Once almost completely destroyed by fire, St. Alban's Episcopal Church of Indianapolis not only survived, but we recently celebrated our fiftieth anniversary.
Spiritual Nurture As much as we are welcoming and inviting, we are accepting and friendly. We are a community of faith that values the religious backgrounds of all our members. We invite hard questions and we seek together to find the answers to the difficulties we encounter on our journeys. Our members support one another in crisis and opportunity; we rejoice and play together, and we mourn and work side by side. Our common concerns are shared in a community that takes seriously prayer and mutuality. For many, that is a relief; for others that is even strange and mystifying; for some, it might even be a bit scary! We host a contemplative prayer group here on Monday evenings from 6-7 PM. This group spends 30 minutes in silent prayer together. What we expect is your faithfulness in worship, prayer and support; the offering of your gifts and ministries; your openness to the work of God and the Holy Spirit in your life and in our community of faith.
St. Alban's is named for Britain's first martyr, a pagan soldier who converted to Christianity and was condemned after helping a priest escape persecution. We formed in 1956 and our building contains a stone from a namesake church in England.
The first worshippers met in a bank basement after St. Alban's was founded as a mission of Trinity Church of Indianapolis. On June 12, 1957, ground was broken for the first St. Alban's building on five acres at the northeast corner of 46th Street and Emerson Avenue. The original building currently houses our parish hall, church offices, library, and education facilities, but once served as our place of worship. St. Alban's achieved parish status in the 1960s and built its present worship space in 1971, pictured here.
For as long as anyone in the parish can remember, the building has been flanked by a nineteenth-century graveyard from a Lutheran church (which once stood on this site) and baseball diamonds used by a community league. During the Fall of 1983, fire ravaged St. Alban's. The original building had to be completely renovated, while the sanctuary mainly suffered smoke and water damage. Both buildings did not become fully functional until the Spring of 1984, and during our time of need, members of neighboring St. Andrew Roman Catholic Church graciously invited us to use their facility.
When St. Alban's reopened in 1984 a columbarium (for the ashes of people who were cremated), the first in the Diocese, was added. Along the west side of the sanctuary, a ten-by-thirty-foot tapestry was installed, having been commissioned by the congregation and designed and executed by Jo Locke. The theme pertains to how God reaches and inspires the faithful with water. Through the years, this water imagery has been carried throughout the building, mainly in stained glass above the choir stall, in the columbarium doors, and in our main entry doors dedicated in the Spring of 2005. In the Fall of 1992, a tornado cut through our neighborhood. Although a church across the street was destroyed, St. Alban's was spared and had a chance to offer others a helping hand. The church was used as a base station for the Red Cross. In recent years, the church added an elevator and handicapped accessible restrooms and a new roof. Most recently, the interior has been repainted, couches were added throughout the entrance foyer, and etched windows of the four Gospelers were installed above the entrance doors.
Those who have attended a Cursillo weekend join for prayer on Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM. For more information on joining the Thursday group please contact stalbansindy@att.net.
We are lucky to have a large Education for Ministry group that gathers on Sunday afternoons from 3-5 PM in the library. EFM is a four-year intentional study group. The curriculum is written by the University of the South and focuses on critical Bible study, history, theology and practice of ministry.
There is an active adult study group that meets in the library immediately after the Sunday service.
We also have an active book club that reads all types of materials and meets once monthly. Information on the current selection can be found in the latest edition of the Showing newsletter.
Perhaps a different way to answer this question of what we offer is to ask what you bring to us. Whatever gifts and graces you bring and offer to God are welcome here.
Rectors have included the Reverends David Stambaugh, John Barrow, Robert A. McGill, David Musgrave, Stephen Bondurant, M. Sue Reid, Walter Sherman and our Priest-In-Charge, Jean Smith.