Reminders May 14-17
Church garden work THIS Saturday May 16: It’s time to spread compost/mulch on the garden beds to enrich the soil and slow down the weeds. Please join the regular gardeners and the welcome help of the MYF between the hours of 9am and 12 noon (even for 30 min) on May 16th. Bring your kids, large and small. A mound of soft black stinky compost makes a delightful place to play! We have some shovels and wheelbarrows, but more would be welcome. More info: contact Ruth Massey
This Sunday the Aging Well class will be talking about Advance Directives, the Ohio Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare. Anyone is welcome, meeting in the sanctuary.
Sabbatical Beginning: Please note that Pastor Mark will be on sabbatical from May 18-August 16. We will be sending him with a blessing during the worship service this Sunday!
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General CMC Announcements
Young Adult Dinner Group: Gwen, Peter, and Jacob Reiser will be hosting the next Young Adult Dinner group on Saturday, June 13th at 6:00pm at their home (3537 Scioto Run Boulevard, Hilliard, OH 43026). Anyone who identifies as a young adult is welcome. Please let Gwen know if you would like to join (greiser.1984@gmail.com).
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Office Update: Laura will be out of the office on Monday, May 18. If urgent administrative needs arise that day, please contact Mim Halterman.
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Vacation Bible School: Our VBS this year is themed “Kids Connect” and will take place Wednesday evenings (July 15, 22, 29, and Aug. 5). A light meal will be offered from 5:30-6 and the program will run from 6-7:30. 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 July 5, and for more information, contact Hannah Kelley hannahjkelley@gmail.com.
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Oatmeal Container Collection Complete! Thank you for the great “outpouring”(!) of oatmeal boxes for the Central Ohio Folk Festival on June 6-7. I have enough and many children will appreciate the drums they become. – Dan Halterman
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2026 Annual Keeping CMC Safe Training is available and easily accessible on our website HERE. if you missed our April 26 annual training Sunday for KCMCS. This training is for everyone who is involved in some way at CMC. So if you attend CMC, this is for you! Take a few minutes to complete the training this week! Mim Halterman mim@columbusmennonite.org.
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Have you graduated in the past year or will you be graduating in the coming weeks? If you (or someone you love) graduated from high school or beyond in the past year (June 2025-May/June 2026) please let us know so that we can celebrate your accomplishment in the bulletin. Please send your month/year of graduation, school/program from which you graduated, degree and area of study, and if you wish to share, tell us what is next in your life. Please send to office@columbusmennonite.org by May 27.
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Our church’s Plant Sale on Saturday May 30 is from 8am-12pm in our parking lot. Here’s a reminder that we need starts of your perennials, shrubs, vegetables, herbs, houseplants and even trees! Please be potting them up now so they’ll be happy on May 30th. If you need pots, there are extras in our old furnace room below the library. Please label your plants with their names. There will be plant labels/sticks in a box on the top of the mailboxes in the Fellowship Hall. I’ll be at the church Friday May 29 from 5:30p-7:30p if you want to drop off your plants that evening. Otherwise, please be sure to have them in our church parking lot by 7am Saturday May 30th. If you have questions about your plants/plant sale otherwise, please contact Becky Waybill.
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Community Peacemaker Teams Annual CMC Rummage Sale: Friday, May 29 (8:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.) and Saturday, May 30 (8:00 a.m. – noon). Volunteers and donations needed! All proceeds go to benefit Community Peacemaker Teams. Volunteers Needed:
- SET-UP CREW – Tues, Wed & Thurs 5/26, 27, 28 9am-6pm (2 volunteers per shift)
- CASHIERS & helpers – both 5/29 8-6pm & 5/30 8-12 (6 per 4 hr. shift)
- CLEAN- UP CREW – Saturday, May 30, 11:30am till 2pm (8 volunteers)
- PICKUP TRUCKS or LARGE VEHICLES – to haul unsold items to Volunteers of America on Indianola near CMC following the sale. (4 vehicles)
We also need YOUR STUFF: We sell just about every household and yard item except adult or kids’ clothing- but we do take shoes for all ages. Best sellers include: kitchen & decorative, recreational & sports, yard & garden, bedding and towels, toiletries & candles, books & office items, crafts & puzzles, appliances & electronics (except old computers and TV’s), furniture & rugs, games & toys plus luggage & purses.
If items must be dropped off early before 5/26, place them in the basement storage room next to the restroom along the back wall or upstairs in room 305 (formerly called room 25).
If the item you are donating is valuable or antique, please label it with a suggested price. If the purpose of an item may not be easily recognized, please identify it. Check to be sure electrical items are in working order, and label as such. No old TVs or computers, please. Call Julie or Phil Hart for further information or to sign up to volunteer.
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Opportunities in the Wider Community
Mark your calendars for the 2026 Central Ohio Folk Festival, June 6 & 7. Join the Columbus Folk Music Society for a two-day family friendly festival the first full weekend in June, where the magic of music comes alive across four vibrant stages. Several CMCers are involved! More details HERE and on the flyers in the foyer. Please note it will be held at a new location this year – Bank Run Metro Park.
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June 26-28 Workshop: Nonviolence, Hope, Courage, and Strategic Defiance at the Grand Wayne Convention Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Join On Earth Peace for a training open to members of the Church of the Brethren and interested members of the public. Join us for a weekend of strategic nonviolence analysis, skill-building, and spiritual power. This training is meant to help Christians and people of goodwill build spiritual and practical grounding for the work ahead. RSVP USING THIS LINK. AND for more information about the workshop!
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Rooting our Stories: Reveling in 50 years of Queer and Trans Anabaptist Resilience Join the Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests (BMC) for a gathering rooted in sacred story and joyful revelry, as we mark our 50th Anniversary on May 29-31 in Minneapolis! This festive weekend will include storytelling, singing, ritual/worship, workshops, artmaking, games, shared meals, and honoring this incredible 50-year legacy of LGBTQIA+ Anabaptist resistance and resilience. Find event details, safety/accessibility info, and registration on our 50th webpage.
Calendars
Sunday, May 17
9:30 am Worship Service – Children/Youth Sunday
11:00 am Christian Education Classes
CMC Activities Next Week
Monday, May 18
6:30pm Garden Group in the church gardens
Friday, May 22
6:30 am Men’s Breakfast via Zoom https://zoom.us/j/313623317
Saturday, May 23
9:00am Rain date for church garden work morning
Sunday, May 24
9:00am Worship Service*
*Most Christian Education classes will be on recess through the summer, resuming September 13.
Office Contacts and Schedules for May 17-24
Laura: office@columbusmennonite.org, 216-870-0119, Mon: Off, Tues-Fri 8:30a – 2:30p
Mim: mim@columbusmennonite.org, 614-745-5150, Tues: 9:30a-3:30p
Mark: mark@columbusmennonite.org, on sabbatical May 18-Aug 16
Joel: joel@columbusmennonite.org, 614-940-7839, Mon: Sabbath, Tues-Fri: 9:00a-5:00p
Robin: robin@columbusmennonite.org, 614-406-1766, Mon: 10am-3pm, Fri: 10am-2pm
Upcoming CMC Special Events
May 17 Children/Youth Sunday
May 29-30 Rummage Sale (Fri-Sat) and Plant Sale (Sat)
June 7 Piecemakers Comforter Blessing during worship
June 20 Pride Parade
June 21 Outdoor Service at Highbanks Metro Park (no service at CMC)
Sept 25-27 CMC Fall Retreat at Kirkmont Center
Last Sunday | May 10
Attendance: 191
Offerings Received (last week) $9,805.00
Offerings Received (April) $15,780.00
Offerings Needed (April) $44,795.00
Christian Education Classes
Christian Education classes for children, youth, and adults will meet this Sunday at 11am. The descriptions of the classes for this season are below. Please note that this Sunday will be the last Sunday for most classes before the summer recess begins (the exception is the Aging Well class, which will continue into June).
Unless otherwise noted, classes will meet on the following Sundays: Jan 11, 18, 25; Feb 8, 15, 22; Mar 8, 15, 22, 29; April 12, 26; May 10, 17. Due to Cookie Sundays, holidays, and other special events, most classes will not meet on Jan 4, Feb 1, Mar 1, Apr 5, Apr 19, May 3, or May 24. Contact the class leaders for schedule updates as the season progresses.
Children/Youth Classes
Children’s Classes (Pre-K through 4th Grade): Children meet together for a snack, story time, and a self-directed creative response time. All children gather in Room 1, then younger children (Pre-K to 1st Grade) move to Room 2, and older children (2nd to 4th grade) move to Room 4.
Junior High (5th – 8th Grade): Middle grade youth meet in Room 303 (formerly called Room 23) for Bible study, snacks, and other activities. This class will explore stories and scriptures that connect to topics relevant to young people’s lives.
High School (9th – 12th Grade): High school youth meet in Room 305 (formerly called Room 25) for conversation around a wide variety of topics, including an exploration of the stories and scriptures used during worship.
Adult Classes
My Soul Cries Out (Jan-May): This informal gathering will provide space for lament, connection and creativity in the midst of political turmoil and widespread fear. Each gathering will ground itself in a particular intention such as lament, nourishment, humor. We will offer an opening ritual, followed by moments of meditative quiet, open conversation, crafting/creating/coloring options and a closing ritual. Participants are encouraged to engage in the ways that feel most personally restorative. Join every week, or drop-in as you wish. Facilitated by Cindy Fath and Adam Glass in Room 301 (formerly called Room 21).
Aging Well (April/May/June): What kinds of things do we need to be thinking of in regard to the final chapter of our lives? There’s all kinds of planning to think about: medical, financial, burial, funeral, living situations, in-home care, reliance on family vs complete autonomy. How do we prepare ourselves? Let’s start talking about these issues, learn what we can, share with each other our hopes, fears and dreams. Facilitated by Verdene Thompson and Robin Walton in the sanctuary. Class meets April 12, 26, May 10, 17, 31, and June 7, 14, 28. Topic for May 17: Advance Directives, the Ohio Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare.
Prophets and Kings Bible Study (April/May): This Bible study will explore various texts that speak about the centralization and uses of political power and how the kingdom of God relates to these situations, both in their original context and our own. Facilitated by Jim Fredal and Joel Miller, this class will meet in Room 304 (formerly called Room 24) on April 12, 26, May 10, 17.
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!