King Avenue Digest 5/29/21

May 29, 2021

UPCOMING EVENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND IMMINENT EVENTS

  • Let's Celebrate Colleen! This Sunday, May 30 is Colleen's last Sunday at King Avenue before she moves to her new appointment at Bexley UMC! We look forward to worshipping together with Colleen this last time.

  • Updated Safety Protocols - As we continue to live through this ongoing pandemic, we are aware that many of the safeguards which have been a part of our daily activities are being lifted or are changing. We wanted to update you on how King Avenue Church is maintaining our commitment to safety within our church. READ MORE

  • Welcome back to King Avenue! Beginning June 1, King Avenue Church will re-open on a limited basis for in-person meetings. Attached are the guidelines. If your group is interested in using a room at King Avenue, please contact Amy Ashburn at amy@kingave.org or 614-424-6050x 100.

  • May 30 at 7pm: Heartsong Benefit Concert - Join King Avenue's own Heartsong for a benefit concert on May 30 in King Avenue Church. This benefit is part of Jason Bradley-Krauss's LLS Man & Woman of the Year Campaign in Chris Bradley's name. All donations go to Leukemia and Lymphoma research. In order to ensure social distancing, please email BRKRfundraiserReservations@gmail.com to reserve your space. CLICK FOR DETAILS.

  • May 30: Lit Club - The King Avenue Lit Club meets the last Sunday of the month at 7pm to discuss the month's book. All are welcome! This month's book is Caste: The Origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. The group will be meet in Logos Lounge OR you can join the Zoom Meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84317079488?pwd=cHd6UXdXMkFTalJBRGl1VTY0SFJaQT09 Meeting ID: 843 1707 9488 Passcode: 534202.

  • Sunday Parking - As always, our two lots on the south and west sides of the building are available. Street parking on all the surrounding streets is also permitted for free. The city neither charges nor tows on Sundays. At present we are not using the OSU lot on Pennsylvania Avenue. The H2O lot next door to our church is not for our use.

  • Celebrating our High School Graduates - We are celebrating high school graduates of King Avenue this month! You are encouraged to shower our grads with cards during this exciting time. Congratulations to Ella, daughter of Jason and Julie Hazelbaker; Sallie, daughter of James and Molly Stafa; and Ellie, daughter of Zena Trout and Beth Savage. If you would like to send them well wishes, please contact the church office or Erin Kendall at erin@kingave.org for their mailing addresses.

  • Saturday, June 12: John Keeny's Own Sidewalk PRIDE March - So a little birdie (Susan Keeny) told us how much John misses the annual pride parade -so let’s have one in honor of his retirement! On Saturday, June 12th at 11:30 we will have a sidewalk parade going in front the Keeny’s residence on King Ave. Details of the parade route are forthcoming, but in the meantime start pulling out your pride wear and let’s get creative with signs, posters, balloons, decorate your bikes add wagons and let’s have a parade!!

  • June 19: Volunteering at the Juneteenth Celebration - As a non-profit, civil rights organization, Black Liberation Movement Central Ohio (BLMCO) is thrilled to organize the Juneteenth Jubilee festival in Columbus, Ohio. Juneteenth is the annual celebration of the emancipation of enslaved Africans in America. We need volunteers for the King Avenue tent (set-up, host, and clean-up) from noon to 7 pm. King Avenue has another opportunity to support the Black community of Columbus by being part of the clean-up crew during the festival. Contact Gwen at gwendolyn.derosa@gmail.com to get more information. CLICK TO LEARN MORE

CONTINUING NEWS

  • Photographers Needed! The Stewardship Committee is seeking photographers for church events. It could be as easy as photographing events you attend. If you are interested, contact Andy Poole at poole73@hotmail.com.

  • Book Table - "Of making many books there is no end." Ecclesiastes 12:12 Beginning May 16, Pastor Keeny will have a table(s) set up in the parlor to give away many of his books. They are free for the taking. Please stop by for that out-of-print commentary or popular novel. Supplies will be refreshed weekly.

  • Stained Glass Window Repair! Your Comprehensive Campaign moneys are already being put to work! The stained glass window repair has begun. Check out the pictures of the King Avenue WWI windows at the bottom of this page.

  • Realm Photo Project - As we all know, we are saying farewell to John and Colleen, and will be welcoming Becky and Andy to our King Avenue family. In the interest of making the transition as easy as possible for our new ministers, we are encouraging you to make sure you have a photo of yourself associated with your Realm account. Being able to put a face with a name is an important way to help our new ministers get to know everyone, especially if we are still practicing social distancing. If your photo is not clearly of you, if you don’t have a profile picture, or if you have updated your look, please either add/replace your picture or email a new picture to beth@kingave.org to have it added for you. Questions? Need assistance? Please feel free to reach out to Beth Aiello, beth@kingave.org. Thank you in advance for your help!

  • Chancel Flowers - If you are interested in signing up to donate Chancel Flowers for worship in 2021, 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.

FAITH FORMATION, FELLOWSHIP, AND SUPPORT

  • Wednesdays at 6pm: Small Group Welcomes Young Adults - The Next Chapter virtual small group led by Amy Oblinger, meets every Wednesday at 6 on Zoom. This young adult group discusses participants’ thoughts about and reactions to that week’s sermon, whether it was seen in-person on Sunday or watched from the comfort of home. The session sometimes includes discussing current events and studying the scriptures, and always includes time to pray for each other. The group welcomes new participants. If you are interested, contact amylianne@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

  • Sundays at 7pm: Isaiah 35 Fellowship - In these challenging times, take advantage of King Avenue's Isaiah 35 Fellowship, a confidential fellowship group offering acceptance, encouragement, community, and support for adults whose faith and hope have been challenged by mental health struggles. We meet every Wednesday night at 7 on Zoom. For more information, contact Mary Bostian at (614) 371-0171 or marybostian50@gmail.com

  • Last Sundays at 7pm: Lit Club - The King Avenue Lit Club meets the last Sunday of the month at 7pm to discuss the month's book. All are welcome! Beginning in May, Lit Club will meet both in Logos Lounge and on Zoom. Join the Zoom Meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84317079488?pwd=cHd6UXdXMkFTalJBRGl1VTY0SFJaQT09 Meeting ID: 843 1707 9488 Passcode: 534202. Looking ahead... Sunday, May 30 - Caste: The Origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson; Sunday, June 27 - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.W. Schwab. The May and June meetings will hopefully be held in the Logos Lounge.

  • Hey King Avenue Families! Gwen and Erin miss your beautiful faces so much and cannot wait until it’s safe to be together again. They have been researching the best and safest ways to be together in person. If our community, and especially our state, continues to progress with the vaccine rollout, and the new cases of COVID spread decrease, they hope to relaunch the Sunday morning program for children and youth this fall. That said, there is much collective work to be done. Because we are a church, it takes all of us to work together in order to make anything happen successfully. The Sunday morning program will require about 30+ volunteers so we can create and maintain a safe, welcoming, healthy worship environment for our kids. Contact Gwen at gwendolyn.derosa@gmail.com if you want to get involved.

  • CORE Youth Center is a virtual place for youth! Are you looking for online faith resources for your youth (6th to 12th grades)? King Avenue UMC's Children and Youth Education Program created an inclusive and affirming website to fit this need. Think of this as a home base as you stretch, grow, and explore your faith and your identity as a Jesus follower. What you believe, think, and feel will change during your Middle and High School years. And your journey will not end when you graduate. Our faith journeys continue for our whole lives. Check out the CORE Youth Center here: https://sites.google.com/view/coreyouthcenter/home and contact Gwendolyn DeRosa at gwen@kingave.org if you would like to help create new content.

  • The Harbor Post-High School Community - The Harbor is a post-high school community of faith and fellowship for young people (through age 24). This is a safe space for support, connection, and refreshment before heading back out into different directions. The Harbor is faith-based since many of us are connected to King Avenue UMC in Columbus, OH, but it is also a place where faith and life questions are encouraged and welcomed. We expect and celebrate the ways in which our beliefs evolve and change during life transitions. The Harbor affirms and works for the inclusion of all people, including all gender identities, LGBTQ folx, all races and ethnicities, all (dis)abilities, and all religious traditions. Keep up on events through our Facebook group.

  • Women in Youth Ministry Podcast - Gwendolyn DeRosa was interviewed on a podcast to discuss LGBTQ+ inclusion in youth ministry. CLICK HERE to listen or subscribe!

  • LifeCare Alliance COVID-19 Utility Assistance Program: Relief is available for families facing pandemic-related hardship. Many central Ohio families have felt the effects of COVID-19 on their employment and ability to stay current on utility bills. Now, LifeCare Alliance is providing assistance to help avoid shutoffs as we navigate the pandemic. If you or your family has experienced furloughs, a reduction in work hours, layoffs, or similar situations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, you are invited to apply for this assistance. LifeCare Alliance can assist with utility bills - Electric, Gas, Water. Funds are limited, so please contact us today to get the process started. For more information, please contact: John Gregory jgregory@lifecarealliance.org or 614-437-2803. CLICK HERE to download the flyer.

OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP

  • 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 beth@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 beth@kingave.org if you are interested.

  • NNEMAP needs drivers! NNEMAP needs delivery drivers! We began offering delivery during the spring when the pandemic began. It started slow, but now is an important part of what we do everyday. We need people who would be available around 11am during the week, or on Saturday around the same time. We give you one or two deliveries each time. If there are two deliveries, they will be near each other. We have a sign-up link so you can sign up when it is convenient. For information email Roy Clark at director@nnemappantry.org.

  • NNEMAP Needs - Donate baby wipes, large-size diapers (size 5 and 6), grooming items (dental items, razors, and shampoo, and feminine hygiene items). We would especially appreciate Purell and wipes for COVID-19. Thank you for your generosity!

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