King Avenue Digest 6/12/20
June 12, 2020
Reminder - Food and Drink at Church
Food and drink will not be served before or after services when we resume in-person worship. We ask that you also not bring in food or drink to consume inside the building. We are adopting a no eating or drinking policy so that folks will not need to remove their masks while in the building, lessening the opportunity for respiratory particles to spread. Thanks in advance for helping us care for one another.
Re-opening Plan
The leadership of King Avenue Church is glad to announce that, along with the recommendations and guidelines set forth by the State of Ohio and the Centers for Disease Control, we will begin a slow re-opening process for worship activities at King Avenue Church beginning Sunday, June 14. Online worship will continue to be an option, too! READ MORE about the service times and safety measures.
Change in Re-Opening Plan
Please note that this first phase of re-opening will NOT include 8am in the Sanctuary as previously stated. We are postponing the start date for the 8:00 am worship service until later in the summer. The 8:00 am worship service is designated for persons with high risk of serious illness from COVID-19, and we have learned that few persons in the high-risk category feel ready to enter public spaces.
Pastoral Visits to Hospital & Extended Care Facilities
At present the church building is only open for worship. Although pastors are not yet permitted to visit persons in hospitals or extended care facilities, we do want to know when persons have health concerns, please include these in the prayer concerns or contact a pastor directly jkeeny@kingave.org or colleen@kingave.org.
Flowers for Worship
If you would like to donate flowers for an upcoming worship service, please contact Amy Ashburn for more details, amy@kingave.org.
NNEMAP Food Pantry
You can resume bringing contributions of non-perishable food items for NNEMAP to the church. Thank you!
Greeters and Ushers Still Needed!
In order to ensure safety of everyone during our three in-person services each week, additional help is needed in ushering and greeting. Don’t worry if you are new to this role. You will receive training. If you’re willing to lend a helping hand and a friendly (masked) face to the team, please email Beth Aiello, Director of Support Services, at beth@kingave.org. Please give your name and whether you’d like to serve at the 8:00, 9:30, or 11:00 service.
Book Drive and Little Free Library
Looking for a service project, the January New Member Class considered the issue of limited access to books, during the health crisis, especially for children and young readers. The conversation centered on "Little Free Libraries," the boxes that have sprung up in Columbus neighborhoods and across the country as distribution points for free books. Exploration revealed that thanks to Rev. Stan Sutton (carpenter) and Sheryl Lazenby (painter) King Avenue Church had a “Little Free Library” unit waiting to be installed and stocked. With plans for installation underway, the class is asking for contributions of books to stock the unit. A dropoff table will be provided at Sunday morning worship services June 14 and 21. We are seeking materials of general interest (with an emphasis on young readers). Children’s books in Spanish would be especially welcome. If you are unable to connect for the Sunday morning dropoff, please contact Amy Ashburn through the church office at (614) 424-6050, Ext. 100 to make arrangements.
Virtual Pride Worship
Although the Columbus Pride celebration has been postponed due to COVID-19, we will gather together VIRTUALLY for our Pride Worship Service. Join the Reconciling Ministries Network Churches/Communities and its allies to celebrate God's grace, love, and inclusion for ALL! Mark your calendars for Friday, June 19 at 7:00pm. Clergy and lay persons from Central Ohio Reconciling Ministries Network Churches/Communities and ally churches will be presenting a meaningful worship service. We are also excited to present a virtual community choir as part of the service! Prior to the VIRTUAL Pride Worship 2020 Premier, you can visit the website (bit.ly/cbusprideworship2020) to view details about the service, and to learn more about the Central Ohio Reconciling Ministries Network. You will also see a placeholder for the worship video so you'll know where to find it on June 19! On Friday, June 19 at 7:00pm, come back to the website to participate in the Virtual Pride Worship. If you'd like to host a Watch Party on Facebook, the website has a page to help you with that! Simply copy the link to the YouTube video, then go to Facebook (news feed, Group, or Page) to host. Help spread the word! We look forward to worshipping together soon! ALL are welcome!
Pride Worship Dedication
In the midst of a great reckoning on race in this country, and on this anniversary of Juneteenth, which marked the end of legalized slavery, we dedicate our annual Pride Worship service to LGBTQ activist, Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992). Rooted in the AME church, Johnson was a transformational advocate for gay rights and a courageous leader in the Stonewall uprising of 1969.
"No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” – Marsha P. Johnson
Church at Home Small Group
Rev. Colleen Ogle invites you to -The Church at Home Small Group, a Bible study and discussion weekly by Zoom in June through August. The materials we use are The Bible Project’s “Church at Home” featuring a weekly 3-5 minute audio reflection, and a 6-minute video presentation that the group will watch together during our session. Participants will read 3 Bible passages in advance each week that will form the basis for our discussion. The themes include Generosity, Sabbath, Gospel, Water of Life, Image of God, Justice, Way of Exile, Hope, and Wisdom. Our discussion will focus on discerning the scriptures meaning for today. The sessions will meet Thursdays 7 pm – 8:15pm weekly starting June 11. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Additional Upper Room Resources for COVID-19 Pandemic
The Upper Room daily devotional is offering Resources for Spiritual Wellness in Anxious Times for our church during the journey through the COVID-19 wilderness we’re all navigating. This includes timely practices for individuals and families including digital devotionals, link to morning prayer on Facebook Live, videos, e-courses, podcasts, etc.
Our Mission Statement
"We invite, welcome and honor all people and nurture them to grow in service with Christ."
Our Vision Statement
“We are a community of servants called by God’s reconciling grace to open doors of sanctuary, to create new avenues of ministry, to equip Christians for discipleship, to lead reconciling ministries.”
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