King Avenue Digest 3/25/22

March 24, 2022

CENTENNIAL CONTEMPLATIONS (Read ALL of the questions and answers on our Centennial Contemplations page.)

  • Q3: When was our lot on the corner of King and Neil purchased?

  • A3: Our lot was purchased in 1889 for $5,500.00. The first church, “The Old Stone Chapel”, was dedicated on December 23, 1889 and faced King Avenue.

  • Q4: How many church buildings have stood on this lot prior to our current building?

UPCOMING EVENTS AND NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • EASTER FLOWER ORDERS - Deadline Fast Approaching! Due to supply chain issues, all Easter flower orders are due Wednesday, March 30. The dedications will be displayed in our bulletins and online on Easter, April 17. Please complete a separate order for each flower you are ordering. Total payment may be made on Realm, placed in the offering plate, or mailed to the church office. Thank you! CLICK HERE TO ORDER.

  • Change in Masking Policy - Aligned to new CDC guidelines, the City of Columbus recently lifted its universal mask mandate. In light of this change, King Avenue Church will be moving from masking required to masking OPTIONAL. Please know that your decision to mask or not mask is a decision you make for you and your family. We encourage everyone to support one another and treat one another with empathy and kindness. There will be no mask-shaming either way! Online worship will continue to be an option for those not quite ready for in-person worship, those who are not feeling well, or those who have been exposed to COVID-19.

  • Response to Anti-Gay & Trans Legislation - In light of the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ bill (HB 1557) in Florida and the directive by Texas Governor Greg Abbott that denigrates the lives of the LGBTQIA+ community and threatens the lives of transgender children and their families, the pastors, staff, and congregation of King Avenue United Methodist Church offer this response. CLICK TO READ MORE

  • Coffee Hour - Preparations are being made to restart Coffee Hour! We need teams of responsible and committed volunteers interested in showing radical hospitality to our members and guests. Our team of “baristas” begin brewing at 8 am on Sunday mornings for Morning Blend, and 10 am for the Coffee Hour before traditional service. Congregants will certainly appreciate coming early to enjoy fellowship you help to provide! If you are interested in assisting with this ministry, please contact Pastor Becky (becky@kingave.org) or Pastor Andy (andy@kingave.org).

  • UMOCOR Global Response: Ukraine - Support the people in Ukraine by making a gift to UMCOR’s international disaster response. 100% of your donation goes to the cause. CLICK TO GIVE.

  • March NNEMAP/Hubbard Item of the Month - Each month, we are going to focus our donations on specific items for NNEMAP pantry and Hubbard Elementary School. For the month of March, NNEMAP needs razors and baby food and Hubbard Elementary needs composition books (black and white, not spiral bound), and boys and girls underwear. You can bring your donations with you on Sundays in February - there will be a place to leave them in the back of the worship space.

  • Holy Week & Easter Worship - Gather with your King Avenue family in-person or online for worship. Palm Sunday - April 12 at 9am & 11am; Maundy Thursday Worship - April 14 at 7pm; Good Friday Tenebrae Worship - April 15 at 7pm; Easter Sunday Worship - April 17 at 9am & 11am.

  • March 27: Special Offering - March 27 is UMCOR Sunday. United Methodist churches around the world collect funds on this special offering that pay administrative costs to run the UMCOR organization. Please consider giving generously to this offering, so 100% of people's donations can continue to go toward helping those who need it most. Thank you!

  • March 27: Race and The Intersection of LGBTQIA+ Identities - King Avenue UMC wants to address racism and create spaces for storytelling and discussion so that we can dismantle the white supremacy that exists in our community. One of the ways we’re going to be about this work is through regular panel discussions with experts in the field and/or people with real-life experience with the issues we focus on. Our second panel discussion will be on March 27, 7-9pm. We will focus on the intersection between race and LGBTQIA+ identity. The panel will include several area community leaders with real-life experience living in this intersection.

  • March 27: Lit Club - Join Lit Club on March 27 at 7:00pm to discuss Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy (parlor only). Check out the books ahead and consider joining the conversation. All are welcome. April 24 - The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (parlor and Zoom); May 29 - Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (parlor only); June 26 - The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom (parlor and Zoom)

  • April 8 Youth Pizza and Eggs Fun Night - On April 8 from 6-8:30pm (King Ave UMC- Donnenwirth Lounge), youth grades 6-12 are invited to hang out for pizza, fellowship and some Easter egg-stuffing fun! We’ll eat pizza and make treat bags to use at the Holy Week kick-off event for the younger kids. Please let Erin know if you are coming by Wednesday, April 6.

  • April 9: Support Spectrum in the AIDS Walk Ohio - Help us make a difference for those living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS, and support your own King Avenue Spectrum Team. The 2022 AIDS Walk Ohio will take place in downtown Columbus on April 9, 2022. AIDS Walk Ohio is one of the largest opportunities for the public to give back in this capacity. Over 1,000 people from across the state will come together to raise critical funds for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs. In just the past eight years, AIDS Walk Ohio has raised over $2 million for AIDS service organizations in Ohio, including Equitas Health, who produces the event and is the primary beneficiary. At Equitas Health, funds raised support HIV/AIDS medical care and treatment, HIV prevention (which includes PrEP), and a variety of other services like primary care, behavioral health counseling, and dental care—one of the most unmet needs of those living with HIV. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO SPECTRUM TEAM.

  • April 10 at 12pm: Holy Week Kick-off Celebration and Lunch - RSVP to erin@kingave.org by April 3 if your family will attend a luncheon to celebrate and prepare for the upcoming Holy Week. We’ll have a light lunch, enjoy a special Godly Play story and do some Easter crafts!

  • No Sunday School on Easter: Please note that there will be no Sunday School on Easter Sunday, April 17.

  • April 20: Senior Living Options Presentation - Join your fellow retirees on Wednesday, April 20 from 11:30 to 1:00 in the Chapel for a presentation by the Columbus Area Agency for Aging. The presentation will outline services that will help seniors stay in their home.

CONTINUING NEWS

  • We're Hiring! We are hiring in the nursery. Hang out with our amazing King Avenue babies and toddlers and get paid to do it! See Erin for more information or contact her at Erin@kingave.org.

  • Real People Real Parenting Small Group Devotional Booklet - Vincent Van Gogh and the Beauty of Lent: A Lenten Devotional is available in the Fireside Room during the 10am hour or by contacting erin@kingave.org.

  • Lent-At-Home for Families - Printed copies of Bless This Mess Lent Activity Calendar are available in the Children’s Hallway (lower level), on the CYFM resource tables in the Fellowship Hall and Milling Area or by contacting erin@kingave.org.

  • COVID Safety Measures - We remind congregants that we provide online worship each Sunday. Online worship is a meaningful option if you’ve had exposure, are experiencing symptoms, or have received a positive COVID test result. Being mindful of our risk to others is part of our inclusive nature of loving and caring for one another by temporarily stepping away from in-person worship so we may avoid exposing others. If you feel concerned or are at-risk for serious illness and want to explore a safer worship environment, we encourage you to do so. Our online worship site can be found directly at bit.ly/ka-church-online , or by clicking on the button on our main website kingave.org . Our online worship is live-streamed, and can be visited on-demand at the conclusion of the service.

  • Chancel Flowers for Worship - If you are interested in signing up to donate Chancel Flowers for worship, please use this form. You can specify that your flowers be listed in the bulletin in memory or honor of a person or notable event. The arrangement is yours to take home at the end of that Sunday's service.

  • Rent and Utility Assistance - Are you experiencing hardship as a result of COVID-19? Let us help! Go to https://columbus.applyforhope.com/home, scroll to The Stable Housing Initiative (LifeCare Alliance ERA 1), and click Apply. 
To be eligible, you must be a Franklin County resident, have an income at or below 80% of the area median income, and be delinquent on rent or utilities due to hardship as a result of COVID-19. 
DOWNLOAD THE FLYER FOR MORE DETAILS.

FAITH FORMATION, FELLOWSHIP, AND SUPPORT

  • Lent Book Study - Our midweek book study for the season of Lent is under way. We are reading Mosaic: When God Uses All the Pieces by Shane Stanford to guide our Lenten journey. In this study, we explore how God takes the broken pieces of our lives, all our discarded hopes and dreams, and transforms them into something beautiful and useful - a mosaic with all the pieces brought together. This class meets on Tuesdays at 5:30pm on Zoom only (Meeting ID: 870 8586 9216 Passcode: 189549), running March 8 and continuing every week in the season of Lent.

  • Coming Out with God - Coming Out With God (COWG) is a peer-to-peer support group for LGBTQIA+ Christians. Many of us struggle with aligning our faith and our identity, especially after experiencing religious trauma. We may have anxiety when we think about coming out to other Christians in our lives. This confidential, drop-in group will discuss a variety of topics related to the challenges of coming out to ourselves and others. God loves and celebrates the authentic and unique you! COWG will meet twice a month (first and third Mondays) in the Logos lounge at 7pm. COWG is designed with adults in mind. LGBTQIA+ support is available for children, youth and families at King Avenue. Please contact Erin Kendall (erin@kingave.org) or Gwen DeRosa (gwendolyn.derosa@gmail.com).

  • Ongoing Children, Youth, Family Opportunities - Check our website for our ongoing opportunities for Children, Youth, and Families. This includes our ongoing children and youth Christian education, faith formation, community and fellowship, and ways you can stay connected. CLICK HERE for our Children, Youth, and Family Page on the King Avenue website.

  • Last Sundays of the Month at 7pm: Lit Club - Join the Lit Club on the last Sunday of each month. All are welcome! Simply read the book of the month, and get together to talk about it. Here are the upcoming books and dates: 2/27 The Guest Book, by Sarah Blake (Parlor and Zoom); 3/27 Migrations, by Charlotte McConaghy (Parlor); 4/24 The House in the Cerulean Sea, by T.J. Klune (Parlor and Zoom).

OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP

  • March NNEMAP/Hubbard Item of the Month - Each month, we are going to focus our donations on specific items for NNEMAP pantry and Hubbard Elementary School. For the month of March, NNEMAP needs razors and baby food and Hubbard Elementary needs composition books (black and white, not spiral bound), and boys and girls underwear. You can bring your donations with you on Sundays in February - there will be a place to leave them in the back of the worship space.

  • Lunch Packing - King Avenue packs lunches for the Open Shelter on several Tuesdays and Thursdays, and occasionally on Wednesdays... 35 times in 2022. All hands on deck for packing 200-400 lunches at a time! CLICK HERE for the schedule, and join when you're able. All days/dates are 6:00pm in the King Avenue kitchen. Many hands make light work!

  • Volunteering on Sundays - Hey King Avenue Families! There are still opportunities for you to volunteer in Sunday morning children’s programming by leading youth Sunday School or learning Godly Play storytelling. Contact Gwen at gwendolyn.derosa@gmail.com if you are interested in learning more.

  • Hiring King Avenue Childcare Staff - Childcare staff positions available in the King Avenue UMC nursery. Must be 19 years of age, provide proof of vaccination and complete a background check. Experience with babies and toddlers up to age 3 is preferred. Hours: Sundays from 8:30am-12:30pm. Starts at $13/hr. Contact Erin Kendall (erin@kingave.org) for more information and to apply.

  • Serve as an Acolyte - Are you interested in participating in worship as an acolyte? We have opportunities during 9am and 11am for anyone who is at least 10 years old (adults can acolyte, too!) to serve King Avenue as an acolyte. Please contact Erin Kendall (erin@kingave.org) to join in this ministry opportunity.

  • Ushers and Greeters Needed - Be the first friendly face someone sees at church! Our ushers and greeters keep folks safe and make them feel welcome. If you would like to help with this important ministry, please email Pastor Andy - andy@kingave.org.

  • Audio-Visual Volunteers Needed - We are always looking for some folks who would like to learn how to help with live streaming our 9:30 and 11:00 services. You don’t need a lot of experience; we will train you! Please email Pastor Andy - andy@kingave.org if you are interested.

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