Ways to Serve
Beyond RLC...Serving our neighbors
Congregational Benevolence Support
We recognize that our congregation is part of a larger body which depends upon our financial support for ongoing mission. Ministries we support include the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the ELCA (which in turn sends 53% of congregational benevolence on to the national church), ELCA Global Missions, Lutheran Child and Family Services, and others.
Creation Care
The Creation Care Ministry Team strives to develop a congregation that is informed and inspired about caring for and protecting the gift of God’s creation. We provide information to the congregation and other RLC ministries, and a forum for discussion.
Fair Trade
The Fair Trade Ministry enables RLC’s church family to purchase their personal coffee, tea and chocolate through the Lutheran World Relief Fair Trade Project, bettering the lives of neighbors in the world's poorest countries. Products are available for purchase in the narthex.
Food Pantry
The Food Pantry Ministry Team strives to help meet the needs of hungry people in our community by serving as the link between various area food pantries and RLC. We regularly respond to contacts, determine needs, inform the congregation, collect donations, and arrange pick up or delivery of the contributions.
Habitat For Humanity
Resurrection has a long and inspiring history of working with Habitat for Humanity, a global organization building homes to help lift people out of poverty. Our ministry team coordinates RLC’s participation in Habitat for Humanity projects around Indianapolis, and elsewhere in the U.S. Our most recent contributions have been in Indianapolis, building homes in 2007 and 2008.
Lutheran Disability Ministries (LDM) HandyCamp
The Lutheran Disability Ministries (LDM) HandyCamp Team supports the LDM summer camp for those with disabilities, providing meals and creating woodworking project kits for campers.
Prison Ministries Team
The Prison Ministries Team supports the work of Prison Congregations of America, whose goal is to establish a prison congregation in every prison system in the U.S. Prison congregations provide a means for Christians to visit and worship with the imprisoned, and give emotional and spiritual support for prisoners.
Church Administration Ministries
Building Design Team
Working with architects, the Building Design Ministry Team is finalizing a proposed Master Plan for a facility to support and enhance future growth of our church family. Tasks include: assessing needs and gathering data for a Master Plan, overseeing development of a Building Design, and monitoring execution of the design during future construction.
Congregation Council
The seven-member Congregation Council fills the constitutional role of providing overall guidance to the mission and ministry of RLC. Members serve staggered three-year terms and meet monthly to discuss long-range planning issues. The council is also responsible for providing an annual budget for the congregation’s approval.
Church Kitchen
The Church Kitchen Ministry Team oversees the stocking and upkeep of the kitchen, and provides advice and support to other teams that make use of the kitchen.
Church Property
The Church Property Ministry Team serves the congregation by overseeing the routine and long term care of the church buildings, their contents, and the outside landscaping and parking areas. They arrange periodic work days, provide for needed repairs, and oversee contracts such as snow removal.
Faithful Stewards
The Faithful Stewards Ministry Team seeks to educate, inspire and challenge RLC disciples to the freedom and joy of first-fruits, proportionate giving. This ministry coordinates a year-round culture of faithful generosity, and carries out an annual stewardship emphasis.
Finance Team
The Finance Ministry Team oversees the overall administration of the congregation’s finances. Team responsibilities include reporting offerings and contributions; providing needed reports; recommending policies and procedures; and guiding the development of the annual congregational budget and monitoring actual income and expenses. The Team reports to the Congregation Council.
Life Together
In 2007, RLC received a significant grant from the Indianapolis Center for Congregations to fund strategic planning for RLC. The grant process has involved the congregation in many different ways to identify needs for our church and the surrounding community. The Life Together Team is now engaged in creating action plans to address these needs.
Personnel Team
The Personnel Ministry Team is developing employee policies and an employee handbook for the church’s paid staff members. Tasks include researching financial and benefits issues, and supporting the Lead Pastor in employment related decisions.
RLC Web site
RLC seeks to provide a rich website to facilitate information exchange between members and ministry teams, and to reach out to the community at large. The RLC Website Ministry maintains the congregation's website (www.RLCIndy.org), including site design, user training and support, and content development.
Steering Team
The RLC Steering Team oversees the day-to-day ministry functioning of the congregation. It serves as a resource to individual congregational ministry teams and assists coordination between teams, as needed. Steering Team members are: Pastors Schreiber and Phillips, Julie Peralta, Sherry Andersen, Ed Kistler, and Byron Daugherty.
Congregation Care/Support Ministries
ChristCare Small Group
ChristCare Small Groups provide RLC disciples and others with small group opportunities for faith development. Activities focus around four elements: Community Building and Care, Biblical Equipping, Prayer and Worship, and Missional Service. Currently, about 70 people participate in seven ChristCare groups. Groups meet twice monthly. Schedules vary by group.
Care Meals
The Care Meals Ministry provides meals to assist RLC families during difficult or transitional times, such as serious illness, at the birth of a baby, or following a death.
Funeral Luncheons
The Funeral Luncheons Ministry provides meals for the families following a funeral.
Homebound Holy Communion
Supplementing the Pastors' regular visits, the Homebound Holy Communion Ministry supports our homebound members by bringing Holy Communion to them on a regular schedule. Trained team members bring the consecrated elements of bread and wine directly from our corporate worship, and lead a brief prayer liturgy in the home.
Homebound Video Delivery
The Homebound Video Delivery Ministry strives to help our homebound members remain connected to the body of Christ, by providing them video recordings of our weekly worship, enabling them to be involved in worship from home. We also record special events such as baptisms and children’s programs for RLC families, on request.
Prayer Chain
The Prayer Chain Ministry Team is a group of faithful disciples committed to the ministry of intercessory prayer. They have asked to be notified by E-mail of prayer requests from the community, so that they may lift these concerns up to God. Prayer requests may be submitted via the website, or by E-mail.
Stephen Ministry
Stephen Ministers are commissioned lay caregivers who serve as an extension and aid to the pastoral office. After completing 50 hours of training, Stephen Ministers meet one-on-one with members and non-members who are experiencing a time of stress or crisis in their lives.
Welcome To Resurrection
The Welcome to Resurrection Ministry Team plans and hosts celebratory receptions to welcome new members into our congregation. Receptions are usually scheduled two to three times per year.
Learning Ministries
Children's Discipleship Hour Operations
The Discipleship Hour Operations Ministry Team is called to nurture relationships between kids and God, through facilitating the smooth operation of the Sunday morning Discipleship (education) Hour. Activities include recruiting, scheduling, and supporting teachers, and supplying classrooms.
Discipleship Hour Curriculum Writing
The Children’s Discipleship Hour Curriculum Writing Ministry Team helps to create curriculum modules that make learning fun and invite children to open the Scriptures every Sunday morning.
Vacation Bible School (VBS)
The Vacation Bible School Planning Ministry Team coordinates our wonderful summer Vacation Bible School program for children 3 years old through 5th grade. The team meets about once a month from January through June to plan, implement, and evaluate the VBS program.
Music Ministries
RLC welcomes singers and ringers to our vibrant music ministries! Prerequisite: Enthusiasm!
- CHERUB CHOIR – Voices, 4 years old through 2nd grade
- CHILDREN’S CHOIR – Voices, 3rd through 8th grade
- SANCTUARY CHOIR – Voices, 9th grade through adult
- JOYFUL RINGERS – Handbells, 3rd through 8th grade
- GRACE NOTES – Handbells, 9th grade through adult
Special Events / Seasonal Ministries
Christmas Sharing Wreath
The Christmas Sharing Wreath Ministry coordinates the Christmas Sharing Wreath project to aid needy families during the Christmas season. Area families in need are identified, and RLC members have the opportunity to donate Christmas gifts for them.
Mayport Naval Station
The Mayport Naval Station Ministry collects financial donations at Christmas time for enlisted Navy sailors who are overseas and their families. Funds collected go to the local USO, which uses them to provide support for Navy sailors and their families.
Operation Christmas Child
The Operation Christmas Child Ministry facilitates RLC’s participation in the Operation Christmas Child project of Samaritan’s Purse International Relief organization. This is a nationwide project to collect and deliver shoeboxes filled with Christmas gifts for children around the world suffering poverty, war or disaster.
Worship Ministries
Altar Guild
Our dedicated Altar Guild Ministry Team provides a ministry of hospitality, preparing communion bread and wine each week, arranging flowers, and decorating the church for special seasons.
Assisting Ministers
Assisting Ministers are lay people who, as the title suggests, assist the presiding pastor in leading worship. They also assist the congregation in their participation in worship. Assisting Ministers may speak or chant portions of the liturgy, offer the prayers and intercessions, and assist in the distribution of Holy Communion.
Childcare (Nursery) Ministry
The Childcare Ministry provides happy and safe childcare for children ages 0 – 4 years during worship and other congregational events. The Ministry Team oversees the staffing and function of the nursery. Two paid staff provide consistency and a familiar face each week.
Coffee Host
To foster an atmosphere of relaxed and welcoming fellowship on Sunday mornings, the Coffee Host Ministry provides beverages and snacks for the congregation between services.
Lectors
The Lectors Ministry is an important ministry to enhance lay participation in worship. Lay readers (“Lectors”) come forward during worship to read the First and Second scripture lessons.
Ushers
The Ushering Ministry Team provides friendly greetings to worshipers, and supports RLC worship services through tasks such as distributing bulletins, collecting the offering, guiding people to Holy Communion, and just being generally helpful!
Videography
The Videography Ministry Team organizes the videotaping of worship services and special events held in the sanctuary. DVD copies of our services are produced for our homebound members and others unable to attend. We are also able to provide recordings to families who request copies of meaningful sermons and special events.