Indianapolis--Circle City Dinner ChurchCircle City Dinner Church is a movement of the Holy Spirit for planting a new worshiping community on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis. It is endorsed by the Whitewater Valley Presbytery Council as a part of the initiative of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to develop innovative ways of birthing new communities that are more effective in reaching out and making disciples in a changing, more diverse culture. It has the calling of reaching out to a racially and culturally diverse people to form a worshiping community that can positively impact the Near Eastside. We have been meeting at the Westminster Community Center since November of last year.
Caring for the poor and disadvantaged is not optional but essential to the Christian faith. We see the need to persevere in our ministry despite the difficulties we have during the Coronavirus crisis. Some of the community centers and food pantries in Indianapolis have closed, but Westminster is able to continue to offer services to the community and we are able to provide our ministry to the community. We can no longer hold our Wednesday dinner church worship services or Tuesday lunches and Bible studies, but we are adjusting to an alternate of giving out at the door lunch bags on Tuesdays and hot meals in containers on Wednesday evenings. Our volunteers take all safety precautions and avoid physical contact when we are handing out the food and other items to those who come for help. People are very grateful that we were able to continue to offer the meals to them. We miss the opportunities that we had sitting around tables to interact and get to know the people who have been coming to Circle City Dinner Church, but we are still able to speak with and encourage people in any way we can. We also let people know that we are praying for them and we have prayer cards for them to give us any prayer concerns that they have. Many are fearful for their situation. In addition to the meals and other items, we give each person a Scripture bracelet to encourage their faith. People are delighted to receive these bracelets. Especially in these fearful days with the Coronavirus, people living in poverty need to know that there is a God who cares about them. Because our expenses may rise with the addition of our giving out toilet paper, soap and other items, we are especially grateful for those who have been willing to support our ministry. |