The Builder
April 2022
— with Sunday links —
April 3, 2022
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Full to the Brim: Brazen Acts of Beauty
John 12:1–8
Join Us for Worship In-Person or Online
The Year of the People Report
2022 is the Year of the People—and that means people are our focus in 2022. And the people of Broad Street UMC have been busy this Lenten season! We’ve been averaging approximately 12-14 people in the online Wednesday evening Lenten Study called Full to the Brim. In our time together we read scripture, study artwork, ask questions, and explore the reaches of God’s unconditional love.
In our return to Sunday morning in-person worship, we’ve been averaging 56 people each Sunday of Lent, and we’re anticipating an increase in attendance as the Easter celebration approaches. If you haven’t placed an order for Easter flowers to decorate the sanctuary on Easter morning, you have until this Sunday, April 3rd. Order here.
Beyond the special feel of Lent and Easter, I’m beginning to see more excitement and energy on many of your faces—in-person as well as online. I’ve never seen so many smiling faces during committee meetings, Leadership Board meetings, and Heart of the City Foundation meetings. There’s something good happening around here—and it shows!
It’s been delightful to have the Chancel Choir back in the choir loft and singing without masks. It’s been delightful to have the Chancel Choir back in the balcony singing the introit each week. It’s been delightful to have the Chancel Choir processing down the center aisles at the start of our weekly services in the Sanctuary. And it’s been delightful to have the technology which enables us to livestream all of it so that no matter where you’re joining from, you’re part of the Broad Street community near and far.
And speaking of Broad Street community near and far—have you enjoyed the return of the weekly Children’s Moment in worship? Does it help you connect? Would you like to see it continue regularly, or is it more meaningful when it’s only offered during special seasons like Advent and Lent? Let us know your thoughts here.
The Broad Street community near and far continues to keep us connected no matter where we may be on any given Sunday—temporarily or permanently. And the Technology Implementation Team is currently studying our current resources and needs in order to determine a viable Technology Plan that will allow us to enhance or increase our in-person and online video and audio presence and effectiveness.
And while all of this is going on, you, Broad Street, continue to care for the heart of the city by offering a warm and safe space for the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless to provide their Warming Center during the colder months, and a Drop-In Center during the warmer months. You also continue supporting Manna Café so that anyone who needs or wants a hot meal on Wednesday evenings can have one. And we’ve managed to secure the necessary commitments and contributions from many of you and our neighbors to commence the kitchen renovation project early this summer—during the pandemic. That’s simply amazing, Broad Street!
Well Broad Street, you surely are full to the brim and spilling over! It may feel like there hasn’t been much going on during the pandemic, but it sure looks like there is much going on all the time. And it looks like you’re having fun, too! I know I am.
So for all the ways you’re busy sharing the good news that we’re already and always full to the brim, well done, good and faithful servants. You’ll find additional information and a schedule of our Holy Week and Easter worship opportunities in this newsletter. Consider inviting a friend or family member to join you for worship during Holy Week or Easter morning this year and help them find their own sense of full to the brim, at the best church in town!
It's the Year of the People, dear Broad Street. May you find yourself full to the brim with a love to be shared, spilled, splashed, or sent out again this month.
Lenten blessings to you, dear ones.
Pastor John
Palm/Passion Sunday, April 10th, 11:00 a.m.
We’ll begin this worship service by waving palm branches and recalling the story of Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, and the joyous demonstration of loyalty to Jesus by his followers. And the service will end with a more somber remembering of Jesus’ passion that foreshadows his journey to the cross.
For those who cannot attend the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services throughout the following week, the Palm/Passion Sunday service is a remarkable way to move from the celebratory joy of Palm Sunday, through the passion of Holy Thursday and agony of Good Friday, before arriving back at the celebration and glory of Easter Morning. This Palm/Passion service reminds us that there is no triumph without suffering, and no crown without a cross.
Maundy Thursday, April 14th, 7:00 p.m.
“Maundy” comes from the Latin word mandatum, or commandment, reflecting Jesus’ words “I give you a new commandment: That you love one another, as I have loved you; that you also love one another.”
On this night, we commemorate the supper Jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion; it was then that he washed the disciples’ feet and instituted the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion). We’ll read the scripture story, celebrate Holy Communion, and then strip the Altar as a way of showing the desolation and abandonment of the long night in Gethsemane and what followed. The Sanctuary will remain bare until the joy of Easter morning arrives!
Good Friday, April 15th, 12:00 p.m.
Join us at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 444 E. Broad Street (across the street and next door to the Columbus Museum of Art). This service commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed with scripture readings and Stations of the Cross.
Easter Sunday, April 17th, 11:00 a.m.
Join us in the Sanctuary on Easter morning as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection and all that means for us! We’ll begin the service with festive instrumental music and singing, beautiful spring flowers, and words of celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
Did you know that the word “Easter” originally denoted the Jewish festival known in English as Passover, which commemorated the Jewish Exodus from slavery in Egypt? On Easter morning we don’t just recall Jesus’ passage from death to life, we embrace and celebrate our own passage from oppression to freedom, from sin to salvation, and from death to life.
Kitchen Renovation Project Update
The Broad Street Kitchen Renovation Project is progressing well! The Renovation Team is meeting on a regular basis and has contracted with Prime AE to provide Architect and Engineering services. The lead architect, Craig VanderVeen, has set forth the project schedule, with a goal of completing the project by December.
The design development phase is nearly completed. During this phase, the design concepts that were approved last year during phase 1 of the project are being verified. The team met to review the final design development package in mid-March and construction documents are being developed. These drawings and specifications will be completed and reviewed by the team by the end of April.
It is anticipated that construction will begin by the end of June. The Team and church staff will work diligently to keep the project on task and to reduce the impact of the use of the facilities. If you have questions about the project, you can contact the co-chairs, Keith Holten [kholten213@gmail.com; cell (740) 497-5778] or Nathan Sims [nsims55@hotmail.com; cell (240) 271-7242]. The other team members are Pastor John Girard, Nancy Taggart, and Marge Galloway (Broad Street UMC); Jim Shively (Manna Café and Downtown Kiwanis); Rebekah Mynster (HOTCF and Manna Café); and Tim Reik (Manna Café and State Auto).
Submitted by Keith Holten
Gardening with Girl Scouts
We are looking for volunteers to work alongside Girl Scout Troop #5930 to plant and tend the church’s raised bed gardens. Marie and two other Junior Girl Scouts are working on their Bronze Award. To earn this award, each girl must put in at least twenty hours on a project that will benefit the community. Marie and her friends have decided to bring back the community garden on the south side of the church. (Often, vegetables and herbs from the garden are used in meals served at the Manna Café.) The girls will start by cleaning, weeding, and reframing the beds. After that step, the girls will plant herbs and tomatoes in one bed. In a second bed, they’ll plant flowers that will attract butterflies. But that leaves at least six other beds that could be put to good use! Do you have ideas about what to plant in the other beds? Would you be willing to help plant, weed, or water the plants? If so, the girls, who are still in the planning stage of the project, would love to work with members of the church. If you are interested in participating (in whatever way that you like to participate), please contact Sharon Croft at scroft2@capital.edu.
In Memoriam
Save the Dates
Celebration of Life service for Tom DeBolt will be held Saturday, May 21st, on the West Lawn of the church at 1:00 p.m.
Celebration of Life service for Carolyn Towers will be held Saturday, May 28th. Carolyn’s family will receive friends and guests at 1:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary, where a memorial service will immediately follow at 2:00 p.m.
AIDS Walk Ohio 2022
Team Broad Street UMC has once again registered for the AIDS Walk Ohio 2022 which will take place in downtown Columbus on April 9, 2022. How exciting to walk as a group in person this year at Genoa Park in downtown Columbus!
I would like to thank you for or all your help these past few years! Because of you, we have been able to donate a total of $2,244 since 2018! That is wonderful. Our goal for this year is $1,000 and to date, we have raised $1,520. We are definitely on our way to doubling our goal.
AIDS Walk Ohio is one of the largest opportunities for the public to provide donations for this worthy cause. Over 1,000 people from across the state will come together to raise critical funds for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs.
Will you help us make a difference by either joining our team or making a donation?
The link to join Team Broad Street UMC is below; if you have any problems or questions, please reach out to Sue Hughes at 614-578-7696 or shughesp@aol.com.
https://www.classy.org/event/aids-walk-ohio-2022/e349214
Thank you,
Sue Hughes, Team Captain
Spotlight On…
Pat Thompson
Patricia Ann Curmode Thompson is the daughter of the late Harry Paul Curmode and Mae Etta Campbell. She is the widow of Glenn Otto Thompson, who passed away in 2019. They enjoyed 67 years of marriage together! FYI—Glenn’s real first name was Bruce, but his father always called him Glenn!
Pat was born on October 10 in Newton, Kansas. Her family of nine children and two parents moved to Columbus, Ohio, when she was 2½ years old, as her asthma could not handle the sandstorms in Kansas. They lived on Engler St. on the east side where she attended Heyl Avenue School. Pat did not attend Kindergarten as it was not offered in the public schools at the time. Pat’s parents were divorced when she was six years old. After elementary school, she moved on to attend Barrett Junior High where she started to babysit and played the violin and began playing the saxophone. At Mound Junior High School, she went to school with Frank Howard who played basketball and ended up coaching the Washington Redskins as well as the Columbus Clippers baseball teams. Her husband’s brother, Ralph, attended the same Junior High as Pat.
Pat attended Livingston Methodist Church in its original location. Her mother would give her a nickel for the collection plate. Unknown to her mother, Pat would go in one door and out another to go to the store to purchase a Coke. When church was over, she would return the same way. Her mother never knew!
She attended Central High School which is now COSI. At Central High School she focused on taking classes and becoming a secretary. In band, she sat next to Carl Sally, the well-known jazz saxophonist. “Hopalong” Cassady, then known as Howard Cassady, was also attending Central High School at the time playing football. “Hopalong” continued his football career at The Ohio State University as well as playing for the professional football leagues.
Pat met Glenn while in high school. Glenn finished high school, joined the Navy, and was sent to Korea as a medic. When Glenn returned home after one year of service, they eloped when Pat was 15. They drove to Richmond, Indiana, and were married in the large Methodist church in Richmond. Pat had a fake note from her mother stating that she was 18 and that her mother gave her consent to marriage! They celebrated their 25th Anniversary at Third Ave. UMC when Bob Alexander was pastor.
Pat and Glenn were ahead of their time living in the urban areas of Columbus. They first lived at First and Neil for a few months then moved in with her mother at First and Highland. They had no car. A neighbor drove her to the hospital to have Bruce (Brad had already arrived). Glenn was working at the Servel Drug Store at First and Harrison (which became the expanded Bunn=Minnick Location before the Michigan Avenue location). She would babysit other children at this time plus was a typist at home typing home labels.
They then moved to the half double at First and Highland next door to her mother. They finally bought a car when they purchased a refrigerator – “Buy a fridge and get a free car.” Yet the car didn’t have brakes! The boys had started school and Kim was born at this time.
Glenn put an application into the Post Office and was hired. However, Pat developed agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder that affected her desire to leave home. This kept her confined to the neighborhood. She considers herself to be in recovery now and has worked as a paraprofessional helping a psychologist with patients with this condition. She would contact each patient and help them one step at a time. While expecting Keela, she and Glenn would have several practice runs to go to the hospital before she finally went into labor. When Bob Alexander was appointed pastor at St. Luke’s UMC, Pat was on the board of North Central Mental Health to get mental health issues addressed in the area!
They purchased their first home on Neil Avenue in the early 1960s. They became active in the late 1960s with the Short North Community organization. They helped to encourage people to take low-interest loans and grants from the city of Columbus to improve their homes. Glenn and Pat, along with Harry Shaw, Gill Rickets, and Frank Fitch, founded the Victorian Village Society which exists today! Bob Bunn and Phil Minnick were also involved in the redevelopment of Victorian Village at the time.
Pat and Glenn’s relationship with Bob and Gail Alexander go back to when Bob was appointed pastor of Third Ave. UMC where the Thompsons were members. When Bob was appointed to Broad St., they transferred their membership and would never leave the Broad St. Church. The Alexander’s youngest son, Eric, went to pre-school with Keela.
When Glenn passed away, Pat’s cousin, Joe Curmode, who is a member of the Columbus Police Department, arranged for a motorcycle escort with several motorcycles blocking the freeway (I-670 and 315) all the way into Delaware County for Glenn’s burial.
Pat’s favorite scripture is the Love Chapter from 1st Corinthians 13. Pat and Glenn prayed together every night of their 67 years of marriage. Her favorite hymn is “May the circle not be broken.”
Pat is the mother of Bradford James Thompson, Bruce Otto Thompson, Kim Doreen Thompson-Jan Tausce, and Keela Kay Thompson. She has six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.
Pat was the youngest PTA president in the United States at the age of 21. She loved making homemade Halloween costumes for her children. Christmas is her favorite holiday. When you visit their home, each room has a Christmas tree at the holidays and there is a tree still up in their living room.
Pat and Glenn loved gardening together in their backyard. They turned a dry backyard into a green space with garden space. Their backyard includes bird feeders and fountains, and she has continued Glenn’s tradition. Pat loves OSU football. Glenn had all intentions to go to Florida this winter! Above all, their family was most important to Pat and Glenn.
To quote Pat, “I married a saint marrying Glenn.”
Pat would explain Broad St. UMC to a stranger as we have a loving family with our congregation!
Thanks be to God!
The Chatterbox
When a child comes out to his/her/their family, it often raises many questions for both the child and for the family. For example:
What does it mean for the family when a child comes out to his/her/their parents?
What does it mean for the parents’ relationship with their church?
What does it mean for the parents’ own faith?
How do parents navigate their own “coming out” after their children have come out to them?
What does the delay in the General Conference mean for me and my family and our church?
The sessions are designed to provide a safe space where questions and concerns can be dealt with openly and honestly.
These questions are among those that will be addressed in the series of four classes that will be held on Wednesday evenings, April 20, 27, May 4, 11.
This session of the class will be held on Zoom this spring. The meetings will begin at 7:00 pm and conclude by 8:30 pm.
If you want to participate in the class, please email Jim at jwaugh3@mac.com. Put “Kids Class” in the Subject line. A few days prior to the class session, you will receive a Zoom invitation from Jim for the sessions.
The Rev. Jim Waugh, a retired pastor in the West Ohio Conference, will lead the group. Jim and his wife, Carol, have an adult daughter, Lisa, who came out to them several years ago. Jim just completed a four-year term as the chair of the Parents Reconciling Network Board (a group related to the Reconciling Ministries Network).
If you have questions or need more information, please feel free to email Jim at jwaugh3@mac.com.
Your continuing faithfulness in giving to the mission and ministries of Broad Street is deeply appreciated. We are especially grateful to those who have switched to online giving, as we do not have to process checks to receive those gifts. To give via check or cash, you are welcome to give in-person on Sunday mornings or mail your offerings directly to the church. To give online, we encourage you to use one of the options below.
Go to broadstreetumc.net and click on “Giving” or click on the button directly below.
Download the free Vanco Mobile app on your device and search for Broad Street.
Text the dollar amount to (614) 528-4075.
Recurring Events:
Sunday: 11 a.m. — Livestream & in-person Worship
Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m.–4 p.m. — Church Office Open
Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. — Columbus Coalition for the Homeless Warming Center
Monday-Saturday: 12 p.m. — 501 AA Group
Wednesday: 3 p.m.–6 p.m. — Manna Café
Thursday: 7:30 p.m. — Choir Rehearsal
Thursday: 7 p.m. — Heart-to-Heart NA Group
Meetings:
April 5: 6 p.m. — Heart of the City Foundation—Zoom
April 6: 7 p.m. — Last Lenten Study—Zoom
April 10: 4 p.m. — Ministry Area Coordinators (off-site)
April 12: 1 p.m. — History and Archives
April 13: 7 p.m. — Finance Sub-Committee—Zoom
April 18: 7 p.m. — Leadership Board—Zoom
April 21: 7 p.m. — Kitchen Renovation Project Implementation Team—Zoom
