A Southside Congregation Built on Open Doors
Faith United Church of Christ sits at the intersection of Gray Road, Shelby Road, and Thompson Road on the south side of Indianapolis, just up the road from Beech Grove. The congregation describes itself plainly in two phrases that frame everything else it does: "Love Like Jesus" and "Serving and supporting the Indianapolis Beech Grove Community." From that location and that mission statement flows a church that is unusually explicit about who is welcome at the door.
The pastoral team, led by Pastor Scott Simmons, writes that the mission is to lead people to a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, and that as that relationship grows, members grow in their ability to love like Jesus and to feel the love of Jesus. Whether a visitor is liberal or conservative, gay or straight, new to church or a lifelong churchgoer, the congregation's own words are that all are welcome here.
Sunday Worship at 10:30
Sunday worship begins at 10:30 a.m. and lasts about one hour. The service is intentionally casual. Music is led by Worship Leader Matthew Tippel, and the gathering has the feel of a community that takes its teaching seriously but its dress code lightly. A nursery is available for the youngest children, and Sunday school is offered for elementary-age kids during the service, so parents can settle into worship without worrying about childcare.
For anyone who cannot be in the room, services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and past messages are archived there as well. The congregation also shares audio through SoundCloud for those who prefer to listen on the go.
Loving Like Jesus Means No Exceptions
Faith UCC is an LGBTQ+ friendly and affirming church, and the congregation has put real effort into explaining why. The teaching on this topic comes through a sermon series called "Mistreated," in which Pastor Scott walks through the six passages often used against LGBTQ+ people and argues that the texts have been mistreated in a way that has led to the mistreatment of people. The church is clear that even visitors who disagree are treated with respect and welcomed to keep attending.
That openness is tied directly to the church's reading of Jesus' ministry. A recent blog post on the Sermon on the Mount series described it this way: tax collectors, fishermen, women, children, and outsiders were all welcomed by Jesus, and his love is just as wide and deep today. There is no "us" and "them" in the kingdom of God, the church teaches, only beloved children standing together.
FaithCares Food Pantry
The clearest expression of the church's outward focus is FaithCares Food Pantry, run entirely by volunteers from the congregation and the wider neighborhood. The pantry distributes free groceries on the third Saturday of every month and on the Monday that follows, from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
There is no proof of income required, no residency requirement, and no sign-up needed. Doors open at 9:30 a.m., guests receive a number and may wait inside, and shopping begins at 10:00 a.m. with guests called up by number to select from the available groceries. The pantry stops accepting new guests at 11:30 a.m. or when it reaches capacity, and the day wraps up promptly at noon. Because quantities can run out early, arriving early is encouraged. Basic demographic information such as zip code and family size is collected so the team can understand community needs, but participation is open to anyone who shows up.
Volunteers are welcome whether they belong to the church or simply live nearby. A separate giving page on the church's online giving platform lets donors direct funds specifically to the food pantry, and a volunteer sign-up form is available through Church Center.
From Curious to Creator
One of the more distinctive things about Faith UCC is the way the congregation talks about spiritual growth. On the "About You" page, the church lays out a four-step path that anyone, whether curious about faith or in the middle of a crisis, can walk.
It starts with being curious. The second step is becoming a consumer of the worship services, fellowship, classes, and service opportunities on offer. Step three is becoming a contributor, supporting the church community with time, talents, and treasure. The destination is becoming a creator, someone who takes initiative and uses their unique gifts and life circumstances to bring grace and hope into the world, whether inside the church or out in daily life.
The point, the church says, is that all of us have opportunities to love like Jesus, and the goal is to help people grow enough in their relationship with Jesus to see and seize those opportunities.
Reconstructing American Christianity
The signature teaching project of the church in recent seasons has been a long-running sermon series called "Reconstructing American Christianity." The series takes on topics that have driven many people away from the faith, including fear-driven religion, toxic masculinity, abuse cover-ups, end-times speculation, abortion, and Christian Nationalism. Pastor Scott's approach is to deconstruct the places where American Christianity has gone wrong and then reconstruct a faith centered on Jesus.
Sermons in the series have included reflections on deconversion and reconstruction, the story of Nicodemus and being "born again" as a journey of continuous reconstruction, the four stages of faith (simplicity, complexity, perplexity, harmony), the rise of figures like Dwight L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham, premillennial dispensationalism and the rapture, and the way Jesus broke boundaries and leveled hierarchies. The underlying message is consistent: focus on Jesus' words and actions rather than human interpretations, and put energy into living a life of service and love right now.
Sermons for the Questions People Actually Ask
The teaching calendar at Faith UCC is built around questions that many churches leave untouched. Recent and current series have included "Good Reasons for Leaving the Church," which compared three major expressions of American Christianity to three major expressions of religion in Jesus' day and looked at why people leave and why they come back. "Oh Hell No" took on the doctrine of eternal conscious punishment and offered what the church describes as a far more hopeful reading of heaven, hell, and God's redemptive work. "Church and State" explored how Jesus taught his disciples to navigate the relationship between politics and religion.
An earlier series used the Enneagram personality framework as a tool for learning to "love one another," walking through each of the nine types and connecting the framework to biblical teaching on empathy and grace. Another series, "Spiritual Gifts," drew on Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 to help members identify how they are wired to serve, with a free online survey that members can take and then share their results with the church.
The Sermon on the Mount has been another long arc, beginning with a message titled "The Committed Life" that asked what it really means to follow Jesus and to love even those who oppose us.
Why This Church Is UCC
Faith UCC is a local congregation of the United Church of Christ, a national Protestant denomination formed in 1957. The regional body is the Indiana-Kentucky Conference. Pastor Scott's teaching on the denomination, titled "Why We Are UCC," centers on Jesus' prayer on his last night with the disciples that they "may all be one," and on the conviction that through the Holy Spirit, God is still speaking into the world and calling the church to unity under Jesus Christ. The UCC's Statement of Faith, he notes, was written as a testimony to what unites the church rather than a test of doctrine.
The church participates actively in the wider life of the denomination. It hosted and supported the UCC's General Synod when it came to Indianapolis, and members are encouraged to attend and volunteer at the conference's Annual Gathering each year.
Appalachian Service Project
Every year in early June, youth and adult volunteers from Faith UCC travel to Central Appalachia with the Appalachian Service Project, a mission that transforms lives by making homes warmer, safer, and drier. The church's involvement is part of a broader partnership with ASP, and the volunteer sign-up runs through the church's regular connections form.
Getting Connected
Visitors who want to learn more before showing up on a Sunday can fill out a "New Here" form through the church's Church Center account. People in crisis, or anyone with a prayer request, can reach Pastor Scott directly at pastor@myfaithucc.org. The food pantry team can be reached at food@myfaithucc.org, and general questions go to office@myfaithucc.org. The phone number for the church office is 317-784-4856.
Giving is handled online through Church Center, with a dedicated fund for the food pantry available as well. The congregation's goal is to have every member of the church serve one Sunday a month, and a separate sign-up form exists for monthly and annual volunteer events. Social media and livestream links are available through the church's Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels.
Whether someone walks in on a Sunday morning at 10:30, shows up early on the third Saturday of the month to receive groceries, or volunteers at the pantry or on an ASP trip, the door is open. That, more than anything else, is what Faith United Church of Christ wants to be known for.