City Suppers in Brookside, Holy Cross & Mapleton Fall Creek

Tonight Sarah Shaw and I had the great privilege of hosting our neighbors Frank & Dori Morton for dinner.

The Mortons moved from Carmel to Brookside three years ago, and in 2014 the Shaws followed suit.  Now Frank and Dori live on the 1400 block of LaSalle Street, and the Shaws live on the 1500 block of LaSalle Street.  We love the reality that all of our neighbors have front porches and we are enjoying our new community.  Dinner tonight was a delicious reminder of a longing for togetherness fulfilled when we are with our friends…

Dale Shaw

The beginning of something new.

Last night we hosted a city supper in our new home. But it wasn't the first and it won't be the last.

Back in 2008, after living in Indy for a year, we joined a group of Fall Creek neighbors and started a Sunday night supper club. It was inspired by the ones our friends in Fountain Square and Herron Morton were hosting and over the years, was another great way to get to know our neighbors and grow community. Each Sunday night a different household hosted dinner, providing all of the courses and was always a great way to end the weekend.

We have now been in Holy Cross for almost a year and it only seems right to start up a weekly supper club in our new neighborhood. There's something about consistently getting together, in each other's homes and around meals, that encourages friendships to go deeper and adds a richness to urban living.

Our kids have loved it too. Even though it can get crazy with having lots of kids running around, it's sweet to see them build their own little community and even be part of the hosting process.

While we really miss our Fall Creek supper club, we look forward to getting to know our new neighbors and building community here. Last night's supper was the beginning of a new chapter of our Indy story and we are really excited to see what happens!

Sarah Partain

To a bunch of high school guys, a pan of brownies and half a gallon of vanilla ice cream is all that is necessary for a weekly bible study to become a city supper. Once a week, about six young men from my church come to unwind from the past week and prepare for the week to come by swapping stories, reading and discussing the book of Job and praying about what is weighing heavy on each of our shoulders.

Gathering with even this small group in my duplex living room in Mapleton Fall Creek can be a little tight, and humbling, as the renovation that I began over a year ago when I bought my home was minimal and I live with three other guys, so my home certainly doesn’t hide the fact that we live simple and often scattered lifestyles. While I’m often self-conscious that my home lacks the polished look of others in my community that practice hospitality, when I actually come to the point of tidying up and putting and arranging even a quiet evening with friends, the need to ‘keep up with the Joneses often dissipates and I feel empowered to practice hospitality with what I have and not worry about the rest. In many ways, there is a contentedness that a group of high school boys have that everyone would do well to remember.

Luke Granholm