with community leaders , St . Alban ’ s in Indianapolis determined that their former education wing could best be used for a new community workplace initiative . Joshua Castaño
ministry within their stone landmark . The CBCP site visit — like all project visits — included an hour or two of “ community engagement ” with neighbors and civic leaders , to discover and discuss the strengths and assets of the church building . St . Paul ’ s brought together the city ’ s mayor and other local leaders for an energetic conversation that led to new space-sharing partnerships in a matter of weeks .
Knowing that the needs of its historic Gothic Revival building were pressing , the parish applied for matching funds to restore the tower . The parish ’ s priest , The Rev . Canon Michelle Walker , said , “ We [ realized we ] cannot fully utilize our assets if we are not good stewards of them . The goal is to preserve St . Paul ’ s bell tower as a reference point for people looking to find St . Paul ’ s and to communicate that St . Paul ’ s is a welcoming , well-maintained , and easily identified location for worship , ministry , and service .” Though initially somewhat daunted by the challenge of matching the grant funds , parish leaders found the renewed energy and promising partnerships they developed generated donations and gifts that met their match ahead of time .
St . Alban ’ s in Indianapolis , a small but passionate congregation led by the Rev . Debbie Dehler , has built on many years of community service . They have known Partners and Indiana Landmarks in previous years through Sacred Places Indiana , and impressed staff with their creative , grassroots approach to serving their largely African American neighborhood . St . Alban ’ s broad post-war building is flanked by ample property that ’ s warmly appreciated by local neighbors for its famed baseball diamond and community Peace Garden . After a successful conversation with a range of community leaders from the mayor ’ s office to local nonprofit leaders ,
Holy Family in Fishers took a fresh look at what was possible for their building and grounds , including their community garden , and entered into a new agreement with a community children ’ s literacy program . Sarah Jones
the parish decided to tie together much of its ministry through a new community workplace initiative . The program offers working space to individuals and organizations within the community to foster entrepreneurship and economic opportunity . Sharing space in this new way allows the parish to connect with its justice-focused mission while maximizing the value of its space and generating much-needed revenue to care for its aging building .
The Rev . Bruce W . Gray , Rector of Holy Family in Fishers acknowledged that “ CBCP helped us look with fresh vision [ at ]
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