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Today we hosted a lunch at church for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and their allies.

Most of the fresh tomatoes served at US restaurants and sold in supermarkets October through April come from Florida, with a large percentage of those coming from the area around the town of Immokalee. For the past 20+ years Immokalee pickers have banded together to overcome low and stagnant wages, sexual harassment, unsafe working conditions, and documented cases of involuntary unpaid labor – otherwise known as slavery. The tomato...

Welcome to Ordinary Time

What time is it?

It’s Ordinary Time.

In the liturgical calendar, the seven weeks of the Easter season culminate in Pentecost Sunday. Since Advent we have been following the trajectory of Jesus’ life, from expectant pregnancy and birth, to baptism and ministry, to crucifixion and resurrection. At Pentecost the Spirit is unleashed and comes in wind and flame and ecstatic language. Jesus is no longer bodily present with his disciples, and so the Holy Spirit is on the lookout for bodies – bodies that will allow themselves to be animated by the same consciousness and energy that...

Becoming members of one another

“…we pledge ourselves to the other members of this church to share openly our problems and concerns, to care for the spiritual and physical needs of each other, and to make this fellowship a vital part of our life.” — Excerpt from the Columbus Mennonite Church Membership Commitment

This coming Sunday we’ll be welcoming new members into the congregation. They’ll be leading parts of the service, sharing a window into their faith journeys, and serving Communion. When Mark and I met with this group a few weeks ago, I was impressed with the thoughtfulness with which...

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 to tell more of these stories, especially as so many new people join the congregation.

In my digging, however, there was one document that caught my attention and felt like it was speaking across history into our present moment. It is a single sheet of paper with the words “Resolutions passed by...

Bicycle power

Today I attended a lunch conversation at the Columbus Metropolitan Club. CMCer Jane Scott is President and CEO and was a gracious host at her CMC. Among other things, Columbus Metropolitan Club hosts weekly Wednesday lunches which are community conversations across a range of topics. Today’s topic: Bicycle Power: On the Path to Bikes.

The three presenters were Kerstin Carr of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC); Jennifer L. Gallagher, Department of Public Service Director; and Catherine Girves, Executive Director of...

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