The Rewards of Service and Stewardship

Mike Ransom • November 4, 2025

An Interview with Gardener Mike Ransom

Mike, what motivates you to pledge and serve at The Garden?

It has been said many times that the greatest benefit of serving others is the good feelings you, as “the server,” receive from the effort. That has certainly been true of my twenty-five-plus years as a Gardener. Whether it was serving in a leadership role, assisting with Soup’s On, donating laundry baskets to Fletcher Place, or now being a member of Faith in Action, the richness of the rewards just keeps on coming.

Can you share a specific way your service has been meaningful?

Chairing the Bread for the World Offering of Letters campaign at The Garden over the last few years has brought me great satisfaction. Being part of something larger—thousands of letters going to our congressional representatives, imploring them to address the challenge of hunger and food insecurity locally and globally—means I’m making a small difference. Knowing that our congregation fully embraces the opportunity to speak with one voice about hunger is humbling, but it is also a meaningful way to remind our legislators of Jesus’ words: that feeding the needy is a direct act of service to Him.

What challenges have you seen recently in this work?

This year has been a significant challenge, with detrimental actions taken by the Federal Government against efforts to serve the hungry. Still, we cannot rest until our collective voice breaks through.

Why does this issue feel so personal to you?

It is hard for me to talk about this issue without becoming emotional. Having served at summer feeding sites in the past, I remember the smiles on children’s faces, knowing it might have been their only meal of the day.

How has this journey shaped you, and what role does The Garden play in it?

In the end, I have personally grown from these experiences—feeling both hope and joy—and I am thankful that The Garden community recognizes the need and continues to be a place of spiritual and physical stewardship, committed to changing things for the better.

PLEDGE NOW

< Older Post

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November 3, 2025

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By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • November 3, 2025

Join us this Sunday as we dive into the first part of our stewardship theme, “The Garden on the Go.” We’ve experienced what it means to be a church on the move, embracing change and sharing our faith through multiple transitions in recent years. These shifts have stretched us, but they’ve also reminded us that God’s Spirit is not bound to one place or one way of being. We are not alone in this journey; the early church blazed a trail before us, spreading the love of God without the confines of a permanent building. This history shows us that faith is not tied to walls or structures, but to the spirit and values embodied by the teachings and example of Jesus, which we seek to apply in our daily lives and in our community. Together, we’ll explore the essential nature of being a community, discovering how we can embody a vibrant faith that travels with us wherever we go. This is a chance to imagine how our daily lives—our homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods—can become sacred spaces of connection, witness, and loving transformation. Don’t miss this opportunity to reflect on how we can be a people who actively share our journey of faith in all places and at all times, carrying the light of God’s love into every corner of our lives.

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By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • October 28, 2025

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Christmas in October: Building Bridges Through Shared Stories

October 15, 2025

On a crisp October morning, something unexpected happened at a community breakfast in Fishers, Indiana: Christmas came early. But this wasn't about jumping the gun on holiday decorating or premature caroling. Instead, it was about something much more meaningful: using the story of Christmas to build understanding across faith traditions. A Gathering of Neighbors The Niagara Foundation, a national organization dedicated to fostering relationships between people of different cultures and faiths, hosts quarterly community breakfasts through its central Indiana chapter, operated by the Turkish Muslim community. These gatherings bring together anyone who shares a simple but powerful desire to break down barriers and build bridges in our increasingly diverse world. At their community center in Fishers, the Foundation regularly invites speakers from various faith traditions to share perspectives with the group. On October 11, 2025, it was Betty Brandt's turn. As Program Director at the Garden Community Church, Betty chose to explore the topic of Christmas, familiar to most yet full of surprising history. The History Behind the Holiday Betty's presentation explored how Christmas as we know it came to be. She explained that December 25 wasn't celebrated as Jesus' birthday until 330 AD, when Pope Julius decreed it "The Feast of the Nativity." This date wasn't chosen randomly. Appropriating the pagan holiday allowed early Christians to continue celebrating the pagan winter solstice, the return of the sun, with its lights, candles, and festivities, while assigning new Christian meaning to these traditions. From there, Betty traced the evolution of beloved Christmas traditions including the transformation of Saint Nicholas into Santa Claus, the development of Christmas carols, the adoption of evergreen trees as symbols of eternal life, and the creation of live nativity scenes. Each tradition, she showed, carried layers of cultural adaptation and meaning. A Story That Captures Everything Betty concluded with a true story from December 24, 1944, during the brutal Battle of the Bulge in World War II. As a fierce snowstorm raged, three American soldiers and three German soldiers took refuge in the home of a Belgian woman and her son. In that small house, on Christmas Eve, these young men put down their weapons. Together, they accepted the hospitality offered to them, shared a meal, and for one night, chose humanity over hatred. This story captured the essence of what brought people to that October breakfast. Just as those soldiers had done decades earlier, those present desired to put aside differences, enjoy a wonderful meal together, and build bridges across the divides that too often separate us. Looking Ahead The next Niagara Foundation community breakfast will take place in 2026 and will feature a panel discussion on fasting practices across different faith traditions. While no date has been set yet, the event promises another opportunity to learn, connect, and discover the common threads that run through our diverse beliefs. Whereas our world often emphasizes what divides us, gatherings like these remind us that our shared humanity is stronger than our differences. Sometimes it takes a story about Christmas—told in October, in a Muslim community center, to a room full of neighbors—to help us remember that truth. To learn more about the Niagara Foundation and upcoming community breakfast events, visit their website .