2025 Faith & Action Spring Conference

Join us March 11 for the Faith & Action Spring Conference! This year’s event will feature a personal and instructive keynote by poverty and child welfare expert David Ambroz – the award-winning author of A Place Called Home who, as a child, lived on the streets of New York, entered the foster care system, and found hope in education. The conference will also engage local front-line experts to provide insights into tackling housing instability and the ways the community can take action to ensure more of our neighbors attain safe and affordable housing, support, and stability.

Please note that attendance for the morning half of the Spring Conference is a prerequisite for organizations wanting to apply for a Faith & Action grant. While attendance at the afternoon session is not required for the grant, it is an excellent learning opportunity.

The Faith & Action Project is supported by: Mike and Sue Smith Family Fund, The Indianapolis Foundation, The Noyes Foundation, Lumina Foundation, and The Petticrew Foundation.

8:30am - Check-in

9:00am-12:15pm - Keynote Speaker David Ambroz, Clergy Insights, Moderated Conversation with Local Leaders, and Topical Breakout Sessions

12:15pm - Optional Boxed Lunch (Grab & Go or enjoy in the CTS Cafe)

Adjourn for those not attending afternoon sessions.

1:00pm - Optional Sessions
Screening of Beyond the Bridge: A Solution to Homelessness
Deep Dive on Housing Data by Bridge Builders Strategies

3:00pm - Adjourn

Keynote Speaker – David Ambroz

David Ambroz is an award-winning national poverty and child welfare expert and advocate and an Emmy nominated writer and bestselling author. Growing up homeless with a mentally ill mother on the streets of New York, Ambroz and his siblings suffered the difficulties and indignities encountered by millions of homeless children in America. Ambroz is a highly sought-after speaker at non-profit organizations, colleges and universities, corporate philanthropic groups, and conferences around the country. In his talks, as well as his book, Ambroz provides an inspirational call to action for audiences to move from empathy to action.

Moderated Conversation with Local Leaders - Rev. Dr. Nicole McDonald

The Reverend Dr. Nicole McDonald is a recent graduate of the PhD program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary. She is an adjunct professor who teaches Queer Womanist Preaching at Chicago Theological Seminary. Currently, Dr. McDonald serves as the Interim Senior Pastor of Central Christian Church in Indianapolis. Prior to entering the pastorate, she served over 14 years as a healthcare chaplain in hospice and level-one trauma centers. Pastor Nicole has a heart for God’s people. As a queer, womanist practitioner-scholar, she strives to build justice-oriented communities of radical inclusivity where all feel welcomed.

Data and Disparities

Our speaker will share the latest data on the housing crisis in Greater Indianapolis as compared to our peer cities.

Clergy Insights

· The Reverend Winterbourne LaPucelle Harrison-Jones (Witherspoon Presbyterian Church)

· Rabbi Brett Krichiver (Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation)

Breakout Sessions

Following the keynote presentation, attendees will get the opportunity to attend a breakout sessions with local leaders. Participants will:

· Hear from leaders actively creating and supporting safe, affordable and supportive housing

· Deepen your understanding on the complexities of homelessness and how that impacts our solutions

· Get informed on current public policy and be empowered to engage in advocacy work surrounding housing insecurity.

· Individuals and faith communities can see ways to directly engage in the solution and will be provided with practical steps for action.

Breakout #1: Tackling Housing Instability

· Moderator: Rabbi Aaron Spiegel (GIMA)

· Panelists: Dr. Chelsea Haring-Cozzi (CHIP – Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention), Adam Mueller (Indiana Justice Project), Matt Rayburn (Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority)

Breakout #2: Advocacy and Action

· Moderator: Ben Tapper (City of Indianapolis)

· Panelists: Hale Crumley (Prosperity Indiana), Pastor Darrell Brooks (New Liberty Church), and Bianca Phillips (Indy Go)

Breakout #3: Creating and Supporting Stable and Affordable Housing

· Moderator: Sara VanSlambrook (UWCI)

· Panelists: Representatives from agencies that are creating or offering supportive, transitional housing, affordable permanent housing, and permanent supportive housing.

Breakout #4: Building Stability

· Representatives from Kids’ Voice of Indiana

12:15pm - Boxed Lunch ($12 - Grab & Go or enjoy in the CTS Cafe)

Adjourn for those not attending afternoon sessions.

1:00pm - Optional Sessions
Screening of Beyond the Bridge: A Solution to Homelessness
Deep Dive on Housing Data by Bridge Builders Strategies

3:00pm - Adjourn

Host or Publisher Christian Theological Seminary