In Case You Missed It +

Nov 6

Monday, November 6, 2023

Annual Charge Conference will be held Nov 20th, 7pm at Broad Street UMC.

90th Birthday Celebration! Send cards and well-wishes to Emily Schornstein as she celebrates her birthday on Nov 13, c/o Ohio Living Westminster Thurber, 717 Neil Ave., #417 Thurber Tower, Columbus, OH. 43215. Happy birthday, Emily!

Advent Study begins Nov. 29. This year’s Advent theme is “Why Wait – Experiencing Christ in the Sights and Sounds of Advent”. Books are $10 each. We will meet Wednesday nights at 7:00pm via zoom, on Nov. 29, Dec. 6, Dec. 13, and Dec. 20. Register at broadstreetumc.net/current-sign-ups

Christmas Poinsettia Orders are now open. Order a poinsettia(s) in honor or memory of a loved one, or to show gratitude for all that Broad Street Church means to you. Order online at broadstreetumc.net/current-sign-ups, or see an usher for an order form. Poinsettias are $20 each.

Heart of the City Foundation year end giving! Does your office do workplace giving through Community Shares? Please consider making a donation to Heart of the City Foundation through Community Shares. It’s easy! Go to: https://www.communityshares.net/give and type in “Heart of the City Foundation” under charity or use the number 19034 which is the number assigned to Heart of the City Foundation.

Volunteer opportunities: liturgists, ushers, greeters, altar flowers, and monthly coffee hour host opportunities are available online at broadstreetumc.net/current-sign-ups

Thanksgiving/Stewardship Celebration Nov. 19. It’s been four years since our last Thanksgiving celebration at Broad Street! We want this meal to be a celebration for all we are thankful for, including our sustainability in Broad Street UMC. Please plan on joining us in this celebration!

Broad Street will supply the turkey, mashed potatoes/gravy and drinks. Please bring your favorite dish to share.
A-F salad/fruit
G-N dessert
O-Z veggie

We are asking for donations of 3-4 frozen turkeys 15 lbs or more. Or you can make a cash donation to purchase one. We also will need help in set up, preparing food, serving and cleanup.
If interested please contact Sue Hughes, shughesp@aol.com, or call
614-578-7696.

Bethlehem On Broad Street Update

In the both Creation stories (yes, there are two Creation stories), God worked six days, and then God rested - in part, to see all that had been created, and to say, “it is good!” In similar ways, God instructs us, as co-creators with God, to work, and then to rest.

Bethlehem on Broad Street (“BOBS”) has a long history of compassion, justice, mercy, and relationships at Broad Street. BOBS was borne out of a specific set of needs that existed in the downtown area many years ago. In the years since “BOBS’” inception, the downtown area has changed, evolved, and grown. Downtown has seen new housing and new residents appear, as well as older housing and long-time residents vanish. We’ve seen new agencies emerge to meet existing needs. We’ve seen the city respond to homelessness and food insecurity in new and familiar ways. We’ve seen the needs for affordable housing, healthcare, and mental health help centers rise, and continue rising. And in the midst of all of this, Broad Street, has faithfully maintained our participation in the BOBS holiday-needs program. And we have grown tired.

Broad Street’s BOBS leaders have determined that the time is right for us, as co-creators with God, to rest this year - to take a step back from all that has been created with and by BOBS, and to simply proclaim, “it is good!” And then rest.

To that end, 2023 will be sabbath. It will be a sacred time of resting and renewing - not merely “time off.” The BOBS leaders and I will continue watching our neighborhood, meeting neighbors, looking for new needs and opportunities, and return in 2024, rested, renewed, and ready to see where God is calling Broad Street to love our neighbors next.

For all of you who have been part of the BOBS celebrations in the past, thank you for the legacy you have created, shaped, molded, offered, and maintained. The 2023 sabbath will be time for us to embrace that legacy, nurture it, and come back in 2024 ready for the next chapter of BOBS ‘24.

Submitted by
Pastor John Girard