St. Chris is the best thing that has ever happened to our family. It's an amazing parish nestled…read morein the middle of a city that welcomes 400,000 each May. It's a big parish--but it's very easy to find your niche. Father Paul is amazing. Father Danny is absolutely hands down the most down to earth person ever. Lots of mass options (Saturday and Sunday) and the parish staff is amazing. We have never been more happy in our choice of church. It's hard to find a good parish in a big city where you feel connected and part of the family. St. Chris embodies all this and more. St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers. So if you find yourself passing through or here for find yourself here for good --you can't feel more at home at St. Christopher parish.

I volunteered my services for many years. If you volunteer watch out for Phyliss the volunteer…read moreperson. She is very mean, and she gossips about everyone. She hides behind the door to listen to your conversation, you may have with other volunteers, while your working. I ran things up and down the stairs, cut off labels, hauled boxes, etc. She tells the father and then he comes down and stares at you. Your will have no idea what is going on...Phyliss has a husband Jim who gives his time freely and she picks him to death in front of everyone! Very sad way to treat people that want to give their time. Phyliss needs to leave people alone and stop talking about them behind their back. Very sad way to treat gods people.

Beautiful Orthodox Church, God has blessed us with a great parish and a loving and faithful…read morecommunity. المسيح قام! حقا قام!

Northminster Presbyterian Church is a member of PC-USA (progressive side of the Presbyterian…read moreDenomination). Right on the edge of what would be considered Broad Ripple proper, Northminster has been around for over 75 years and is located directly on Kessler Boulevard. This is very much a residential church set smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood. It has parking both in front of and behind the church with accessible parking spots on both sides. I entered through the back of the church and the entry had a single door that was easily accessible (I think it was an automatic door, as well). The church has two floors and does have an elevator. As I was present for an event, I did not explore the church and can't speak to full accessibility. I will note that I went to a main set of bathrooms that weren't really accessible - I could get into the bathroom, but the stalls were definitely lacking. I think there were single-user bathrooms near the sanctuary that are a bit better. Rev. Brian Shivers is senior pastor. Rev. Karen Herbst-Kim is associate pastor. PC-USA does ordain women and LGBTQ ministers, though you will find both conservative and liberal members of PC-USA congregations. I was present last evening for the last in a year-long concert series called "Sound and Spirit." It's an outreach of The Arts at Northminster and is definitely a draw for the church. The concerts are always free. This year's series included The Jeremiahs (Irish traditional), Palermo Presents (classical), Rob Dixon Trio (Jazz), Requiem in D Minor (Classical), Carolyn Craig, Organ (Classical), and Blue Highway (Bluegrass). The concerts are in the sanctuary. It's a fairly traditional sanctuary that has recently been made a bit more accessible with a couple of shortened pews offering natural wheelchair seating. They also, I learned, replaced a couple doors on the side that weren't quite accessible. I had no trouble going through them. There was a wider wheelchair that was outside the sanctuary in an area that appears to be used by parents with small children. I actually spent part of the evening there. I would probably give accessibility a 3.5 out of 5, though there's an obvious effort being made with recent improvements and an attitude of welcome that is nice. The parking spots were true ADA spots (rare for churches and not even true for my now home church of Second Presbyterian). I'd attended a couple services years ago here before a tragedy claimed the lives of the pastor and his wife. A plaque in their memory still rests on a wall in the church. Northminster has a "come as you are" approach to worship. While most dress business casual, there's not a judgmental approach to more casual folks (like me). Services are also streamed online including many of the special services. They host a variety of community activities including a preschool, yoga, music lessons, and more. While I'm happy in my church home, there's definitely something special here at Northminster with a wonderful staff, friendly congregation, progressive spirit, and a strong arts focus. For those seeking a more progressive yet traditional worship service Northminster would be a great place to explore.

This church hosts a 4-part community concert series that is spectacular! We have heard…read moreGrammy-winning bluegrass artists among others. Did I mention it is free?! They even give you free cookies and coffee at intermission. A very welcoming congregation offering a special gift of great secular music to the community - give them a listen!

The Sanctuary church currently meets at 10 AM on Sundays at the Indianapolis Art Center. When I…read morefound it through mutual friends upon their launch in fall 2023, I quickly discovered the warmth, love, and intentionality that this non-denominational Christian community offers. It's been a space that has challenged me in the ways that I've needed in my faith and consistently pointed me to Jesus. A few details if you're visiting for the first time: Services take no more than 1 hour and a half from start to finish. If you have kids, they offer safe and engaging Sunday morning childcare for kids infant age through grade 5. Parking is available out front in a small lot or on the east side of the building. Come and check it out, I'd love to see you there!

I've been weaving my way through some Indianapolis faith communities, partly out of curiosity and…read morepartly out of a genuine search for the next stop on what has been a long and diverse faith journey. I have intentionally chosen to visit communities that challenge my own personal theology in big and small ways. While I was baptized Catholic as an infant, my mother moved away from Catholicism and all I was largely left with was an authentic curiosity and an openness to learning while also recognizing that it seems like an awful lot of my true mentors in life have been of the Catholic faith. I've visited four Catholic parishes in Indy - St. Joan of Arc, St. Matthew, St. Thomas Aquinas and this church, Immaculate Heart of Mary. My first visit to Immaculate Heart occurred on a Sunday when the speaker was a guest and the parish's actual priest was not present. While I left quite impressed with the parish's atmosphere and friendliness, I had a desire to return for "Father Bob." Immaculate Heart is what could definitely be considered a "neighborhood" parish. Located at 56th & Central, the area is a predominately white area, mostly middle to slightly upper class and seemingly dominated by families and aging couples. This parish is within probably a couple miles of both St. Joan of Arc and St. Thomas Aquinas, yet the differences within the personalities of each parish are pronounced and remarkable. They all have their strengths and challenges. To be fair, I do not live in this neighborhood. In fact, regardless of how I travel I go through at least one parish to visit Immaculate Heart. Upon my first visit, I unexpectedly ran into a friend at the Mass. I knew she attended Immaculate Heart, but also knew she typically went to an earlier service. Her hospitality on my first visit made that first visit warmer and quite welcoming and got me introduced to others. I was impressed with the accessibility of the church - from a magnificent concrete ramp to automated doors to roomy aisles and even a ramp to the side allowing access to the altar area. They've clearly made an effort to be welcoming. I was also impressed with their audio system, which made hearing each speaker crystal clear despite the massive structure of the church. I'm not aware if the church offers any sort of audio adaptive aids for those in need. I returned this past week and was able to hear Father Bob, who began at Immaculate Heart in 2007 and is clearly adored by his parish. I'd heard from one friend that it was Immaculate Heart that ultimately was so welcoming that he converted to Catholicism, while multiple friends had praised Father Bob as a speaker. They were right. He's friendly, relaxed, engaging and yet quite intelligent. He speaks without notes, yet it feels fresh and vibrant and witty. I was able to meet him briefly after the service and found him similarly engaging in person. The church was just as welcoming without my previous friend present, as I'd intentionally gone to a different service (though, ironically, ran into another acquaintance). The church longs for diversity, such as is present at Thomas Aquinas, yet acknowledges the difficulty of having that in their current setting. They are humble, perhaps even a little self-deprecating, yet obviously seeking to live into their faith. I really love looking at their website that describes their wide ministry outreach and includes a page for those in some sort of crisis. It even includes the local crisis hotline phone number. Bravo. I don't know that I consider Immaculate Heart an option for a "home," especially as I do have some challenges with Catholic theology, but I am aware I loved this visit and everything about Immaculate Heart from the church to the people to the pastor and the steeple (c'mon, I had to rhyme). As a fun note, it was actually in 1981 that the church's steeple crashed to the ground in front of the church during high winds. Fortunately, no one was hurt. While I've appreciated things about each of the four parishes I've visited, I must confess that Immaculate Heart of Mary has kind of won my heart.