Reminders July 3-6
Office Update: Please note that the office will be closed tomorrow Friday, July 4th for the Independence Day holiday. Also please note that Interim Pastor Bethany Davey will be out of the office June 28-July 6, and Pastor Mark will be attending the MC USA Convention in Greensboro, NC July 8-12.
Cookie Sunday is this Sunday July 6! Please bring cookies, fruit, cheese, snacks, etc. to share and plan to stay for the fellowship! You can drop off food before church at the kitchen window and pick up containers there afterwards. Gluten free options are always welcome. Please fill out an allergy list at the kitchen when you drop your snacks off. NO NUTS PLEASE! For the safety of folks with severe nut allergies, we cannot serve anything that contains tree nuts or peanuts. This includes items that ” may contain nuts”. Make sure to check the fine print of any packaged food you are planning to bring.
Registration Deadline this Sunday for Vacation Bible School: Our VBS this year is themed “Waves of Wonder” and will take place Wednesday evenings (July 23, 30, Aug. 6, 13) from 5:30-7:30. A light meal will be offered before the program on Wednesday and at the end of the day on Saturday. VBS is for children who have completed Preschool through 4th grade, and older youth are invited to participate as helpers. Please register both children and youth HERE no later than this Sunday July 6, and for more information, contact Pastor Mark (mark@columbusmennonite.org).
General CMC Announcements
Refuge Apartment Update and Requests: Please join Leadership Team and SHARE in welcoming a new guest to our CMC Refuge Housing Apartment. She is a young woman who recently moved to the US from Morocco, and she was referred to CMC by Riverview International Center due to an urgent need for temporary housing. More information about ways to support her will be forthcoming. One current request for the apartment space is a microwave and drying rack(s) in good condition. If you have either of these to donate or if you have other offers of assistance, please contact Cindy Fath at cafath@gmail.com.
2025 Keeping CMC Safe Training. At present about 150 CMC participants have completed the training! Thank you for building a community that values our children and youth and vulnerable persons. AND if you have missed the training, it can still be completed on the CMC website HERE. We welcome more volunteers to work with our children and youth as well.
Women’s Coffee Hour Thursday, July 10 from 10 am – 11:30 am. All are welcome to join us every second Thursday in the fellowship hall for coffee/tea, a light snack, and conversation.
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) needs school kits for distribution where children are emerging from areas which have been ravaged by flooding, avalanches, earthquakes, and war. CMC will be assembling kits to donate, and we will need to purchase the following items for each kit:
- 4 spiral-bound notebooks (70 sheets each)
- 1 ruler; flat, good quality, must indicate 30 cm (inches optional)
- 12 colored pencils (in original packaging)
- 1 large eraser
- 4 new black or blue ballpoint pens
Please place these items in the labeled boxes in the fellowship hall. The deadline for collecting these items is Sunday, August 3rd. Contact Fred Suter (614-832-6718 or fdsuter@gmail.com) with any questions. (Fred’s contribution to this effort will be purchasing the preferred small, metal, pencil sharpeners and pencils in bulk.)
Non-violence Training at CMC: If you have ever been interested in learning more about how to practice non-violence or struggled with pacifism being associated with passiveness or permissiveness, or have wondered if non-violence and safety and security can really co-exist, please join us! Leadership Team has partnered with DC Peace Team to provide non-violence training on Saturday, July 19th, 9am-12pm. This 3-hour workshop will be taught via Zoom, but with participants here at CMC so some of the training can be specific to our physical location. Primarily this training was sought-out to support our Sanctuary efforts, but anyone can benefit from learning more about being actively non-violent. Most of our staff, leadership, and sanctuarians, will be participating. There are a just a few remaining spots for our limit of 25 and we would love to maximize our participation. “We cultivate the habits and skills of nonviolence in our communities, so we can better resist injustice, and thus, build a more sustainable just peace.” –DC Peace Teams Mission Statement Learn more about DC Peace Team at www.dcpeaceteam.org and contact Phil Hart pahart49@gmail.com or Jodi Quint jlugibihl_1@hotmail.com if you are interested in attending.
Events and Opportunities in the Wider Community
The Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale and Auction is July 11 & 12. Located about 2 hours northeast of Columbus in Mount Hope, OH, this festive annual benefit for Mennonite Central Committee includes delicious food, music, a Fun Run and 5K, and a live and online auction. Never been to an MCC Relief Sale before? It’s a cultural experience that pulls together Anabaptists from across the state! Brochures in the foyer and more information HERE.
Ohio MCC Bike Ride: July 19-20 in Columbus, Ohio. You’re invited to join a group of bicycle riders as they gather on July 19-20 in the Columbus area. This is a two-day event with each day consisting of approximately 50-60 miles of riding on paved bike trails to help support MCC’s work around the world. More information and registration.
Sunday’s Events | July 6
9:30 am Worship Service
Cookie Sunday following Worship
Registration deadline for VBS
Activities Next Week
Tuesday July 8 – Saturday July 12
MC USA Convention in Greensboro, NC
Wednesday, July 9
10:00 am Worship Commission via Zoom
Thursday, July 10
10:00 am Women’s Coffee Time in the fellowship hall
4:00 pm Set up for Piecemakers in the fellowship hall
Friday, July 11
6:30 am Men’s Breakfast via Zoom https://zoom.us/j/313623317
9:00 am Piecemakers in the fellowship hall
Sunday, July 13
9:30 am Worship Service – Hymn Sing
Office Contacts and Schedules for July 6-13
Laura: office@columbusmennonite.org, 216-870-0119, Mon-Fri: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Mim: mim@columbusmennonite.org, 614-745-5150, Tues: 9:30am – 3:30pm
Mark: mark@columbusmennonite.org, 419-392-0610, Mon: 9:00-3:00pm, Tues-Sat: MC USA Convention
Joel: on sabbatical (May 12-August 11)
Bethany: bethany@columbusmennonite.org, 773-682-0239, Wed: 9:00am-1:00pm
Robin: robin@columbusmennonite.org, 614-406-1766, Tues: 10:00am-2:00pm
Upcoming CMC Special Events
July 6 Cookie Sunday and Registration Deadline for VBS
July 13 Hymn Sing during Worship
July 23, 30, Aug 6, 13 Vacation Bible School (evenings)
August 3 Cookie Sunday and next Lamplighter submission deadline
September 7 Cookie Sunday
September 14 Fall Sunday School Classes Resume
Sept 26-28 Fall Retreat at Kirkmont Retreat Center
October 5 Cookie Sunday
Nov 2 Congregational Meeting and Harvest Potluck
Nov 30 Advent begins
Dec 7 Congregational Meeting and Cookie Sunday
February 7, 2026 Open Mic Coffeehouse
Last Sunday | June 29
Attendance: 148
Offerings Received (last week): $ 13,045.00
Offerings Received (June): $ 44,084.46
Offerings Needed (June): $ 42,236.00
Offerings Received (year to date): $ 236,963.46
Offerings Needed (year to date): $ 253,416.00
Offering Deficit (year to date): $ (16,452.54)
Christian Education Classes
Christian Education classes for children and youth are on summer recess and will resume in the fall.
Donations and Giving
Interested in giving financially to Columbus Mennonite? Follow THIS LINK to donate online. Donations are also accepted by cash, check or Zelle. Contact the church office or financial team if you need assistance with setting up Zelle or any of the payment options. Thank you for your gift!