Holy Family, Fishers (IndyDio)

What does it look like when a church building “user” becomes the church’s partner? At Holy Family Episcopal Church in Fishers, Indiana, it looks like a welcoming outdoor patio and seating area created collaboratively. 

Holy Family welcomed Boy Scout Troop #199 several years ago.  The scouts “use every inch of the building on a weekly basis,” according to The Rev. Bruce Gray, Rector.  Through the Church Buildings for Collaborative Partnerships project (CBCP), Holy Family began exploring how to make its building even more accessible to outside users while maintaining safety and security.  

A grant from CBCP helped Holy Family install computerized locks to two exterior doors into the parish hall.  The locking system allows Holy Family to unlock and relock the doors through a computer program, rather than having to rely on the presence of a parish key holder.

A scout from Troop #199 took note of the new lock system and asked Rev. Gray about it. “I explained how we were trying to be more welcoming to people from beyond the congregation. Together we planned and created a new seating area and pathway that face Fishers Pointe Blvd, which we are trying to activate as an entrance for outside groups to utilize. The final product cost the congregation nothing beyond time,” Rev. Gray explains.

The happy story continues.  The flexibility of the new lock system has enabled even more use of the space, according to Rev. Gray:

“Events have included large gatherings around social issues, celebrations of personal events, and further use by Scouting groups. Local businesses are beginning to rent the space for training sessions and planning retreats. So Holy Family is making new connections with the Fishers community and deepening preexisting ones due to the improvements in our door system.”