Historic churches present opportunity, challenges
Successful adaptive reuses of historic church structures can be an uphill climb, often pitting church organizations at odds with neighbors.
Churches
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Historic Preservation Commission votes to protect Holy Cross church from demolition
The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously Wednesday at an emergency meeting to designate the Church of the Holy Cross as a historic landmark.
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Oldest Catholic church in Indy plans $2.7M parish center downtown
Officials with St. John the Evangelist want to build the 2,800-square-foot facility as part of a larger $5.5 million renovation that started in 2021. They hope to finish in time for the huge National Eucharistic Congress planned for Indianapolis in July.
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First Baptist Athletics planning new gym, field improvements on 86th Street
A request to replat the site initially led to some concern among neighbors that some of First Baptist Church’s property would be used for housing development.
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Catholic event expected to attract 50,000-plus to Indianapolis
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved plans Wednesday for Indianapolis to host a National Eucharistic Congress, a five-day summer event that organizers say could draw as many as 80,000 people to the city.
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Articles
IRS: Churches should be allowed to make political endorsements
Banning nonprofits—including congregations—from participating in political campaigns violates the First Amendment’s protection of the right to the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech, IRS Commissioner Billy Long said in a court filing Monday.
First American pope in history of Catholic Church will take name Leo XIV
Cheers erupted in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square on Thursday as cardinals announced with a billow of white smoke and the clamor of church bells that a successor to Pope Francis had been named.
National Bank of Indianapolis partners with New Direction Church on east-side effort
The National Bank of Indianapolis and New Direction Church announced a partnership that’s designed to support economic development and access to financial services along the East 38th Street corridor.
New York church sues Indy-based Disciples of Christ fund over disputed loan
La Hermosa Christian Church filed the suit after the nonprofit lender allegedly declined to release $7.3 million in loan funding advances for a proposed development on the church’s property near Central Park.
National Catholic group, Brickyard 400 making hotel rooms scarce in Indianapolis this weekend
The National Eucharistic Congress will use about 27,000 hotel room nights over five days. The event officially runs Wednesday through Sunday, but a welcome service took place Tuesday night at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (see photo gallery in story).
IBJ Podcast: Indy to host rare Catholic gathering bringing tens of thousands of visitors
Our guest this week is Ken Ogorek of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, who discusses the revival and purpose of the Eucharistic Congress after an 83-year absence.
50,000 Catholics expected at Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis
The event will be the church’s first national gathering in more than 80 years, marking one of the most significant religious events the city has ever hosted.
Black Church Coalition exits Faith in Indiana, taking new steps to influence Indiana politics
Over the next six to 12 months, the organization will be scaling up in order to play what one organizer called “offense” in a statewide push for efforts intended to decrease poverty, a root cause of crime.
More than 10,000 Southern Baptists gather in Indy to debate banning churches with women pastors
On Wednesday, church representatives are expected to debate whether to amend their constitution to ban churches with any women pastors—from lead to associate roles. The measure received preliminary approval last year.
Southern Baptists face fraught issues at annual convention in Indy
Messengers—as voting delegates are known—will vote on whether to establish a constitutional ban on churches with women pastors. They’ll hear a report—and get outside criticism—of their handling of sexual abuse among their clergy.
United Methodists lose fifth of U.S. churches in schism over theology
More than 6,000 United Methodist congregations have now received permission to leave the denomination amid a schism over theology and the role of LGBTQ people in the nation’s second-largest Protestant denomination.
Indiana 250: Jeffrey Johnson, Eastern Star Church senior pastor
Johnson is also an author, as well as president and CEO of eight organizations. “Sacrifice is extremely significant for success,” he said. “What you walk away from will determine what you walk in to.”
Indiana Landmarks receives $10M Lilly grant for Sacred Places program
The Indianapolis-based organization says the funding will expand training opportunities, build congregational capacities, and assist with stewardship of historic churches.
Traders Point Christian Church purchases property for new Fishers campus
The Promise United Methodist Church stopped holding services in November 2021. The building, which includes a 21,000-square-foot theater, was most recently used as a preschool until the summer of 2022.
State high court sides with Archdiocese in firing of gay Cathedral High teacher
The Indiana Supreme Court found the church-autonomy doctrine prohibits the state from interfering in the Catholic Church’s dispute with a high school teacher who claimed he was fired for being in a same-sex marriage.
Q&A: Eastern Star youth pastor now a guiding light for city zoning
This fall, Percy Bland Jr. also accepted a two-year volunteer appointment by the City-County Council to the Marion County Board of Zoning Appeals.
Traders Point Church moving ahead with north-side Marsh renovation after delay
Traders Point first announced plans for its Midtown campus in January 2020, a few weeks after it closed on its $7.6 million purchase of the Marsh store east of Broad Ripple.
Fired Cathedral teacher’s suit against archdiocese over same-sex marriage dismissed
The one-page order dismissed the wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a gay teacher against the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
Eastern Star’s new youth center on the rise with help of $8M Lilly grant
A new kids hub, dubbed the ROCK Community Center for Children & Youth, is under construction at 5750 E. 30th St. and is set to open next year.