Navigating Stormy Seas

This Sunday, our reading from Mark’s Gospel will take us to the Sea of Galilee, or Lake Tiberias, where we are caught up in a windstorm on a boat with Jesus and the disciples. As waves overwhelm the stern of their boat, the disciples panic while Jesus sleeps through it all, seemingly oblivious to the chaos happening around him. They finally wake him, asking: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus calms the sea and the storm, and he then asks the disciples this piercing question: “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?”

In her book When Things Fall Apart, Buddhist monk and mystic Pema Chodron teaches: “Feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.”

In order to go deeper in our faith, God is always inviting us to confront and to be present with our fears, allowing them to teach us where we are still stuck. Join us this Sunday as we encounter this fear-ful passage from Mark; we’ll explore ways in which Jesus, the Holy One, can still our storms and invite us to find calm in an otherwise chaotic and stormy world.

Growing Together

I am delighted to share three staff updates. With the consent of the Vestry, Elise Shrock is joining our staff as Director of Communications, and we couldn’t be more pleased. As well, both Floyd Acoff and Fred Andrews have recently been recognized for their outstanding work and are receiving well-deserved promotions.

After a nationwide search for a Communications Director, Elise emerged as the candidate with the right mix of skills, gifts, and experience to help us take our communications to the next level. She will officially join our staff on June 30. If Elise looks familiar to you, it is because she is a member of our Cathedral community, bringing a deep passion for our mission to widen the circle of God’s embrace to this position. As Director of Communications, Elise will manage and lead all day-to-day communications processes. This includes everything from overseeing creative material development to advertising placement to video production to social media and website management. Elise’s extensive background working with a variety of not-for-profit organizations in public relations and community development has helped her build strong ties with a variety of groups here in Indianapolis, and we’re confident that her experiences and connections will help us connect more clearly with our neighbors and within our congregation. Welcome aboard, Elise!

After many years as CCC’s Facilities Superintendent, Floyd Acoff is now our Director of Property and Facilities. In this senior staff role, Floyd will work with the Property Committee and with Crystal Stone, our Chief Operating Officer, to develop and maintain a five-year, long-range Building Plan to ensure our Cathedral’s longevity and vibrancy for the future. This promotion reflects both Floyd’s faithful leadership in the past and my high confidence in his expertise to help us plan and prepare for our next chapter of ministry together.

As our new Property and Facilities Manager, Fred Andrews, who has been a sexton on our staff since 1996, will now oversee our day-to-day building maintenance, helping us create a welcome space for all visitors and parishioners. In addition, Fred will continue to serve as our staff coordinator for on-site outreach activities such as our community breakfast and 12-step meetings. Our signage proclaims, “All are welcome,” and Fred’s warm hospitality is that mission in action.

Please join me in congratulating Elise, Floyd, and Fred when you see them!

— The Very Reverend Gray Lesesne, D.Min.

Our Journeys, Ourselves

SATURDAY, JUNE 19 AT 6:30PM

Classical pianist Joshua Thompson closes out CCC’s concert series with “Our Journeys, Ourselves,” a program that utilizes masterworks from composers of African descent to tell stories of creation, joy, trials, and triumph. CCC’s Musical Arts Intern Claudia Gage sat down with Joshua to talk about the upcoming concert.

TUNE IN TO JOSHUA AND CLAUDIA’S PRECONCERT TALK

Thank You for Supporting “Common Ground”

Your pledge dollars are making a difference! CCC Covenant Grants are fulfilled as pledge dollars roll in, and we’re now able to share a $6,511 grant with the people of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lebanon for their “Growing Common Ground” project.

“Growing Common Ground” was designed to change the eating habits of youth and adults by implementing best practices to provide nutritious, high-quality produce from their local gardens. CCC’s grant will cover the purchase of seeds and some small capital expenses to support scaling up their growing community garden and farm initiative.

Thank you for your generosity!

LEARN MORE

Vestry Meeting This Week

TUESDAY, JUNE 22 AT 6:30PM

Christ Church Cathedral’s Vestry (governing board) meets at 6:30 pm on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Our meetings are open to the congregation and all are welcome to attend.

JOIN US

CCC 101: Getting to Know Us

SUNDAY, JUNE 27 AT 11:15AM

Are you new (or new-ish) to Christ Church Cathedral? Welcome! CCC 101 is our on-ramp to learn more about us, plug in more deeply, and help you make connections. It is our basic “membership information class,” though there is no pressure to join anything. Instead, CCC 101 is a space for storytelling, pondering questions, trying on spiritual practices and learning about CCC, the Episcopal Church, and the Christian tradition in the context of community.

Join us for lunch and thought-provoking discussions!

RSVP BY JUNE 23

Bread for the World Offering of Letters: End Child Hunger

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was a good start, but we have a long way to go to end child hunger. Statistics for U.S. hunger are now higher than they were in the Great Depression, and the economic impact of COVID-19 continues. Bread for the World’s annual Offering of Letters makes it easy to demand action from our senators and representatives. This easy-to-complete letter encourages your representatives to expand the Child Tax Credit and to increase global nutrition funding in 2022.

Letters are a strong witness of community concerns and personal testimonies. You are encouraged to personalize your message for the most impact, but Bread for the World’s simple system allows you to complete the process in mere minutes.

Once you send your letters, please notify The Rev. Fatima Yakubu-Madus so she can track participation in the diocese.

TAKE ACTION BY JUNE 30

Cathedral Women Summer Picnic

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30 AT 6PM

The Cathedral Women invite you to their annual summer meeting outdoors at Garfield Park, on Indy’s near southside. This will be a great opportunity to catch up with one another, as well as discuss the upcoming Strawberry Festival and hold Board elections. Dinner will be provided, but attendees should bring their own portable chairs or picnic blankets.

RSVP deadline extended: Email Sarah McFetridge by June 20. All are welcome!

RSVP BY JUNE 20

Discernment Listening Sessions

SUNDAY, JULY 11

Thank you to the more than 60 people who joined us on Sunday and Monday for our first of five discernment listening sessions! We had enjoyable and fruitful conversations about our goals for outreach and missions.

We are embarking on a season of discernment, reflecting on what we’ve done, what we’re doing now and what we feel called to do in the future. Please join us!

The next opportunity for discussion is Sunday, July 11. We’ll meet in the Parish Hall following each service to discuss pastoral care and spiritual nourishment. We also will have a Zoom meeting during the week following for anyone unable to attend on Sunday.

LEARN MORE

Family Fun: Visit St. Peter’s Apiary

SATURDAY, JULY 17 AT 11AM

Families of all ages are invited to join us for a field trip to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lebanon to tour their teaching beehives! St. Peter’s has kept honeybees since 2015, when they were inspired by Bishop Cate Waynick to consider building an apiary as part of their creation care. Their current hives are named Jennifer, Cate, and Rebekah. The first two hives are named for our first two female bishops: Cate Waynick and Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows. The third hive is named for Isaac’s assertive and powerful wife.

Beesuits will be provided and are available in children and adult sizes. Masks and social distancing are required for all Cathedral activities, and parents should plan to supervise their children during the visit.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ST. PETER’S APIARY

RSVP NOW

SAVE THE DATE: Vestry Check-in

SUNDAY, JULY 18 AT 11:30AM

As part of our leadership’s renewed commitment to transparency and collaboration, we invite you to join our Vestry for a quarterly bilingual update. We’ll share highlights of our work together over the past three months and make plenty of time for your questions, comments, and feedback.

We’ll meet in the Parish Hall.

2021 Bake Week Sign-Up Is Here

SUNDAY-THURSDAY, JULY 25-29

Help Cathedral Women bake 15,000 shortcakes for the 2021 Strawberry Festival! The annual tradition of Bake Week is full of fun and fellowship. No baking experience is required; we need measurers, mixers, rollers, oven timers, coolers and packers! Please note that because of current regathering guidelines, each shift is limited to nine volunteers plus one shift leader and childcare will not be available. In addition, volunteers must be masked while baking.

By tradition, Sunday evening is designated “Men’s Night,” but Bake Week is open to people of all genders age 12 and older. If you have any questions or comments, contact April Culbertson at april.culbertson@gmail.com.

SIGN UP NOW

CCC Is Hiring: Director of Community Relations

We are looking for a friendly, vibrant individual who will reach out to secular groups and organizations who are doing work of justice, peace, and reconciliation to build meaningful relationships that advance CCC’s mission of widening the circle of God’s embrace, complementing Deacon Fatima Yakubu-Madus’s work with local faith-based organizations. This new Director of Community Relations (known inside the congregation as the Canon for the Circle) will have one foot inside the church, engaging with us in our life of prayer and worship and formation, and another foot outside the church, collaborating with our neighbors on Monument Circle and beyond. The primary areas of focus will be hospitality, connection, support, advocacy and collaboration.

This is a lay position and does not require ordination. If you know of an interested individual, please share this information with them!

LEARN MORE AND APPLY BY JUNE 20

Prayer in practice

Centering Prayer Group

MONDAYS AT 5:30PM

Join us on Zoom for a time of Centering Prayer. We have a time of checking in, a spiritual reading, followed by 20 minutes of Centering Prayer, concluding with the Lord’s Prayer. Centering Prayer is an opportunity to stop and listen, being still and resting in God’s ever-loving presence. Guidance is given for those new to Centering Prayer. All are welcome.

JOIN US

Intercessory Prayer: Who We Are, What We Do

FRIDAYS AT 5PM

Christ Church Cathedral’s Intercessory Ministry consists of lay leaders who are committed to praying for the needs of others and their life situations. Prayer is our bridge, and we call on the presence of God to work through us as we respond to the needs of our community members. Since April of 2020, we have welcomed the opportunity to walk with others in their times of need, concerns, and celebrations. If you feel called, we invite you to join this ministry or send us your concerns and thanksgivings.

Send your prayer requests by email to Rev. Fatima, all information is held confidentially.

LEARN MORE

GOOD WORD SUBMISSION FORM

Let us help you get your message out. Tell us about your event, program, or ministry and we’ll get back to you with a plan for how to communicate it.

SUBMIT A REQUEST