This interview with Jay Height appeared in the Indianapolis Star on November 21th.  Jay will be speaking at the Beacon of Hope class next Sunday, December 13th.  On that day, the Sunday School class will take place at 10:00am before the joint Christmas service at 11:00am.

Shepherd center works to break cycle of poverty

By Vic Ryckaert
vic.ryckaert@indystar.com

The roots of Shepherd Community Center, says its director, lie in a banquet.

Jay Height, head of the faith-based organization on the Near Eastside, said the idea arose 25 years ago this month when Westside Church of the Nazarene was planning its Thanksgiving dinner. In a staff meeting, then-pastor J.K. Warrick remarked that the church should prepare a dinner for people in the inner city before it looked to its own needs.

The church focused on a century-old church building just east of Downtown Indianapolis, Height said. The original congregation had relocated years before, and the once-vibrant neighborhood had seen better days.

“It was only to have been a Thanksgiving meal, but when those suburban volunteers saw the need at that old, inner-city church, they were touched,” Height wrote in an e-mail. “A number of them agreed to come and worship there for a period of time, and out of that was born what is known today as Shepherd Community Center.”

Height, the organization’s director since 1998, this week answered questions about Shepherd Community Center and its activities.

Question: What is Shepherd Community Center?

Answer: Shepherd is a faith-based, nonprofit organization established in 1985 with a simple but staggering goal: to break the cycle of poverty on the Near-Eastside of Indianapolis.

Click here to continue reading the article on the Indy Star’s website.

During today’s Sunday School class, Ron Somerville showed the following video at the end of class.  For those who were unable to see it in its entirety, it is shown below:

Also, the next Sacred Conversation between members of Tab and Philips temple will take place on December 5th.  The group will share a pitch-in meal  at 12:30 in the Tab Parlor and then begin their conversation.

The group meets the first Sunday of each month.  Currently, the conversation is based on The Church Enslaved, a book written by Tony Campolo and Michael Battle.  Please contact Ann Reynolds if you have any questions about this meeting.

This Sunday (November 20), Ron Somerville will be visiting the Beacon of Hope Sunday School class to discuss race and religion.  The class will be in the chapel, because the dining room will be setup for the Thank Offering Dinner.

Next upcoming Sunday Schools:

• November 29th – Eric Lange (discussing community)
• December 6th – Eric Lange (community cont’d)
• December 13th – Jay Height, Pastor and Executive Director of Shepherd Community

On December 13, Jay Height will be a guest presenter for the Beacon of Hope Sunday School class.

Jay Height has been executive director of Shepherd Community Center since 1998.  Shepherd Community Center working to break the cycle of poverty on the near east side of Indianapolis.

In ten years, Height has accomplished a budget growth from $100,000 to the current $4.2 million and a staff growth from three to more than sixty. In addition, he completed renovations of Shepherd’s old facilities as well as a $3.4 million renovation and relocation to the current community center.

More information on Sheperd’s mission and its work is available here:  http://www.shepherdcommunity.org

Here is the upcoming schedule for the Beacon of Hope Sunday School class.

• November 15 - Congregational meeting – no class
• November 22 – Conversation with Phillips Temple (tentative)
• November 29 – Eric Lange, speaking on community
• December 6 – Eric Lange, community (cont’d)
• December 13 – Jay Height, Shepherd Community Center



COMMUNITY and CREATIVITY IN RESISTING CONSUMERISM

An Evening with Shane Claiborne
Author of The Irresistible Revolution, Follow Me to Freedom and other books

Friday November 13 – 7PM
ENGLEWOOD CHRISTIAN CHURCH
57 N. Rural St.- Indianapolis – Near-eastside

Admission is FREE //
(An offering will be taken to support Shane’s work.)
ARRIVE EARLY // Doors open @ 6PM. Seating is limited!

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS !!!
- Facebook invite:  http://bit.ly/ZdoZ6
- Use this printable flyer:
http://englewoodcc.com/consumingfire/shane-claiborne.pdf

This event is part of the Through the Consuming Fire Conference:
A Conversation on Economic Faithfulness in an Age of Consumerism
http://englewoodcc.com/consumingfire/

Here’s an update from Ann Weller about the Fresh Start tutoring program – and a request for new volunteers – as the new school year kicks off.

Yes, it is August; school buses are soon to rumble down our streets.  The “Fresh Start” Tutoring leadership committee has been tweaking the format from last year and adding a few new twists and support items for our volunteers.  We are excited for what God has in store for us this year.  Answers to prayer – the new principal at School 48, Carmen Sharp, has opened her heart to our ministry, seeks our prayers for her beginning, and has invited Jane McClelland and me to address the parents of School 48 at their first Open House.

Tutoring Calendar Update:

1. Training Session – August 20th from 4 – 5 PM

Note: This is for EVERYONE – new and returning volunteers.

2. Math Workshop - Thursday, August 27th - 2 – 3:30 PM for the K – 3rd grade volunteers and 4 – 5:30 PM for the 4 – 6th grade volunteers.  Kris Gable will lead!

3. Tutoring begins September 17th at 3:45 – 5:15 PM.

4. School Year Calendar – we will follow the IPS calendar.  Thursday’s 3:45 – 5:15 PM

Note: In the training sessions, we will equip you with necessary information and skills.

I have been invited to attend two functions at School 48 in August to speak to the parents and teachers about our ministry and to pre-register students.  We are anticipating a strong demand for our ministry.  We will be matching volunteers with a student in their preferred grade level / same gender.  After registering the first 40 students, I will develop a waiting list until the volunteer base is confirmed. Please prayerfully consider your involvement for this upcoming school year. In addition, our registration materials will also be placed at The Oaks Academy, Raphael, and Mid North Food Pantry.  My leadership team has been calling our former students over the summer as well. Our feedback has been very positive; excitement is brewing.  In the days ahead, pray for the students and families that might walk through our doors this fall.  Pray for each potential volunteer as they decide if this is the ministry where they want to invest their time ~ and energies.  Pray for the staff at School 48 as they once again open their doors to a new year.

Blessings, Ann Weller

Upcoming Dates

Assets Mapping will be taking place on the following upcoming dates – be sure to mark your calendars!

• Monday, July 27
• Monday, August 10
• Monday, August 24

Each meeting will begin at 6:00pm.  After a brief conversation from a guest speaker, we will head out into the community at 6:30 to meet and chat with people.  Around 7:30, the group will meet back at Tab to discuss what they learned.  The meetings are over by 8:00pm.  Come join us!

See previous Assets Mapping announcemements here.

Assets Mapping at Tab is beginning to hit its stride, and these early conversations have already shown that Tab will learn a great deal about the good already at work present in the community and can take part to help the community grow even stronger.

Every other Monday night, the group meets at Tab to head out in the community to get to know neighborhood residents and to learn more about the neighborhood.   At the end of the night, the group comes back together to discuss their thoughts about their conversations.  As people share what they learned, their ideas are recorded as notes on a message board that summarize each conversation and  lists various, talents, abilities and hopes for the community.  As the board continues to fill up, the group will begin to organize and look for patterns in these conversations to see how the group can connect people’s different their talents, passions, and opportunities in creative ways/

These first conversations have underscored how unique and diverse the Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhood is.  People from all walks of life live in the area.  Some are active in the neighborhood, others are not (and some people are very familiar with Tab, while others have no idea what the church has done in the community).  It is becoming apparent that many people have talents that are “hidden” to the rest of the community and these conversations are beginning to bring these assets to light.  Each of these conversations has shown that there are lots of opportunities for Mapleton-Fall Creek to continue to grow and learn from each other, and the Assets Mapping board is beginning to bring these prospects together.

Despite the fancy name, Assets Mapping is a really simple idea – go have conversations with people in the community, learn what they are passionate about, and then connect people together to bring these ideas and dreams into reality.  No one can predict where these conversations will lead; it is a very open-ended process without a predetermined end goal.  In some respects, participating in Assets Mapping is a small leap of faith: you might not know who might answer your knock at the door, and people might not be willing to open up and share their opinions about the community.  However, almost all of the group’s conversations so far have been encouraging.  The group has left each night hopeful that this work will help Tab learn about the talents, passions and skills already present in Mapleton-Fall Creek.

Often, it takes some time to “break the ice” to explain what Assets Mapping is and what we are trying to accomplish.   Many people have jumped right in and let their ideas and comments flow freely about the neighborhood.  I have been impressed with people’s eagerness to engage in conversation with us and their hospitality (I shared a hot dog with one family last time out).  But, in a few rare instances, some people have remained reserved and held back their thoughts and comments.  However, it is always possible that these first introductions can spark people’s imaginations about what they can do (and already are doing) to leave a positive mark on the neighborhood.

If you’re interested in participating, come by this Monday.  It is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a nice summer night meeting new people and learning where God is already at work around Tab’s neighborhood!

Submitted by Eric Lange