The Builder
July 2022
Join Us for Worship In-Person or Online
Year of the People Report
It’s a delightful summer afternoon as I sit in my office typing the Year of the People Report for our July edition of The Builder. I can hear the sounds of a street crew working on Washington Ave. I hear the construction equipment on the corner where the new condominiums are being re-built next to Topiary Park. And I can hear some of the guests at the Drop-In Center at the back of our building as they’re waiting for their laundry and showers. And in between all of that, dear Broad Street, I can hear intermittent sounds of silence inside and all around the church.
There is much going on in and around Broad Street United Methodist Church!
July marks one full year since I’ve come back home to be among you as Senior Pastor. And it also marks one full year since Pastor Angie has transitioned to two part-time appointments, in two different districts: Broad Street UMC Associate Pastor (Capitol Area North District) and Livingston UMC Associate Pastor (Capitol Area South District). She wears two hats, serves two different congregations, and does twice the work (two sets of Advent studies, two sets of Lenten studies, two congregations, two sets of pastoral care provisions, two sets of everything churches do…) and she always does it with a smile.
Last month we were busy around Broad Street! We hosted Manna Café meals every Wednesday; we offered showers and laundry service every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; we worshipped every Sunday; welcomed our new organist, Jason Mace; participated in the Central Ohio Reconciling Ministries Network Pride Festival at Bethel International UMC where Angie and I led the closing worship and communion service; and we had a contingent of parking lot volunteers, shuttle drivers, and marchers for the Stonewall Columbus Pride Parade. Be sure to check out the PRIDE article and photos from Nancy and Sue a little further down in this edition.
In addition, we welcomed three new church members into the congregation (Warren Stephenson, Shane Poole, and Murray Seabrook), and we’re starting to have more volunteers available for projects around the church.
July promises to be a fun month around Broad Street Church! There’s talk of starting some new social plans—think field trips and outings, for starters. The Leadership Board has approved a request from our CRIS Team (Community Refugee and Immigration Services) to support a refugee family coming to Columbus this summer. The kitchen renovation project is underway, albeit in the background, with the necessary work of securing paperwork and permits from the city. And we’re working on a new program designed to help everyone get involved in the life of the congregation (in-person, online, and homebound alike) by doing just one thing! Want to make a difference at Broad Street? Keep watching for more details as this new program is coming out in the fall, called Make A Difference.
Well dear ones, even though it’s summertime, things have not slowed down here at church. We’re still the church in the heart (and heat) of the city, with the city in our hearts! We’re still feeding people, helping people, loving each other, caring for one another, and celebrating the whole host of ways God is at work in you and through you to make a difference for someone else.
Thank you for all the ways you’re making Broad Street Church the best church in town! I’ll see you soon!
Pastor John Girard
Online Giving is Getting Easier!
Rolling out today, our online giving page has a new look and feel!
Just as before, you will still be able to give a one-time gift or set up automatic recurring gifts from a credit/debit card or through a bank ACH transaction. The option to log in to your member account remains, should you wish to save your bank info for future transactions. As with all online giving platforms, Broad Street continues to pay a small transaction fee to process online payments, which we feel the fee is well worth the convenience. If you choose to, you are welcome to cover that fee for the church at the same time you give.
Throughout the month of July, members of our Finance Team will be sharing more about their experiences with, as well as the process and time involved in, making this transition happen. The Team will also be available after Worship on the last three Sundays of July to answer questions and help you navigate the new look and feel of online giving.
As we anticipate new neighbors and neighborhood growth, we believe this new look will allow us to continue to serve you well while also making Broad Street more inviting and welcoming to those seeking a place of belonging. We greatly appreciate you and your heart of generosity as you continue to support Broad Street United Methodist Church.
Please reach out to Jennifer Blattler (treasurer@broadstreetumc.net) or Lydia Keller (finance@broadstreetumc.net) regarding any questions or concerns you have about the transition.
A Shower of Appreciation
The last couple of years have certainly been a demanding time for Broad Street’s music program: going online due to Covid, scheduling musicians to perform masked and distanced in an empty Sanctuary, and most recently procuring a succession of talented substitute musicians. Our very own Director of Music, Gary Everts, has taken all the curveballs and handled every challenge with grace! In honor of Gary’s BIRTHDAY on July 29th, let’s take the opportunity to acknowledge what he has done in the last two years to keep our music program flourishing. To show our thanks, we would like to surprise him with a “shower of appreciation” on Sunday, July 31st. Please consider bringing a card or note for Gary and give it to one of our pastors or to members of our Personnel Subcommittee—Jenni Cahill, Walt Jeffreys, or Jon Sadler—no later than that morning. We will surprise him with a basket of cards during the service!
Columbus Stonewall Pride Parade and RMN Churches
The day was perfect for a parade on Saturday, June 18th! We had a wonderful time participating with our fellow RMN churches in the parade downtown. We started not far from Broad Street and ended up in Goodale Park. It was awesome to hear, see, and take in all the support from the crowds as we walked by. Thank you to everyone who came to support BSUMC and RMN!
Nancy & Sue
God Loves Everyone ❤️
Broad Street’s Rick Colby and Son Advocate on National Media
You may have seen a familiar (local) face in the national news media in the past two months. Broad Street member Rick Colby has been and continues to be a leading voice in support of LGBTQ+ individuals, especially his son, Ashton, who is transgender.
Ashton and Rick have appeared on a number of programs including NBC News Now and PBS News Hour to share their journey. Links to three of their recent appearances follow, and we hope you’ll take the time to read and watch.
We’re Getting Ready for Our CRIS Family!
You may have heard that Broad Street is sponsoring an immigrant family coming to the US in August! We now have a wish list of furniture and smaller items, which we’ll be expanding as we learn more about our family: https://www.wishlist.com/user/BroadStreetCRIS. If you can provide an item on this registry, please mark it as “reserved” and email Jenni at cahillj2@miamioh.edu to coordinate (we would appreciate it if you can deliver larger items directly to the family’s apartment later this summer). Photos on the wish list are just a visual; we welcome any style of new or used items in good condition! And, please feel free to share the registry with your friends and family. To learn more about CRIS, visit https://www.crisohio.org/about.
Sign Ups for Ushers, Greeters, Liturgists, and Flowers
As a reminder, for anyone (and we really mean anyone) who would like to assist with Worship by serving as a liturgist, an usher or greeter, or by providing flowers to decorate the Altar, we’d love to help you participate! If you would like to serve as an Usher, please contact Shelley Hobson. Sign-ups for liturgists, greeters, and providing Altar flowers are available in the Narthex every Sunday morning. Sign up for Altar flowers is also available online at bsumc501.breezechms.com/form/altarflowers.
Manna Café Needs Dessert Help!
Each week, a small crew gathers to assemble a nice, hearty dinner for the food insecure folks in the downtown area. Part of that dinner always includes dessert, and we could use some help making sure the desserts are well-stocked! Prior to Covid, dessert was often a piece of pie or cake, but those are far from practical as we continue to serve to-go only meals. If you would like to bake cookies, muffins, brownies, or other handheld pastries for these meals, please email the Manna team at mannacafe@broadstreetumc.net.
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.
Text the dollar amount to (614) 665-0525.
Recurring Events:
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. — Livestream & in-person Worship
Monday–Thursday: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. — Church Office Open
Tuesday–Thursday: 1:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m. — Columbus Coalition for the Homeless Drop-In Center
Monday–Saturday: 12:00 p.m. — 501 AA Group
Wednesday: 3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. — Manna Café
Thursday: 7:00 p.m. — Heart-to-Heart NA Group
Events and Meetings:
July 4 — Office Closed in Observance of Independence Day
July 12, 1:00 p.m. — History & Archives
July 13, 7:00 p.m. — Finance Subcommittee
July 18, 7:00 p.m. — Leadership Board, via Zoom
