‘Seek the welfare of your city:’ Clergy find lessons in Indianapolis

A group of Western North Carolina clergy encountered two very different ministries. Each offers a model for what love and justice can look like.

The trip to Indianapolis was part of the Reynolds Leadership Academy for Evangelism and Discipleship, a Foundation program that exposes pastors to the country’s best and brightest faith leaders.

Clergy spent time with Rev. Rob Fuquay, a former WNCC colleague who now leads one of the largest Methodist congregations in Indiana. St. Luke’s UMC defines its mission as being an affirming, inclusive, antiracist church that welcomes all with unconditional love.

Travelers also visited The Learning Tree, a grassroots initiative to foster social empowerment in a historically undervalued neighborhood. Founder De’Amon Harges teaches that every person possesses gifts and talents with sacred value. All that’s needed is an opportunity to use them.

Visit to St. Luke’s UMC

Rob has roots in the Western North Carolina Conference, having served at Williamson’s Chapel in Mooresville prior to moving to Indianapolis. Rob is also a graduate of Pfeiffer University.

With campuses in midtown and north Indianapolis, 6,000-member St. Luke’s has sought to grow in a way that better represents the surrounding communities, which are far more diverse. This work took on urgency in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the nationwide protests that erupted afterward.

“The word disciple means ‘learner,’” Rob told The Indy Star newspaper. “Of all times, right now is when we need learners in the church — people willing to learn and investigate, and say ‘okay, what do I need to understand about this that I might not have before, so that it may begin to shape and change my actions?’”

Visit to The Learning Tree

As the “Original Roving Listener,” De’Amon Harges would go door to door asking folks to tell him their stories. In listening, De’Amon discovered a wealth of talent that had gone overlooked in a neighborhood labeled as “low income, low wealth.”

The Learning Tree provides support for public art, creative writing and other forms of cultural expression. Using a model called Asset Based Community Development, the organization seeks to build on what is already present and in place in the neighborhood. The idea is to harness these formerly untapped assets rather than working only from the community’s deficits.

De’Amon, a layperson at Broadway UMC in Indianapolis, asks participants to walk with a partner (a stranger) and exchange stories on a timer—10 minutes apiece. When our bodies are actively engaged in moving, DeAmon teaches, we can listen better and learn something deep about another person in a very short time.

Reflection from a traveler

It was a packed itinerary. But the group left space to think, pray and listen for the Holy Spirit. A written reflection from Rev. Daniel Wilson, co-pastor of Assurance UMC in Huntersville, noted the Hoosier hospitality evident during every stop. Daniel writes:

Rob Fuquay shared experiences of leading through change and spoke about the importance of maintaining a non-anxious presence in these times.

On day two, we spent some time at The Ritz (a 1950s-era lounge reinvented as a hub for culture and community). This is the true definition of Asset Based Community Development.

Our final day included a tour of Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University and a conversation with Thad Matta, the school’s head basketball coach. Coach Matta has a captivating story and a unique strategy for coaching and recruiting. (Early in his career, Coach Matta spent one year as an assistant coach at Western Carolina; he and his wife, Barbara, both United Methodists, were married at Cullowhee UMC).

We count it a blessing and a gift to have had the opportunity to learn from these incredible leaders.  We are beyond grateful for the Reynolds Leadership Academy for Evangelism and Discipleship.