Window | Lent 2023

MEETING THE NEEDS OF LOCAL CHILDREN

BY BRYSON EDMONDS,

At the end of 2021, Session set aside significant funds to support Community Ministries’ priorities and special needs. Session soon after established the Community Ministries Discernment Committee to investigate and recommend the best use of these funds. It has been my honor to chair this committee of Session comprised of clerical, Community Ministries, and congregational and Session leaders including Susie Abbott, Lydia Cheney, Foster Cook, Anna Hartzog, Kevin Long, Melissa Patrick, Kara Lindstrom Scholl, Ivy Spencer, Emily Vanlandingham, and David Woodruff. Kathryn Miree and Penney Hartline also both provided valuable leadership, insight, and input.

The Discernment Committee embarked on a process of prayer, study of scripture, and research to better understand the unique needs in our community during these challenging economic and societal times. We contemplated the early years of IPC and our legacy of ministry to those in need and service to our community. We attempted to evaluate the successes and weaknesses of our more recent IPC Community Ministries Committee and the

FEATURING

Courtney Kraus, IPC's New Children's Director PG 4

legacy of Felix Yarboro and the Beesons. Finally, we tried to identify and assess the most extreme challenges wrought by COVID-19. At the end of this search, we unanimously chose to use our designated funds to best meet the needs of Birmingham children in need. Fitting, we thought, as IPC recognizes the Centennial Celebration of the

FEATURING

The Third Phase of IPC's Columbarium PG 10

founding of the Children’s Fresh Air Farm, begun in 1923 “to address the greatest social need in Birmingham at that time.”

We next defined how we could evaluate potential opportunities and agreed a solid plan was critical but not enough. We

CONTINUED ON PG 3

LENT

Observe the Season with your church family PG 5

MISSION

Summer at the Children's Fresh Air Farm PG 6

SUMMER LEARNING PROGRAM STUDENTS AT THE CHILDREN'S FRESH AIR FARM

COMMUNITY MINISTRIES DISCERNMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR, 2021-2022

See complete calendar online including details and updates: ipc-usa.org > connect

FEBRUARY

19 Grace Groups Begin

20 Beer & Hymns, 7 pm, The Grill at Iron City

21 Pancake Supper, 5:30 pm, Great Hall

22 Women at the Well Lunch, 11 am, Great Hall

Ash Wednesday Services at Noon & 6 pm, Sanctuary

24-25 The Children's 456 Retreat

24-26 Youth Presbytery Retreat

26 First Sunday of Lent, Sanctuary

4th Grade Bible Presentation, 11 am

Annual Congregational Meeting, Noon

Choral Evensong, 4 pm

26 - April 2 Cookies in the Courtyard (see pg. 5)

MARCH

1- April 5 Wednesday Lenten Chapel & Lunch (see pg. 5)

5 Columbarium Open House, 10 am, Highland Hall

7 Recycling Event, (see pg. 5)

11 Officer Retreat with Rev. Dr. Thomas Tewell

12 Extended Atrium, 10 am - Noon

Guest Preacher Rev. Dr. Thomas Tewell

Daylight saving time begins

16-28 Mwandi Mission Journey

19 Children's Musical, 10 am, Highland Hall

Youth Sunday in all Services; Senior Celebration, 11 am Service

Choral Evensong, 4 pm, Sanctuary

20 Easter Lily Memorial Deadline, envelope enclosed

Beer & Hymns, 7 pm, The Grill at Iron City

26 Spring Break Sunday, no Youth Sunday School or Atrium, nursery available

27-31 Day School Closed for Spring Break

APRIL

2 Palm Sunday, All Services

Children’s Palm Parade, 10 am

6 Maundy Thursday, 6:30 pm, Sanctuary

7 Good Friday Service, noon, Sanctuary

Church Offices close at Noon

Day School Closed

8 Children's Egg Hunt, 10 am, Highland Hall

9 Easter Sunday Services, 8, 9:30 & 11 am in Sanctuary; 5 pm in Highland Hall

10 Easter Monday, Church Offices Closed

Journey Together Toward the Cross”

Dear IPC Friends,

The Lenten season is upon us. As we prepare ourselves to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, we observe the forty-day season in the Christian year from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, excluding Sundays. It is our time to recall Jesus’ forty days of fasting in the desert as well as the Israelites’ forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Also of note, the word Lent comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word for spring, lencten, referring to the lengthening of days. Traditionally, Lent has been a time of repentance often emphasized by the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Repentance is still an important part of our life of faith as we recognize places in our lives that need to change if we are to remain faithful to Jesus Christ. In ancient Israel, God often sent prophets to call his wayward people to repent from their sinful ways. Their primary complaints about the Israelites were that they engaged in a great deal of idolatry, worshiping gods other than Yahweh, and they perpetuated a great deal of injustice, failing to treat one another as God commanded. In other words, they did not love the Lord their God with all of their being, and they did not love their neighbor as themselves—the two greatest commandments according to Jesus (Matthew 22:36-40). Of course, injustice always springs from idolatry. When we do not devote ourselves fully in worship to the God in whose image we were made, we become less than fully human and treat others in inhuman ways. A commitment to justice and a concern for our neighbor comes from developing the lenses of God’s merciful kingdom, which are born from a life of worship. As we read through the prophets, we find again and again this summons to right worship and right living.

This year during Lent, I will be preaching from the prophets of Israel who will challenge us in our worship and our living. We will look at Haggai, Jonah, Isaiah, and Zechariah. Hopefully, they will open our eyes to ways we each need to repent so that we might become more faithful followers of Jesus and a more faithful church. I hope you will join us as we journey together toward the cross and resurrection.

In Christ, Rev. Kevin

J. Long Pastor

committed to prioritizing those proposals which would create greater opportunities for IPC volunteer engagement, could lead to transformational, sustainable impacts, and would be efficient and likely to succeed. We canvased our community. Members of the committee met and/or spoke with our own IPC Foundation’s leaders and with Birmingham’s leading community organizations, churches, and foundations. In the end, we evaluated over 20 specific programs or opportunities for contribution.

As we evaluated options, we began to recognize the unique need and opportunity to contribute to a specific Birmingham community in need, the North Avondale and Woodlawn communities including our community partner school, Hayes K-8. As many of you know, the problems in this community continue to grow larger. Hayes is struggling with a failing status. Children at Hayes are experiencing increasing learning challenges and social service gaps. The last few years have made the challenges worse. IPC also has committed to the community with our successful Summer Learning Program (SLP) and our Social Services ministry already engaged with Hayes K-8 students. The Discernment Committee grew to believe that there was already a foundation for an even deeper impact on the children, school, and community’s history.

We had in-depth conversations and meetings with educational professionals and leaders in and around Hayes K-8 to understand what the opportunities were to

make larger more transformational impacts on the children in this area. We met with many who were already engaged in support of the Hayes K-8 turnaround, in addition to IPC’s own highly successful Dr. Tommy Bice, founder of i3 Academy who is heavily engaged with the North Avondale and Woodlawn communities.

After almost 12 months of work, the Discernment Committee unanimously confirmed our recommendations, which were approved by Session at its November meeting. We subsequently presented this plan to the congregation in December 2022 during Sunday school.

The Committee recommended the funding of:

1. A full-time position to support students and families of Hayes K-8 and the SLP year-round with critical needs affecting academic success including attendance, housing, transportation, social, and emotional support.

2. Several part-time positions and an additional 2nd-grade class for the SLP. The funded positions will help increase the effectiveness and success of academic, social, and emotional learning and include a licensed counselor, an academic interventionist, and paid student interns allowing SLP graduates and IPC youth the opportunity to help with the SLP and develop their job skills and employment

experiences.

3. Specific critical but underfunded programs and services administered by IPC’s Community Ministries Committee and staff to help Birmingham parents and children in need to access better job training, mental health counseling support, and safer transportation to school, especially for the students at Hayes K-8, who do not qualify for school-provided transportation nor have good options of their own.

4. A full-time position, initially at i3Academy, to lead the implementation of Mobility Mentoring, a successful, national model of EmPath, “Bridge to Self-Sufficiency.” Several willing i3 parents will be paired with a trained volunteer mentor, who will meet with them monthly to establish a multi-year plan with goals and objectives to further themselves beyond generational poverty.

GUEST PREACHER

Rev. Dr. Thomas Tewell

BY MARION WALKER, FOCUS ON FAITH COMMITTEE CHAIR

Focus on Faith is pleased to announce that Rev. Dr. Thomas Tewell will be our guest speaker on March 12, 2023.

Dr. Tewell will preach at both services and speak during the Sunday School hour at Highland Hall. He is a graduate of Princeton Seminary where he served for 15 years as a Trustee. He received a Doctorate of Ministry from Drew Theological Seminary and has been a champion of social justice throughout his career. With IPC’s own founding commitment to social justice, we are very pleased Dr. Tewell will join us. Please make plans to hear his message.

The Window is a publication of Independent Presbyterian Church, 3100 Highland Avenue South. The Window is published for church members and friends.

MR. JERONE WIGGINS, PRINCIPAL OF HAYES K-8

MEET COURTNEY KRAUS: IPC'S NEW DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES

We welcome Courtney Kraus, IPC's new Director of Children’s Ministries.

Courtney joined IPC’s staff on February 8 and was greeted by members following 11 am worship on February 5. She is excited to connect with the families of IPC and create an atmosphere where children can learn and grow in their faith.

Keep reading to learn about Courtney Kraus, her background, and more!

WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE COMING TO IPC?

I am from Hartsville, South Carolina, and went to Auburn University for my undergraduate degree with a major in Communication Disorders with an emphasis on Speech Pathology. After a crazy turn of events, I was called to ministry in Charleston as Director of Youth Ministries at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church (USA). I enjoyed this role very much and served for a little over four-and-a-half years.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN YOUR NEW ROLE?

I am looking forward to building a robust children’s ministry through new activities and building up the 4th-6th grade programming. In addition to this, I am looking forward to making bonds with the families and children and fulfilling their needs for faith formation at IPC.

HOW CAN MEMBERS CONTACT YOU TO LEARN ABOUT CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES AT IPC?

I would love to meet with the families over coffee, in my office, and of course virtually through my phone and email. I want to hear what you would like to see in Children’s ministry at IPC and how I can help to facilitate that and make it happen!

WHO INSPIRES YOU?

My family and I are very close so I would have to say that my mother is my biggest inspiration. She always reminds me to “not sweat the small stuff and enjoy every moment for what it is.” As a type A person, I admire her calm, cool, and collected mindset that I try to emulate as it makes me a better person. In the ministry field, my childhood youth director, Neeley Lane, is my biggest inspiration because she instilled my love for God and the Presbyterian Church. This is something that I pray I do for all of the youth and children in my life.

WHAT’S ONE THING—EITHER WORK-RELATED OR NOT—YOU HAVE LEARNED IN THE LAST MONTH?

I have learned how to move cities and leave the life that I built in Charleston and move to Birmingham in order to follow God’s call. This has been an interesting time, but a time that I have had to reflect upon and prepare me to do my best work at IPC for the children and families.

DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.

My perfect day would start with seeing the sunrise with a warm cup of coffee in my hand, followed by a brisk walk on the beach, taking in God’s amazing beauty that surrounds us all. I would then meet up with some of my best friends laughing and catching up about our crazy lives. I am sure we would then go to a great restaurant since I am a foodie and love a great Happy Hour. I enjoy all of the little moments in life so where that would happen would be my most perfect day!

JOIN US FOR AN UPCOMING CHILDREN'S EVENT

• Feb 24-25

456 Retreat at the Children's Fresh Air Farm

• Feb 26

4th Grade Bible Presentation, 11 am, Sanctuary

• March 12

Extended Atrium Levels 2 & 3, 10 am - Noon

• March 19

Spring Musical Presentation, 10 am, Highland Hall

• April 2

Palm Parade, 10 am

• April 8

Children's Egg Hunt, 10 am, Highland Hall

• May 6

Preschool Fellowship Event

• May 21

6th Grade Recognition & 2’s Bible Presentation, 11 am, Sanctuary

• May 22-25

Vacation Bible School (registration opens March 1 for members)

• June 5-9

Bibletimes Marketplace (registration opens March 1 for members)

DURING THE LENTEN SEASON Journey with IPC

Daily Devotions from IPC

Sign up to receive daily devotions from IPC in your inbox. Starting on Ash Wednesday, we will email you a new reading each day through Easter Sunday incorporating scripture, prayers, and reflections.

Cookies in the Courtyard

Join us in the Courtyard after the 11 am worship service each Sunday, February 26 through Palm Sunday on April 2, for cookies and punch and an opportunity to reconnect with your IPC family. The Presbyterian Women will host each week.

Wednesday Chapel & Lunch Returns March 1 - April 5

Join us for a noonday Chapel Service each week on Wednesday with communion by intinction followed by a light lunch ($10) in the Great Hall. Please watch for the link to register and pay for your lunch in the upcoming issues of the eUpdate newsletter.

IPC's Prayerwell

Starting on Ash Wednesday, prayer requests will be displayed in the church stairwell (temporarily the "Prayerwell") as a way to visually represent those who have touched our lives or need our prayer. To have a name displayed in the Prayerwell, submit first name only in the basket at the front desk.

Wednesday Nights

IPC's Kitchen will offer dinner each week through March 29, and Catechesis Training will continue each week. Please note the Pastor's Bible Study will not be held on April 5 during Holy Week. Wednesday, March 15 is the last rehearsal for the Children's Musical and the last Youth Mid Week Meet-Up.

IPC EARTH CARE TEAM Recycle During Lent

BY CAITLIN MILLER, IPC EARTH CARE TEAM CHAIR

Lenten season is upon us, a time when members of the church often fast from something or take on a new spiritual discipline as they reflect on Christ’s ministry, death, and resurrection. This year during Lent, IPC’s Earth Care Team invites you and your family to participate in one of IPC’s recycling efforts as a way to mindfully experience Lent, while also taking care of the Earth.

For a second year, IPC’s Earth Care Team is partnering with Protec Recycling to host a free Recycling Event on Tuesday, March 7, from noon to 5 pm in the large parking lot on Highland Avenue.

Protec will accept and securely shred financial documents, personal and confidential information, receipts and checks, and paper to recycle. End-oflife electronics can also be responsibly recycled and/or securely destroyed. While the event is free, individuals will need to pay Protec a small fee for CRT/hard drive recycling ($10) and for TV recycling ($20; size limited to no larger than one person can carry) in order to responsibly recycle these items. This event is open to IPC members, IPC Day School families, and the Highland Park neighborhood.

YOU'RE INVITED TO BIBLETIMES

BY MARGARET COBBS, CHILDREN'S FRESH AIR FARM COMMITTEE CHAIR

As the Children’s Fresh Air Farm’s Centennial year has begun and we look back on 100 years of IPC’s mission to our local community, one theme continues to emerge: relationships. There are too many to list here, but we have learned how those connections transformed countless lives as we gathered in Highland Hall over the month of January for our Centennial speaker series. It has been so inspiring to learn about how our early church and community leaders really made it their life’s work to serve children who needed it most in our city.

Intergenerational bonds are one of my favorite things about IPC. I have come to truly admire and revere members of all ages who always say yes when I have asked for help in constructing items for the atrium or volunteering at a Spring Fun Day at the Fresh Air Farm. One of the best examples of living in community as a church family happens each June at Bibletimes Marketplace. If you’ve never seen it in action, I invite you to head up to the Farm for a visit sometime during June 5-9.

Children and adults spend each day living in groups as one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Adults gladly serve as tribal moms, craft helpers, kitchen volunteers, worship leaders, and bus chaperones, to name a few roles! IPC Youth serve as tribal assistants, lifeguards, and drama coordinators. Children ages Kindergarten-6th grade have the opportunity to learn more about the Biblical stories of Joseph, Moses, Jesus, David, or Paul. They play games in the gym, create in the marketplace, throw pots in the potters’ shed, run or slip and slide on the field, and cool off in the swimming pool.

At the end of the day, kids are exhausted in a way that only a summer day spent outside playing with friends can provide. On the last day of Bibletimes, these happy and tired campers join their Tribal Moms and Tribal Assistants to sing in the marketplace, songs that they’ve been learning all week in chapel time, or “synagogue,” as we call it at Bibletimes. The program ends with singing Shalom Chaverim in Hebrew and English together. Again, if you have never seen Bibletimes in action or just want to feel good about our church family, please come to the closing program this year on June 9 at the Farm!

On May 14, we will have CFAF Appeal Sunday at IPC and celebrate Bibletimes by sharing a 100-year birthday cake after worship. You can wear your old Bibletimes t-shirt to church, or buy a new Centennial t-shirt to wear this Spring. I hope you will join us!

FUNDRAISING AT THE FARM

Swimming is a favorite and necessary cooling-off event at the Farm in the summer, both for Bibletimes Marketplace and the Summer Learning Program. Fundraising is ongoing to build a new poolhouse to replace our current cinder block structure from 1954. Accessible restrooms and a shaded porch area will be added.

Please contribute to this project to be enjoyed by families into the next century! - Donations can be delivered to the church. - Submit gifts via your mobile phone by texting POOL to (205) 927-3100 and following the step-by-step instructions.

Questions: Please contact Catherine Goudreau, Director of the Children’s Fresh Air Farm, at (205) 790-1665 or cgoudreau@ipc-usa.org.

CAMPERS COOL OFF IN THE POOL AT THE CHILDREN'S FRESH AIR FARM.

THE ISSACHAR TRIBE AT BIBLETIMES MARKETPLACE IN SUMMER OF 2022.

“Bibletimes was a part of my summer life for 12 years. I got to serve as a camper, tribal assistant, and tribal mom. As a child, seeing the stories from the Bible in the dramas truly helped me understand the things that I had been taught in Sunday school. I also really appreciated how I really did feel like I was being transported back in time. My time there became a crucial part of my relationship with the Lord, as my time as a camper taught me you can worship in any setting and how to find meaning within the Bible.”

~ Mary Stewart Beasley

“Bibletimes 2022 was my first time as a tribal mom, and I cannot wait to return this June! The daily rituals, the bread-making, and the marketplace are all so fun for the kids to get to do every day. They truly look forward to the next day! My own kids sing the songs they learned during the worship services. I love how the songs stay with them in their heads all year! It's just a special place and such a privilege for our kids to experience!”

~ Sissy Austin

“As I reflect on my years at the Fresh Air Farm I remember how special Bibletimes Marketplace was to our family. It is truly a wonderful and unique experience. Being a tribal mom when my children were young was a special time for us. I came out of retirement last year to be a tribal mom again, to a whole new generation. Not much has changed since the Jeanne Issac days, and it continues to be a special week for young and old alike!”

~ Ellen Walker

“I had a little girl in my tribe whose family did not attend church. She had never owned a Bible or heard any of the stories. She loved it and left with a Bible of her own. It was one of my favorite summers. One of my favorite Bible Times songs is Surely the Presence. The lyrics simply are Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. And He always is at Bibletimes and the Farm. Come join us and see!”

~ Jan Posey

Hear from more IPC members about Bibletimes Marketplace and find more photos at ipc-usa.org.

IPC FOUNDATION 2023 Grants Process is Underway

BY MARGARET BRUNSTAD, PRESIDENT OF THE IPC FOUNDATION

The IPC Foundation Grants Committee has the annual responsibility of reviewing grant requests from many local, national, and global organizations. Inspired by the history of the IPC Foundation, and the remarkable result of awarding $2+ million in grants in 2022, the 2023 committee will commit many weeks, days, and hours to the following multistep IPC Foundation (IPCF) Grants process.

From February until June, IPCF Small Grants of up to $7,500 will be reviewed and awarded monthly. These grants represent smaller needs that do not require the effort of a formal grant application. From June through November, the committee will conduct the Foundation’s primary grants cycle known as the IPCF Annual Grants Process. Grant applications will be evaluated during the summer and fall, and site visits will be made where feasible. During this time the IPC Youth Grants Committee will follow a similar process and present their recommendations to the Foundation Grants Committee. The combined recommendations will be presented and approved at the November meeting of the Foundation Board. Distributions of the IPCF Annual Grants will be made in February 2024.

During the year, Admission Directors at Protestant Christian theological seminaries and small Protestant colleges and universities can submit needsbased student applications for IPCF Scholarship Grants (up to $5,000) at any time. These applications are jointly approved by the IPC Director of Community Ministries and the Executive Director of the Foundation.

Finally, each year there are needs too urgent to await the Small or Annual Grants cycle, so the IPCF maintains a reserve for Emergency Grants. In 2022 the Foundation approved $36,500 in grants for emergency assistance, ranging from storm shelter and food relief in the Black Belt of Alabama and the country of Haiti, to aid sent as a result of the war in Ukraine and economic crisis in Syria and Lebanon. To date in 2023, the Foundation has donated $10,000 in relief following tornado devastation in Selma, Alabama.

Members of the IPCF Grants Committee represent the IPCF Board, the Community Ministries Team, and the Session/Foundation Liaison committee. As a team, each member honors the vision, compassion, and generosity of the families and individuals who, since 1943, have helped build and grow the remarkable IPC Foundation. They look forward to continued success in 2023.

IPC CONGREGATIONAL CARE

Shepherd Teams

REV. SUSAN CLAYTON, ASSOCIATE PASTOR

Our Congregational Care Department owes a great debt of gratitude to the many IPC members who participate in our Shepherd Teams, providing ministry to members of IPC in times of need. The Knitting Ministry meets each week on Thursday at 11:30 am in Room 105 to share fellowship as they knit prayer shawls, which they provide to members in times of grief or serious illness. The Intercessory Prayer Group meets each Tuesday at 11 am in the Edmonds Chapel to pray for all of those on our public prayer list and to write notes to those who have been hospitalized, are experiencing grief, or celebrating the birth of a new baby. Love Thy Neighbor takes casseroles and soups to members who are returning home from a stay in the hospital, have welcomed a new baby, or are experiencing grief over the loss of a loved one. Our Funeral Ushers provide hospitality and assistance to families and visitors at the time of a funeral or memorial service to make sure everything runs smoothly and families have the support they need to get through the day. The Bereavement Note Team writes notes on the six-month and one-year anniversary of the loss of a loved one, expressing the church’s ongoing concern for the family. The Home Communion Team takes The Lord’s Supper to our members who are unable to come to public worship during the week we celebrate the sacrament in morning worship at IPC, expressing our care and concern for our members who cannot be with us in person. Our Shut-In Ministry Team makes phone calls and sends cards to our members who are homebound so they feel the love and concern of our community of faith.

I know many of you have benefited from these important ministries. We always welcome new members to any of these teams. If you are interested in providing ministry to our congregation, please contact the Congregational Care Department to connect with a team leader and get started!

“Jesus said: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35.

IPC STAFF UPDATE From Catherine Goudreau

If you haven't heard the great news already, the Children’s Fresh Air Farm is celebrating its 100th birthday this year! As we enter the Centennial year, I am celebrating moving into full-time ministry at the Farm.

You’ll still see me around IPC all the time because one of the growing ministries of the Fresh Air Farm is LIFT OFF to Learning. LIFT OFF began in 2018 after listening sessions with our Summer Learning campers and their families showed a growing need for quality after-school programming and academic support. The program has adapted as the needs of our students have changed over the last few years.

I am especially thankful for our committed IPC volunteers who give their time each week to read and build relationships with our students. Our students can always use more support. If you’re interested in volunteering as a tutor or as a substitute, please reach out to me.

My work will also be focused on the growth of our Summer Learning Program, maintenance of the 35-acre property, and the ongoing work of supporting our Summer Learning Program families and Hayes K-8 School. We have lots of fun Centennial celebrating ahead, and the 100th year at the Fresh Air Farm is poised to be our very best yet!

THE KNITTING MINISTRY SHEPHERD TEAM

IPC FAMILY MINISTRIES Join us on the Journey

BY BETH MIDDLETON, DIRECTOR OF FAMILY MINISTRIES

IPC YOUTH

Strong Start to 2023

BY CAMMIE ASHWORTH, DIRECTOR OF YOUTH MINISTRIES

IPC Youth kicked off 2023 celebrating the fellowship and community we find in our group. Thirty-four youth and seven fearless chaperones braved the snow in the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee Jan. 13 -16, where we learned about koinonia and what it means to be in Christian community.

We started and ended our days with a time of devotion, and the rest of our days included snow tubing, candy, hiking, arcades, and so much laughter. We returned tired and yet renewed, and we look forward to all that spring has to offer.

As parents, we all want to do the best for our kids and raise them in the best possible way. But raising children in a spiritual environment can be a challenge. That is why it is important to have a Christian resource that we can use to help us as parents. Our Family Ministry Team here at IPC is one of those resources. Made up of sub-committees representing the IPC Day School, Children’s and Youth Ministry... and our newest ministry, Parenting/ Marriage, the Family Ministry Team is one of the dynamic and growing edges of our church.

In the Parenting area, we believe that educational and fellowship opportunities are helpful tools to navigate life as a family. These connection points can provide practical strategies that can help us to be effective in our parenting, can offer support to and from fellow parents, and extend guidance on how to raise our children in the Christian faith...a journey that ultimately connects us more closely with God.

This spring, IPC Family Ministry Team will partner with parents to offer classes, speakers, and fellowship opportunities in a variety of forms. Please be on the lookout for these upcoming events: special topics in the Bridges and Crossroads Sunday Classes, an introduction to Courtney Kraus (our new Children’s Ministry Director), and a showcase of summer activities in Youth Ministry by Cammie Ashworth. We will also welcome Dale Wisely Ph.D. to IPC to guide us through childhood and adolescence. Everyone is always welcome to gather for our many breakfasts, socials, and coffee times and discuss the "big questions”...and some of the small ones too.

It is our deepest hope to provide you with the opportunity to connect with God and learn more about how to be a faithful parent, a journey that grows and changes day by day.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR Youth Sunday

We are especially excited to be planning for Youth Sunday, March 19, where the youth will lead all three services at IPC. We will also recognize our seniors and senior acolytes.

Bibletimes Marketplace

June 5-9

Youth Montreat

July 9-15

Middle School Montreat

July 19-23

We hope to see you there!

THE JAMES FAMILY AT IPC'S SUMMER WRAP-UP POOL PARTY AT THE CHILDREN'S FRESH AIR FARM

NEW ADDITION TO THE COLUMBARIUM

BY ANDREW HICKS, IPC MEMBER & COLUMBARIUM ARCHITECT

Some may already know that IPC is in the process of expanding our church Columbarium. As context, in the 1970s and '80s members expressed interest in building a Columbarium, but it wasn’t until the devastating fire of the early '90s that the opportunity rose to include niches in the reconstruction effort that followed. So the Columbarium in the McClure Cloister, adjoining the Sanctuary and Parlor, became the first phase of what will soon become a three-phase part of the Church campus.

In the years following the first phase, interest was surprisingly strong, as the majority of niches were sold before the end of that decade. So, a second phase was built beside the Edmonds Chapel in the early 2000s, and now it too is almost full. Consequently, last year Session approved moving forward with building a third phase, which broke ground on February 6. The effort has been led by the Landscape Committee, which serves as a component of the House & Properties Ministry Team. After considering many options, a decision was made to create a new extension just east of the current Columbarium, and bordering the Labyrinth and Prayer Garden.

This new addition is designed as a separate and distinct space, with strong

visual connections to adjacent areas. While the walls of the new space are part of an eastward extension of the existing structure, the committee felt some physical separation helps keep the scale of each area appropriately modest, while preserving the integrity of existing niches. And just as the Cloister is different from the second phase, this third area will be unique, all while remaining faithful to the architectural vocabulary that is IPC.

Particular elements include:

• The build-out of 256 additional niches, including 192 double and 64 single niches, a substantial increase from the 168 niches added in the second phase.

• Reconfiguration of the stone walls behind the existing fountain opening the fountain on both sides, establishing a visual connection centered around the existing urn.

• Placement of the entrance facing the Labyrinth, which helps strengthen a cross axis toward another important area of our campus.

• Stone piers on either side of the entrance support large decorative iron lanterns that echo the fixtures at the front of the Sanctuary.

• Opposite the entrance will be a stone bench and limestone arch with decorative ironwork, establishing another visual link back to the sidewalk along Highland Avenue.

• A stone paving design at the center is based on an endless knot pattern, which traditionally symbolized eternity in the early Christian art in the Celtic lands of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

• New landscaping and lighting to further weave this new area into the overall fabric of the church campus.

NEXT STEPS

Plans and permitting are complete, and we are targeting completion by early summer. We hope that you will be patient as contractors and artisans, led by Brasfield & Gorrie, work to develop another important area of IPC.

A Columbarium Open House will be held this spring to begin sales for the new niches. Watch for more information soon.

THE NEW ADDITION TO IPC'S COLUMBARIUM

Welcome TO IPC

NEWLY ELECTED CHURCH OFFICERS

ELDERS/THE SESSION (Class of 2025)

• John Faught

• Ross Forman

• Brandon Glass

• Jessica Grover

• Neal Hutchinson

• Kathy Leaver

• Teresa Pulliam

• Ellen Walker

• Olivia Vanlandingham (Youth Elder)

DEACONS (Class of 2025)

• Sissy Austin

• Daniel Beck

• Drew Brignac

• Lochrane Chase

• William Cook

• Virginia Grisham

• Lene Howell

• Matthew Moore

• Allen Murphree

• William Powell, Jr.

• Jeanene Skillen

• Bannon Thorpe II

• McClain Robinson (Youth Deacon)

2022 PRESIDENT OF THE CONGREGATION

• Barry DeLozier

2022 VICE PRESIDENT OF THE CONGREGATION (President Elect)

• Caryl Privett

THE IPC FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Amy McCain

• Tom Spencer

• Merrill Stewart

• Sumner Starling, reappointment

REPRESENTATIVE NOMINATING COMMITTEE

• Robert Pless

• Ann Walthall

ASSOCIATE PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE

• Carl Albright III

• Houston Cook

• Suzanne Graham

• Anne Knox Averitt

• Paul Simmons

• Emily Vanlandingham

Mary Rose Patrick New Member

Liz Castillo New Member

Kacy Dunaway New Member

Paula & Ken Hickman New Members

Kim Bourn New Member

Courtney Kraus New Staff, Director of Children's Ministries

Nicole Dugger New Staff, Operations Assistant

Holy Week

Sunday, April 2

PALM SUNDAY

Worship Services at 8:45 and 11 am in the Sanctuary and at 5 pm in Highland Hall

Children's Palm Parade at 10 am

Thursday, April 6

MAUNDY THURSDAY

Worship Service at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary

Friday, April 7

GOOD FRIDAY

Worship Service at Noon in the Sanctuary

Saturday, April 8

CHILDREN'S EGG HUNT

10 am at Highland Hall

Sunday, April 9

EASTER SUNDAY

Worship Services at 8, 9:30 & 11 am in the Sanctuary and at 5 pm in Highland Hall. No Sunday School.

Services in the Sanctuary will be livestreamed on IPC's YouTube channel and Facebook page @IPCBirmingham.

Details: ipc-usa.org > connect