may 2019
May was another exciting month for Northern Indiana Atheists as we hit the ground running after the exciting American Atheists convention. After winning the award for Affiliate of the Year we didn’t take it as a sign that we’ve arrived and needed to relax. In fact, we were motivated to increase our efforts to step up our efforts to fight against homelessness and raise money for two organizations close to the fight. We helped organize a rally for reproductive rights. We went out and spoke on podcasts reaching out as far as Australia to talk about the ways religion continues to insert itself in the lives of everyday Americans and how we are fighting for plurality and secularism in our little pocket of the nation. We look forward to what’s ahead and appreciate all the support, both monetary and in sweat.
ACTIVISM
atheists keep their community clean
On May 1st, several Northern Indiana Atheist board members and local atheists showed up with trash bags in hand to clean up the Elkhart Environmental Center trails. The event was also a social gathering where individuals talked about issues related to the local atheist movement. Thankfully the rain had let up by the time we got started. Some of the trails were flooded, but we were able to collect a lot of trash.
COMMUNITY
supporting organizations that help the homeless
On May 19th and 25th, NIA teamed up with Michiana Five for the Homeless and Operation TreeHouse to rally for the homeless and advocate for the ethical treatment of the people being evicted from Goshen’s tent city. NIA provided signs for the protest and set up matching funds to donate up to $1,000 towards Operation TreeHouse and Michiana Five for the Homeless.
education
i’d love to have a beer with!
Northern Indiana Atheist’s VP and Co-Founder, Daniel Dick, sat down with Jason Topping as a guest on his podcast, I’d Love to Have a Beer With! They discussed the changing demographics of non-believers in America and the emergence of new and vibrant grass roots atheist activism.
mindful skeptics podcast
Daniel was also a guest on the Mindful Skeptics Podcast with Boyce Littlefield where they talked about the activism and social community efforts being done by Northern Indiana Atheists and Daniel’s experiences growing up in a faith healing cult and ultimately rejecting religion all together.
there is no godcast
Noah Bush dropped a dynamic interview he had with Fil Session, from The Atheist Experience to discuss religion, spirituality, and community service.
links to educational resources
We have a lot of atheist and secular resource links on our website: https://northernindianaatheists.com/education/ - If there are other educational resources you would like to see us promote, please let us know.
SOCIAL
atheist brewtalk
On Thursday, May 16th, NIA hosted another Atheist BrewTalk in Goshen, Indiana at the Goshen Brewing Company. Members and allies enjoyed delicious food and beverages with members of NIA. This is a monthly event at a family-friendly venue, so everyone is welcome.
coffee & conversation
On Thursday, May 23rd, NIA hosted another of our Coffee & Conversation events at the Electric Brew in Elkhart, Indiana. This is another monthly event where everyone is welcome. We've have new people show up every time and the conversations are always interesting.
join us at one of our social events
Join our Meetup Group and watch for future events!
https://www.meetup.com/Northern-Indiana-Atheists/
Upcoming Events
June 1st, Rally for Reproductive Rights, 5:30pm, Elkhart County Courthouse
June 2, Hail Satan?, 2:00pm, The Riviera Theatre, Three Rivers, Michigan
June 8th, INDY Pride, Indianapolis
June 15th, South Bend Pride Festival
June 20th, Atheists BrewTalk, 6:00pm, Goshen Brewing Company
June 26th, NIA Coffee and Conversation, 6pm, Elkhart Electric Brew
June 27th, NIA Five Guys Fundraiser, Mishawaka
June 29th, NIA at Michigan City Pride
June 29th, No Place for Hate, 2pm Rogers Park, Goshen