A creative, welcoming and diverse place for nonprofits in Indianapolis
Indiana Interchurch Center
About the Interchurch Center & Community
The Indiana Interchurch Center is much more than a building. It’s a community of nonprofit organizations working to solve the most urgent challenges we face at home and abroad. The Interchurch Center provides offices where denomination administrative headquarters and nonprofits develop strategies and implementation plans. More importantly, it offers a space where these the broader community can engage in learning and conversing, service and advocacy. We invite you to visit the Interchurch Center, and participate in events that interest you.
A passion for social change and justice
Who are some of the members of the Interchurch Community and what do they care about?
Denominations. The Interchurch Center houses the administrative headquarters of several denomination: The United Church of Christ, Indiana-Kentucky Conference; the Christian Church in Indiana (Disciples of Christ); the Synod of Lincoln Trails (Presbyterian Church USA in Indiana and Illinois), the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis; the Whitewater Valley Presbytery; and the American Baptist Churches of Greater Indianapolis. Other religious groups call the Center home. The St. Mary of Magdala Catholic Community is one of the few Catholic churches in the world that celebrates mass with a Womanpriest.
Health and wellness. The Minority Health Coalition of Marion County and the Indiana Rural Health Association extend health services to the most marginalized populations. Even the health of animals are addressed: Spay and Neuter Services of Indiana helps low-income families afford to spay their pets.
Undocumented immigrants. The Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance is one of the state's best known groups protecting the rights of "Dreamers" and other undocumented Hoosiers.
Homeless people. The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Protection (CHIP) is Central Indiana's main organization analyzing homelessness and building a blueprint to end it.
Environmental protection. Three of Indiana's leading environmental organizations call the Interchurch Center home: the Hoosier Chapter of the Sierra Club, Earth Charter Indiana and Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light. The Hoosier Environmental Council offers monthly environmental advocate training at the IIC.
Opioid crisis. Overdose Lifeline has emerged as one of the country's most influential organizations fighting drug overdose.
Interfaith engagement. The Center for Interfaith Cooperation is one of the Midwest's primary groups promoting inter-religious education, dialogue and service. The Niagara Foundation organizes monthly interfaith conversations and several interfaith iftars at the Interchurch Center every Ramadan. The Jewish Community Relations Council and the Muslim Alliance of Indiana are the main groups promoting interfaith cooperation for the Jewish and Muslim communities.
Refugees in Indiana and around the world. OBAT Helpers is one of the only NGOs in the world working in the camps of the Rohingya in Bangladesh. The Peace Center for Forgiveness and Reconciliation helps Congolese refugees integrate into Hoosier society.
Civic renewal. Since January of 2016, Women4Change Indiana has become one of the state's main groups promoting greater engagement for women in politics, and helping Hoosiers more broadly become more active and effective citizens.
Human and civil rights. The Center for Interfaith Cooperation, the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Muslim Alliance of Indiana defend the rights to worship of all Hoosiers. Gender Nexus advocates for the rights of trans-persons. The Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance promotes the rights of undocumented immigrants. The American Friends Service Committee passionately calls for the respect of human rights of Palestinians in Gaza.
Marginalized children. In addition to defending "Dreamers," the Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance raises funds for economically disadvantaged immigrants to attend college. Visually Impaired Preschool Services (VIPS) works with the families of unsighted young children. Watch Club and the Center for Interfaith Cooperation organized an intercultural Summer Youth Camp at IIC. The Waza Alliance for Quality Education provides training for teachers in the Democratic of Congo.
Food insecurity. Faith Hope and Love supports and trains missional food pantries across the city.
24 Hr Access
Mail Service, UPS, FedEx On-Site
Fiber-Optic
Internet Connectivity
HD Projectors
An inclusive and welcoming culture
2 Large Meeting Rooms
4 more intimate conference rooms
Ample free parking
Easy Bus Access
Natural Habitat Certification
Energy management and solar panels
On-Site Management
Central Location close to the IMA, CTS & Butler
On-site Art Gallery
24-Hour Camera Surveillance
Fully Accessible to all
Come to the Interchurch Center and be inspired!
Sierra Club — “Michigan City Residents Protest Proposed NIPSCO Rate Increase”
The NAACP and the Sierra Club hosted the protest. La’Tonya Troutman, with the LaPorte County NAACP, attended the protest. She says if NIPSCO follows through with their plan, low-income customers will have to pull money from other areas of their budget to be able to pay their bill.
Overdose Lifeline —”‘Addiction is addiction no matter where you go’: Treatment center to open in Carmel”
“There is a major lack of facilities in the community,” said the Rev. Andrea Boutselis, who works with Overdose Lifeline and runs a weekly Parents of Addicted Loved Ones support group in a Carmel church. “There is nowhere that is not being affected by this problem and no town that has not been hit by this.”
Sierra Club — Rally targets NIPSCO’s plans to shift cost burden from industry to homeowners
NIPSCO customers, the Sierra Club and NAACP plan to rally Thursday night in Michigan City against 19% cuts to industrial electricity bills at a time when NIPSCO is raising electricity bills for everyone else.
Overdose Lifeline — “Purdue researchers develop device that could automatically stop opioid overdoses”
Advocates, like Justin Philips, the executive director of Overdose Lifeline, says a tool like this could be a game changer once in production.
Sierra Club — “Park-Challenged Indianapolis Locks Up Its Nature Preserves”
Of the 40 most populous US cities, Indianapolis ranks in the bottom five for access to public parks, according to the American Society of Landscape Architects.
IIC & Fath Hope Love Community — “Local Nonprofit Holds Events For Hunger Awareness Week”
An Indianapolis Christian nonprofit draws attention to food insecurity this week with 10 businesses and more than 30 local churches.
Overdose Lifeline — “Opioid Response Training Offered To Faith Communities”
Overdose Lifeline will visit seven different faith organizations across the state. Executive director Justin Phillips says churches have been asking how to engage their community regarding the opioid epidemic.
FHL — “‘Food access is an issue’: Canal walk kicks off Hunger Awareness Week”
Dressed in neon blue-and-green shirts, a dozen walkers used the 3-mile Downtown Canal Walk loop Saturday to carry signs and share statistics about food scarcity faced by some people in the Indianapolis area.
AEP commits to retire large Indiana coal unit by 2028
Sierra Club tracks Beyond Coal “victories” and now tallies 792 coal units retired — with 487 units remaining open.
Sierra Club — “AEP gains court approval for modified plan to retire Indiana coal-fired units”
A Sierra Club report on Rockport several years ago called it the sixth largest carbon polluter in the nation, citing EPA statistics estimating some 5.8 million pounds of air and water pollution in 2013.
JCRC — “Indianapolis Jewish council applauds Brooks, Carson for vote condemning Trump statements”
The Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council released a statement applauding two Central Indiana representatives who voted to condemn President Trump’s recent statements about four Democratic congresswomen.
Overdose Lifeline — “New state-funded program travels across Indiana to educate faith leaders on how to help drug addicts”
“I think the only silver lining from the opioid crisis is that we have no choice but to talk about it,” Justin Phillips, founder of ‘Overdose Lifeline,’ said.
Overdose Lifeline — “‘Addiction doesn’t discriminate’: New addiction treatment facility to open in Carmel”
The new services are vital to the state, as some people believe there are limited options for inpatient care. Kourtnaye Sturgeon is with Overdose Lifeline. After her son Ryan graduated high school, she discovered drug paraphernalia in his room.
CIC — “BACI and local community gives back on World Refugee Day”
Many organizations in Indiana have been part of this project; Center for Interfaith Cooperation (CIC), AmeriCorps, Coalition for Our Immigrant Neighbors (COIN) and TeenWorks participated this year.
Faith, Hope and Love Community — “Multiple groups working to end food deserts and hunger”
Merlin Gonzales, founder and president of FHL, hopes the week will show residents not only how many Hoosiers struggle with regular access to quality food but also how the problem is not just economic but also affects emotional and mental health.
Covering Kids and Families — “Indiana Is Latest State To Roll Out Medicaid Work Requirement”
“We haven’t been having dozens of calls each day where consumers have said they’re confused, or they don’t know what to do, or should they participate?” Fairchild says. “In a lot of ways, we’re hoping that’s a good thing, but in some ways that can be concerning too.”
Sierra Club — “Duke Energy to retire coal plants by 2038; critics say utility should move faster”
Duke Energy to retire coal plants by 2038; critics say utility should move faster
Sierra Club — “Duke Energy Indiana customers could see electricity rates climb by 15%”
“It is ridiculous that they even talk about clean energy as a rationale for this rate increase when they plan to burn coal for two decades and replace it with fracked gas. They should be ashamed of themselves,” said Wendy Bredhold, senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Indiana.
Sierra Club — “Groups happy Vectren open to renewable energy, but question bid process”
Six organizations — among them Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, Sierra Club and Valley Watch — sent the utility a letter last week raising concerns that Vectren did not give an opportunity to comment on its request for proposals and questioning its timing.
Covering Kids & Families — “People On HIP Need To Start Logging Hours To Comply Work Requirements”
Covering Kids and Families of Indiana helps organizations and consumers navigate health insurance. Policy director Mark Fairchild says they’ve heard little from people on HIP.
Covering Kids & Families — “Educators Learn Advocacy At School Health Conference”
“Instead of worrying about how to take language that someone else created and make it into something that works in their school, to actually create that language in the first place if it’s the right thing for their students,” says Fairchild.
Come & visit
Indiana Interchurch Center
1100 W. 42nd Street
Indianapolis IN 46208
Phone:
(317) 923-3617
Email:
iic@indianainterchurch.org