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Poverty

A recent article from Matt Watkins found in Philanthropy Today says:

“The language the [philanthropy] sector uses to describe poverty drains it of urgency. It allows inequality to feel normal and strips away empathy. When language becomes abstract, people stop seeing one another’s pain. It lets leaders sound caring while staying comfortably removed from the effects of their words.

Words have real world consequences. They determine who gets funded, who gets ignored, and who feels seen. They define what counts as a problem, who is responsible for fixing it, and what solutions sound legitimate.

Poverty does not need softer language. It needs honesty that moves people to act. Until philanthropy can talk about poverty as if it belongs to all of us, it will keep sounding like someone else’s problem.

Read the full article HERE

Indy Action Coalition

Indy Action Coalition is currently in a research season, meeting with lawmakers, policy makers, and informed persons around topics such as public safety, housing, healthcare, data centers, and immigration policies.

Indy Action also showed up recently in support of a coalition of the largest Black Clergy groups in the city, who gathered to call on Attorney General Rokita to drop a lawsuit against Indianapolis Public Schools. You can watch WTHR’s reporting of that press conference HERE.

 If you’d like to learn more about Indy Action Coalition, you can contact Ann Brandon, or attend our next Assembly on December 18 at 6:30PM at St. Luke’s.

Indy Action Coalition is a grassroots community organizing movement made up of about a dozen multi-faith congregations. Indy Action Coalition is under the umbrella of Live Free Indiana, and is a sister movement to the Black Church Coalition and the Validus Movement.

submitted by Shelly Clasen

Midtown Supports Trinity Haven

In October, our Midtown campus began a new ministry partnership with Trinity Haven, an organization that provides safe, affirming housing for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing housing instability. Trinity Haven operates a group home for 10 residents, ages 18 - 14, and offers the residents social support services, in addition to safe housing.

Midtown members spread the love to Trinity Haven residents in two ways: meals and blankets. Volunteers delivered hot meals to the group residence on Sunday and Tuesday evenings during October and also provided some freezer-ready entrees for future use. Volunteers also made a warm and fuzzy tie fleece blanket for each resident. A few of these blankets were completed by guests who attended the Midtown Fall Festival, a true group effort. We are excited to see how this new partnership grows in the months ahead!

submitted by Margaret Gordon

Creation Care

The electronic waste (E-waste) recycling program, operated by Creation Care’s John Dane and John Young, is a booming success. Simply said, E-waste is any inoperative or obsolete electronic or electrical device or appliance. Any church member or nearby community residents are welcome to leave E-waste at the drop-off enclosure located at the north end of the church parking lot just east of the Labyrinth. RecycleForce, a local Indianapolis company, picks up and processes the E-waste at their facility to retrieve valuable components for reuse. Last year, 19 tons of E-waste was recycled through our operation. According to John Dane, we are on track to have processed 20 tons of E-waste in 2025. Please contact John Dane at johnhdane1@gmail.com if you have questions about our E-waste recycling operation.

In case you have not heard, St. Luke’s Board of Trustees and St. Luke’s Governing Board have approved a Carbon Neutrality 2050 Strategic Plan. This plan is intended to facilitate St. Luke’s UMC in achieving the Carbon Net Zero 2050 goal approved by the UMC General Conference in 2024 for implementation by all members and churches of the UMC. The ultimate goal of these plans and goals is to eliminate over time all carbon emissions from the UMC’s operations. For St. Luke’s, this primarily means eliminating carbon emissions from our use of electricity and combustion of natural gas in HVAC equipment over the next 25 years. More explanation regarding this important endeavor will be provided in future newsletters.

submitted by Larry Kane