Upcoming Events
Faith Communities: Nurturing Compassion through Family Values
Enjoy light refreshments while you engage with faith leaders from various communities who will share their insights and perspectives on how family values play a crucial role in fostering compassion within our society. This event encourages open dialogue and collaboration, aiming to strengthen the bonds of understanding and respect among all faiths.
National Day of Racial Healing Luncheon and Resource Swap
Join Peace Learning Center at The Block Bistro and Grill in downtown Indianapolis for peace, equity, and delicious food.
Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Time: 12p-2p
Location: The Block Bistro 115 W Market St, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Parking: Paid street parking and garage parking is available in the surrounding blocks.
The National Day of Racial Healing is an annual observance that takes place on the Tuesday following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is an opportunity to bring ALL people together and inspire collective action to build common ground for a more just and equitable world.
As a part of this day, Peace Learning Center will be hosting a National Day of Racial Healing Luncheon and Resource Swap. This event is designed to allow attendees to build community with those that are different from themselves through conversation and listening to the lived experiences of others. Racial healing is at the core of racial equity, the vehicle that allows the collective to transform communities, organizations and systems.
Attendees are asked to contribute to the resource swap by bringing a resource that connects to their identity. Examples of resources include books (adult, young adult, or children's), articles, or podcasts. Participants will be invited to leave a resource for someone else to continue their learning and select another resource for themself.
Join us for this unique community learning experience designed to move us away from divisiveness to a place of learning and respecting our differences as human beings.
A buffeted lunch will be served during the event featuring: Grilled Chicken Breast - Multigrain Seasoned Rice - Grilled Mixed Vegetables - Side Salad with Dressing - Dinner Rolls
Volunteers Needed: Point-in-Time Count
As the holidays approach, CHIP (Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention) is gearing up for the 2025 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count—an annual community census that helps us as a system understand homelessness in Indy and secure nearly $12 million in funding to support our neighbors.
Last year, these funds helped keep nearly 2,000 individuals who were previously experiencing homelessness in safe, stable housing, and volunteers played a key role in making it happen!
This year, we’re looking for volunteers to help administer PIT surveys at local service sites. Volunteer shift opportunities from 1/23-1/29.
Interested in volunteering? Fill out our volunteer interest form to get details about training and opportunities!
Habits for Peace and Reconciliation A Retreat for Young Adult Peace Builders and Leaders
Join the Rose Castle Foundation for their emerging leaders program; a two-day retreat at Waycross Conference Center designed to gather young adult peace builders and leaders from across Indiana. In a time of deep societal division, this retreat offers a unique opportunity to deepen relationships, build resilience, and explore the call to reconciliation together.
Through mealtimes, deep conversations, and shared experiences, we will reflect on what it means to be peacebuilders and peacemakers in a fractured world. We will celebrate the joy of being in community, seek the skills to disagree well, and envision cultures of radical hospitality not only in our faith communities, but in our wider communities.
Guided by the Rose Castle Foundation, we will delve deeply into our faith and traditions, restoring ourselves and our communities to reimagine what can be possible. This retreat is a chance to develop as leaders, transform conflict, and embrace the ministry of reconciliation in times of chaos, conflict, and change.
Whether you’re seeking to grow in your personal or professional life, or simply looking to connect with others who share your passion for peace and justice, join us in this journey of presence, purpose, and peacemaking.
Audience
This retreat is geared for young adults in their 20s and 30s and the leaders of ministries that support these young adults. We invite individuals to sign up on their own or to register as small, affiliated groups. Space is limited to 24 participants, in single occupant lodging. Please register using the QR code as soon as you can confirm attendance. if you intend to bring a group, please email phoebe.dill@rosecastle.foundation so we can reserve your positions, as well as asking your group to fill out the form linked in the QR code.
Cost
All costs for the retreat, meals, and lodging are covered by the generous grant funding provided by the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. Participants are responsible for their own transportation costs to and from Waycross. Waycross Address: 4879 Richards Rd, Morgantown, IN 46160.
Start and End Time
Programming begins on Friday, Nov. 15th at 5:00 PM. Please feel free to arrive at Waycross anytime after 3:00 PM for check-in in preparation for 5:00 program start time. Programming will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 17th at 3:00 PM with departure from the Waycross by 4:00 PM.
Evictions & Homelessness: What’s Next for Housing in Indiana
We’ll review:
GIMA’s housing legislative agenda for 2025
What you can do to get the legislature to act
“Court Watching” and reforming the Marion County Eviction Courts
About proposals to outlaw the Homeless and what you can do to counter those
Advocacy: How A Bill REALLY Becomes a Law
Advocacy: The act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support. Whether we realize it or not, we all advocate for things that are important to us. So, how can we best use our advocacy skills to move housing policy in Indiana?
Join us November 13 to learn from Danielle Coulter, Vice President of Dant Advocacy. Danielle has firsthand knowledge of the intricacies of government, the result of her experience working for the Indiana General Assembly and representing Indiana county officials.
Danielle previously served as a policy analyst for the Indiana Primary Health Care Association. Before that, she served as deputy director of government affairs for the Association of Indiana Counties, where she lobbied on behalf of county elected officials, including circuit court clerks, coroners, recorders and surveyors.
She also served as a legislative assistant for the Republican caucus of the Indiana House of Representatives, a government relations staffer for Indiana University, and a governmental relations intern for Ball State University.
As we prepare for the 2025 legislative session, Danielle will walk us through the real process of how legislation becomes law and how we can advocate for housing law reform.
Creating Human Solidarity Workshop
Our friends at the Human Solidarity Project are bringing their Creating Human Solidarity Workshop back to Indianapolis, and thanks to the Herbert Simon Family Foundation these workshops are free.
Additionally, HSP is offering their Human Solidarity for Black and Jewish Community Leaders on November 13 and 14.
Indy Habitat Multifaith Build
Join our friends at Indy Habitat for their 2024 Multifaith Build, bringing together the faith community to build a home for a member of our community.
Immigration Detention and Incarceration: Migrants Speak
Join United Women in Faith for this powerful webinar that centers the voices of migrants as they share personal experiences and insights on immigration detention and incarceration in the US. This discussion will explore the challenges they face in the detention system, the impact on their lives and families, and the urgent need for reform. Hear directly from impacted migrants and gain a deeper understanding of the immigration system that keeps over 40,000 immigrants in detention facilities daily.
This webinar is offered by Immigration Law and Justice Network, United Women in Faith, and numerous partner organizations. All are welcome. There is no cost to participate. Registration is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. This webinar will be offered in both English and Spanish through the help of an interpreter.
Know Your Rights
Join Mariposa Legal for a "Know Your Rights" Presentation hosted by Christ Church Cathedral on October 27, following the 1 pm service. We will provide legal information, share resources to protect constitutional rights, and discuss obstacles Indianapolis immigrant communities may face under a new president.
Únase a Mariposa Legal para una presentación "Conozca sus derechos" organizada en la Catedral de Christ Church el 27 de octubre, después del servicio de la 1 pm. Proporcionaremos información legal, compartiremos recursos para proteger los derechos constitucionales y discutiremos los obstáculos que las comunidades de inmigrantes de Indianápolis pueden enfrentar bajo un nuevo presidente.
Pushing Back on Private Equity in Housing
Unresponsive and irresponsible out-of-state landlords. Rapidly rising rents and declining quality of housing. Modest homes gobbled up by mysterious purchasers paying entirely in cash.
The culprit behind all of these pain points in the affordable housing crisis are often the same: private equity companies.
The private equity business model enables investors to take over companies such as rental properties and quickly restructure them—usually in ways that are harmful to tenants, and ultimately, state & local economies. Their focus is on turning a quick profit for investors regardless of the risks and consequences for our communities.
Attendees will learn:
How private equity works and what other industries it exists in
Indiana's private equity risk level
The types of policies states and municipalities are exploring to fight private equity
The presenters are from the Private Equity Stakeholder Project. Check out their Private Equity State Index rankings. Indiana doesn’t fare too well!
Let's Get Ready to Rally!
Join the Black Church Coalition for a rally to mobilize the vote and cast a vision for a safe and healthy Indiana. No matter who is elected, we will continue to build power to see this vision manifest through policy. They’re calling for 200 BCC leaders and other partners and comrades! Can we count you in? Register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/HCcJuDD-nESrk7_5F4Z_1Q2
Join BCC for other, smaller events leading up to this one!
• Sept 9th 6:30: Policy Training with Senator Hunley @ the Indiana Statehouse. REGISTER
• Sept 16th @ 6:30 at New Liberty Missionary Baptist Church: Harm Reduction Briefing! Join the BCC team who traveled to Columbus to learn how Indianapolis can build and implement a response model to help those struggling with addictions and overdoses. REGISTER
• Young Adult Voter Guide event is being rescheduled. More info to come!
Nourish Our Future: Seeds of Hope for Indiana's Children
Join Bread for the World in Indiana at Light of the World Christian Church on October 3rd for Nourish Our Future: Seeds of Hope for Indiana’s Children. Come join your voice with a chorus for justice as we learn about the impact of the Child Tax Credit and take action to protect and expand it together. Too many families in Indiana experience anxiety over how they will nourish their children, but on October 3rd we will create meaningful change by calling on Senator Todd Young to be a champion of an expanded Child Tax Credit that can see a lift of 50% of Hoosier children out of poverty. This event will feature:A Keynote address by Elaine Maag, Tax Policy Advisor of the Equity Hub at the US Treasury and leading national expert on the Child Tax Credit.
Testimony from community members who have lived experience of the life-changing impact of the Child Tax Credit
An update on the national political path forward for the expanded Child Tax Credit from Cheyenne Range, Deputy Director of Government Relations at Bread for the World
A time to demonstrate our collective power to Senator Young as we call on him to attend Bread’s Nourish Our Future campaign launch as a champion of the expanded Child Tax Credit
Beyond The Bridge at Heartland Church
Join us for another free screening of the documentary, Beyond The Bridge: A Solution To Homelessness
Our goal is for this film to be a part of a community-wide conversation about homelessness. Who do you know that needs to know more about this issue? Who else needs to get involved in this dialogue? We encourage you to invite others to this free screening so that we can all be a part of the solution. We can solve homelessness in Indianapolis in a comprehensive way!
Webinar: Protecting Places of Worship
Webinar: Protecting Places of Worship: Fall Religious Observance Security Briefing on Thursday, September 19, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) hosted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with Department of Justice (DOJ) Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and other interagency partners.
Please register for this webinar here.
This webinar will provide faith-based communities with a threat briefing during Fall religious observances and the “Protecting Places of Worship National Weeks of Action.” In addition, federal partners will share practical tools and resources to help strengthen the safety and security of places of worship and community spaces.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
For more information on available resources to protect places of worship, please visit:
Protecting Houses of Worship (DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)
Protecting Places of Worship Forum (DOJ Community Relations Service)
5 Ways to Improve the Safety and Security of Your Place of Worship or Community Spaces (DHS FEMA)
Take these 4 Steps to Apply for a Nonprofit Security Grant (DHS FEMA)
CP3 Resources (DHS)
Resources and Information for Faith and Community Leaders Regarding the Israel - Hamas Conflict (DHS)
This webinar will offer captioning services. For questions or additional information, contact DHS here
Indiana Housing Justice Conference
2nd Annual Housing Justice Conference!
August 29th, 2024
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT (check-in starts at 9:30 a.m.)
Indiana Interchurch Center,
1100 W. 42nd St, Indianapolis, IN, 46208
Click here to register for the August 29th, 2024 Housing Justice Conference. We’re bringing together advocates across a variety of disciplines to brainstorm using legal tools to address rental housing insecurity (evictions and poor conditions) in Indiana on a systematic level.
Who should attend?
Housing Lawyers
Policy Advocates
Researchers
Community and Tenant Organizers
Other Details:
No cost for attendance
Free parking onsite
Lunch will be provided
Indiana Housing Conference
Presented by Indiana Affordable Housing Council (IAHC), Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), and Indiana Balance of State Continuum of Care (Bos Coc).
Join us in Indianapolis for two days of education, networking and celebrating the affordable housing industry. Affordable housing professionals are invited to join the conversation as we dig deeper into housing policy, industry challenges and more!
A Solution To Homelessness
A Bigger Vision Films is very excited to have you attend a Special Preview Impact Screening of Beyond the Bridge: A Solution to Homelessness, taking place on Tuesday, August 20th at 4:30pm, Clowe’s Memorial Hall - we hope you'll RSVP in the meantime! This event is presented by A Bigger Vision Films and Together Films with the support of a local steering committee: CHIP Indy, Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, GIMA, and The Corporation for Supportive Housing.
Our goal is for this film to be a part of a community-wide conversation about homelessness. Who do you know that needs to know more about this issue? Who else needs to get involved in this dialogue? We encourage you to invite others to this free screening, panel, and Q&A, so that we can all be a part of answering the question: How can Indianapolis solve homelessness in a comprehensive way?
Black Church Coalition Assembly & Coalition
Saturday, August 17, 2024 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM ET
Join the BCC as they celebrate 3 years of power building and take the next steps in our campaign! There will be a potluck and raffles, come join the celebration! Location: Indiana Interchurch Center 1100 W 42nd St 2nd Floor, Indianapolis, IN 46208
Plunder: A Conversation About Private Equity
We're thrilled to be able to help the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana promote this important event. Indianapolis is now tied for #5 in most private equity home ownership. It affects all of us in Indiana!
We have a housing crisis in Indiana. Fewer and fewer Hoosiers own their homes while out-of-state investors have and continue to buy single-family homes in record numbers. The American dream of homeownership has turned to that of being a long-term renter. Although this is a statewide problem, it is particularly acute in Central Indiana. We estimate over 27,000 single-family rental (SFR) properties in Marion County are now owned by corporate investors (LLCs, INCs, LLPs, REITs, etc). This activity, to date, is not slowing, with more purchases made every month. Investor purchases overwhelmingly take these affordable homes from opportunities for homeownership to high cost rentals. We estimate that around 13,000 (and growing) of Marion County’s single-family homes are owned by out-of-state investors. With each transaction is a loss of income, each month, of upwards of $15 to $20 million in rent payments that leave Indiana and disappear from our local economy. Focusing on the 27,000 investor-owned SFR properties in Marion County identified by the FHCCI, 12,570 or 46% of those properties are owned by out-of-state investors. Imagine if half those homes were available to prospective home buyers!
Join us on August 13, 2024 for a presentation by Brendan Ballou, author of “Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America,” as he sheds light on how private equity firms are actively reshaping American business using legal loopholes to avoid liability. These firms often use short-term tactics that leave the businesses they purchase a shell of their former selves while the communities left behind suffer the long-term consequences of those bottom-line decisions. The FHCCI is especially concerned about private equity’s involvement in the housing market, discussed by Mr. Ballou in his book.
Won't You Be My Neighbor? The Housing Crisis' Impact On Indianapolis
During these four conversations, panelists with expertise in different industries will share more about housing and how it affects different aspects of our community, from
Education
Violence
Health
and Government.
Those in attendance will gain a better understanding of housing concerns that affect our neighbors.
Additional resources will also be available at each session.
Housing Instability’s Impact on Schools
Tuesday, May 7th at 6:30 pm
Housing and Violence
Tuesday, June 4th at 6:30 pm
How Housing Influences Health Outcomes
Tuesday, July 16th at 6:30 pm
Government’s Role in Housing
Tuesday, August 6th at 6:30 pm
Indianapolis Job and Resource Fair
The Indianapolis Job and Resource Fair is an opportunity for Indiana's best businesses to connect with hardworking Hoosier jobseekers. This event provides the tools necessary for individuals to compete and succeed in the increasingly competitive economy.
Community resources will be available to offer assistance throughout the event. Whether you are looking for a career opportunity or a business looking for great candidates, this is the event for you. We hope you will join us! Watch a video from the 2023 Indianapolis Job and Resource Fair to learn more about this event.
Event Information:
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center
2820 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN
For more information visit the event information page HERE.
Faith and Justice Listening Session
Indiana Justice Project, through support from the Grassroots Maternal Child Health Initiative, would like to meet with clergy and lay leaders of faith-based organizations in the Central Indiana area to discuss continued and new opportunities for collaborations on issues of justice --including know your rights sessions, pro bono clinics, and other legal advocacy. Due to space limitations, we ask that no more than two (2) people from any one organization attend.
Tentative Agenda:
Grassroots Maternal Child Health: Community-based maternal and child health human rights framework
Review of past and current collaborations
Open dialogue about local community/congregational justice needs
"Wishlist" for future collaborations
When:
Thursday, July 11, 2024
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT. (Arrive before 10:45 to sign in)
Where:
Indiana Interchurch Center
Krannert Room
1100 W 42nd St,
Indianapolis, IN 46208
(free parking on-site)
Other Details:
Lunch will be provided (free of charge)
2024 State of Homelessness in Indianapolis
Please join our friends at CHIP as they present the 2024 Point-in-Time Count data and analysis, and a discussion of our unifying goals and strategies, key drivers and solutions, and a call to action.
What’s driving homelessness in Indianapolis? What are we doing to solve it?
Indiana Faith Communities Welcoming Refugees through the Welcome Corps
Join other Indiana faith leadership for a conversation over coffee, tea, and breakfast pastries about the Welcome Corps, a new opportunity for faith communities to help bring refugees to safety and freedom in Indiana.
Welcome Corps is a United States Department of State program that enables Americans to privately sponsor and welcome refugees. Our Indiana faith communities are some of the first places to welcome refugees and have a long tradition of stepping forward to provide sanctuary and foster belonging. Come meet members of the national Welcome Corps team who will be visiting Indiana for a weeklong roadshow through the Hoosier heartland.
The national Welcome Corps team will be present to answer questions about the program and hear from you as leaders of our diverse Indiana faith communities.
This gathering is co-hosted by the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, Patchwork Indy, GIMA, and the Welcome Corps.
3rd Annual Karmic Meal Pack
Join us for the 3rd Annual Karmic Meal Pack where we will assemble 50,000 meals for food insecure Hoosiers.
When: Sunday, June 23 from 2-5 p.m.
Where: The Speak Easy - 5255 Winthrop Ave. 46220
(There is plenty of free, on-site parking!)
Meal assembly will take about two hours of "Networking with Purpose." Come and network with folks from the entrepreneurial ecosystem while doing impactful, purposeful work.
Add to calendar!
Everyone is welcome (children too)!
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Sponsored by Karmic Partners, The Speakeasy and Pack Away Hunger
Our meals will go to food insecure Hoosiers.
In Marion County, 13% of the populations fights the effects of food insecurity, including more than 44,000 children. This means families are often forced to make a difficult choice between buying food or paying for other expenses.
You can help!
Donate meals: Submit an online donation through this page.
Become a sponsor: If you'd like to be a corporate sponsor, please email Nida at nida@karmic.partners.
Volunteer your time: Please use the link above to register. Adding to your calendar will not register you as a volunteer.
If you have questions, please contact Nida at nida@karmic.partners.
Black Church Coalition Leader's Assembly
Every person, regardless of race, place, or religion, should be moved by a political message of hope, not a message of division and fear. We need your help to build a movement to do this in the upcoming election. Can we count you in? If so, the next step is our leader's assembly on June 10th at 6:30 p.m. at University UMC. The registration link is below, and a flyer to share is attached! Please register as soon as possible!
Civil Rights Protection and Use Of Force Review
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI will be hosting a Color of Law Roundtable informal discussion to address concerns raised with our office regarding police action shootings. Specifically, we hope to clarify questions about the recent announcement of the COPS Office review and educate community leaders on federal processes for officer-involved shootings, as well as Civil Rights protections. If you are available, please consider attending. No RSVP required, but it is helpful.
When: Monday, June 10th from 6-8pm
Where: Global Village at 4233 Lafayette Road Indianapolis, IN 46254
The Power of Truth Telling
This event sponsored by First Baptist Church of Indianapolis will celebrate honesty and authenticity as we delve into the power of sharing our truths with authors Christa Brown and Sarah Stankorb.
For survivor and advocate Christa Brown, it began with just wanting to tell the truth. But truth-telling has a way of snowballing. Listen in as Christa relays her story, from her memoir Baptistland, of how small step after step she found her voice amidst family dysfunction and a religious culture that harbors abusiveness, and how so much of the work goes on inside as we learn to speak on the outside.
As she relays in her book Disobedient Women, journalist Sarah Stankorb talks about how the internet—its networks, freedom of expression, and resources for deeply researching and reporting on powerful church figures—allowed women to begin dismantling the false authority of evangelical communities that had long demanded their submission.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and empower yourself. Save your spot today!
Voices of Reentry: Conversations that Matter
This event will feature a facilitated world-cafe style dialogue, bringing together individuals impacted by the criminal legal system to share their stories, perspectives, and aspirations for the future. Our goal is to ignite meaningful conversations among peers with shared experiences and to foster community connections.
Whether you are a returning citizen, a family member, a friend, or an advocate, your voice is invaluable to us. This unique event is designed and organized by those who have either experienced incarceration or have been impacted by the justice system. We believe that by sharing experiences and listening to one another, we can build a supportive network and create a community where everyone feels a sense of belonging.
The event will be at the Phoenix Theater downtown on May 23rd from 3:30-5:30pm and is completely free to attend. There will be a raffle at the end where four attendees will win a $50 gift card. The feedback gathered during the event will be instrumental in shaping strategies and initiatives to improve the lives of those affected by the criminal legal system in our community.
Can we count on you to join the conversation? If so, please register here: Voices of Reentry: Conversations that Matter. I have also attached a flyer for you to share with your network.
Have an Event You Want Us to Share?
Submit events to us related to faith communities or housing and evictions with the form below. We love connecting our communities to important events happening around the greater Indianapolis area.