It is church conference/convention season. Tomorrow through Saturday is the Central District Conference Annual Meeting, this year in Elkhart, Indiana on the campus of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary – my old stomping/studying grounds. Six of us from Columbus Mennonite will be attending. This gathering is mostly focused on relationship building and worship, and is always full of laughter. Delegate sessions this year include discussion and a vote on a resolution called “...
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A couple of months ago, I was having breakfast with a friend of mine and the conversation turned toward my experience as a gay man. Because this woman is a friend and because she showed a genuine interest in hearing about my experiences, I was happy to share some of my story with her. After we talked for a while, she said something along the lines of, “I love and support gay people, but I just don’t understand why they need to fly those rainbow flags outside their houses. Why do I need to know what goes on in their bedrooms?”
June is upon us, so we are all likely to see more...
School’s out tomorrow! – at least if you’re a second or third grader in Columbus City Schools. Schools in the area are letting out, and many graduations have already happened. Students are about to skip into the glory of summer, parents are about to adjust their routines, and teachers, God bless them, are about to finish their grading and enter into a much needed summer Sabbatical.
In church life, this Sunday will be our last session of spring Sunday school. We will have a teacher appreciation time half way through the Sunday school hour. A tremendous thank you to the teachers...
At the beginning of this year our congregation officially joined the Supportive Communities Network and this Sunday SCN Coordinator Carol Wise will be a guest speaker during worship, the Sunday school hour, and at a luncheon held at the church (open invitation, food provided). Carol is also the Executive Director of the Brethren-Mennonite Council (BMC).
As we strive to be an inclusive congregation, we are a part of a national denomination, Mennonite Church USA, that is in the throes of...
Last week I had the opportunity to attend a theatre production, and when I walked in I could not shake the feeling that I knew one of the ushers. I wracked my brain trying to remember how I knew this woman, but it just would not come to me. It was not until I happened to look at my key ring that the memory came flooding back.
I approached her somewhat timidly because I was not 100% certain I was recognizing the same person I thought I knew more from 10 years ago. When I got...