Dear Ones,
I am so grateful for each of you: the people, faith communities, and institutions that comprise the extraordinary Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. The ways in which we show up—day by day and week by week—with love and deep care for those in our congregations and those in our communities is simply beautiful to behold. I see you showing up fully to this life in Christ, which is glorious, sacrificial. and demanding. This Annual Report of our Diocese is a reflection in photos, words, and graphs of our collective efforts in Christ’s mission of love.
As we give thanks for what has been in 2024 and look forward in hope to God’s full future and what is to come in 2025, I want to share these words from my address to the 187th Convention of our Diocese. On the days when you are steeped in joy or when you wonder if what we do in Christ’s name matters—I bid you to remember these words.
“I stand here as your bishop and chief pastor and I want to remind you that our work and ministry is the same now as it was when you called and elected me—to serve as beacons of Christ, to stand with the vulnerable and marginalized, to transform systems of injustice, to join hands with others working for good, and to raise up the next generation of Jesus-followers and leaders for the present day as well as the future. And we do this by remembering who we are and whose we are. You are a beloved child of God. And there is a future for this church we cherish.
No matter what is happening in the world, no matter how perilous the moment feels, how tenuous our future seems, how stretched our resources may be—the facts on the ground and the facts in God’s realm are that you are beloved and the body of Christ that is the church has a future.”
Faithfully,
Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows
