Reminders June 24-28
CMC Office Updates: The CMC office will be closed tomorrow and Fri June 25-26 as office staff participate in the Central District Conference Annual Meeting in Harrisonburg, VA. Pastoral and administrative staff can be reached by text or cell phone if needed, though response time may be slower than usual. Building Caretaker Kevin Condon will be off June 25-July 1. Administrative Assistant Mim Halterman will be off June 29.
This Sunday June 28 will be a Hymn Sing! Our song leaders will take requests for the congregational hymns, so if you have a favorite you’d like to have the congregation sing, please consider emailing it to Galen and Debra Martin (debrakmartin77@gmail.com) ahead of time. This will help them be prepared to include as many favorites as possible in the time available. Thank you!
Camp Friedenswald snacks due this Sunday June 28! We’re helping to stock the staff lounge at Camp Friedenswald this summer – please put your contributions in the bin in the foyer by Sunday. Here are some ideas (but feel free to get creative!): granola bars/protein bars; fruit snacks; cookies (homemade* or store bought); beef jerky; twizzlers, gummy bears, or other sweets; chips or pretzels; trail mix / mixed nuts; goldfish or cheese crackers; fresh fruit; soft drinks or soda water. *If bringing homemade items, please no nuts! And a list of ingredients would be appreciated.
Aging Well – Final Class this Sunday: The Aging Well class will meet for the last time this Sunday June 28. Topic for this week: We will review the online resource to help provide information about your desires for your memorial service. We will also wrap up any lingering questions and talk about how to continue to support each other as we all inevitably face the end of our lives. (All other Christian Education classes are on summer recess and will resume on Sunday September 13.)
Curious about this week’s Central District Conference Annual Meeting? Worship services and delegate sessions will be livestreamed and available for viewing. Those links and much more information about the Annual Meeting are available HERE. The following CMCers will be serving as delegates: Tom Blosser, Joel Call, Katie Graber, Mim Halterman, Hannah Kelley, Karen Mareco, Joel Miller, Laura Steiner, and Robin Walton.
General CMC Announcements
VBS registration due by July 5! Our Vacation Bible School 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.
Lost and Found Items from the outdoor service Sunday. 1 Igloo ice freezable block and 1 Blue Ice freezable block. Please claim them in the lost and found basket near the foyer restrooms.
Nursery & Preschoolers’ Time call for all interested parties volunteering for 2026 – 2027 year! This schedule runs from September 2026 to Aug 2027. If you are considering being a part of our wonderful and dedicated volunteer team during our worship service, please take a moment to complete THIS SURVEY by July 6. (I plan to work on the schedule that week). If there is additional Keeping CMC Safe training required, I will be in touch. – Mim Halterman
Women’s Coffee Connection: Thursday, July 9 from 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Please feel welcome to join us every second Thursday of the month in the Fellowship Hall for coffee/tea, a light snack, and a topic of discussion.
Worship Commission is seeking additional Zoom hosts for our Sunday morning services. Hosts can engage this role from the church building, or virtually. Interested? Please reach out to Carmina Suter at carminasuter@gmail.com.
New Spiritual Growth Groups: Are you looking for a group for sharing, spiritual connection, prayer, and reflection? Several of us are participating in such a group and would be delighted to help start others. Each group will have its own character and process, but if you would like to hear how our group is structured, please see the Lamplighter article on page 14-15 of the Dec 2025-Jan 2026 issue. If you might be interested in joining a Spiritual Growth group, please contact Lawrence Needleman at needleperson@gmail.com, or reach out to Robin Walton at robin@columbusmennonite.org.
Advocacy Opportunity
A huge THANK YOU to Lawrence Needleman for Providing an update to Mennonite Action’s memo on the US and Israel combining more of our military forces. It’s an important read to call your congressperson. ~Mary Yoder
From Lawrence Needleman: In response to Mennonite Action: “TAKE ACTION: Stop the U.S. and Israeli militaries from being further enmeshed” – I looked into it a bit more and wanted to pass an additional action that is very important. The provision Mennonite Action is concerned about was originally referred to as Section 224, but in the current House Rules Committee materials it is now listed as Section 219 of the FY2027 NDAA. There is a bipartisan amendment by Representatives Massie, Khanna, McGovern, Garcia, and Tlaib that would strike Section 219, formerly Section 224.
So the clearest ask for Representative Beatty is:
Please support making the Massie/Khanna/McGovern/Garcia/Tlaib amendment in order, and please vote YES on that amendment to strike Section 219/224, the “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative.” If this section remains in the NDAA, please oppose final passage unless strong human-rights and congressional-oversight safeguards are added.
People can say something like:
I am a constituent in Columbus and part of Columbus Mennonite Church. I am asking Representative Beatty to support the bipartisan amendment to strike Section 219, formerly Section 224, of the FY2027 NDAA. This provision would deepen U.S.-Israel defense technology integration in areas such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cyber, data fusion, directed energy, and defense research/testing. I am concerned that this could further enable civilian harm, surveillance, and military escalation without adequate human-rights safeguards or congressional oversight. As someone shaped by Mennonite peace values, I believe U.S. policy should be working to reduce violence, protect civilians, uphold international law, and support a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis. Please support the amendment to strike this section, and oppose the bill if this section remains without meaningful safeguards.
Rep. Beatty’s offices:
Washington DC: 202-225-4324
Columbus: 614-220-0003
I think the most urgent thing is to contact her soon, because the Rules Committee will decide which amendments are allowed to receive floor votes before the full House votes on the NDAA.
Opportunities in the Wider Community
First Unitarian Universalist Church (93 W. Weisheimer Rd) and Columbus Free Press invite you to attend a presentation from two-time Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ira Helfand titled “Back From the Brink: Addressing The Growing Threat of Nuclear War” from 2-4 p, Saturday, July 11.
Calendars
Sunday, June 28
9:30am Worship Service – Hymn Sing
11:00am Aging Well Class in the sanctuary
CMC Activities Next Week
Wednesday, July 1
7:00pm Ministry Council Meeting via Zoom
Thursday, July 2
4:00pm Set up for Piecemakers in the fellowship hall
Friday, July 3
6:30am Men’s Breakfast via Zoom https://zoom.us/j/313623317
9:00am Piecemakers in the fellowship hall
Sunday, July 5
9:30am Worship Service
Cookie Sunday following worship
Office Contacts and Schedules for June 28-July 5
Laura: office@columbusmennonite.org, 216-870-0119, Mon-Fri: 9:00a-3:00p
Mim: mim@columbusmennonite.org, 614-745-5150, Mon: Off, 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: 10a-3p, Fri: 10a-2p
Upcoming CMC Special Events
June 25-27 CDC Annual Meeting in Harrisonburg, VA (CMC office closed)
June 28 Hymn Sing during worship
July 5 Cookie Sunday
July 15, 22, 29, and Aug 5 Vacation Bible School
Sept 13 Christian Education classes resume
Sept 25-27 CMC Fall Retreat at Kirkmont Center
Nov 1 Congregational Meeting and Harvest Potluck
Nov 29 Advent begins
Dec 6 Congregational Meeting (Budget Vote)
Last Sunday | June 21
Attendance: 119
Offerings Received (last week): $9,265.00
Offerings Received (June): $28,784.00
Offerings Needed (June): $44,795.00
Christian Education Classes
Most Christian Education classes for children, youth, and adults are on summer recess and will not meet again until September 13. The exception to this is the Aging Well class for adults, which will meet one more time this Sunday June 28.
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. See details of this week’s topic in reminders section above.
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!