Faith Presbyterian Church sits on Hague Road on the northeast side of Indianapolis, where a one-level building with ramps, accessible doors and a single-floor sanctuary has become home to one of the area's most clearly come-as-you-are congregations. Members and staff describe Faith as a Matthew 25 church within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), committed both to building congregational vitality and to dismantling structural racism. From its Sunday morning organ-and-choir service to its table-centered Welcome Table on Sunday afternoons, from an 18-step Faith Milestones journey for children to mission partnerships reaching from Lawrence Township to Kinshasa, Faith has built a rhythm of welcome that it extends to anyone who walks through the doors, tunes in online, or joins a Bible study over Zoom.
A Welcome That Names Who Is Included
Faith's introduction is unusually explicit. "Faith Presbyterian Church knows Jesus welcomed us - just as we are - and we have learned from him," it begins. The list that follows names families with or without children, those who arrive alone, single, divorced and widowed people, those in traditional and non-traditional marriages, people of varying capabilities, those in the LGBTQ community, and anyone who has felt marginalized anywhere else. "You are welcome here no matter your gender, your race, or your age. God created diversity and we celebrate it - and you!"
The congregation has formally adopted the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Matthew 25 invitation, working on both building congregational vitality and dismantling structural racism. A Love One Another initiative gathers members around books, films and conversation, and an Embrace Mental Wellness ministry curates monthly articles and a curated page of crisis and counseling resources for Indianapolis and beyond.
Sunday Morning: Traditional Worship with a Progressive Message
Worship begins at 10:30 AM every Sunday, both in the sanctuary and through a livestream. Pastor Charlotte Lohrenz describes it as "a traditional worship with a progressive message about Jesus Christ." The service pairs the church's 2001 W. Zimmer and Sons pipe organ with congregational hymn singing and a chancel choir anthem, except during the summer when soloists, ensembles and instrumentalists step in. Twice a month, Faith's band - a mix of volunteer and professional musicians - takes over the music for a more contemporary set, including a secular or Christian song chosen to illuminate the day's message. The service usually lasts about an hour.
Children are welcome in the sanctuary rather than sent out. Rocking chairs are tucked into the family-friendly space, changing tables are available in several locations, and a special children's worship bulletin with activities and coloring pages sits ready for anyone who wants it. A brief Time for Children segment is offered at morning worship whenever children ages two to ten are present.
Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the two regular sacraments. Baptisms of both infants and adult believers happen before the congregation, which makes promises of support, care and prayer, with the Session authorizing each one in advance. The Lord's Supper is celebrated monthly at morning worship, usually on the second Sunday, using grape juice instead of wine and offering a gluten-free option for the bread. At the traditional service the elements are typically served in the pews from trays; at The Welcome Table, the loaf and cup are shared around the table. All baptized Christians are welcome at the table.
The Welcome Table: Dinner-Church at Four O'Clock
On the first and third Sundays of each month at 4 PM, the same building transforms into something quite different. The Welcome Table - a dinner-church style gathering - meets inside Faith Presbyterian, with worshipers entering through the southwest corner door off the 82nd Street driveway, where greeters and Welcome banners mark the way.
The Welcome Table uses the ancient practice of lectio divina, reading and hearing the scripture several times and listening for what the Spirit is saying. The music is led by Faith's band, and once a month the group celebrates the Lord's Supper together at the table. There is no sermon and no judgment; the gift is conversation around tables, prayer for the world and for one another, and singing together. After worship, simple refreshments - anything from Christmas cookies to nachos to waffles on the first Sunday of Lent - are laid out, with water, coffee and tea on hand.
"The Welcome Table is for people who don't want to go to an ordinary worship service and it is for people who love Christian worship and want more," the church explains. "It is free spirited with free food." Children of all ages are welcome at the same table, with quiet books and blocks available and space for squirming and noise. Gluten-free food is marked, and vegetarian options are usually available. The whole gathering ends around 5:00 PM, with refreshments and conversation often lasting until 5:30.
Music: A 1,127-Pipe Organ and Three Choirs
Faith's music program is built around a pipe organ installed in 2001 and designed by Wilhelm Zimmer of W. Zimmer and Sons in North Carolina. The instrument, with 1,127 pipes spread across Pedal, Swell and Great divisions, anchors traditional worship and gives the sanctuary its signature sound. A detailed stop list - including a 32-note Subbass on the Pedal, a Rohrflute 8 on the Swell, and a Mixture III-IV of 232 pipes on the Great - is published for anyone interested in the specifications.
Pat Rozeboom has served as organist at Faith since September 1999, taking on the role of choir director in recent years. Rozeboom also teaches organ at Anderson University and serves as a staff accompanist there. The Chancel Choir rehearses Thursday nights from 7:00 to 8:20 PM and sings each Sunday morning except in summer; new members are welcomed and trained. A three-octave Handbell Choir with two octaves of choir chimes rehearses Tuesday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 AM, September through May, under director Ley Anne Perkins, and rings about once a month in worship. The band - made up of committed volunteer and professional musicians - rehearses Wednesday and Sunday evenings to lead music at The Welcome Table.
Faith Milestones: Eighteen Steps from Cradle to Senior Blanket
Faith's signature children's program is Faith Milestones, a structured journey that follows children from baptism at the start of life to a Senior Blanket blessing at the threshold of adulthood. Each milestone pairs a specific age range with a gift, a blessing and a year of follow-up:
- 0 to 1 years - Baptism or Blessing: Beginning Faith Life in Community
- 1 to 2 years - Household Prayers: Speaking with God Every Day
- 2 to 3 years - First Bible: Reading God's Stories with God's Children
- 3 to 4 years - Godly Play: Discovering Worship
- 4 to 5 years - The Lord's Prayer: Praying as Jesus Taught Us
- 5 to 6 years - Communion Milestone: Understanding More about the Lord's Supper
- 6 to 7 years - Advent and Christmas: Exploring the Beginning of the Church's Year
- 7 to 8 years - Lent through Easter: Exploring the Gift of Jesus' Death and Resurrection
- 8 to 9 years - Reader's Bible: Placing a Bible into Hands
- 9 to 10 years - My Body is God's Gift: Taking Care of God's Creation
- 10 to 11 years - Act of Caring: Showing Compassion Beyond the Family
- 11 to 12 years - Jesus and Money: Taking Care of God's Gifts
- 12 to 13 years - Spiritual Gifts: Exploring Our God-Given Identity
- 13 to 14 years - Service: Offering Time and Effort to the Community
- 14 to 15 years - Travel in Faith: Participating in Gatherings of the Larger Church
- 15 to 16 years - Confirmation and Commissioning: Knowing the Faith of the Church and Claiming Your Own
- 16 to 17 years - Your Journey: Developing Your Faith Journey
- 17 to 18 years - Senior Blanket: Receiving Blessing for the Time Ahead
Each Faith Milestone equips, blesses and reinforces spiritual growth, providing a young person and their family with resources, a tangible reminder and follow-up designed to support continued faith development.
A Network of Caring: Deacons, a Parish Nurse, Stephen Ministers
Faith's pastoral care network reaches well beyond the pastor's office. Deacons minister to those in need, the sick, the friendless and anyone in distress, delivering flowers from worship, arranging rides to services with the church van, and coordinating meals for those who are grieving or incapacitated. Congregational Care Nurse Jenny Rosebrock supports people through crisis and chronic illness, focusing on a holistic approach to mind, body and spirit and connecting members with outside resources.
Stephen Ministers - laypeople who have completed extensive training - establish one-to-one covenant relationships with members or friends for a specific period, providing a confidential, listening presence through difficult experiences. The church also runs GriefShare, a six-week support group that meets Monday afternoons and walks participants through what to expect in the early days of grief and beyond.
Prayer requests can be sent through the church office or an online form, with the choice of keeping concerns private or publishing them in the weekly congregational email. Care Notes - short booklets offering insight and support in difficult life situations - are stocked in a rack at the Faith Cafe, just off the narthex and in front of the Fellowship Hall and Gymnasium. Wheelchairs, walkers and handicapped accessible commodes, donated for others to use, are also available through the church office without charge.
Centering Prayer in Person and on Zoom
Centering Prayer is a regular rhythm at Faith. Darlene Park leads an in-person Centering Prayer group at Sycamore Reserve, 8275 Craig Street, on Monday afternoons at 4:30 PM. On Monday evenings at 7 PM, a Zoom Centering Prayer gathers online every week except the first Monday of the month, when the group joins Wellspring's Centering Prayer gathering instead.
On the fourth Sunday of each month, immediately following morning worship, a brief Service of Wholeness and Healing takes place in the sanctuary. Led by the Rev. David Berry, these services offer a focused time for prayer, anointing and laying on of hands.
Mission Near and Far
Faith's Mission Team supports a wide range of partnerships. The annual Holiday Boutique, where the Tuesday Craft Group and Boutique volunteers sell handcrafted items, raises funds that go entirely to mission. Two longer-running international partnerships anchor Faith's global work. Congo Helping Hands sends teams to the Democratic Republic of Congo to support water-well rehabilitation and other projects; recent updates from Woody Collins track the journey from Indianapolis to Kinshasa to Kananga. Malawi Matters Inc, rooted in the South Bend Malawian community, works to develop and facilitate HIV/AIDS education in Malawi through the Equipping Women, Empowering Girls program, and Faith supports that work financially.
Closer to home, Faith is one of the congregational partners of Family Promise, providing shelter for homeless families in apartments and helping with housewares and furnishings collections, meals and fundraising campaigns. The Stock the Shelves collection, run bi-monthly in partnership with Westminster Neighborhood Services, supplies Westminster's food pantry on Indianapolis's Near Eastside; Faith also contributes monthly financial support and joins the Christmas Gift and Food Basket program each year. The Cupboard, Lawrence Township's food pantry, receives regular donations from Faith. SHARE, a program that provides activities for students during school breaks, gets transportation, scholarships, chaperones, meeting space and planning help from Faith. Indy Reads, a Central Indiana adult literacy nonprofit, receives monetary donations plus a steady stream of used books, CDs and DVDs.
Each spring, Faith hosts Clear Your Clutter Day, when household items can be recycled, repurposed or donated to Thrifty Threads and Wheeler Mission, with on-site e-waste disposal and document shredding. Crafty Foxes - a craft and fellowship group - sews and knits chemo caps, lap blankets, afghans and fleece blankets that go to organizations including Westminster; many Faith youth have received a handmade quilt as a graduation gift. The church also promotes the four PC(USA) special offerings: One Great Hour of Sharing, the Pentecost Offering, the Peace and Global Witness Offering, and the Christmas Joy Offering.
Embrace Mental Wellness
The Embrace Mental Wellness ministry curates crisis lines and counseling resources for the Indianapolis area, including the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, NAMI's helpline, Be Well Indiana, the Eskenazi Crisis Intervention Unit, Mental Health America, FindTreatment.gov, Jane Pauley Community Health Centers' Behavioral and Mental Health program, Community Hospital North's Behavioral Health Pavilion, Valle Vista Mental Health Clinic, Christian Theological Seminary's Counseling Center, and CenterPoint Counseling at Second Presbyterian. Each month, an article addresses a topic from suicide prevention myths and suicide grief to the links between chronic pain, finances, sleep and mental health, written for individuals, families, churches and the broader community.
The Building: One Level, Many Doors
Faith's building is fully on one level, with no stairs to navigate. Handicapped accessible ramps are available at every entrance, and the doors facing East are equipped with an accessibility button. Eight handicapped parking spaces are spread across the east, west and south sides of the building, and wheelchairs and walkers are available on request. Personal sound amplification devices can be picked up at the sound booth at the back of the sanctuary, supplementing the existing sound system. All bathrooms have handicapped accessible stalls.
Entrances to the parking lot are available from both Hague Road and 82nd Street, with parking on both sides of the building. The church office doors face 82nd Street. On Sunday mornings, worshipers are invited to enter through the large double doors facing East or West. Office hours run Monday, Thursday from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM, Tuesday and Friday from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM, and Wednesday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
What to Wear, Where to Watch
Faith's own guidance is simple: "wear what is comfortable and feels appropriate to you. You may see high heels or gauges at either service." Worship can be joined in person or online - and, the church adds, "you can always join worship online in your pajamas." The Welcome Table FAQ is equally direct: "Do I just show up? Yes. We've saved you a seat."
Leadership
Charlotte Lohrenz has served as Pastor and Head of Staff at Faith since 2010, after being ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1986 and earning a Masters of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. Pat Rozeboom, organist since 1999 and now also choir director, doubles as an organ professor at Anderson University. Carolanne Dintaman serves as Director of Administration. Jenny Rosebrock, the Congregational Care Nurse, also leads Stephen Ministry. Ley Anne Perkins directs the Handbell Choir. Deacons, elders and a board of dedicated volunteers round out the governance that Session exercises over the life of the congregation.
Weddings, Funerals and Other Pastoral Services
Faith hosts Christian services of marriage in its sanctuary, with marriage preparation available through the pastors. Funerals and memorial services at Faith are Services of Witness to the Resurrection, expressing the great truths that in life and in death we belong to God. Pastoral staff are also available to help families plan ahead. Members of Faith receive pastoral care and services at the time of death for themselves or loved ones; the church notes that it can also assist non-members as death approaches. Baptism requests, marriage planning and memorial planning all begin with a call or email to the church office.