New life is springing up on the grounds of what was St. Alban’s Episcopal Church. The Table has been working around the clock to breathe new life and liturgy into the grounds on 4601 N. Emerson Ave. Throughout the process, the Former Senior Warden of St. Alban’s has played a thoughtful and caring role in the transition.
“Having been a member of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church since 1985, it was difficult to close its ministry this past December,” said former Senior Warden Joan Trendell. She went on to say, “When people ask me what happened to the church, I usually tell them that it aged out. The last of the youth groups was in the early 2000’s and the church was never successful in increasing the number of families again. We experienced the loss of many of our elder members in recent years, but we had a small but well-connected parish family feel till the end, with mostly singles attending and no one under 40.”
While St. Alban’s ministry was coming to a holy ending, the Diocese was in the process of discerning welcoming The Table into ministry. “The timing of the decision could not have been better for The Table to discern a move into space,” said Trendell. “With The Table, 4601 N. Emerson will continue to have the long tradition of an Episcopal Church presence with new life, as I have witnessed in its congregation with diverse ages, a high level of enthusiasm for the mission, and three Co-Vicars with great energy to lead into the future. I am especially grateful of the Vestry’s decision to support the ministry and maintain the name of the St. Alban’s Peace Garden, a worthy memorial to the generations that attended and served this corner of Indianapolis. Its columbarium will continue to be the final resting place of many past members. I have so much to thank God for during this time, and I have been blessed to be able to assist in the transition.”
Meanwhile, the co-vicars of The Table, The Rev. Spencer Raurke, The Rev. Ben Sternke, and The Rev. Matt Tebbe, have been hard at work to prepare the new space.
“This past Sunday, after our final worship service in the chapel we’d been renting in for the past 31 months, we had a “Moving Party” with a couple dozen of our members to transport our equipment and supplies to our new church home,” explained Rev. Ben Sternke. “This week many people are diligently at work preparing for our first worship service in the new building on October 6. We are so grateful for the generous partnership and prayers of so many in the Diocese and look forward to seeing what God will do through our collective work in the coming years.”
The full Diocese is invited to take part in the Celebration Eucharist of their new space Sunday November 17 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
