Limo Service in Westfield, IN

By Debra L. Volz

PublishedJune 6, 2024 at 9:10 AM

First Congregational Church of Westfield has journeyed an inspiring and, at times, uncomfortable path during the worship series “Emerge: A Metamorphosis Moment,” exploring the process of transformation of the caterpillar into a butterfly. The butterfly has a long history, dating back to before it was adopted by Christian circles as a symbol for resurrection.

We have been encouraged to trust in the dark where transformation begins ... to break out of the safety of our comfort zones. .. to emerge from our cocoons when we don’t know what lies ahead... to celebrate the effort that breaking into new life takes… to imagine unfolding our wings and claiming our space... and to leave behind what we don’t need as we make the final transformation toward flight.

After journeying for seven weeks towards a new life of transformation, the day is here! We leap forward into the winds of adventure, ready to soar to new heights and break away from the things that have kept us bound.

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FCC Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. Jennifer Hrynyk declares, "Come, catch a headwind, and rise up to freedom so that we might fly! All are welcome for worship at 10am when we celebrate the culmination of our journey, spread our wings, and fly into the world!”

Following worship, FCC welcomes all to its annual spring picnic, where butterflies will be released as the culmination of this epic journey.

All are welcome for the 10am worship in the sanctuary at 125 Elmer Street, Westfield, and to the picnic that follows.

The service will also be livestreamed on Facebook. Church members and visitors have found this to be a fulfilling option if in-person participation is not possible, as links to the order of worship, including prayer and announcements, are provided. Simply visit the FCC Facebook page (@FCCWestfield) or click the link on the website (fccofwestfield.org). All services in this series have been and will be posted upon their conclusion on the FCC Facebook page for continued viewing and sharing.

FCC is a welcoming, inclusive, open-minded Christian community that has discovered the freedom and joy a spiritual life offers. Our ministry is committed to sharing God’s love through service to others, thought-provoking worship, and fostering faith among generations.

We aspire to nourish the individual on their spiritual journey; explore the intersection of community and faith; and remain faithful to God’s vision in a changing world.

First Congregational Church is located at 125 Elmer Street, Westfield. For additional information on worship services, outreach efforts, youth education and programs for all ages, please call 908-233-2494 or visit fccofwestfield.org, and follow FCC on Facebook @FCCWestfield.

OUR FOUNDATION FCC was built on the foundational concepts of: • Gathering in faith; • Self-governance; • Service to God and community

OUR PURPOSE We are a welcoming, inclusive, open-minded Christian community that has discovered the freedom and joy a spiritual life offers. Our ministry is committed to sharing God’s love through service to others, thought-provoking worship, and fostering faith among generations.

OUR VISION We aspire to: • Nourish the individual on their spiritual journey; • Explore the intersection of community and faith; • Remain faithful to God’s vision in a changing world.

By STU CLAMPITT news@readthereporter.com

Nicole Amsler is a playwright, an occasional actress, and in recent years also a director. Most of her work directing has been with Hyperion Players, but this week she’s bringing her experience and enthusiasm to Westfield for a classic play set in 1938.

Main Street Productions (MSP) is staging You Can’t Take It With You from May 30 through June 9 at Basile Westfield Playhouse, 220 N. Union St.

“It’s about the young couple falling in love and dealing with their families,” Amsler said. “The Vanderhoff family is very eccentric. Grandpa has shunned any kind of traditional work and they all just kind of do what they want.”

According to Amsler, the story hinges around Alice, a secretary who has fallen in love with her boss. She brings him home to her quirky family and is planning to have her future in-laws, the Kirby family, come over for dinner.

“She was trying to make them look very normal and sedate and remove the printing presses and the xylophones and the snakes and all this kind of stuff,” Amsler said. “Then the Kirbys show up on the wrong night and everything goes wrong.”

Amsler said she chose this play because she loves the quirkiness of the Vanderhoff family and she was looking forward to directing a large cast on a stage as big as the one at Basile Westfield Playhouse.

“Nobody wants to see me on stage,” Amsler told The Reporter. “I’m much better backstage bossing people around. I liked this show – unwisely – for how big it was, because there’s such a big stage for Westfield and I could accommodate a cast of 19. I’m used to four or six, so I did like that. I’m now kind of regretting that. That’s a lot of people to get on the stage. And when I had to climb the 18-foot ladder to wallpaper my stage, I really regretted making an 18-foot-tall set. But Westfield is a fantastic place for that.”

For all that, Amsler told The Reporter she has a great cast that has come together not only for the show itself, but also to pitch in for the tall and busy-looking set. Actors have, at Amsler’s request, been bringing in pieces to add to the Vanderhoffs’ eccentric home.

“The set is fantastic,” Amsler said. “It’s huge – 18 feet tall – but because they’re so chaotic, every single wall is covered with something. I think we have 400 props and art pieces on the wall. Because I have a cast of 19, I told them all to bring me something fascinating and interesting to put on the wall. We have swords. We have flags. We have school pictures of a cast member’s grandmother graduating from high school. We have a jackalope. We have peacock fans. We have music. We have an original 1938 poster with Burns and Allen. So it’s a massive set and has a very, very fun look.”

You Can’t Take It With You is on stage from May 30 through June 9 at Basile Westfield Playhouse, 220 N. Union St. Go to BasileWestfieldPlayhouse.org/showstickets or call (317) 402-3341 for tickets.

Keep an eye out for seemingly subversive chocolates in the lobby at intermission. By that point, audiences will understand the joke.

Photo by Rob Slaven / IndyGhostLight.com

With the Bank Holiday coming up there are a number of changes to opening times for loads of supermarkets, shopping stores and public attractions.

The second Bank Holiday in May is a lovely day off for many of us despite the weather not looking too nice at the moment. Many stores have changed their times but it is not a blanket rule for many places, with individual stores having differing times.

Below, MyLondon has made note of many of the opening and closing times over the Bank Holiday for many popular supermarkets and London attractions so that you aren't caught short.

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On Saturday and Sunday, Lidl stores will operate their normal hours. And then on Bank Holiday Monday, generally, Lidl stores will be open between 7am or 8am to 10pm.

Aldi have said that their opening times are on Saturday 25 from 8am to 10pm, Sunday 26 from 10am to 4pm and then from 8am to 8pm on Bank Holiday Monday. They do say you should check your local stores' times yourself just because they may differ.

Stores tend to be open between 8am and 8pm on Bank Holiday Monday, however, those opening and closing times can differ from store to store though and can depend on size and location. The weekend hours are like normal

Many of the large stores will operate with reduced hours on Monday, opening either at 6am or 7am and closing by 8pm. Again, the weekend hours are as normal.

Asda will run normal hours on May 25 and 26. On Bank holiday Monday, stores will be operating at reduced hours and close at 10pm.

Both the Stratford and Shepherd's Bush Westfield will be open at normal times over the Bank Holiday weekend. On Saturday they are open 10am to 9pm, on Sunday from 12pm to 6pm and on Bank Holiday Monday from 10am to 9pm.

They do say that individual opening times for shops inside the store may differ.

The London Eye is open from 10am to 8.30pm on both Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May. On Bank Holiday Monday the Eye is also open from 10am to 8.30pm.

On Saturday 25, Sunday 26 and Bank Holiday Monday, the London Dungeons are open from 10am to 6pm as usual.

The Tate Modern will not have any changes from normal opening times over the Bank Holiday. It is open from 10am to 6pm on Saturday 25, Sunday 26 and Bank Holiday Monday.

If you want your chance to see all the wonders that the Natural History Museum has then you attend from 10am to 5.50pm over the whole weekend and Bank Holiday Monday. You should not that last entry to the museum is at 5.30pm.

Just round the corner from the Natural History Museum is the Science Museum which will be open from 10am to 6pm over the whole Bank Holiday. Last entry for this museum is 5.15pm

The British Museum opens it doors daily at 10am and closes them at 5pm (apart from on Fridays when it closes at 5.30pm). This is the same for the whole Bank Holiday with last entry being at 4.45.

Stay up to date with London's most exciting events, newest restaurants and latest deals with our What's On newsletter, Going Out Out. You can sign up HERE.

(ABOVE LEFT) Jackson Snyder enjoys chasing bubbles. (ABOVE CENTER) Blake Petesch is ready to gather eggs. (ABOVE RIGHT) Event volunteer Gabe Goddard gets carried away with the Easter bunny. (Reporter photos by Amy Adams)

By AMY ADAMS news@readthereporter.com

The Westfield Easter Egg Drop on Saturday, March 23, marked the 12^th year of the tradition, with anywhere from 50,000 to 70,000 eggs being dropped from a helicopter or scattered on the fields at Grand Park Sports Campus.

Avery Cordell has her face painted by Girl Scout Troop 1621 volunteer Corgan Sprunger. (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)

Around 2,500 pre-registered kids and family members braved the unseasonably cold day either in the morning or afternoon to gather eggs as well as enjoy bounce houses, games, face painting, and more – all for free. An added surprise this year, two helicopters, rather than the one used in the past, dropped eggs during each event. Then, once kids gathered eggs, they could turn them in for a gift bag filled with candy and prizes. The eggs are collected, stored, and reused, with the addition of around 5,000 eggs each year.

“The Easter Egg Drop is one of NSpire Church’s biggest and most long-standing community events,” Senior Pastor Matt Gaylor said. “Spire means life, breath, wind, or spirit. As a church, we want to breathe life into the community. It’s a way to love our neighbors.”

Duck. Duck. Duck. Bunny! (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)

To pull off the event, Gaylor said it took more than 100 volunteers from their three campuses, as well as sponsors Chick-Fil-A, All Dry Water & Mold Remediation, Central Indiana Insulation, Garage Doors of Indianapolis, Azure Plastic Surgery & Med Spa, Beau Benjamin Realty Group, Academy Chariot Automotive Group, Hoosier Spray Foam, Pro X Development, Shiners’ Club Preschool, Texas Roadhouse, Dean Ballenger Auto Home Life, Gaylor Contracting, and Conforti Photography.

NSpire Church Westfield is located at 18097 Sun Park Drive. The church also holds a Sunday service in Tipton at the CW Mount Community Center and a Spanish-speaking service, known as NSpire Iglesia, at the Westfield location. Easter services will be held at the Westfield location at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, and at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 31, in Westfield and in Tipton. NSpire Iglesia will meet on Easter Sunday at 4 p.m. in Westfield.

For more information, visit nspire.church.

It takes between 50,000 and 70,000 plastic Easter eggs to make the Egg Drop a success. (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)

Westfield High School is losing Jake Gilbert as football coach.

The Wabash College alumnus and standout WHS coach is going back to his alma mater to join the coaching staff as defensive coordinator for the 2024 season. Thereafter, Gilbert will take over for Don Morel as the head coach in 2025.

Gilbert has posted a 103-55 record in 13 seasons at Westfield since 2011, including a 43-10 mark (.811) over the last four seasons. Along the way, Gilbert’s Shamrocks claimed three Hoosier Crossroads Conference (HCC) titles, made eight state playoff appearances, and won the 2016 Class 5A state championship. Thirty-six of his players earned all-state honors and 43 were named academic all-state.

“My purpose is to love, lead, and have a positive impact on others,” said Gilbert. “This opportunity allows me to give back to the place that taught me how to live that way. I’ve been hungry for a new challenge, and I’m honored that Coach Morel, Matt Tanney, and President Scott Feller consider me worthy to work alongside them. We have a shared vision of fulfilling the special mission of the College.”

On the field, Gilbert’s success has led to a trophy case full of honors. His accolades include being named HCC Coach of the Year three times (2013, 2020, and 2021), the Indiana Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year twice (2013 and 2016), and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Indiana Coach of the Year in 2017. Gilbert was selected to coach in the Indiana All-Star game in 2014 and 2024. He has served as president, vice president, and director of the Indiana Football Coaches Association.

He was twice the Midwest winner and national finalist for the American Football Coaches Association Power of Influence Award (2020 and 2021), which honors coaches for the positive impact they have on their team, as well as the legacy they leave with the school and surrounding community.

Gilbert is actively involved in the lives of his students and in the Westfield community. He created a freshman mentoring program for the Life Ready Initiative at WHS. He served on the City Council, ran for mayor of Westfield and was a board member of the Heart and Soul Free Clinic from 2020-23. Gilbert was president of the Wellbeing Coalition of Westfield, an organization that exists to address community well-being issues through a collaborative approach. He was named the Westfield Community Volunteer of the Year in 2023.

From 2006-10, Gilbert served as an assistant coach at Wabash, handling offensive line duties in 2006-07 and serving as the defensive coordinator from 2008-10. In that span, the Little Giants posted a 46-10 (.821) record with three NCAA Division III Playoff appearances.

Gilbert was the head coach at North Montgomery High School in Crawfordsville for six seasons beginning in 2001. While there, four of his players earned all-state accolades, while 10 garnered academic all-state honors.

He got his start in coaching at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis under legendary coach Dick Dullaghan, where he served as an assistant coach for two seasons during which time the Giants won 26 games and captured the Class 5A state championship (1999).

Gilbert graduated from Wabash in 1998 with a degree in history and earned a master’s degree in education from Purdue University in 1998. He and his wife, Christina, have three sons, Jackson, Logan, and Tyson.

“With Coach Morel and Coach Gilbert, Wabash is fortunate to have leadership of the football program with an unwavering commitment to its present and long-term success,” said Tanney. “It’s an exciting day to welcome Coach Gilbert back to campus. His on-field success, combined with his passion for preparing men for life after football, is a superb match for our athletics program. In a program with consistently high aspirations, Coach Morel sustained a winning tradition for eight years and contributed much to the life of the College. I look forward to partnering with both Don and Jake to support our scholar-athletes’ pursuit of academic and athletic excellence.”