ALL SOULS Work Begins

The news blackout is over.  Almost 4 weeks after moving in we finally got Internet access at my home office.  Without it our communication was greatly hindered.  Good News - we are up and running and we have much to report.

The farewell to Michigan friends and church members was extremely difficult.  For a few, we have known them the 22 years we lived in Flint.  But through the tears and celebrations we have made our way to the westside of Indy to a small western suburb called Brownsburg.   We have rented a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo in hopes that as the ministry grows we will one day buy a home in the area.  For now the boxes are unpacked and a few pictures hung and it really is starting to feel like home.

We officially started the new work with All Souls Anglican Mission on September 1st.  We are meeting on Wednesday nights in a beautiful room on the back of their old barn.  It has a loft and space for 15 or so for a home house church.  Week one we had 6 of us, but jumped up to 10 the next week when we did a house blessing at our condo.   This last week we began a short Bible study on  the "25 Benchmarks of a Follower of Christ" starting the evening with pear cobbler and ending with Compline.

The first few days after we arrived in Indy in mid-August, it "happened" that Bishop +Ron Jackson was able to visit with us and other Anglican leaders in mid-Indiana.  At a dinner gathering at Joe & Mickie Murphy's home we enjoyed great fellowship and a powerful time of prayer and eucharist.  It was the perfect way to begin our new work- having our Bishop laying hands and praying for this new season of ministry.  God's timing is perfect.

Currently we are getting some of the business side of the work in order, including updating the Bylaws and web presence, seeing how most people are finding new churches online before they go and visit.   We are following leads and meeting new contacts.  In this start up phase, we will not be meeting on Sundays until we can develop a more critical mass.  This has allowed me to respond to a request from Bishop +Ron to assist him in promoting, resourcing and developing new work in the Diocese of the Great Lakes.  My official title (I'm not much into titles) is Canon for Church Planting.   This means I hope to visit several parishes around the diocese challenging them to think about raising up church planters or even birthing new works out of their congregations, or at least supporting in prayer and financially those who are doing this work in their area of the diocese.  There is $1000/month contribution from the ADGL starting in Jan. to allow me to do this at this time.  This is quite an answer to prayer.

Deb is doing well. She in many ways has made some significant sacrifices of leaving friends and a job she loved to come with me to Indy.  She is asking to Lord to open up new opportunities for her here but at times life is a little slow and lonely.    A final personal note.  I had shoulder surgery just before we left Michigan.  Very much a blessing and have found relief from a lot of discomfort from impingement problems and a torn tendon.   I have experienced more recovery pain than I anticipated, particularly at night.  Pray for a full restoration of motion and relief from the night pain when lying down.

Excited about what God is doing!   Dave+ & Deb

Week #29: Packed & Loaded

It has been very busy the past weeks as we have prepared to move out of our Flushing, MI home.  Having closed on our house June 17 we were able to rent it for 30 more days as we sorted, cleaned, packed and downsized.

We had a moving sale the end of June and sold several couches and chairs, 2 captain beds and old refrig from the garage and a heavy standup freezer from the basement.  It was both good downsize and simplify but the "stuff" carries memories.  Now that we look back, if we had not had the sale we would not have had enough room in the moving truck.  The Lord is gracious!

Each step along the way we have seen the Lord at work.  From providing enough folks for packing and cleaning to finding a big box along the road for an oversize doll house we can not quite part with yet with hopes of grand daughters visiting us someday.

As of Monday we can confirm that we found a rental condo in Brownsburg that we will start to rent in August.  It is 10 minutes from Whitestown where our first house church group is gathering and not overlapping where some of the other Anglican ministries are based.   When we were in Indy July 7-9 looking for rentals, the Lord directed us to a realtor who was the college roommate of a member of a former member of New Wine in Flint.  Jon was so helpful!  He made arrangemets for us to visit 5 different  potential rentals some in the city and others north and west of town.  But he thought we would like this one in Brownsburg best. While in town, I followed up on a lead of a couple who had shown interest in All Souls.  I called David & Kelli to see if we could meet them for coffee after our searching on Saturday.  They agreed.  Not knowing where in Indy they lived I inquired of their location:  Brownsburg!   It turns out they are half a mile form our rental!  We had a great meeting and new neighbors before we hit the road!  This was one more confirming event in our stepping out on this new mission.

This next month, I will be finishing up my work in Flint.  We are living in a basement apartment of some friends of ours who are providing it at no charge (grace moment again!).  My main job is to be fully engaged in the fund raising process for the Domestic Mission start up of All Souls and the Indy Anglican Network.    I hope to talk with several of you personally over then next few weeks.   We hope to make a quick trip down to Indy to off load the truck the first or second week of August.   Then my last Sunday will be August 14th at New Wine.  We will take a quick trip to Ohio to catch up with family and my 40th high school reunion and then arrive in Indy on Monday August 22.

Keep us in pray as we are praying for many of you.

Dave+ & Deb Kulchar
Anglican Missionary to Indianapolis

Favor And Blessing

The past few weeks have been marked by favor and blessing.   We are beginning to see some of the first pledges of support from people in Michigan come in for the start up work in Indy.  I am slowly contacting churches and organization in our Diocese and beyond who may help us plant All Souls and develop other relationship-based ministry in the Indy area.  We have begun to contact people one on one asking them to come along side us on by a monthly pledge or a one time gift to reach our funding goal of $80,000 for the first two years.

We "closed" on the house without a glitch on Friday June 17th.  We now are renting for 30 days as we pack and clean with and will load the truck on July 16th.  Pray for dry weather that day as I have several college guys and one of my sons help me pack up a tractor trailer which will be hauled and stored in Indy till we are ready to have it delivered to our new rental house (which is yet to be determined).  The sale could not have gone smoother, even to the degree that our agent noted "it does not usually go any better than this."

Last weekend we had we our moving sale.  We sold many household items and some furniture as we try to lighten the load for Indy.  More importantly we had a chance to share with many people of our work and our move to Indiana. I love talking about the Lord and His goodness and favor.   For example several weeks ago, Deb and I were on a walk only days after we sold the house and came across 75 once-used moving boxes broken down and stacked by the road waiting for the trash men the next morning.  We got the van and snatched them up and could almost hear the Lord say " I sold the house in three days and now I have your boxes ready!"


We will be "homeless" for a little over a month in July and August, but again some friends who have been part of one of our prayer groups but attend a larger church on Sundays have offered us there basement apartment free of charge for a month.  Deb will finish her work and once out of the house my full-time work will be in seeking funding for our new venture.

Pray for ongoing favor in this time of sharing the vision of planting Anglican Church on the northwest side of Indy, but my hope in helping in some way all the Anglican efforts in the area move forward and work together.   We dream of establishing disciple- making communities that have a passion for serving the needs of our communities, engage the spiritual and real needs of our neighbors while worshiping our God and Savior in Word and Sacrament.

Our last Sunday with New Wine Anglican is August 14th.  We will hit the ground running in Indy August 22.

June Indy Project Update

Deb & I just returned from a weekend in Indy.  First we attended a nice gathering for local Indy Anglican Clergy hosted by Joe and Mickie Murphy at the home in Carmel.  Great food, some home brewed beer (called “First of Many”), and good conversation.   Our only lament was that there was not nearly enough time to speak with everyone.   It is our hope that this is the first of many gatherings for fellowship, prayer and encouragement as we all work together and individually in helping the Kingdom grow in the lives of people that the Lord places on our path.  I hope to call and talk with several of you who I did not have time to talk with and share about the ways the Lord is confirming our call to serve in Indy.  

Then Sunday we worshiped with the folks at Indy Vineyard 9:30am service as Pastor Randy preached, the worship team lead in sweet songs of praise and even shared in a simple communion moment.  Randy is starting a “One Another” sermon series called “Allelone” (Greek for One Another).    His is challenging his congregation to go to a deeper level of relational intimacy within the church and to the world.    A good word for all the church and for those who need each other in the establishment of Anglican fellowships throughout Indy.    After the worship and preaching, a woman from the prayer team approach me and ask how she could pray.  A little bold but very sweet.  Had several conversations with folks from church after the service and then we headed back to Whitestown and the Durrell farm for a gathering of All Souls souls and other interested parties. 

A group of 9 of us gathered as Todd and I shared our sense of God’s call to form a Indy Anglican Network and help move All Souls church plant to the next stage of its growth.   That is to move it from a house church to a group of missional communities who gather around the table to worship, share,  learn and serve.  After sharing we broke bread (and enjoyed homemade soup) under the Chestnut Tree out back and heard some good stories of faith and life.  Several folks who were invited could not make this gathering, but we hope to return soon for a similar events so we can invite others to partner with us in this pioneering work.   

Deb and I “close” on the sale of our Flint house Friday June 17th, but do not have to be moved out till July 17th.  Our plan is to load up a truck and ship it to Indy where it will be kept until we know where we will rent in the Indy area beginning in September.  In the mean time we will live with friends as Deb wraps up her job and I finish my work with New Wine Mission, while continuing to seek people who might be lead to help us fund the first two years of start up in Indy.  

If all goes forward and the funds are raised we hope to start full-time work in Indy September 1st.    We will keep you posted on our progress.  Let me know if you or your church would like to support us through a one time gift or a regular contribution these first two years.  If you would like me to come and share with your church or fellowship about this work please call and I would love to come and them to support this church planting effort and others in the future.  

Serving a powerful and gracious Lord,

Dave+ and Deb Kulchar

We Need Your Support

Indy Anglican Network Appeal

“The Harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”  Matthew 9:37

Dave and Deb Kulchar are sensing God’s call to pull up our roots of 22 years in Flint, Michigan and help the pioneering work of growing disciple-making churches in Indianapolis and the surrounding area.  They favor a relational “Word and Sacrament” approach to ministry, and serve under the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Great Lakes as a missionary priest couple.  

Dave brings nearly 35 years of ministry experience as a youth minister, parish priest, church planter, coach and consultant  to this ministry.  Deb brings many years of administrative experience in the churches they served, musical talents, and a strong supportive role while Dave served in full-time ministry.    

Exciting things are happening in Indianapolis.  There are several small Anglican congregations in the surrounding area already doing good work, a few new Anglican fellowships just getting started and the potential for more to be planted in Indianapolis and the surrounding region.  Their bishop and other leaders see this area as a region where faithful Bible-centered, Spirit empowered and sacramentally rooted communities can be planted and ought to grow and flourish.  

To join the team of other faithful ministers in this area, they are proposing the establishment of a full-time Network Leader/Church Planter position.  This position will help support the existing works by coaching, offering encouragement and establishing an active and functional leadership network.  This role would include providing pastoral support to area clergy in partnership with the Bishop in times of personal and family crisis and provide someone who is thinking and acting strategically to establish new work in the area.  

Often good coaches are good because they are practicing the work while they coach.  To that end, the Kulchars intend to join the people of All Souls Anglican Mission in Whitestown and help them grow their small house church into a thriving multiplying Anglican church ministry.  Using a  home group discipleship and leader mentoring model, members will minister to each other and impact the communities where they gather.   Our goal is to grow multiple groups which gather on Sundays around the Table of the Lord for teaching, worship, sharing and ministry.  

To enable the Kulchars to serve in this pioneering mission,  we (All Souls and the Kulchars) together need to raise $80,000 annually for the first two years.  The Lord has already provided us with a foundational pledge amount of $25,000.  We would like to ask you or your church or institution to become partners with us to help launch this work.  Please pray about this and please consider making a one time gift, or a monthly pledge to support this pioneering ministry for a 2 year startup period beginning July 2016.  It is our prayer that by the summer of 2018 the ministry will have grown through both conversion and new member growth so that this ministry will be fully self-supporting.

For those who contribute to this work, we pledge to keep you informed and up to date with how the Lord is using your charitable gift to help us advance the work with All Souls and the Indy Anglican Network.  We will be sending out regular progress reports via email, Facebook, and a Blog post which will include occasional video updates. For churches and other groups,  Dave would be eager to visit as needed to share about the impact of your support of new church    development in hopes of fostering a vision for supporting new work planting even after this Indy Project is self-supporting.  Each January, we will provide annual records of contribution to each donor for tax purposes.   

Tax Deductible Contributions can be sent via check and made out to:  All Souls Anglican

mailing address:    6702 E 535 S, Whitestown, IN 46075

Online Giving via Paypal:     http://www.indyanglican.net/giving.html

With your first contribution please send us an email address and phone number where we can reach you and where contribution records can be sent online or via regular mail.  

If you are feeling led to partner with us with a regular pledge please inform us of your intentions by sending us an email, text or by phone.  (810) 964-0432 or dkulchar1@sbcglobal.net 

Rev Dave+ Kulchar Spiritual Bio

Deb and I are feeling that the Lord is opening up the door to serve as the Anglican church planter with All Souls Anglican and serve the wider fellowship as network facilitator as the Spirit grows many new and existing ministries in middle Indiana and the Indy area.  To help people learn a little about who we are I have recorded the following introduction video link.  (Click on this link)

Meet Rev. Dave+ Kulchar

If we are to come and serve we need to raise funds and pledges to meet our support and expense for the first 2 years at $80,000 a year.  So we are now working in a fundraising phase of the project.  This means we are working with All Souls Anglican Church starting the process of gathering and meeting with people who might like to be part of growing this new work.  Our goal is to reach new people with the love of Christ though a Word & Sacrament focused ministry.  If you would like to support this work for this start up period of 1 to 3 years or if you would like to be part of this exciting new effort as a Launch Team member, then  contact Todd & Elise Durell or Dave & Deb Kulchar (810) 964-0432.

Week #17 - Phase 2

Week #17 - Phase 2

Last week Deb and I returned from a trip to the New Wineskins 2016 Missionary Conference.  This triennial event is designed to encourage and promote world missions and featured mostly Anglican Mission agencies.  I am in the process of joining a Mission Society called NAMS which stands for “New Anglican Mission Society”.   It is an order of  Church Planters, both here and abroad, that have committed themselves to planting disciple-making multiplying churches.  

Jon Shuler, the “Servant General” of the NAMS, he is like the abbot who has been recruiting, training and coaching church planters for many years.  In 1994 he founded NAMS and launched it as a ministry to help plant new churches in North America.  NAMS was publicly introduced to the church at the first Wineskins Conference that year. Jon then helped me in 2005 as a coach when I first started New Wine in Flint after I attended one of his NAMS bootcamps for church planters.  I sat under his counsel and leadership for 2 years until we formed a new AMIA network in the upper Midwest.  In recent years NAMS has taken on a global vision and formed an order or society of church planters much like the societies of Franciscans in the Roman tradition or Society of St Luke, a healing ministry order, in the Anglican church.  I am feeling very drawn to become a “Companion” in this order.   This would be an intentional and public commitment  to spend the remainder of my ministry years supporting, mentoring and praying for those who are starting new works throughout the Anglican Church and specifically in the ACNA.   I see it as very appropriate that I might enter this second order fellowship at a time where the Lord seems to be opening the door for Deb and I to embark on one more church planting effort.  

On the return trip from New Wineskins we spent several days in Indianapolis continuing to help All Souls Anglican Fellowship develop a plan to call a church planter on the northwestern side of Indy, as well as help build a network of like-minded Anglicans who can develop Word & Sacrament congregations around Indiana’s largest city.   

We now are entering Phase 2 of the project, the fund raising phase. If enough pledged funds can be raised for a 2 to 3 year start up phase, Deb and I can see ourselves serving in this new position.   My years of ministry in the Anglican Communion as a lay youth pastor and ordained clergy has prepared me for this Network/Church planter role we envision in our vision document published earlier in the Blog.  With this experience and because of my passion for small group ministry and leadership development  I feel well prepared to help create and grow a Cell-Celebration  or Relationship based missional community on the Northwest side of town.

We have set a fund raising goal of $80,000 annually for the first 2 years of start up.  The initial core group from ALL Soul’s will pledge the foundation funding.  We will then be inviting several people who have expressed interest in supporting the development of a new work to one of several vision casting dinner meetings asking them to commit to this new Church start up enterprise.  We hope to hold these meetings in May and early June.  We are compiling this list at this time and invite all to recommend contacts who might join us.  Next we will explore funding through a wider ring of support within the region and diocese of the Great Lakes.  For example, just last week I heard of a special grant program from one of our churches in Lexington, KY that Indy Network would be eligible for in January of 2017.  

Sensing that the Lord wants Deb and I to be ready to move when the time comes, we are putting our home of 11 years up for sale this week.  We are asking that it sells for a fair price and at the right time.  

Please remember us in prayer and if you want to know more about this project please call (810) 964-0432.