Esther on My Mind
“What am I willing to sacrifice to make sanctuary happen?” This was the question that was posed to the audience toward the end of the workshop put on by the Central Ohio Worker Center last evening. A crowd of more than 300 people (including many of you) crammed into our…
Our Collective Wisdom
At the end of the month on January 29, we will once again be holding a Coming of Age celebration to bless and be blessed by the gifts of some of the youth in our congregation. This year we will be celebrating specifically with four of our young people as…
Faith-Rooted Organizing
I had the opportunity to attend an event last evening where Rev. Alexia Salvatierra spoke on the topic of faith-rooted organizing, which is also the title of a book she co-authored. She framed the discussion around the idea that we seems to have developed a notion that mercy and justice…
Freedom Center Reflections
Last Saturday, nearly 20 members of Columbus Mennonite got the opportunity to partner with around 20 members of Cincinnati Mennonite to tour the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in downtown Cincinnati and discuss the ways our respective congregations are working toward racial justice. The day was rich with good discussion,…
Jesus for President?
In the High School Sunday School class, we are spending part of the fall semester talking about the relationship between faith and politics. The hope is that we could create a space for the high school youth (and the teachers) to process and think critically about the politically charged atmosphere…
Babies and Grandmas
The other day I read this quote that got me thinking about our racial justice work: “If there aren’t babies and grandmas, it’s not my revolution.” I have heard from a couple of parents in the congregation that their children are beginning to pick up on the conversations we are…
Moving Toward Conflict
Greetings from Chicago! (Ok, I’m in Lombard, but that is close enough to me.) This week I am attending the Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders put on by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center. That’s a really long title, but in a nutshell it is a full week of…
We Are Orlando
“You better be careful; we don’t want to get shot.” These are the words I said to Jeremy last Saturday evening when his hand reached for mine while walking into a restaurant in an unfamiliar town. These are the words that were uttered mostly as a joke, but which now…
Summer Brain Drain
My sister-in-law posted a picture the other day of my niece enjoying her first week of summer vacation from elementary school. In the picture, my niece was stretched out in the sun on a beach chair with her nose buried deep inside a book. In the caption and comments, my…
On Repeat
The other day I was upstairs digging through Columbus Mennonite’s archives, which I found to be delightfully fascinating and full of history that I have never heard. (Sometime I’d love to hear more about “Paul’s Porch” from someone.) I hope we can do some work in the next couple years…