When Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston recently delivered the General Assembly’s annual Organization Day speech, he decided to highlight Hoosiers’ compassion and resiliency during the COVID-19 pandemic. And the work of Shepherd Community Center was a focal point of his message. “Even through the toughest of times,...
Good stewardship is an obligation in ministry, and a key part of stewardship is understanding when and where to invest resources effectively and efficiently. That’s where collecting and analyzing data comes in. Data in ministry? Isn’t data analysis something that business and governments do? Aren’t decisions in...
The past 19 months have been the most challenging in the history of American education. Schools shut down suddenly as the COVID-19 pandemic first surged in March 2020. Students, parents and educators had to shift quickly to online learning, even in areas like the near east...
Gabe Shortt started volunteering at Shepherd when he was a student at Taylor University. After graduation, he spent a year mentoring kids in Shepherd’s after school programs as part of an internship. While working with the kids and interacting with other Shepherd staff and volunteers,...
When Bess* came to Shepherd, this hard-working mother needed support to build the ten assets required to break the cycle of poverty in her family. “Bess has never been afraid to advocate for herself and her children.” With some of her children having disabilities, Bess had to...
Fifteen years ago, Kathryn* came to Shepherd’s women’s group with few of the skills she would need to break the cycle of poverty for her family. “Kathryn wanted more for her daughters.” In addition to coming to Shepherd herself, Kathryn put her children into Shepherd programs as...
When Pam Rady left her inner-city neighborhood at the age of 21, she thought she’d never be back. “I was bitter, because I’ve been through a lot.” Decades later, when her son became a pastor in Shepherd’s community, Pam became a believer, and God began to change...
The pandemic has widened economic disparities in Indianapolis. Here’s how you can help families make it through a desperate time. Economists call it the K-shaped recovery. For many upper-income Americans, the economic rebound from the COVID-19 recession has been swift and lucrative. Net wealth is rising. Retirement...