ServeFest… On Saturday, October 4, a group of Continuum Church members and some other friends met in the Kroger parking lot at 9:30 a.m. to divide into our teams for ServeFest. It was chilly, but sunny, and we knew it would warm up later on. While in the parking lot we were approached twice by people who wanted to know what we were doing standing around in such a big group!
We had five worksites that day: the homes of Betty T., Diane D., Anthony D., Christine H. and Gayle H.. Each site had totally different tasks to be done, required different kinds of tools, and would take different amount of time. I had originally thought we could be finished with everything by 12 noon, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. Everyone stayed for as long as they could, and we finished almost everything we’d set out to do. On the follow up surveys, the top responses for “favorite part of the event” were the reactions from the homeowners, and the opportunity to serve with other Continuum people.
Here are some before and after shots of cleaning out a wild tangle of brush in the parking area behind Ms. Christine’s house.
Brush Tangle: Before
That team faced huge bushes, a wire fence tangled up in the bushes, metal poles sunk deep in the ground…and an infestation of spiders! But they did an amazing job…
Brush Tangle: After
Ms. Christine had been gone all morning, but arrived home before the team left. She was overwhelmed with what they were able to accomplish and told them that area hadn’t been so clean since she was a little girl.
I know that as God continues to grow our congregation, these service projects will be an integral part of building community. Nothing brings people together like hard work!
Gallery Hop… Join Continuum Church on Saturday, Sept. 6 for Gallery Hop! We believe that God has placed our church strategically in the Gateway Theater, within the communities of OSU campus, Weinland Park, and the Short North. This weekend, we will meet some of our Short North neighbors by going to Gallery Hop. This is a fun opportunity to get comfortable in the neighborhood, and also to invite some friends who might not have yet visited Continuum Church on Sunday morning.
We’ll meet at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night, at the southwest corner of High and 2nd (in front of Northstar Cafe). You can park for free on 2nd Ave., or at the meters in the public parking lot just north on the intersection.
Project Mentor… Do you have one hour a week to devote to helping someone else? If you do, please consider signing up for Project Mentor. It’s a partnership between Columbus Public Schools and Big Brothers/Big Sisters to provide mentors to every junior high student, with the goal being a significant increase in the graduation rate. On the day and time most convenient for you, you will work together with other mentors and students on activities to build self-esteem and leadership skills. All activities are supervised by a Project Mentor staff. This is not a Continuum Church project, but it is an opportunity we wanted to make you aware of. To get more information and to register, visit the Project Mentor website.
AIDS Walk… Thank you to our AIDS Walk team! Through the generosity of our families and friends, we raised $770 in support of AIDS service organizations in Central Ohio. Last Saturday morning we joined with hundreds of others to symbolically walk alongside those suffering in our community. We were glad for the opportunity to be with many other organizations to focus on a common cause, instead of on our differences. Thanks for making this possible!
Prayer walk … On a beautiful Saturday morning, May 31, Continuum Church sent 25 people along four different routes in our neighborhood. We prayed for the items in our guide, and then also prayed for other issues as they came to mind. We know that as we walked and asked for God to help us bring more of His Kingdom to our neighborhood, we were doing the most important work possible. As Adam said years ago, “Prayer is the first ditch effort!” (as opposed to the “last ditch”). Everyone who participated gave great feedback on their experience, as well as providing constructive ideas on how to improve our future walks. We will definitely do this again, continuing to ask God for creativity and wisdom and new relationships.
Serving breakfast… On Sunday, June 29 Continuum Church will be serving breakfast at New Life United Methodist Church (5th and High St.). Each Sunday morning New Life serves a hot breakfast to neighborhood families, church members, homeless neighbors and anyone else who shows up! They need some extra hands to help prepare and serve the food. This is going to be a wonderful opportunity to meet some neighbors in our area, as well as to serve alongside another church who is already clearly meeting a need in the neighborhood. If you’d like to participate, please RSVP by e-mail Beth Kavanaugh, Outreach Director.
AIDS Walk… On Saturday, July 12, Continuum Church will be walking in the 20th annual Central Ohio AIDS Walk. Because we know that AIDS/HIV effects millions around the world and in our community, we are committed to coming alongside other organizations in serving victims and searching for better medical treatments. As believers we want to take advantage of the opportunity to assist in bringing hope to those who suffer from this disease.
Continuum Church is on a roll! Our first outreach event on Saturday, April 19 was a great success. We had 23 people show up at Bethany Christian Church on the east side of Columbus at 8:45 in the morning. It’s fantastic to be part of a community of believers who have caught the vision for social justice, and are ready to really do something about it. Everyone was on time and excited to get to work!
We were part of a larger group at least 100 people who were partnering with the Windchangers organization to address several different needs in the neighborhood. After a welcome and explanation of neighborhood dynamics from Pastor Elaine Fennell, the Continuum Church group split up into two teams, affectionately known as “Team Sheep” (Beth’s Team) and “Team Goat” (Adam’s team). We were going to be part of the neighborhood clean-up team, working in partnership with Keep Columbus Beautiful.
The incredible amount of partnership and cooperation on display on Saturday was encouraging. Christians from across the spectrum of denominations worked together, and partnered with secular organizations as well. We know that God’s dream of reconciliation is for the whole world, and if we are going to accomplish it, we have to stop judging our brothers and sisters on matters that don’t really matter. (Anyone else ready for the the chorus of “Come Together”?)
Before heading into the neighborhood, armed with safety vests, gloves, trash bags, grabbers, brooms and rakes, our group talked about our core values for outreach at Continuum Church.
1. We are going to be flexible. We know things aren’t always going to go exactly as planned, or exactly as we hope. But we’re going to just keep working, knowing that, through our obedience, God’s purpose for the day’s work will be accomplished.
2. We’re here to join our neighbors. We know that when we work, we are serving PEOPLE, whom God loves, whose lives matter as much as our own, and whose spiritual journeys are moving along just like ours. Relationships are important to us, and we want to come alongside those in need, not drop in to quickly provide some temporary assistance.
3. We are doing spiritual work. On Saturday, we picked up trash. We didn’t talk to very many of the neighbors. But we know that what we did had eternal significance, for us and for them. All the work that we do for the sake of Jesus and in his name, IS part of seeing God’s Kingdom come here in Columbus.
Check out this great story in the Columbus Dispatch, featuring one of our fabulous Continuum Church members, Kathleen Ragelis.
We know this is just the first of many opportunities for Continuum Church to bring a message of hope to our community, as we explore the infinite connections between spirituality and social justice.