Letter to Indiana Episcopalians Regarding Passage of Senate Bill 1

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August 6, 2022

Dear People of God in the Episcopal Dioceses of Northern Indiana and Indianapolis:

We are here with Christian leaders from across the world in Canterbury, England, at the Lambeth Conference, a gathering of bishops from across the Anglican Communion. Together, we have been discerning our way forward on many critical issues facing our world, including how we can best support women in all of our countries and contexts. And so to hear about the passage of Senate Bill 1 is a particular heartbreak. We want to assure you that the Episcopal Church and those who follow Jesus in the Episcopal way stand with all women and pregnant people and support their right to make healthcare decisions with dignity and respect.

We want to say very clearly to Hoosier women and pregnant people: Even if it feels like the state has abandoned you, the church has not. We will continue to stand on the side of women who seek to have control over their bodies and the ability to plan their families. We will continue to create profound opportunities for lament and healing that provide safe space for all who come. No matter what, we pledge to pray, advocate, and work for a world where women have safe and available access to the healthcare they need.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas Sparks, Bishop
Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana

The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Bishop
Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas Sparks, Bishop
Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana

The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Bishop
Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis

Statement regarding the death of Representative Jackie Walorski

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Rep. Jackie Walorski

Dear Sisters, Brothers, Siblings in Christ,

Grace and peace be with you in Jesus, the Risen Christ!

I am saddened by the news of the tragic death of Representative Jackie Walorski along with her Communications Director Emma Thomson and District Director Zachery Potts earlier today. I am sure you know well the sacrifices and challenges that come with serving in public office and I ask that you offer your prayers in thanksgiving for her years of service at the Indiana State House and in the House of Representatives. In addition, please uphold in your prayers Edith Schmucker, the driver of the other car involved in the head-on collision, who also died.

Please uphold in your prayer all those who mourn her death, especially her husband, family members, friends and her colleagues in Congress. May all who mourn these deaths be encircled in Resurrection hope. May Jackie, Emma, Zachery and Edith rest in Christ's peace and rise in Christ's glory.

Doug
(he/him/his)

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Sparks
VIII Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana

Lambeth Conference 2022 - Day Two

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On day two of The Lambeth Conference, Bishop Doug Sparks has a conversation with Bishop Charlie Murry, Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Newcastle, Australia, and Bishop Matthew Cowden, Bishop Coadjutor in the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia and former rector of Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in South Bend. Watch the video below.

Coordinating Prayers and Outreach to Uvalde

May 27, 2022

On this past Tuesday, May 24, 2022, parents dropped off their children at Robb Elementary School. Nineteen students and two teachers would never return home.

As many of you know, I have been deeply affected by this recent school shooting. We live 1,129 miles from Uvalde Texas. This tragedy did not happen close to home, yet it should hit home to all of us. Ordinary women and children engaging in everyday activities were killed. We can just talk about it and gather information. We can complain about it. We may even feel angry and frightened. In the midst of all these emotions, we are call to comfort those who mourn and to support them. I am reminded of the words of St. Paul from 2 Corinthians,

“ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.”
2 Cor.: 1:3-4.

Thoughts and prayers are needed for the community in Uvalde and action is needed to stop gun violence.

St. Thomas/ Santo Tomás is standing in solidarity with Uvalde. We are sending notes of love and prayer in English and in Spanish to the families in Uvalde who lost loved ones. We are addressing them to specific families. The list of families and victims are below this letter. Also, we are praying for them daily. If you would like to send cards, please send them to:

Episcopal Diocese of West Texas
Attn: Uvalde Response
P.O. Box 6885
San Antonio, TX 78209

I have coordinated with the Diocese of West Texas and Bishop Sparks to send monetary donations through Bishop Sparks’ Discretionary Fund. The Diocese of Northern Indiana will then send the donations on behalf of the parishes in Northern Indiana. Donations can be made online or sent to the diocesan office at 117 N. Lafayette Blvd., South Bend, IN 46601. Please write Uvalde in the memo line.

God bless the community of Uvalde and all the communities that have experienced gun violence.

Mother Bernie
The Rev. Bernadette Hartsough
Priest-in-Charge
St. Thomas/ Santo Tomás (Plymouth)

Victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas

Students identifying as girls:
Layla Salazar-10
Tess Mata, 10
Alithia Ramirez, 10
Makenna Lee Elrod, 10
Jailah Nicole Silguero, 11,
Annabell Rodriguez, 10,
Jacklyn Jaylen Cazares, 10
Eliahana Cruz Torres
Amerie Jo Garza, 10
Ellie Garcia
Alexandria Aniyah Rubio
Nevaeh Bravo, 10
Miranda Mathis, 11
Maitie Rodriguez, 10

Students identifying as boys:
Uziyah Garcia
Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10
Rojelio Torres, 10
Xavier James Lopez, 10
Jose Flores, 10

Teachers
Eva Mireles
Irma Garcia

Shooter
Salvador Ramos

A Prayer for Uvalde
O God our Father, whose beloved Son took children into his arms and blessed them: Give us grace to entrust your beloved children of Uvalde to your everlasting care and love and bring them fully into your heavenly kingdom. Pour out your grace and loving-kindness on all who grieve; surround them with your love; and restore their trust in your goodness. We lift up to you our weary, wounded souls and ask you to send your Holy Spirit to take away the anger and violence that infects our hearts and make us instruments of your peace and children of the light. In the Name of Christ who is our hope, we pray. Amen.

“Behold, I make all things new.” Revelation 21:5

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Written by Linda Buskirk for ECF Vital Practices, Published May 12, 2022

What does it take for a community of faith to see itself in a new way, or to believe that its neighbors could find value inside old red doors?

Episcopal churches in Indiana, small and large, are finding that it takes a type of boldness rooted in knowledge of the good they have to offer: Good mission, good faith, and good space. Self-awareness about these assets is being awakened through the Church Buildings for Collaborative Partnerships project (CBCP).

Funded by a Thriving Congregations grant from Lilly Endowment, CBCP is underway through a partnership with the Episcopal dioceses of Indianapolis and Northern Indiana, along with two other organizations: Partners for Sacred Places and Indiana Landmarks. All 82 Episcopal faith communities in Indiana have the opportunity to participate, each with a team of three to seven clergy and lay leaders.

CBCP training sessions stir up conversations about what parishes value and love to do. Mentors from Partners for Sacred Places guide congregational teams to articulate their mission story so they can share it with others in their community who are invited to tour the church and discuss ideas for needs and possible partnerships.

This is new territory for many congregations. “Invite the Mayor to see our church?” they ask. Yes, if that makes sense.

St. Francis In-The-Fields in Zionsville, Indiana, invited the Mayor, the Superintendent of schools, and representatives of Boys & Girls Clubs and a neighboring United Methodist Church. All participated in a lively brainstorming discussion about how the church’s ample space might be utilized in daytime hours Monday – Saturday. St. Francis team leader Lesley MacKellar said one topic quickly rose to the top in energy: youth mental health.

The CBCP team extended this topic to others in the congregation who work in related fields. Ideas were honed around the needs of youth struggling to catch up after the isolation of the pandemic, particularly suicide prevention, tutoring, and safe space for LGBTQ youth.

The St. Francis team next invited the entire congregation to participate in small group discussions about possibilities. Now St. Francis is working on how to best determine priorities and identify partnerships to prevent the parish itself from burn-out as new opportunities for ministry develop.

Ms. MacKellar says the CBCP experience “rekindled enthusiasm within our parish” after COVID-19. “It was a catalyst for energizing conversations about who we are and where we want to go.”

A much smaller congregation, St. Paul’s in LaPorte, Indiana, found the CBCP Site Visit an uplifting experience as Partners for Sacred Places staff viewed their 100+ year old church and 50+ year old parish hall with fresh eyes. The tour was followed by a visit with guests who included the mayor and representatives of local service agencies.

“CBCP was a great success for St. Paul’s. Within 24 hours of the site visit, we agreed to welcome in a not-for-profit to use some of our space as their home base of operations,” explains Rev. Canon Michelle Walker.

She believes, “Whether big or small, new or old, any congregation can benefit from having conversations about what we can do with the people and space we have to be better integrated with the community for the glory of God.”

Through the CBCP project, God is making some “old things new” at Episcopal congregations across Indiana, helping them increase vitality and serve mission by making the most of their buildings as assets and developing new and stronger community partnerships. To learn more, visit the CBCP website.

Indiana Bishops Oppose Permitless Carry

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Last night, Governor Holcomb signed into law House Bill 1296, which eliminates the need for citizens of Indiana to obtain a license in order to carry a handgun. Last week, Bishop Jennifer and Bishop Doug Sparks of Northern Indiana sent a letter to Governor Holcomb asking him to veto the measure.

Dear Governor Holcomb:

House Bill 1296, which would eliminate the need for citizens of our state to obtain a license in order to carry a handgun, has made its way to your desk. This is an ill-considered piece of legislation that will make our state a more dangerous place to live, and we urge you to veto it.

Evidence from across our country confirms that states with stricter gun laws experience fewer gun deaths. Yet this legislation would mean that it would be even more difficult to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them, even as gun violence in our state is on the rise. This is, no doubt, why it is opposed by the Indiana State Police and law enforcement officials across the state.

Indiana’s rate of gun deaths increased 30 percent from 2010 to 2019, compared to a 17 percent increase nationwide, according to data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of gun suicides increased 19 percent during that same period, compared to a 13 percent increase nationwide, and the rate of gun homicides increased by an alarming 57 percent compared to a 26 percent increase nationwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, gun violence continued surging: 2021 was Indianapolis’s deadliest year yet.

This escalating violence takes a particular toll on our most vulnerable communities. Gun violence is the leading cause of death among children and teens in our state. It wreaks vastly disproportionate devastation on communities of color, and during the pandemic, it posed a singular danger to domestic violence victims who were not able to flee their gun-owning abusers, and to people struggling with mental health issues.

We Hoosiers are hardy people, and we do not expect our elected officials to solve all of our problems for us. But we should be able to rely on the state legislature not to make our state more violent and not to place its people at greater risk.

We are participants in Bishops United Against Gun Violence, a network of more than 100 Episcopal bishops working to curtail the epidemic of gun violence in the United States. We acknowledge the importance of Second Amendment rights, but we object when those rights are understood so broadly that vulnerable people are put at risk. The current handgun licensing law does not present an undue burden on gun ownership, and our state will be safer if we keep it on the books.

We strongly urge you to oppose this legislation.

Faithfully,

The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows       The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Sparks
Bishop of Indianapolis                                        Bishop of Northern Indiana