Resurrection Life Continues during COVID-19

The doors to the church building have been closed since mid-March, and they will remain so well into the summer as we follow the wisest guidance of health experts and our bishops. Nevertheless, the life of Resurrection Lutheran Church has taken on new vigor. Our Congregation Council has been meeting twice each month to stay on top of this constantly developing scenario, and the staff have been busy constantly looking for innovative ways for us to worship, form faith, and stay connected. Since we haven’t been together in person, there’s a lot going on that you may have missed. There’s a lot of good news to share about our community of faith, so read on!

Hopefully, you know we’ve been striving to live out our commitment to Vibrant Liturgical Worship with our weekly worship video quilt, which you can find here on our website or on our Facebook page. This way of worshiping shows us many different faces each week, keeps us Serving from Giftedness, and hopefully delivers a message that keeps us Grounded in Grace no matter our circumstances. We are so pleased with the level of engagement we’ve seen with this format, because it avoids the perception that worship is all about what the pastors or other paid professionals do while others observe. It reinforces our conviction that worship can happen wherever the people of God gather and demonstrates that our homes provide sacred space for us, not just during a crisis, but any time. We hope we have provided other worshiping communities with an example of how to navigate these uncharted waters with imagination, joy, and attention to community. Thanks to so many of you who have jumped in to help!

We’re excited to announce that a special grant from the Center for Congregations will cover half the cost of upgrading the cameras in our sanctuary so we can continue to offer a highly engaging experience of worship to those who can’t join us in the pews when in-person worship eventually resumes.

Join us in giving thanks to God for these other ways our congregation continues to embrace life shaped by our core values.

 

Faith Formation for All Ages

Every week, RLC provides resources for families to keep learning the faith at home, but that’s not all!

• Snail-mail is back! When we’re stuck at home, daily mail delivery can become a real highlight! Everyone loves getting real mail, and no one loves it more than kids. Victoria, our Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries, together with Learning Hour teachers and faith mentors, has made sure that every child and youth in our congregation has received a card or note in the mail.
• Relationships served up online! If only we could smell bacon cooking through the internet. FaithBuilders and Youth Group have gathered many times via Zoom, and even used it to continue the beloved tradition of Breakfast Club. They’ve also played games and shared highs and lows on a regular basis.
• Pomp and strange circumstances. Resurrection people didn’t let the shutdown stop us from celebrating our high school graduates. Many members contributed to surprise porch drops for the seniors that included letters, gifts, treats, and other goodies!
• ChristCare transcends limitations. Gathering via Zoom and seeking innovative ways to support one another and others, these small groups have discovered an even greater sense of purpose as they provide a vital source of spiritual strength and connection.
• The Wired Word for real. Though most of us take advantage of WiFi in our homes and workplaces, “wired” still acts as a shorthand for digital connection. The Wired Word discussion now lives fully into its name every Monday evening on Zoom as RLC folks gather to consider current events in light of scripture and our faith.

Christ in the Community

Resurrection’s commitment to serving our neighbors in the name of Jesus has grown even stronger!

• Curbside Community Meals. Friday Free Community Meals have continued uninterrupted. Taking all sorts of precautions and moving service outdoors has allowed this ministry to continue serving more than 30 people each week.
• Volunteers with volition! RLC parishioners stepped up to help Midwest Food Bank, the Salvation Army, and the Indiana National Guard pack over 11,000 family food boxes for families throughout Indiana. Others have joined an Emergency Volunteer Waitlist with Second Helpings, and still more have helped to distribute food to Johnson County families at the Impact Center of Mount Pleasant Church.
• We can make that! Three of our members have made more than 230 cloth masks for local organizations Hope for Tomorrow and Refuge Place Indy and for our neighbors who live at Green Park Terrace just west of the church. The Knit-Crochet group has made and delivered prayer shawls for Ascent 121, which serves survivors of human trafficking; the group sent baby blankets to Lutheran World Relief, and they are busy making more than 300 hats to keep kindergartners warm next winter.
• Money keeps moving to mission. In some cases, funds we have budgeted to serve our neighbors have been redirected to meet new needs during the pandemic. Your generous offerings are helping to stock the food pantry at Indiana Youth Group, purchase toiletries for unsheltered neighbors at Refuge Place Indy, meet growing demand through Midwest Food Bank, and supply thousands of meals for families in Perry Township schools.
• Advocacy continues. Knowing the problem of world hunger will grow greater in these circumstances, our Bread for the World team pushes forward with efforts to encourage our elected leaders to enact policies that help feed people near and far. Though fewer of us were able to sit down and write a letter at church, the team still mailed over 200 letters from RLC members to appropriate government officials.
• Empty the storehouse. Remaining inventory from the Weekender Ministry still helped to feed families from three partner schools. A dozen volunteers from the church packed up the food and delivered it to the schools where families picked it up.
• Always on the lookout. Here on our website as well as through social media and the weekly email, there is a Serving Opportunities list with suggestions for serving from a distance as well as in- person. You can even signup to be contacted when new in-person opportunities become available.

Grounded in Grace

We need each other. None of us can do it alone, and no one has to.

• Caring for our neighbors. Thanks to special contributions from Resurrection people, nearly $8,000 is now available for neighbors facing financial hardship because of the pandemic. Contact one of the pastors if you know of a family or individual in need.
• Caring for you. Our ChristCare groups want to reach every member of Resurrection in a personal way and provide support in the form of childcare, meals, yard work, etc. Over 70 households have already found small gifts and notes on their doorsteps thanks to one group.  If you’d like to join this effort, or if you need a helping hand, email Connectedness Lead, Tanna Kay, at connect@rlcindy.org.
• Stephen Ministers caring, too! Using the phone, video conferencing, and other tools, Stephen Ministers continue to walk alongside those who are hurting, stressed, or otherwise in need of support. If you think you might appreciate an intentional, dedicated, and trained listening ear, contact Pastor Ryan.

 

Keep an eye out for these additional communications via email or U.S. mail:

• An update on the church’s financial outlook, including a progress report on the appeal to fund our daily ministry in 2020-2021 and the development of the 2020-2021 budget to take effect Aug. 1.
• Details on the gradual resumption of in-person activities when it becomes clear that it is safe for us to begin that transition.