All events are open and drop-ins are welcome, unless otherwise stated. If no contact person is listed, call 317-545-6005 or email the office at office@allsoulsindy.org with questions.

Upcoming Service: Sunday at 10:00am

Join us this coming Sunday!

The Rev. Mariela Perez- Simons, known on social media as the “Rogue Reverent”is a brilliant theologian whose ministry is centered in reclaiming our ancestral heritage, beauty and nature. Originally from Cuba, Rev. Mariela's theology of beauty was forged in the fires of immigration, displacement and finally embodiment of natural beauty as a salvific force. This service will entice and challenge humanists and theists alike!

• Stream our service live on Youtube
• View last week's recorded service here
• Give to All Souls here.

What's Next in Faith Formation

March 17

Kids RE - Makerspace

11:30am

• Soul Matters Discussion (Library)
• Multigen Makerspace

As part of our work to become Net Carbon Zero, we are encouraging people to access the digital order of service.

Are you new to this process?

Here is a short video tutorial from Rev. Katie to get you started.

Pledge Drive is On! Make your pledge now.

Sign up to sponsor Sunday sanctuary flowers here.

Summary of Upcoming March Events

Please reference our COVID policy for our guidelines. How to Submit to In The Know! Do you have a submission you want to publicize in In The Know? We collect all submissions via google form. Click here to submit your info. 

Lets Get the Pledge Drive Wrapped Up in March

I expect that I am not the only person here who regularly listens to WFYI/NPR. You know how whenever they start a fund drive, they tell you up front that they'll stop coming on air to ask for money as soon as they reach their goal, but if it doesn't happen in the week they allot, they'll have to interrupt future programming too? Same here!

We've set a goal to raise $395,000 in pledges for the to 2024-25 church year and to be done with the annual pledge drive by the end of March. We've made some progress (THANK YOU to those who have submitted your pledges!), but there is still a ways to go.

Does it really matter if we finish by the end of March? Well, as a matter of fact, it kind of does. Why? Because in May, the Congregation is asked to vote on the 2024-2025 church year budget and a practical budget can't be presented without a pretty good understanding of what financial resources the church will be able to expect throughout the year. The staff and board of trustees already have been hard at work drafting next year's budget so the goal amount of $395,000 is a well-considered goal amount. It's not a rinse-and-repeat, or padded, goal. It is a fair estimate of what it will cost to make the 2024-25 church year a meaningful one for our members and friends.

Of course, a lot goes into to deciding what to pledge. From practical considerations to spiritual ones, it makes sense to give time and thought to your pledge amount. Can you increase your pledge over last years? (Don't forget there's a generous match of pledge increase amounts up to $5000 on the table right now!) So by all means, don't rush your own process of pledging, but please do help us get this pledge drive wrapped up in the month of March. Make your pledge here.

By the way, if you are having trouble submitting your pledge, there will again be QR codes around Harris Hall and people available after Sunday service to assist. Or, if it's more convenient for you, you can reach out to Mariah (Office Administrator). Thank you

No Spanish Conversation Class Today (March 14)

Spanish Conversation Class with Gloria Kellogg will NOT meet this Thursday, the 14th, but will meet on Sunday, March 11, 11:30 in the Beattie Room. The class will then meet on 2 Thursdays, March 21 and 28, 6:30-7:30 pm. All levels welcome. Contact grkellogg@gmail.com.

Humanist Discussion Groups Invite You to a Pitch-In on Saturday

The Humanist Discussion Groups are sponsoring a pitch-in luncheon at noon on Saturday, March 16 at All Souls. Anyone interested in finding out more about our groups is welcome to attend.

Soul Matters Discussions March 17 at 11:30am

Have you been curious about our Soul Matters monthly themes? Would you like to explore with others how the themes relate to your daily life and UUism? Join us in the library from 11:30-12:30 on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month for a facilitated discussion. These small groups are open to all and you may drop in when you like, no need to register. This is a great opportunity to meet others, try out a small group and perhaps deepen your connection to this month's theme of Transformation. Questions? Contact Pat Fisher: patf88@aol.com or Crystal Francis: francisfrick@sbcglobal.net.

Spring Fest Help

Spring Fest and Egg Hunt are coming up soon. Food, stories, crafts, games, Humane Society Paws Van and, of course, eggs to hunt. Would you like to participate in this festive, fun community event? We could use a few more bags of candy to fill our 1,000+ eggs. Head on up to Makerspace this Sunday, the 17th at 11:30 and help fill more eggs. If you can help out at the event on the 30th, please go to our Signup Genius page and sign up to volunteer on March 30. Here's the volunteer link. Thanks so much!

March 18 Board of Trustees Meeting

6:30 - 8:30 pm via Zoom

Members and friends are welcome to attend the public board meeting.  Agendas for board meetings can be found HERE.

Future board meetings will be held on April 15, May 20 and June 10 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm.  Our next Congregational Meeting will be held on May 5, 2024. 

Guiding Vision of Ministry:

Together we create transformative experiences each week that fuel people forward into their lives in the community, and then they come back for more.

Priorities

Creating Clear Paths of Connection & Belonging to Strengthen and Facilitate Fierce Commitment to Social Justice and Multigenerational Engagement

Radical Hospitality & Inclusion

Create a Culture of Healthy Conflict

Special Presentation Sunday, March 24th

Don't miss a special event Sunday, March 24, in our sanctuary, as IU Indianapolis researcher Ben Clark shares his findings on "The Slow Violence of Environmental Racism in Indianapolis." The hour-long program starts at 11:45 a.m. Clark will identify city sites that continue to deal with environmental contamination, and discuss its effects. His talk is funded with a grant to All Souls from the Indiana Humanities Council's Unearthed Speakers Bureau. Join us in the sanctuary for this informative and insightful event, as we learn how environmental inequities continue to effect generations of Indianapolis residents.

New Chalice Circle Forming

A new chalice circle based on the book "The Art of Noticing (131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration and Discover Joy in the Everyday)" by Rob Walker will begin on April 2 at 10:00 am in the Beattie Room. While Diane O'Brien and Diane Kennedy will facilitate the circle, the first meeting is intended to focus on participant organization of future meetings, including how often the circle will meet, how many meetings there will be and how the book will be experienced. Those who are interested in participating are encouraged to obtain the book and become generally familiar with it prior to April 2.

Mark Your Calendars for May 18th

All Souls, Heartland, Oaklandon and Unitarian Universalists of Indianapolis (UUI) congregants are invited to a summit from 9 am to 3pm on Saturday, May 18th, 2024 at All Souls Unitarian Church. This seminar will be led by the Rev. Sharon Dittmar of the UUA MidAmerica Region. Together, the four Indy Metro congregations will consider how our congregations' shared and overlapping histories shape our present and future. We will examine how working together, we can build a stronger, more vibrant, and engaged UU presence in the Indy Metro area while honoring each congregation's unique identity. Lunch and childcare will be provided. Please register by May 1st!

Take Me Out to the Ball Park... June 18th

It’s time for All Souls to play ball! Join your All Souls friends or make friends at the spacious and welcoming Victory Field in Indianapolis as our home town heroes the Indiana Indians battle it out with the Iowa Cubs on June18th at 7:05; gates open at 6:30. Tickets are $15 dollars each, and full scholarships are available. It’s also DOLLAR MENU night! Bring your appetite and devour hot dogs, peanuts, potato chips, popcorn, Cracker Jack® and churros, all available for just a buck. Here's a link to gluten free & vegan menu options.

This is an all ages event! Click here to register! If you would like a scholarship, please select that option!

Check Out All Our March Programs Here

Thank You Channing Club!

HUGE thank you to the Channing Club for the generous donation of $2500 to help defray costs related to the roof!

Gabe is Out of the Office Through April 15th

Gabe Perbieri, our Music Director is in Brazil visiting family until April 1, where he will head to Puerto Rico for a UUA gathering of religious professionals of color. He will be away for email until April 1 and back in Indy April 15th. If you need assistance with music you can connect with Liz Ellsmore.

Children's Faith Formation - Seeds of Caring Service Project

Our children will be participating in another Seeds of Caring service project focusing on kindness to our Earth! During Makerspace in March and April our children will be exploring how to support pollinators in the garden, composting (perhaps with worms :)), and conserving electricity.

Church Grounds Will Be Open for the Eclipse

The eclipse is coming! There will be an eclipse on April 8th.Indianapolis is in the path of the total eclipse. While All Souls will not be hosting an event that day, the grounds will be open for members to view the eclipse. Wherever you take time to take in this event, may you take in the energy.

March 5 Town Hall Summary

Thanks to all who participated in our March 5 Town Hall. If you missed it, you can find the recording HERE (use Passcode 7$!%twqq) and an AI-generated meeting summary HERE.

Do you have questions about Article 2?

Check out these resources and don’t hesitate to reach out to Rev. Katie with questions!

Happy 101st Birthday Aileen!

Aileen Cloonan will be celebrating her 101st birthday on March 24th! If you would like to send her a card or note, her mailing address is: 11243 Stratford Way, Fishers, IN 46038.

Let's Help Elizabeth Valencia and Her Boys During Ramadan

We are collecting once again for Elizabeth Valencia and her boys. The Holy Month of Ramadan has reached us and they are still losing family members each day, still barely getting by trying to do to school and still without and income in their household. Times are tough. Please do make your contribution to Elizabeth and the boys via the Minister's Discretionary fund. They also appreciate cards and letters of support. Thank you so much.

If you have a joy or concern to share with the community, please use this link.

If you need Pastoral Care, please call 317-210-0124.

Greeters and Guides Needed

Have you been greeted by friends at the Crosswalk or opened the front door on Sunday morning? We could use a few more friendly people for Sundays and special events. Find the All Souls Greeters “Welcome” box on the SignUpGenius link and fill in any dates you can. For more information contact Ollie Howe at movingollie@gmail.com.

Join the AV Team - April 14th Orientation (New Date)

Looking for a way to serve on Sunday mornings? Want to learn a new skill? The Audio Visual Team is seeking additional volunteers to run the sound, livestream, and camera! An orientation event will be held on April 14th (With pizza provided for lunch!), and a sign up table will be available after service starting on March 10th. We hope you will join us! (For any questions, please email teddyrayhill@gmail.com and/or revkatie@allsoulsindy.org)

Coffee Hour Volunteers Needed

We need volunteers to help with coffee hour for 2024 dates. Helping with the coffee hour is a great way to connect with fellow congregants and to help make Sundays a great experience for visitors. Sign up here.

Indiana's Eviction Crisis

Last Sunday (February 25), during Adult Forum, Rabbi Spiegel from the Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance (GIMA) provided a chilling presentation about Indiana’s Eviction and Housing Crisis. Here is the Powerpoint of his presentation which highlights the severity this problem, and outlines its overall causes.

Rabbi Spiegel’s presentation ended with the sad reality that “most Indiana residents have no idea about the evictions crisis in the state!” Nor does everyone realize, the degree for which housing insecurity adversely affects public health, mental health, and student learning while also contributing to crime, increased poverty, malnutrition, domestic violence, and naturally homelessness.

In addition to learning more about Indiana’s eviction crisis by reviewing Rabbi Spiegel’s presentation, All Souls congregants are invited to also participate in an important program by volunteering as an eviction court watcher through the Indiana Eviction Justice Network. Follow this link for details: https://inevictionjustice.org/

You can also check out the GIMA website at https://www.indymultifaith.org/current-focus which will offer additional details on Indiana’s abysmal eviction record.

If there are things you would like to see included in this section, please reach out Lynn Martin, Dorian Condre, and/or Julia VanDeren.

MidAmerica Regional Assembly April 19 & 20

The MidAmerica Region is coming together - both online and at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, WI on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 of 2024 for a multiplatform Regional Assembly! Our Keynote address will be given by the Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, and Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ. There will be workshops, the Annual Business Meeting of the MidAmerica Region, and opportunities to meet many UU Leaders from across our faith tradition. For those who are in person, there will even be opportunities to tour this historic church designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. But most importantly, it is a time for us to come together as Unitarian Universalists from across the MidAmerica Region. 

Register today at https://uua.wufoo.com/forms/q15hy8g61be3aym/.

2024 UU General Assembly - Registration is Open

The 2024 UU General Assembly meeting slated for June 20 - 24th will be entirely virtual, and registration is already open! Here is the link so you can go ahead and enjoy early registration savings. If you would like to serve as a delegate from All Souls, please email president@allsoulsindy.org by June 1, or as soon as you have registered. Delegates will be voting on the proposed revision to Article II, among other things. Learn more about delegate responsibilities HERE.

The Board of Trustees will certify all delegates. If more delegates apply than there are openings, the board will select the delegates from the pool. All Souls, based on membership size, has 5 delegate spots for General Assembly.

List of All Souls Groups and Contacts

Check out this list of All Souls Groups! A hard copy of this list was shared at the Congregational Meeting last Sunday. It is available to help you get connected. Getting connected may mean knowing the right person to ask questions of or offer suggestions to. Or it may mean finding an activity that you want to get involved in. Either way, this is a handy resource for staying connected at All Souls.

How to Submit to In The Know! Do you have a submission you want to publicize in In The Know? We collect all submissions via google form. Click here to submit your info. 

For announcements, joys and sorrows, and events happening in the next 3-4 weeks, submit your notice for the In the Know E-mail Blast by Monday 5pm using this link .

I

Items submitted for In The Know will be added as space allows in Sunday Orders of Service. Priority for inclusion in the OOS is given to soonest upcoming and to congregational matters.