Runners Feeding Others

The Largest Table has been selected as the fund-raising recipient of a newly organized UCC effort, Runners Feeding Others for the Nationwide Columbus Marathon, October 18, 2009. If you are participating with the race, please consider linking up with RFO to make your marathon (or half-marathon or 5K race) about more than just exercise.

Runners Feeding Others is the creation of Steve Wylie, a running member of First Grace United Church of Christ in Akron. He dreamed up the concept before competing in the Cleveland half marathon in May, and came home with donations for 2,500 pounds of food for the First Grace food pantry. Conference Minister, Bob Molsberry, thought that was a pretty good idea, so he's bringing it to the Nationwide Columbus Marathon (where he finished second last year). Rev. Leslie Carole Taylor, pastor of Trinity UCC in Thornville, is bringing a team from her church and designing T-shirts to commemorate the event. Want to get involved? Here's how:

• Share this initiative with others who might be participating in the Columbus Marathon races October 18.
• Contact Bob Molsberry (bobm@ocucc.org) to sign up for the very loose "team" that is being created. No worries about pre-existing conditions, dues, qualifying pace standards, or income levels. No meetings to attend. Just sign up, solicit donations for The Largest Table, run your race, and send your money in.
• Send checks on behalf of your favorite runner to The Largest Table, St. John's United Church of Christ, 59 East Mound Street, Columbus, Ohio, 43215. (If you didn't have a favorite runner, you do now. Bob Molsberry will be glad to forward your donations to St. John's.)
  
  Technical T-shirts will be available before the race. Price and design will be forthcoming. You must pay in advance (checks to Ohio Conference UCC, 6161 Busch Blvd. #95, Columbus, OH 43229).
  
  

The Old Wooden Doors

We had the doors on the East side of the building varnished last week. They are old, heavy, wooden doors; and the ones on the East side get battered by the wind, rain, sun, and snow so they need to be varnished frequently. Every time we do this I think of Howard Nicklaus.

Howard Nicklaus was the first person I met at St. John's after meeting with the search committee and going through the search process. From the moment I met him I knew he cared deeply about St. John's. He was involved in many ways - as an usher, the chair of the Personnel Committee, the maintenance team, and more. He would occasionally meet me on a Sunday morning with a friendly suggestion about something we could do to make things better, or he gently coached me on traditions of the church. I valued his guidance and support.

What I remember most, though, was how Howard would varnish the doors. As far as I could tell no one had asked him to do it; he took the doors on as a project he could do that would be helpful. Even when he faced physical limitations and some health challenges, he would still show up every couple of months with varnish and his paint brush and spend the good part of the day freshening up the beautiful doors. When he no longer could do it, I knew he was concerned about how it would get done. His quiet faithfulness continues to inspire me every time I smell the new varnish and walk through our doors.

Many, many people have walked through those doors. Some of those people, like Howard, have passed on to the saints of light. Some have been here for generations, and through their faithfulness and shared wisdom continue to inspire those of us who have not been here as long. This year we are beginning what I hope will become a new tradition, Heritage Sunday. On September 27 we will honor all of the people who have been members of St. John's for 50 years or more and thank them for their faithfulness to God and to St. John's.

The Breakfast Table

Yesterday morning my husband and I lingered on our porch over a wonderful breakfast of french toast made with walnut raisin bread, crisp peppered bacon, perfectly ripe cantaloupe, and strong Italian roast coffee. As we were cleaning up I found myself wondering why we didn't do this more often. A good breakfast with someone you love is a great way to start the day; it is also one of the primary ideas behind a new ministry at St. John's called The Breakfast Table: Awakening Your Mind, Body, and Soul (TBT).

Do any of the following describe you?

You love to spend Sunday mornings with the people you love, often over a good home-cooked breakfast.

You are a visual person and make connections more easily when you are able to "see" an idea come to life.

You are a "hands on" person and want to DO something because of your faith, not just talk about it.

If church is going to be meaningful for you it needs to connect with your everyday life in relevant ways.

If any of these resonate with you, I think might enjoy The Breakfast Table!

The first TBT is this Sunday, September 13 at 9:00 a.m. We have six Sundays slotted throughout the year for TBT and are in the process of forming a "feeding team" and a "creating team" for each day. TBT will include elements of every day life: feeding ... eating .. thinking ... doing. Our hope is that this experience designed for people of all ages will deepen our faith experience, and stretch our minds and hearts. TBT will seek to make our faith more relevant, more engaging, and more integrated with our every day lives.

We have two great teams in place for our first experiment with this new venture. The "creating team" includes Diane Powell, Gary Reiss, Dixie Lauer, John Yakscoe, and Pattie Budd. They are meeting with me to design what exactly we will do after breakfast. Tom Yost and Rick Yost are the "feeding team." I don't know whether they will be making french toast, flipping pancakes or dishing up strata, but I do know it will be delicious and you won't need to cook it yourself that morning. Just come and enjoy! It will be a great way to start the day.