King Avenue Church

King Avenue Digest 5/7/22

May 7, 2022

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

• Q9: Who does the North or Memorial Window in our current building (one recently refurbished and cleaned) memorialize?

• A9: The North or Memorial Window is quoted in the 1922 dedication program for this building as being “… a gift of many parents in memory of the young men and women who served in the great war.” From the King Ave. congregation, 170 served and three died during WWI.

• Q10: What artistic or architectural style does the North Window reflect?

UPCOMING EVENTS AND NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

• May 9-13: NNEMAP United Way Campaign - The United For Impact Fundraiser Starts Monday. On Monday, we will publicize a link so you can donate to help NNEMAP win the contest AND earn a lot of money for the food pantry. This contest goes until Friday, May 13th at noon. Vote early and vote often! Each donation is a vote. You can donate as little as $1 each time, and can donate as many times as you want. On top of the various ways to donate, there is a social media contest as well. Each time you donate, you will receive an email. Share that email and put #UnitedForImpact and #NNEMP in your comments. Each donation you make will be a chance to get credit on the social media part of the fundraiser. This will be fun and hopefully productive for NNEMAP. Go Team NNEMAP!

• May 10: Livestream Pastor Andy's Ordination - If you're able, please consider joining some church friends in the Chapel to watch Pastor Andy's ordination via livestream beginning at 4:00. You can also watch the livestream at home on YouTube or Facebook Live. (link to West Ohio YouTube Channel; link to West Ohio Facebook Page) Either way, let's all be there (albeit virtually) for Andy's big day!

• May 15: Celebrate Pastor Andy! We will have an opportunity between services and after the 11:00 service to celebrate Pastor Andy's ordination! Plan to join your King Avenue family to give Andy our warmest congratulations!

• May 18: Racial Inclusion at King Avenue, A Community Discussion - King Avenue UMC has been using panel discussions to intentionally address racism and promote spaces for storytelling and discussion so that we can dismantle the white supremacy that exists in our community. For our third event, we want to have a discussion with our church community about racial inclusion at King Avenue UMC. How are we as King Avenue doing when it comes to anti-racism? How can we, by the grace of God, grow in our ability to resist evil, injustice, and oppression (as we or our parents pledged to do in our baptismal vows) in the specific form of racism? This will be a safe space to think, reflect, and respond to these sorts of tough but important questions. Please join us on May 18 at 7:00pm.

• May 22: Celebrate Erin! Mark your calendar for Sunday, May 22. We will have an opportunity to celebrate the ministry of Erin Kendall. Stay tuned for details.

• May 22: Lit Club (Note the date change) - Join the Lit Club on May 22nd at 7pm in the Logos Lounge. All are welcome! Simply read the book of the month, and get together to talk about it. The book for May 22 will be Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah.

• June 5: Sign-Making for PRIDE 2022! Mark your calendar for Pride sign making at 12:30 on Sunday, June 5. The March is Saturday, June 18 this year. Stay tuned for details.

CONTINUING NEWS

• THANK YOU Volunteers! Thank you to those who have volunteered as Teachers or Assistants in Worship Connections, Godly Play, Chrysalis Club, and Youth Sunday School for the 2021-22 school year. We appreciate your commitment to our King Avenue kids and youth! READ THE LIST OF VOLUNTEERS

• ACTS Committee April 2022 Statement - The ACTS Committee has met in 2022, reviewed and updated information related to our past recommendations, and remain steadfast about our response to the Traditionalist Plan. King Avenue Church will be actively supporting LGBTQIA+ ministries and actively supporting a future that honors, nurtures, and includes ALL. King Avenue will remain a welcoming, reconciling, and serving church which shares God's love with ALL! King Avenue Church will not change what it is and what it stands for. The ACTS Committee remains optimistic about the future and resolute in our recommendations. King Avenue Church will remain an active voice in our district, conference, and beyond on behalf of LGBTIQA+ ministries. CLICK HERE TO READ THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

• COVID and Online Worship - 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.

• 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

• Summer Camp registration is OPEN - Register for 2022 Summer camps through West Ohio Camps (http://westohiocamps.org). There are a variety of camp experiences for everyone starting at age 7, as well as family camp options. If you are interested in learning more about camp or want to learn about financial assistance to go to camp, please contact Erin at erin@kingave.org.

• 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.

• 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.

FAITH FORMATION, FELLOWSHIP, AND SUPPORT

• 4-Week Class: The United Methodist Church: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow - The United Methodist Church: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow is a 4-week study designed to help participants better understand the current controversy within the United Methodist Church; specifically about the denomination’s relationship with our LGBTQIA+ siblings. Now that the General Conference has been postponed to 2024, therefore also postponing any resolution to the controversy, this is a perfect time for a class like this. JOIN ZOOM.

• 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.

• 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).

• Last Sundays of the Month at 7pm: Lit Club - Join the Lit Club on the last Sunday of each month at 7pm in the Logos Lounge. All are welcome! Simply read the book of the month, and get together to talk about it. Here are the upcoming books and dates: 5/22/22 Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah; 6/26/22 The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom; 7/31/22 The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson; and 8/28/22 The Women They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore.

• 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.

OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP

• May NNEMAP Item of the Month - Each month, we are going to focus our donations on specific items our community partners. For the month of May, NNEMAP food pantry needs travel-size shampoo and canned vegetables. You can bring your donations with you on Sundays. There will be a place to leave them in the back of the worship space.

• Attention Gardeners and Green Thumbs - Help keep King Avenue UMC in a rainbow of colors this summer by adopting a flowerbed around the church. You’ll plant your flowerbed with annuals by Sunday, May 8 – Mother’s Day – and care for them and the blooms all summer long. If you are interested in adopting a flowerbed of your own, or if you’d like to weed any flowerbed, please contact Amy Ashburn at amy@kingave.org.

• Getting Involved with the King Avenue Players - Would you like to be involved with the theatrical productions at KAUMC? The King Avenue Players are looking for people who love the arts, love theater, and would like to help in some way to make sure this ministry continues. YOU choose the level of involvement that is comfortable for you. Actor? PERFECT! Crew? PERFECT! Organizing? PERFECT! Ushering? PERFECT! We need all of you. Please contact Pastor Becky or Pastor Andy, or write a note with your name on the bulletin. Thank you!Masking Policy - Aligned to new CDC guidelines, the City of Columbus lifted its universal mask mandate. In light of this change, King Avenue Church will be 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!

• 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.

• 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).

• 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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