“My God, my God why have you forsaken me?

803 South Washington, on the northeast corner, is a two-story brick house done in the Victorian style favorite in gas boom Marion. Now a bit worse for wear, the house’s elegance is still evident to passers-by.

The house, described in an 1891 issue of the Marion Chronicle as ‘plain design and no gingerbread… and some regard to economy The roof with its dormer windows is perhaps its prettiest feature… On the first floor, there are eight rooms.”
Upstairs were sleeping rooms, a bath, and a lavatory. The architect was Peter Labelle. Charles Fairchild was the contractor, and the home cost $3500 to build.

To one degree or another, all buildings are a reflection of the owner, especially the original owner. In the case of the house at 803, the man was Dr. Lewis Williams.

Williams’ family were Quakers from North Carolina who migrated by flatboat to Maysville, Ky., and in 1806 to Clinton County, Ohio. Thomas Williams was born in 1825. In 1838 his family came to Grant County and began farming in Washington Township.

Young Thomas showed academic promise and was spared from work on the farm to attend school in Marion. He attended Franklin College for a term, and he returned to Marion to teach school until 1854.

Thomas married Mary Howard in 1848. They had two children who died young, as was often the case in 19th century America. In 1854 he read medicine with Dr. William Lomax. He studied formally at the Miami Medical College in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he received his MD. He returned to Marion and began his practice.

His wife died in 1876, and Williams later remarried.

He moved his practice to his new home at 803 S. Washington in 1891 and continued until 1903. Williams was active in the local, state, and national medical associations during his career.

One of his biographers writes that the doctor” believes that tender sympathy is necessary to him that bends over… the distressed and suffering.”

Bill Munn

A couple of hours ago, I got a call from a nurse at a low income apartment in Marion. One of their residents had been evicted for smoking in his room, and he was sitting at the bus stop outside the building in the cold with no money and nowhere to go. The nurse wondered if I could help.

There aren’t a lot of options in Marion for a situation like this, so I drove to the location, met the man, named Terry, and called the Marion Police for a welfare check. Terry uses an oxygen machine, almost empty, and had been outside in thirty degree weather since 7:30 this morning. He refused to go to the mission, which is not unusual, and said a friend would pick him up.

The police arrived in 10 minutes. The officer called the friend who lived in the complex, so Terry, having been evicted, could not stay with him. An ambulance was the next step, so that Terry could get warmed up at the hospital and hopefully find a social worker to get further help for him. The ambulance arrived in another 10 minutes, while the officer convinced Terry to go with it to the hospital.

This is a tenuously happy ending, but it’s a story that could easily have gone wrong. If the nurse hadn’t called me, Terry would be courting hypothermia right now, and his future depends on the yet unknown social worker finding help for him.

Unfortunately he’s not the only person in difficulties this Advent season. We need to be aware of this, as followers of Jesus, and be ready to help as we can. I wish there was a simple and easy solution, but there’s not. There’s just a calling, as followers of Jesus, to care for the poor and those with less than we have. That’s something to think about as we remember Jesus’ birth and anticipate his return.

Written by Gethsemane Rector, Rev.Dr. James Warnock 12.02.19

In 1959, Gethsemane members broke ground for a new parish hall, replacing a very old and very drafty house once belonging to the Norton family. A Fort Wayne architect Lloyd Larimore did the design work for the new building and work commenced in 1959 and was completed in in 1960. The hall was the scene of Sunday School, wedding receptions, parish meetings, parties, festivals, and serious work in service to the community.

The first developmental preschool class in Marion was housed here. This would later become Carey Services a major training and educational center for the developmentally disabled.Regular meetings of the AA have been conducted on site and continue to this day. In response to call from our neighbors, the Parish Hall is host to twice weekly meals for individuals and families struggling to get by.

The facility has housed our “Cross of Nail’ ministry an effort to bring reconciliation to young people deal with major issues of the day such as race, poverty, and sexuality. The parish has also held plays, musical performances, and lectures in support of our mission to the broader community

In 2017 we received grants form Sacred Spaces and from the Center for Congregational Development in part for doing the work of assessing our facility and determining ways that we can be of even more service to God, the larger community, our neighbors, and our members.

On February 24th, 2018 Gethsemane Episcopal Church hosted a conversation led by Rev.Grantz on the topic of gay marriage. Over 50 students from local colleges, teachers, and parishioners attended this event. The conversation is part of the ongoing reconciliation project of our church.

The link below will play the presentation made by Rev.Brian Grantz
Brian Grantz

Gethsemane Episcopal Church hosted a seminar on ‘Reconciling Faith and Poverty” in its parish hall on November 11th, 2017. The meeting was part of the church’s ongoing commitment to doing Christ’s work in the world and as a member of the Community of the Cross of Nails, an international group committed to reconciliation worldwide.

A diverse group of fifty-eight attended the event, consisting of area college students and staff, local health and childcare professionals, diocesan clergy, and interested community members provided for a day of thoughtful reflection and discussion.

The keynote speaker was Josh Molnar, social worker, and postulant for the deaconate in the Episcopal Church. Dr.Debbie Stiles of Taylor University presented on the effects of childhood trauma on life long behaviors contributing to poverty. Area resident Jessica Dugdale shared the experience of the working poor.

Listen here for Josh Molar’s keynote

On Nov.11th seven young people were baptized at Gethsemane.

Eloisa Moser
Samuel Moser
Stella Moser
Parents Drew & Bekah Moser

Eliot Noble
Henry Noble
Grace Noble
Parents John & Abigail Noble

Ronan Moeschberger
Parents Scott & Jennifer Moeschberger

“We receive you into the household of God” BCP p.308

A number of parishioners participated in a Vigil for Charlottsville, Sunday evening August 13, 2017 on the Court House lawn in Marion, Indiana.

Gethsemane Episcopal Church in Marion, IN is an affiliate of Cross of Nails Community based in Coventry Cathedral, UK. Following the horrific destruction of much of the medieval church by bombs in 1940 air raids, clergy and members of the cathedral established what has become a worldwide movement seeking to reconcile and heal conflict on the local, national, and international basis.

For the last several years, the clergy and members of Gethsemane have also committed to the work of reconciliation and healing. We have made efforts to facilitate discussion of race, sexuality, and women’s issues. Parishioners have participated training and seminars in poverty and minority concerns in the Diocese of Los Angeles. Our rector has attended reconciliation meetings in Syria and Cyprus. He was awarded a grant from the Lily Foundation to travel to Israel to study matters about the Palestine- Israeli conflict.

Gethsemane Parish was pleased to be accepted as an affiliate of the Cross of Nails. Local communities of are encouraged to take from the CCN global mission those things that apply to the particular situation that applies to them.

Mission of the CCN in Marion, Indiana

The purpose of our community is to explore our hope and commitment to live and work toward the reconciliation of all things in Christ. To that end, three areas of mission follow.

Healing the Wounds of History

The wrongs of the past continue to haunt the Marion area. Racism persists. The lynching of two African- American young men and the attempted lynching of a third in 1930 has resulted in considerable pain, anger, and mistrust. The collapse of manufacturing has led to systemic poverty, personal and familial dysfunction across racial groups. The Marion CCN will not solve these problems but rather work to address them through discussion and debate.

Living with Difference and Celebrate Diversity

The community must seek to reconcile issues of identity and inclusion.
As Christians, we are committed to showing by example a way to a just and inclusive society. We will address the issues which divide us such as sexuality, gender, ethnicity, and equity.

Building a Culture of Peace

We will strive for an end to violence on a personal and societal level by becoming a symbol of hope as well advocates for averting violence. We will teach peace.

Over seventy people gathered in the Gethsemane Episcopal parish hall on Saturday, February 18, 2017, for a discussion on systemic injustice, white privilege, historic wounds, and future steps to healing. Those attending were college students, professors from local universities, clergy, and parish members.

The event consisted of a series of short talks, followed by a series of table discussions. Father Jim Warnock called the meeting to together. Katie Karnehm-Esh, author, and English professor, presented a personal reflection on matters of race and white privilege. Bill Munn, Grant County Historian, spoke on historic wounds and their effect on the local community, and Josh Molnar, candidate for the order of deacons, spoke of Jesus teaching in the “Sermon on the Plains.” Dr. Rusty Hawkins of IWU gave the keynote dealing with the church’s response to racism.

Video of these talks are available online at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7RyJmnmiVG2vB6CIpD6R61c1ImsU8ld9
Rev. Shonda Gladden of Allen Temple AME Church and Bishop Doug Sparks of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana attended as special guests and observers.

The talks and discussions were set in a litany of repentance led by parishioner Aimee Molnar. Kresha Warnock, early childhood educator and Kathy Satterlee, elementary teacher, planned and directed children’s activities for the day.

Lunch was prepared by members of the parish and served by Jane and Larry Slagle.

The keynote speaker for this event Dr. Rusty Hawkins. Hear his address above

“J. Russell (Rusty) Hawkins graduated from Wheaton College (IL) in 1999. After taking an M.A. in American History from Montana State University, Rusty served for a year with AmeriCorps as a literacy program coordinator in the public schools of Boston, Massachusetts. He earned his Ph.D. in American History from Rice University in 2009.

Indiana Wesleyan University