King Avenue Digest 8/1/25

August 1, 2025

 

*NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS AND QUICKLY-APPROACHING EVENTS*

  • THIS SUNDAY, August 3: District-Wide Summer Youth Event - Join us on Sunday, August 3rd, from 5-7 PM at Linworth UMC for the Olentangy River District Summer Youth Gathering! This exciting event brings together youth from United Methodist churches across the area for a night of food, fun, worship, and connection. Discover what it means to be part of something bigger as we celebrate being the church together. Dinner is included, and we’ll enjoy games, powerful worship, and more! CLICK TO REGISTER

  • THIS SUNDAY, August 3: Communion Sunday - At King Avenue, we celebrate an open table for Holy Communion. If you have ever been denied communion before because of who you are and who you love, we invite you to break bread and drink the juice with us, just as you are. All are welcome around Christ's table! If you are worshiping online, please gather your bread and cup for worship Sunday so we can take communion together.

  • Thursday, August 7: New Member Class - We all have a basic human need to belong. Many of us have found that belonging with King Avenue UMC. When we find that we belong somewhere, sometimes we feel the need to claim it and make it official. If you've found that belonging at King Avenue but haven't taken that next step, you have the opportunity to do just that at our next New Members' Class. We'll gather at the church building for class on Thursday August 7, 6-8:30pm, then we'll welcome you into membership in worship Sunday August 10. If you're interested and/or have any questions, contact Pastor Andy. CLICK TO REGISTER

  • Saturday, August 9: Second Volunteer Training for CYFM - Due to the success of our Sunday morning program for children, youth, and parents, there are many opportunities for volunteering once a month with Worship Connections (in either service), and with Sunday School classes at 10 am. The second training opportunity will be offered Saturday, August 9 from 10:00-1:00 (only one training is required). CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP. A third training will be happening October 11 from 10 am -1 pm, Contact Gwen with any questions at gwendolyn.derosa@gmail.com.

  • *NEW* Friday, September 5: Pride Night at Kings Island - Rainbow Connections is headed to Kings Island! Join us for a fun-filled evening of rides and joyful community on September 5th, starting at 6pm at Kings Island. ALL are welcome - families, friends, allies. Registration and payment of $30 are REQUIRED and due by August 25. King Avenue will not provide transportation but we can help organize carpools - just contact Pastor Andy. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

  • *NEW* August Item of the Month for NNEMAP - NNEMAP is collecting canned or jarred protein for August, but specifically jarred peanut butter. They're looking for 200 jars of peanut butter this month. There are collection carts available in the back of the worship space, both at Morning Blend and Traditional 11:00 Worship.

KEEP READING FOR THE REST OF OUR CURRENT HAPPENINGS AND NEWS...

  • Sunday, August 10: Start of CYFM Programming - 9am & 11am Worship Connections (4 yrs - grade 3), and 10am Sunday School (all ages) are back on Sunday, August 10! We look forward to being together again. It’s going to be a great year! Reach out to Gwen for opportunities to get involved or volunteer: gwendolyn.derosa@gmail.com.

  • Starting Monday, August 11: Rebels and Reconnection - This drop-in peer support group (for over 18 yrs old) is a safe, authentic environment where we process the trauma of purity culture, connect with our own amazing bodies, and formulate our own sexual ethics. We will dive into a variety of themes, including: faith and gender, purity culture history, and sex education. We’ll meet on the 2nd Monday of each month from 7 to 8:30 pm at King Avenue UMC. Contact Gwen with any questions: gwendolyn.derosa@gmail.com

  • Friday, August 15: KIDS AT HEART Nerf Wars - Kinship Campus Ministry is teaming up with King Avenue Young Adults for Nerf Wars on Friday, August 15th, from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. Pizza will be provided. You can bring your own nerf equipment or borrow the King Avenue equipment. Please RSVP by August 10th at the latest with Gwen (gwendolyn.derosa@gmail.com) or Andy (andy@kingave.org).

  • Saturday, August 16: Music for a Cause - This benefit concert for New Life will be held on Saturday, August 16th from 7:00-9:30 at Linworth UMC. This is the Third Annual Benefit Concert and Silent Auction to support the food, clothing and healthcare ministries of New Life Community Outreach. CLICK TO PURCHASE TICKETS.

  • Sunday, August 17: Blessing of Backpacks and Briefcases - The Blessing of the Backpacks and Briefcases will be in both services (9 am and 11 am) on August 17th. Please bring your bag for the blessing and pick up a treat to remind you of how much you are loved by your church family.

  • Ohio State Football Parkers Needed - Be part of the game day excitement! Are you looking for a fun easy way to get involved and be a part of the King Avenue Missions Team? If so, join the King Avenue OSU Parking Crew as we cheer on the Buckeyes success in 2025. We are currently seeking volunteers to assist Buckeye fans with parking in the King Avenue parking lot during all home games on the dates below. Whether you sign up for one game or the entire season, this unique and important mission will not disappoint. Home games are August 30; September 5, 13; October 4; November 1, 15, 22. Please contact Shawn Compton at comptonlaw@msn.com for more information and to sign up.

  • 2026 Casa Trip Deadlines - We will be sending our next team to Casa de Misericordia on February 12-16, 2026. It costs $1,000/person. To be on the team, you must complete and submit a trip application, a copy of your passport, and payment by October 1, 2025. Financial assistance is available. Fill out and submit an application by August 18, 2025. An information session will be held Sunday, June 29 at 10am. For more information, attend the informational meeting Sunday, June 29 at 10:00 in the Chapel. CLICK HERE FOR APPLICATION • CLICK HERE FOR FINANCIAL AID REQUEST

  • OPEN, Our Daily Devotional - Join your King Avenue family in reading through the Gospels and Acts in 2025! Starting in January, we will begin OPEN, a daily devotional that will deliver a bite-sized reading from the Gospels to your email inbox daily. The best part is many of the devotionals will be written by King Avenue members because we believe Jesus has something to say in the Gospels to each of us and through each of us. Our name "OPEN" reflects the King Avenue UMC theme song and positioning statement (Open minds, Open hearts, Open doors). In 2025, we want to OPEN the Gospels together day by day. If you want to join us in this journey, complete this form to sign up. CLICK TO SIGN UP FOR OPEN DAILY DEVOTIONALS

  • "Safe, Secure. Together." Radical hospitality at King Avenue includes ensuring that people within our walls are safe. The objectives of Safe. Secure. Together. are to establish, communicate, and practice emergency procedures related to active aggressor, severe weather, fire, bomb threat, and other critical incidents. If you would like to learn more about the specific initiatives included in this program, access resources, or find out how to get involved, visit our "Safe. Secure. Together." webpage at kingave.org.

FAITH FORMATION, FELLOWSHIP, AND SUPPORT

  • Recurring on Mondays: Retirees Church at Home - Is your heart yearning for a spiritual connection with other Retirees? Consider joining the Retirees’ Church at Home, a weekly bible study that originated when the 2020 pandemic thrust many retirees into isolation. Today, the group remains committed and diligent in providing fellowship, meaningful discussions and connection with each other. The group meets Monday mornings from 11:00-12:00 on Zoom, where various members lead the study using the devotions from the Upper Room. If you are interested in participating with the Retirees’ Church at Home, contact Teresa Malloy at malloy29@aol.com or Dennis Chew at dennischew@me.com.

  • Recurring Weekly on Tuesday mornings & Wednesday evenings: Sermon Starters - Sermon Starters is a weekly small-group discussion of the upcoming Sunday's scripture lessons facilitated by Pastor Karen and Pastor Andy. Questions, insights, and stories help the pastors to think through their Sunday sermon ideas, as well as give participants a head start on their consideration of the week's lesson. Let Pastor Karen know (karen@kingave.org) if you'd like to be added to the Realm email group to receive the scriptures ahead of time. All are welcome in this "drop in" Bible Study Tuesdays at 7am in the Parlor, and Wednesdays at 6pm in the Chapel.

  • Recurring on Second Wednesdays of the Month: Caregiver Support Group - King Avenue UMC Retirees Ministry and the Alzheimer's Association of Central Ohio are partnering to bring a Caregiver Support Group to our church monthly. No registration is necessary and there is no cost. This group is designed to support families of individuals affected by any type of dementia. This group will meet the second Wednesday of each month from 6:00-7:30.

  • Recurring on Thursdays: Young Adults Small Group - King Avenue Young Adults will gather weekly to be with each other, check in with each other and share how their walk with Jesus is going. Thursdays at 6:30pm here at the church. If you're 18-35 years old, you're welcome to join us.

  • Recurring on First Saturdays of the Month: King Avenue Men's Group - The King Avenue Men's Group is a monthly get-together with men of different ages and backgrounds meeting in fellowship to discuss diverse topics of living as Christians. We meet on the first Saturday of month at 10:30am. For more information, please contact Roger Blocher rblocher01@gmail.com.

  • Last Sundays of the Month: 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. The month's book is listed in the King Avenue Digest congregant blast and also on the slideshow on the monitors at church. You can also contact Rick Gilson (rickgilson@yahoo.com) to find out what the month's book is or if you'd like to be added to the communication group in Realm.

  • Every Other Sunday: Isaiah 35 Fellowship - Depression, anxiety, and many other mental health issues can challenge faith and hope and contribute to a feeling of isolation. Isaiah 35 is a confidential group providing fellowship, support, and prayer for adults with mental health struggles. We meet on every other Sunday (beginning 2/12/23) on Zoom from 7 to 8 pm. Due to the nature of this group, please contact Mary Bostian for the Zoom link and more details. (614) 371-0171 marybostian50@gmail.com

OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP

  • Open Shelter Lunch Packing - King Avenue packs lunches for the Open Shelter on several Tuesdays and Thursdays... 24 times in 2025. All hands on deck for packing 200-400 lunches at a time! CLICK HERE for the 2025 schedule, and join when you're able. All days/dates are 6:00pm in the King Avenue kitchen. Many hands make light work!

  • Fourth and Fifth Saturdays: Gates Fourth UMC Community Breakfast - Calling all cooks, servers, and hostesses! Gates Fourth UMC serves a monthly community breakfast at 119 E. Gates St. King Avenue assists the Gates Fourth team with greeting guests, distributing clothing/personal care donations, serving meals, assisting in the kitchen, and cleaning up. For more information on getting involved, please contact Shawn Compton at comptonlaw@msn.com or (614)378-6758 or simply show up to Gates Fourth on the fourth and/or fifth Saturday of each month to enjoy a meal with your neighbors. The dress code for this food service environment is casual but please wear closed toes shoes for safety. The only skills needed for this three-hour commitment are to smile and bring hospitality to this diverse community. We hope to see you there! Gates Fourth United Methodist Church, 119 E. Gates St., Columbus, OH 43206 from 8:00-11:00am.

  • Ushers and Greeters - 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 at andy@kingave.org.

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

  • Item of the Month for NNEMAP - Each month, we are going to focus our donations on specific items our community partners. You can bring your donations with you on Sundays. There will be a place to leave them in the back of the worship space.

  • Item of the Month for Hubbard Elementary - Periodically we are asked for items to help students at our partner school, Hubbard Elementary. You can bring your donations with you on Sundays. There will be a place to leave them in the back of the worship space.

  • UMCOR Disaster Relief - UMCOR is the global humanitarian organization of the United Methodist Church that provides aid to people affected by crises and disasters around the world. You can contribute to UMCOR through Realm. CLICK HERE TO GIVE.

  • Use your Kroger Card to Give to King Avenue - Are you a Kroger Shopper? Do you have a Kroger Plus Card? If so, you can give to King Avenue every time you shop. If you have a Kroger Plus card, just log into your account, go to Community Rewards, and search for KING AVENUE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH to get this set up. LEARN MORE AND ENROLL

ADDITIONAL ITEMS OF NOTE

  • First Sundays of each Month: ASL Interpreter - King Avenue will be providing an ASL interpreter during worship. Elisabeth Clegg will be interpreting on the first Sunday of every month during both services. Thanks, Elisabeth!

  • Chancel Flowers for Worship - If you are interested in signing up to donate Chancel Flowers for worship in 2025, 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.

Back