Lockerbie Central’s New Ad for the NUVO “Best of” Issue

Our small downtown Indianapolis church, Lockerbie Central United Methodist,  received a few “Best of” awards this year.  In December, our film series was recognized by Indianapolis Monthly as “THE BEST FREE FILM SERIES” –and that was before we went to a weekly schedule!

Nuvo Newsweekly’s Best of Indianapolis issue will hit news stands in a few weeks.  Readers vote on over 170 different topics here in central Indiana and Lockerbie Central won BEST HOUSE OF WORSHIP!  Normally, the big churches win this title.  But, according to the NUVO ad salesperson, it wasn’t even that close.

Ill write more about it later, but I just wanted to share the ad that we will be running in NUVO for the Best of Issue.

Filed under: Christians, Earth House, Indianapolis, Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church, church, community, emergent church, film , Indianapolis, emergent church, church, NUVO, social justice, emergent, film, united methodist, Church Marketing, best house of worship, Best of, Indianapolis Monthly, Micah 6:8, nanochurch, Earth House Collective

Indianapolis Food Independence Day Wrap UP!

Food Independence Day 2009 flyer

On Thursday, July 2, Earth House and Lockerbie Central United Methodist hosted Food Independence Day here in Indianapolis.  It was the first of what will hopefully be an annual event.   Mark your calendars for Thursday, July 1, 2010!

Indianapolis City Council member Jose Evans (left) talks with Slow Food Indy members Todd Jameson (middle), and Ed and Theresea Stites at Indianapolis' Food Independence Day Celebration. July 2, 2009

It was just a great night.  We had fifteen different sponsors, an Indianapolis city council member show up, Jose Evans,  and over 250 people come through the door.  We screened  the film THE GARDEN and the movie’s director Scott Kennedy was in attendance.  He left impressed with what Indianapolis food activists were trying to do.

We got two great write ups in the local papers.  Here is the article from Metromix and from Nuvo.  I really liked this line from Metromix/Indianapolis Star reporter Jenny Elig:

[Scott] Hamilton comes at the invitation of Mike Oles, Lockerbie Methodist lay leader and founder of the Earth House Collective Film Series — which is quickly becoming the city’s premiere showcase for screenings and discussions of socially conscious films.

The question and answer session with Scott Kennedy was also great. I will post footage from the Q and A when it gets online.  But, here is Scott answering questions.  The movie got a standing ovation.

Oscar nominated filmmaker Scott Kennedy answers questions about THE GARDEN. July 1, 2009, Indianapolis, IN.

Filed under: Christians, Earth House, Food Independence Day, Indiana, Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church, POlitics, Thursday Night Film Festival, agriculture, church, city council, community, community organizing, economy, emergent church, facebook, film , Earth House, Earth House Film Forum, film, film reviews, Food Independence Day, Indiana, Indianapolis, Indianapolis City Council, Indianapolis Star, Jose Evans, layleader, lockerbie central united methodist, Metromix, Mike Oles, MIke Oles III, NUVO, Oscars, Scott Hamilton, Scott Kennedy Hamilton, Slow Food, Slow Food Indianapolis, socially conscious films, The Garden, Thursday Night Film Festival

Indianapolis Hotel Worker’s are rethinking Indy’s economy, United Methodist Churches should rethink the economy as they Rethink Church

Nuvo Newsweekly–the alternative weekly here in Indianapolis–ran a great cover story about the struggle of downtown and northside hotel workers to organize a union.  One of the workers, Jessie Ham (above on the left) is prominently featured in the article is a friend our church, Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church.

She sums up this struggle:

Ham considers what life would be like if she tried to raise a family on her salary. “If I had a child – and I’m in my mid 20s, so it’s not farfetched for me to be thinking of it – I couldn’t afford it, and I work in one of the nicest hotels and nicest restaurants,” she said. “I could not afford to eat in The Eagle’s Nest.” Entrees at the revolving restaurant atop the Hyatt run approximately $30-$60.

She also talks about her encounter with Indianapolis Mayor  Greg Ballard:

Ham attended a Mayor’s Night Out meeting in mid-May and wrote in a question for Mayor Greg Ballard: The Capital Improvement Board is bringing in $3.5 billion in revenue, the hospitality industry is creating thousands of jobs, yet hotel workers are struggling to get by. What can we do?

She said Ballard stumbled over the answer, eventually offering that she should “find another job.” The mayor was unavailable for comment for this story.

There are some great United Methodist pastors who have been upfront and helping workers organize.  Rev. Darren Kushman-Wood locally is one of those pastors and I highly reccomend his book, Blue-Collar Jesus: How Christianity Supports Worker’s Rights.   Darren is also a great church leader and has done great work to transform his current church, Speedway Unitd Methodist, into a congregation that is engaged with the community.

But its probably time for the pastors at the biggest, most influential United Methodist churches, to start speaking some truth to power.

Filed under: Indiana, Indianapolis, Indianapolis politics, Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church, POlitics, community organizing, progressive, united methodist , Blue Collar Jesus, Darren Kushman-Wood, eagle's nest, economy, hotel workers, Hyatt Regency, Indianapolis, Jessie Ham, labor movement, lockerbie central, lockerbie central united methodist, low wage workers, rethink church, speaking truth to power, Speedway United Methodist, unions, united methodist church, worker's rights