Sabbatical Rhythms
Word is starting to get around that this summer I’ll be taking some time away from normal rhythms of church work and life for another sabbatical, so I wanted to share a bit about what I’ll be working on and why it feels important. At the heart of this sabbatical…
Lent 2026 – Composting Faith
Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Our theme this season is “Composting Faith.” That could refer to the act of faith one undertakes through composting – trusting unseen forces to turn debris into soil. And, faith itself can be the thing we’re composting – letting worn out…
A Morning at the ICE Office
This morning nine of us from CMC joined 25 others at the ICE office in Westerville in support of M. During the years E lived in sanctuary in our building, M lived in First English Lutheran Church near downtown. She has two teenage daughters, both US citizens, one of whom…
Ashes to Ashes, Soil to Soil
The season of Lent is almost upon us, and this year our worship theme will center around the idea of composting. There is a lot of overlap between the art of composting and the themes of Lent. There are cycles of death/decay and regrowth/new life. There are the necessary but…
Anabaptism at 501 -OR- Coarse Mennonites Unite
Last year we celebrated the 500-year anniversary of the Anabaptist movement. Now we’ve cycled again past that January 21st date marking those first adult baptisms. So here we are: Anabaptism at 501. I’ve been reading a bit in Anabaptists: From the Reformation to the 21st Century by German historian Astrid…
Progress, or Not
I’ve been thinking some about progress. It’s hard not to when you have a medical emergency and receive a highly technical surgery that likely sets you on a path toward full recovery. It’s not hard to imagine a different life trajectory – or rapid decline – had the same physical…
Pain as a Doorway
“Pain,” writes David Whyte, “is the doorway to the here and now.”* My doorway coincided with the opening of 2026. I woke up New Year’s Day with a sharp pain running down the top of my left side, neck to wrist. We were with Abbie’s family in Quinter, Kansas and…
Blessing and Being Blessed
One of the things I cherish most about our life together as a congregation is the many ways we honor moments of growth and transition. We give Bibles to second graders; we mark the transitions of those who go through the Transitions and Ritual class; we celebrate commitments of faith…
Beautiful Star
“O beautiful star of Bethlehem, shining afar through shadows dim…” VT 275 A star plays a prominent role in the nativity story, guiding wise ones from the East as they travel to visit the Christ child in Bethlehem. Whatever astronomical sign that may or may not have been, it is…
Training Courage
Yesterday evening 70 of us gathered at the church for the Mennonite Action Training Tour “To Build Our Courage.” Notably, about half of the participants were from beyond the Columbus Mennonite community. We started in the fellowship hall with a soup and bread meal, then moved to the sanctuary. Our…