n By Michael Barber

The carefully-crafted letter was penned by Tony Apanovitch,

a convicted man sitting on Chillicothe’s death row for 31 years. It was addressed to Dr. Richard Wing and contained a profound question.

“Tony wrote that he had seen me on television talking about new life and resurrection,” said Dr. Wing, Senior Minister of First Community Church. “He asked how I would translate this message for someone sitting on death row. I told him we should probably get together to talk in person.”

Dr. Wing heard from several sources that inmates from the Chillicothe Correctional Institution in Ohio gather to watch the First Edition television program each Sunday, discussing the broadcasted messages in a small group.

Tony was one of those men.

The two began to meet regularly in 2012 to talk about theology and life. “Within 20

minutes, you’re into the most normal conversation you’ve ever had,” Dr. Wing said.

Their meetings would soon reveal that more than half of the 127 inmates on death row have no one to converse with from the outside. Tony asked Dr. Wing for more visitors for some of his cell mates, triggering a call for compassion from the pulpit.

“Is there anyone here within the sound of my voice…” Dr. Wing said during a sermon. “I’ve got a list of 12 men on death row. We need somebody to call on them. Not to convert, not to condemn, just to be a friend. They’re in need of a friendly, everyday voice and it might be yours.”

One man listening was Jeff Leister.

HEEDING AN UNLIKELY CALL

Jeff’s spiritual journey with his wife, Jane, led him to FCC after a chance meeting with a co-worker and former member of the church turned into an invitation to worship. “I’ve always been a member of the United Church of Christ,” he said. “I started reading books by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. My theology was evolving. The messages from Dr. Wing’s sermons fell right in.”

After hearing Dr. Wing’s plea, Jeff attended a meeting of like-minded men who would soon find their personal passion in visiting those in prison. “I was a new member of First Community Church,” Jeff said.

“In past churches I attended, I always did things to service the congregation like ushering and being a trustee. I wanted to step outside of the box and challenge myself.”

This challenge brought Jeff and others to death row where they would meet their assigned inmates.

“I really didn’t know what I was getting into. I don’t think any of us knew,” Jeff said. “I never thought I’d be ministering to anyone in a prison.”

JEFF’S FIRST VISIT

“I knew nothing of inmate Greg Esparza,” Jeff said. “I wrote Greg a letter to ask if he was interested in a visit. He responded positively. Once Greg put me on his visitor list, I went to Chillicothe to meet Greg for the first time.” Jeff’s recollection of his first trip to meet Greg on death row is vivid.

Everything Old is 'News' AgainNew Format Highlights In-Depth Stories, Columns and Photography

Imagine a newspaper in 1922 containing important stories from your faith community. Imagine it circulates throughout the Tri-Village area and is published by your church. Imagine this newspaper becomes so vital to the community that it

takes on a life of its own.

This little piece of history, like many that have woven to create the very fabric of First Community Church, is about to repeat.

Ninety-four years ago, the church created a newspaper simply named The Community News. It was printed in the basement of 1320 Cambridge Blvd, mostly by volunteers, and was delivered throughout the neighborhood by children. Rev. Oliver Weist donned the Editor’s hat for six years before the paper was sold to two experienced newspapermen. They changed the name of the paper to The Tri-Village News.

A little more than a year ago, our communications team formed a small focus group to determine what changes needed to be made to firstnews Monthly, our church newsletter.

The group consisted of Diana Arthur, Janice Beaty, Mike Elliott, Janet McCutcheon, Bill Ress, Jackie Cherry, Molly Hagkull, Helen Vivian, Tim Carlson and Elizabeth Haines. They were instrumental in helping to pare down the news for streamlined reading and to reduce budget.

Prison visitor Jeff Leister, a member of First Community Church, never expected to be ministering on death row. “I really didn’t know what I was getting into. I don’t think any of us knew.” PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL BARBER

Life Changing MinistryVisitors Take Matthew 25:36 to Chillicothe's Death Row

I’ve got a list of 12 men on death row. We need somebody to call on them. Not to convert, not to condemn, just to be a friend.

They’re in need of a friendly, everyday voice and it might be yours.” — Dr. Richard Wing

SEE MINISTRY, PAGE 2

FIRSTNEWS-EXTRA.COM FCCHURCH.COM FCCHURCH.TV FACEBOOK.COM/FIRSTCOMMUNITYCHURCH TWITTER.COM/MYFCCHURCH

SEE NEWS, PAGE 2

(614) 488-0681 JULY 1 - 31, 2016 VOL. 62 NO. 7

Michael BarberEditor

Perio

dica

l Po

stag

ePA

IDC

olum

bus,

OH

2 JULY 1 - 31, 2016 | firstnews

firstnews ArticlesInclude the date, contact person’s name, phone number and/or e-mail address with all submissions. Submit to:

email - news@FCchurch.com fax - 614 488.2763phone - 614 488.0681

The deadline for all submissions is 12 pm on the 15th of each month. We reserve the right to edit all submissions.

firstnews is a communications mission of First Community Church, published for church members and the community to share insights, educate and inform.

Editor Michael Barber

Graphic DesignTabitha McCleery

Creative SupportEmily Rogers

Distribution & AdvertisingJane Torbica

First Community Church firstnews (USPS 196-300) is published monthly by First Community C h u rc h , 1 3 2 0 C a m b r i d g e Boulevard, Columbus, OH 43212-3200. Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, Ohio. Subscription rates — U.S. First Community membe r s - $1 / yea r ; non -members - $25/year. Canadian or foreign subscriptions must be paid in U.S. dollars. For non-U.S. rates, call the firstnews office. Postmaster: Send address changes to First Community Church, 1320 Cambridge Boulevard, Columbus, OH 43212-3200.

“When you pull up, it’s very shiny with all the razor wire around the place,” Jeff said. “When you walk in the front door, you see a small waiting room with a vending machine. You’re not allowed to take anything into the prison except a driver’s license and car key. There are 6-8 seats and a very worn board with numbers on it.”

Once a visitor’s name is called, their hand is stamped with an image that shows up under ultraviolet light. Passing through a metal detector, a corrections officer checks for the hand stamp and reviews the visitor’s driver’s license before commencing on the long walk inward.

“I certainly wasn’t scared,” Jeff said. “I was going with the flow. Dr. Wing had prepared us pretty well. He described the sounds. There’s no doubt in your mind when the doors are locked. They’re old and loud.”

The death row portion of the prison built in 1926 is much older than the main structure, which opened in 1966. It is completely segregated from the rest of the population.

Once inside, Jeff and the other visitors are shown an area with metal tables and seats securely anchored to a concrete floor.

“When they bring the inmates in, they have chains around their ankles and wrists,” Jeff said. “They take all of that off except for their ankle shackles and run the chain through a steel loop on the floor.”

Jeff’s first encounter with Greg was comforting in that Greg did all of the talking.

“Greg’s an unusual guy, very outgoing,” Jeff said. “He talks a lot which is good because I don’t talk a lot. All I had to do was say ‘hi’ and he talked for the next hour and a half. He does all the talking and I listen.”

PERSONAL CONNECTION

When Greg entered the prison system in May of 1984, the Internet didn’t exist. Jeff has helped Greg to become more connected by way of a third-party, monitored email system known as JPay. Jeff also provided small amounts of personal money, which Greg saved over time, to help purchase a small handheld device. This offers the men a more effective means to communicate.

“Initially, we wrote some letters back and forth,” Jeff said.

INSPIRATION INSIDE

It’s been more than two years since Ohio executed a prisoner. The state has had trouble getting drugs to use for lethal injections mainly because pharmaceutical companies don’t want their medical products used for killing people.

Two years ago, European pharmaceutical companies blocked sales on moral and legal grounds. Still, Ohio has scheduled executions beginning January 2017.

More than 50 of Greg's friends have been executed and several others have committed suicide because they couldn’t deal with their pending fate.

“When I look at the life Greg leads in prison and the way he has dealt with the stress of not knowing if or when he will be executed, it makes me look at things very differently,” Jeff said. “I don’t much care about things that used to get under my skin. I don’t much care anymore.”

Although the men are at different ends of the theological spectrum, with Greg being more conservative, their many conversations have inspired Greg to become a strong example of faith to his cellmates.

“I’m at peace with God,” Greg told Jeff. “I don’t care what they do to me. In my mind I’m free. If you’re not at peace, then you’ve already died. I prefer not to spend my time thinking about the end of my life. I’m alive today and I’m going to make the best of it.”

Jeff honors his unlikely friend, telling him that he is making a difference to those who connect with him.

“I don’t believe that God is some human-like

figure out there who makes thumbs up and thumbs down decisions,” Jeff said.

“Frankly, I believe everything in our universe is part of the body of God. God is in us and we are in God and he speaks through us. Because of his belief, I tell Greg, ‘You’re the voice of God.”

CLOSE CALL

After four years of visiting with Tony Apanovitch on death row, Dr. Wing found himself in the middle of a unique and developing story of appeal. The State of Ohio released Tony from Chillicothe weeks ago, now on house arrest in northern Ohio pending a new trial. Questions regarding DNA evidence have forced the decision, freeing Tony from prison on $100,000 bond.

Through the years, Dr. Wing told Tony that if he was ever released, he would treat him to a steak dinner at Hyde Park.

“The day he got out, he called me,” Dr. Wing said. “I told him ‘You know that steak I promised you? I was just kidding,” he teased.

Due to the condition of Tony’s release, the men were not able to share a meal at the steak house. Rather, Dr. Wing took the cookout to Tony’s back patio where they grilled steaks Friday, June 10.

“It was surreal and easy, all at the same time,” Dr. Wing said.

LOOKING AHEAD

Jeff Leister considers his relationship with Greg Esparza a life-long commitment, planning to visit him monthly. Faced with the idea of one day losing his friend to the death penalty, Jeff remains faithful to his rationale.

"When you pull up, it's very shiny with all the razor wire around the place." — Jeff Leister, as he describes the exterior of the Chillicothe Correctional Institute.PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF UNEARTHEDOHIO.COM

MINISTRYFROM PAGE 1

I'm at peace with God. I don't care what they do to me. In my mind I'm free.”

— Greg Esparza

Using this vital information received and the focus group’s insight, we have teamed with a newspaper printer in Indiana to produce a monthly publication that is much larger and less expensive. These benefits provide us with the space to bring you more news and in-depth stories, columns from our clergy, colorful photography and a wider distribution; all in an environmentally-sustainable package.

We are extremely excited about the possibilities this new format provides. This month, Tabitha McCleery has designed her first newspaper, and I think you’ll agree has made your news beautiful. Emily Rogers has carefully helped guide content while Jane Torbica works to increase sponsorships and to widen our distribution channels.

Historian Jackie Cherry has supported this change, writing a column for this issue and next with great enthusiasm.

And me? Well, I’m home again. Back to my roots as a newspaper man, telling stories from a church I have grown to appreciate and love. Now that’s something to write about.

NEWSFROM PAGE 1

Greg's an unusual guy, very outgoing. All I had to do was say 'hi' and he

talked for the next hour and a half.” — Jeff Leister

CONTINUED, PAGE 3

firstnews | JULY 1 - 31, 2016 3

Bringing Comfort for the Dying Volunteers Befriend Prisoners in Final Days

n By Michael Barber

Prison volunteer Vickie Murphy answered a phone call from Franklin Medical Center (FMC), a medical treatment prison on Harmon Ave. in Columbus. On the other end, a center administrator asked Vickie for her help with an inmate who was dying.

She hoped Vickie would come to the man’s bedside to offer comfort.

Fellow volunteer Tracy Hoag, a Hospice nurse, was also called. The two women

made their way to the inmate’s room where he laid comatose. With his brother sitting next to him, Vickie asked permission to sing. She began singing an original song written by a friend based on Psalm 23.

“As soon as I was finished, he opened his eyes and looked up at us,” Vickie said. “His brother jumped up. ‘Jerry, Jerry! Do you see us? Are you awake?’ he asked.”

“He looked up one last time and took his last breath,” Vickie said. “I had never been in the presence of anyone who had passed. I’m trusting that he related to the lyrics of the Psalm; I shall not want… He makes me lie down in green pastures. That is the most profound experience of my entire life.”

Vickie and Tracy were two of nearly 80 people who responded to a sermon plea a few years ago by Dr. Richard Wing. He had asked for support in visiting incarcerated men on death row.

Having spent many years as a mental health administrator with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Vickie’s husband Daniel Davis, Ph.D. provided the women with a contact to FMC, the only facility of its kind in Ohio to care for both men and women prisoners.

Eight volunteers began making regular trips to FMC. Initially, they formed small singing groups, read books with inmates and taught them to crochet hats.

“There are some men at FMC that crochet like you wouldn’t believe,” Vickie said.

Soon, the volunteers found themselves fixing up two Palliative Care rooms, a space many of the inmates pass away. Rev. Kate Shaner and a group of 20-somethings painted the dingy-yellow cinderblock a meditative blue to make the environment more pleasing. Barb Davis and Bobbie Reynolds brought quilts from the First Community Quilt Ministry to hang on the wall.

Using money made by selling the hats crocheted by the inmates, Vickie purchased two wall-mounted waterfalls and an aromatherapy unit for the rooms.

Now 20 strong, the trained volunteers are spending time playing cards on Wednesday evenings and simply making a difference. Most, including Vickie, are surprised to be involved in this ministry of presence for convicted prisoners.

“Who would have thought,” Vickie asks herself. “Every time I walk into FMC I say, ‘why am I doing this?’

And every time I walk out, I say ‘I am so glad I did.’ ”

To our Family at First Community Church, on behalf of all of us on Ohio death row. I want to convey a hug and deep thanks for opening the door to your hearts for us. You are one among few who live the word of Matthew 25. You come to us, scars and all. We all claim forgiveness, but in truth, do we forgive? We all say that we love, but do we? Your members have said by their actions, we love you and we will be there to share laughs, tears and an occasional meal. The odd thing is that, in the end, we all have more in common than not.

Your church - now ours - looked at “ugly” and saw love in God’s children. If we’re all made in God’s image, how can anyone who claims faith, look at another human as ugly when they’re looking at an image of God? When you project good or bad towards someone, you are projecting a reflection of your own heart. When hate knocks on your heart’s door, answer with a smile because it shines the God within you.

Yes, I have been on death row longer than anyone; over three decades, but I will say now, God has been good to me and I am at peace. No matter how my life ends, I am thankful to God and brothers and sisters of faith who pray for us. Fear and faith don’t dance together. One will own the other. I don’t say this because I want to die. I say this because faith conquers any fear that I may face. If I go, well, it is all in God’s time. Nothing happens without His guidance. Perhaps, since I’m Latino, he may need a gardener.

Now see, life and laughter are good. We as a society walk on egg

shells over political correctness. Me, I love a good laugh. First Community, we thank you. Please know that you add sunshine to our lives. Prison can be dark, but love always wins out. I would like to thank those who sponsor the on air TV program. For us in a cell on death row, it’s the only way we can attend church on Sunday morning. So thank you to everyone who contributes to keep this program alive and may God

bless you all. We may never meet in person, but we’ll sing together in heaven. You’ll know me, as I’m the one singing out of tune. You’ll say, “That’s Greg, hah!”, and if you give me a hug, I’ll share a burrito with you.

To those who come to visit with us, thank you for your time and heart. You make a difference. Many run from the condemned, but you run to us. Many look at us as garbage, but you see treasured friends. Jesus was on death row for our sins. If he was on death row today, would we run towards Him? Matthew 25 has the answer.

In closing, I love all of you and I am very thankful.

Thank You from Death Row

Prison can be dark but love

always wins out.” — Greg Esparza (A179450)

Jeff Leister, left, and Greg Esparza, photographed on death row.

“I’ve got a different philosophy about death,” Jeff said. “This world is no different than the next world. If he isn’t here anymore but I am, I believe he’ll do fine there.”

Dr. Wing has long been an opponent of the death penalty and sees at least a portion of his future work focused on change.

“I’m never going to be a hero, but we’ve got to lift up this injustice in the softest voice we know how,” he said. “It concerns me that we are doing this to innocent human beings. You don’t kill anyone who killed someone to show that killing is wrong.”

“Jesus promised that he would meet us in the presence of the

last, least and lost,” Dr Wing said. “It’s true. I find this to be a great blessing. God comes to us in this place.”

For information on death row visitation, contact Jeff Leister at jlleister@gmail.com

Dr. RIchard Wing, left, and former death row inmate Tony Apanovitch cook out on the patio of his northern Ohio home.PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY DR. WING

From left, FMC Catholic Chaplain Sister Rose Hamilton, Dr. Richard Wing, Imam Jamal Naiyer, and Rev. Kate Shaner participate in a Service of Remembrance for more than 80 inmates who passed in 2014.

PHOTOGRAPH BY VICTORIA HUBBARD

VICKIE MURPHY

4 JULY 1 - 31, 2016 | firstnews

Orlando StrongFirst Community Church Honors Lives Lost in Florida Night Club Shooting

TOP: Rev. Kate Shaner reads a liturgy standing next to candles lit in the honor of the victims of the Orlando shooting during a special worship service at South Campus, Sunday, June 19.

ABOVE: More than 260 congregants gather for a group photograph in support of the victims.

TOP RIGHT: The South Campus chancel is lit in rainbow colors during worship.

RIGHT: A UCC banner stating "God is still speaking," stands beneath an American flag flying at half staff in front of 1320 Cambridge Boulevard.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LOUISE KUTZ

firstnews | JULY 1 - 31, 2016 5

n By Dr. Deborah Lindsay

Almost 20 years after First Community Church began a discernment process about same-gender commitment ceremonies, the church was honored for its efforts by the Human Rights Campaign.

The HRC is the largest advocacy group in the country focused on equality for people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (or questioning) communities.

The HRC gala was held at the Ohio Union in June. FCC was honored as one of the “allies in the community” for courageously stepping out in the early days of the conversation about commitment ceremonies.

At the time, First Community did not take a position on marriage equality; the Governing Board unanimously voted to allow religious commitment ceremonies in our sanctuary.

Under the leadership of Dr. Richard Wing, the discernment process was lengthy and all voices were heard and respected.

The first same-sex covenant ceremony was performed in the South Campus sanctuary in 2000. With same-sex marriage now allowed in Ohio, the first legal marriage occurred at the church on June 12.

“It was a long journey,” Dr. Wing said, “and

it was the right thing to do. We share with the HRC the determination that members of the LGBTQ community will be ensured of their basic equal rights and can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.”

Dr. Wing was joined at the HRC event by Rev.

David Hett, Dr. Deborah Lindsay, Dr. Ronald Jenkins and his husband, Will Davis. The gala was also attended by Jim Obergefell, the Ohio man whose case led to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that led to full marriage equality in all 50 states.

Weeping

Human Rights Honors First Community

Dr. Richard WingSenior Minister

A prophet does not foretell the future. A prophet tells hard truth in the present. Before a prophet confronts hard truth, they weep. I am not a prophet, but a pastor of a local congregation who weeps.

After Orlando immediately comes the “why” question. People think they would be helped by knowing why. If a person doesn’t like you, trust me, knowing why won’t help.

My friend Art Morgan said, “What does “why” fix?” So, I don’t ask why. Instead, I observe.

I observe in Orlando a deadly mix of mental illness, homophobia, the hate language of ISIS and liberal gun laws leveling another 49 lives and injuring dozens more. The “new normal” shocks us only as long as it takes the candles to burn out and the pile of flowers to wilt. Go online and refresh your memory of the 66 incidents like Orlando that have taken place since 1992 in America.

Meanwhile, I weep.

I weep at the mass closing of mental hospitals in America. Mentally ill people have become relegated to the streets and prisons. Little to no treatment is given in either place.

I weep that a weapon that was made “to kill more people in the shortest period of time” is not made illegal in America. Australia, after just one massacre, made assault weapons illegal and rid themselves of the atrocities of Orlando permanently.

I weep that our nation leads the world in the number of people we kill with guns, both accidentally and on purpose.

I weep for the people of Orlando, now a part of the 934 people killed in mass shootings in the last 7 years in America.

The candles are about to go out. The flowers are getting dry. I weep.

Wherever You GoLast summer my wife Clare and I were vacationing in Tennessee and Kentucky. Leaving Danville, Kentucky where her father had grown up, we were traveling to Louisville when we passed the Abbey of Gethsemani in the beautiful rolling hills near Bardstown.

Twice in my life I have taken a retreat at this Cistercian Abbey where you remain silent except during the “Liturgy of the Hours” when psalms are chanted by the monks at different times during each twenty-fours. You are not required to follow the liturgy, but are welcome to do so.

You only are asked to remain silent while in the abbey, where you can read, sleep and take your meals. You can talk with others when walking the grounds surrounding the Abbey or at a daily meditation by the Abbot, which is voluntary.

Gethsemani became well known to the wider society due to the writings of Thomas Merton who lived there and wrote many books after World War II on spirituality and the contemplative life. It is there that I learned that the above quote was a paraphrase of the 23rd Psalm. The two texts were interwoven and read movingly by Anna Obergefell and Will Hoag at our recent MorningSong worship service.

Life in a monastery seems like a retreat from the world, which may have an appeal to those on a short stay. However, there is a saying that “wherever you go, there you are.” You take your cares and concerns with you into the silence.

We all have many cares and concerns today, whether in our personal lives or in the wider world in which we live. However, it may only be in the silence that we can find God in the midst of a troubled world.

Thomas Merton did not escape himself or the world when he entered the monastery. He was a social activist who was very aware of issues of war and peace, racism and poverty.

He was not removed from these issues, but encountered them in the contemplative life and wrote of them for the wider world.

He also showed in his famous quote that we are not always aware of God’s presence and guidance in our personal and communal lives.

However, we can claim God’s presence and guidance even when we don’t know where we are going or are not sure we are doing what God wills for our lives. What matters is that we turn to God with the desire to do God’s will. As such, we can trust God is with us even when we may seem lost or in peril.

The world is very much with us today. We are confronted with many things in church, society and our individual lives, much which causes great fear and anxiety. May we trust God’s abiding presence and guidance on our journey of faith together, even when we may not know where it all will end.

Rev. James LongMinister of Pastoral Care

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot

know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

— Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

From left, Rev. David Hett, Dr. Ronald Jenkins, Dr. Deborah Lindsay and Dr. Richard Wing at the HRC Gala.PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY DEBORAH LINDSAY

PARISH REGISTERWe share the joys and sorrows of our church family in our prayers.

As of June 23, 2016

BIRTHS

6/5/16 Kori Alyssa Hood Daughter of Robin & Dusty HoodSister of Nicole & Bobby TaylorGranddaughter of Margie & Jerry AehGranddaughter of Jerry Snyder

6/6/16Graham Edward Stair Son of Anne & Jim StairBrother of Jack & Parker StairGrandson of Jack Burtch

BAPTISMS

5/14/16 Alexander James Tredway Son of Joy & James Tredway

5/22/16Lydia Madison Nye Daughter of Marisa & Branson Nye

6/12/16Matias Agustin Ortiz-Lindsey Son of Sommer Lindsey & Ernesto Ortiz-Cruzado

HOSPITALIZATIONS

Paul BaumerMarshall BarneyConnie ClarkRobert ClousePat DonovanDeborah LindsayTom NormanMargaret SchorrDick Wetherbee

DEATHS

5/15/16Marie Decker Konrad Sister of Jim (Ruth) Decker

5/15/16 Rick Scheck Brother of Judy (Dean) Reinhard

5/23/16Richard Pickett Husband of Nancy Pickett

5/28/16Tom Sheppard Brother of Linda Sheppard (Dave Franklin)

5/29/16Peggy Varney

6/9/16 Benjamin Harris Son of Sharon & Dan Harris

6/17/16Marjorie Pifer

6/17/16Bette Solis

Please send notifications of weddings, births, hospitalizations or deaths to prussell@FCchurch.com or (614) 488-0681 ext. 228.

Our Pastoral Care staff is available if you desire a visit or call during an illness, hospitalization or time of need.

6 JULY 1 - 31, 2016 | firstnews

A MONTH OF SUNDAYS

JULY 3 B

10 amSanctuary, South Campus

Dr. Wing preaching

JULY 10 C

10 amSanctuary, South Campus

Rev. Long preaching

JULY 17 A

10 amSanctuary, South Campus

Rev. Baumer preaching

JULY 24 BBACK BAY OFFERING

10 amSanctuary, South Campus

Alice Graham preaching

JULY 31 C

10 amSanctuary, South Campus

Dr. Wing preaching

AUGUST 7 ACOMMUNION

10 amGrace Hall, North Campus

Dr. Wing preaching

A Indicates Usher Assignments

For more information:

Click: FCchurch.com

Email: info@FCchurch.com

Call: 614 488.0681

Visit: The Welcome Centers

Garage Sale Nets Record Return

Someone I Wish I Had KnownHave you ever read an obituary or an article about some-one and thought to yourself that you wish you could have known that person,

or known that person better?

One such lady who looms large in the past history of First Commu-nity Church is Ella Artz Zell. Ella was one of Grandview’s early set-tlers who helped to obtain better streets, lighting, water, sewers and schools for the community.

She was also one of the original promoters for a church in the community and became a charter member of Grandview Heights Congregational Church. In 1912 she was elected as the first presi-dent of the Ladies Aid Society, now the Women’s Guild.

When Rev. Oliver Weist decided that the church should establish a library in 1916, Ella was his choice to serve as the librarian.

She consulted with the architects in designing the kitchens for both Lincoln Road Chapel and 1320 Cambridge Boulevard where she also helped to prepare the hun-dreds of meals that were served throughout the years.

Both of Ella’s children were deaf, but she mastered sign language and went to school with them. She acted as their interpreter and traveled with them all over the USA and Europe because she did not want the world to escape them because of their deafness. In addition, she cared for her invalid husband.

When Ella died, her family and friends, as well as the ministers of First Community Church, searched for an appropriate way to honor her. There was a small room off the south aisle of the sanctuary that was originally intended to be a baptistery for those wanting to be baptized by immersion.

On March 21, 1943, our first min-ister, Rev. Fred Brownlee, returned to dedicate that small room as the Zell Memorial Chapel, “for all time a place of prayer and medita-tion for all those who worship here seeking light and life, and to the eternal purpose of this church and all Christian churches.”

In the words of Fred Brownlee, “Ella did her meditating as she busied herself obeying her God of Duty. She did her worshipping with deeds of mercy and kindness. She chose to minister, rather than be ministered unto.“

What an inspiring lady. Don’t you wish that you could have known Ella Zell?

Jackie CherryChurch Historian

n By Beth Hanson

Everyone has been waiting patiently to find out how much money was raised from the recent Mission Council Garage Sale. It takes a while for all of the money to be counted and recounted and some money continues to dribble in from various other sources.

In addition to the money we make at the sale, we also raise a significant amount of money from cash donations, e-Bay and consignment sales, a grant from the Foundation, metal recycling, sale of broken gold and silver jewelry and even loose bills and change found in donated purses, jewel boxes, money jars, the floor, the parking lot, pants pockets and books. (Turns out some people use dollar bills as bookmarkers. Finders keepers!)

Finally, the tally is in and I am tickled pink to report that in spite of some grumblings that we hadn’t receive as many donations this year, and in spite of the rotten Thanksgiving-like weather we had on sale day, we ended up raising more money than we ever have before.

Drum roll please…As of June 15, we raised a grand total of $55,483.35 (before expenses). How about that!? Since our first sale in 1995 we have netted a total of $669,389 for all of the worthwhile endeavors that our church supports at home and around the world.

Mission Council allocates Garage Sale profits to thoroughly researched organizations on behalf of all of us. In the past year, some of the recipients of our hard-earned money have included Heart to Heart, Friends of the Homeless, Kairos Prison Ministry, “Ministry of Presence” Prison Ministry, Greater Hilltop Area Shalom Zone Freedom School, Habitat for Humanity of MidOhio, Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance, Back Bay Mission, Healing Arts Mission (Haiti), our high schoolers’ trip to build houses in Tecate, Mexico with Amor Ministries, the Dominica School & Orphanage (Dominican Republic), the Tandana Foundation in Mali, Africa, Deep Griha Family Welfare Center (Puné, India) and the Rafiki Children’s Center (Nairobi, Kenya).

If you would like to read more about the sale and the organizations our earnings help support, please log on to the church website and click the “Missions” tab. From there, click on “Garage Sale” and you can read my annual newsletter

with more details about the sale and about the organizations we help support.

It is impossible to thank everyone adequately who contributed to the success of this Herculean effort. The donations were generous and steady and we did about 60 home furniture pick-ups since June of 2015.

The Foundation awarded us a grant for $2,000 for the second year in a row, which went a long way toward covering our expenses. Two Men & a Truck donated a day of moving services, transporting everything we had squirreled away during the year to North Campus. Herlihy’s Mayflower Storage donated four portable storage units which made swell little shops in the parking lot for bicycles, rugs, luggage and artificial flowers and wreaths.

The Scriptel Corporation and Rainbow Development loaned us ample warehouse space to store our racks and collected treasures until May. Builders Trash donated a dumpster. The church staff is an integral part of the Garage Sale team and is so extraordinarily helpful with marketing and all of the many logistics that this event entails. In addition, the North Campus staff is so gracious about our major disruption to their peaceful North Campus world, taking it all in stride.

Our Guild Groups donated daily lunches for the volunteers and others donated baked goods, office and kitchen supplies, Donatos cards, batteries for watches, additional moving services and so much more. It is just fantastic to see the outpouring of goodwill, tenacity, hard work, creativity, generosity and can-do spirit.

We have gathered a great community of people - old timers and newcomers alike. Everyone takes on a little piece of the puzzle and somehow it all comes together in a tornado of effort and goodwill. The whole phenomenon never ceases to amaze me.

We have already done our first home pick up for our 2017 sale (one of the boxes containing bottles of Rogaine), have made our first e-Bay sale and my sister Cathy and I have done our first trash pick, surreptitiously retrieving some perfectly nice metal planters from a neighborhood curb (as night fell).

So although the dust has barely settled from our 2016 sale, we are off and running for 2017. People at home and abroad are counting on support from the caring, compassionate people at First Community Church, and I know we have it in us to do another one.

See you for sale #22 next May?

First Community employee Amy Caskie protects herself from the elements during a chilly garage sale Saturday, May 14. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY BETH HANSON

firstnews | JULY 1 - 31, 2016 7

WEEKLY ADULT LEARNING GROUPS Classes are free except where noted and open to the public. For information on books or registration contact Natalia at njones@FCchurch.com or (614) 488-0681 ext. 151.

For more details, visit FCchurch.com/adult-learning

MEN’S STUDY GROUP

Wednesdays7 – 8 amWicker Room, SC

The Men's Study Group will continue reading and discussing Christianity After Religion by Diana Butler Bass. Contact Price Finley at (614) 361-6567 or price.finley@gmail.com, or Craig Sturtz at (614) 481-9060 or craig.sturtz01@gmail.com  

WEDNESDAY MORNING FELLOWSHIP

Wednesdays, 7 - 8 amBrownlee Hall, South Campus

Presentations and discussion of leading-edge topics. Ends promptly at 8 am.

WOMEN LIVING THE QUESTIONS

Wednesdays, 9:30 - 11:30 amWicker Room, South Campus

We will continue meeting throughout the summer.  Our current focus is Michael Singer’s book, The Untethered Soul. The group welcomes any woman who wishes to explore in a safe environment any aspects of her spiritual life. We share and discuss books and videos and occasional guest speakers.  For more information contact Linda Baldeck at lbaldeck927@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

Thursdays, 7 - 8:15 pmBrownlee Hall, South Campus

A chronological examination of the Gospels, Epistles and Book of Revelation led by Walter Watkins, Adult Education Coordinator. A quick and concise study packed with information and time for discussion. Register at FCchurch.com/bible-study or at the door. Free-will offering.

CONTEMPLATIVE WAY GROUP

Thursdays, 11:45 am - 1 pmWicker Room, South Campus

A time of sacred reading—Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle; 30-minute meditation time; reflection & discussion. Facilitated by Rev. David Hett and other spiritual directors. Free-will offering.

A Concise Guide to the New Testament

Millennials Experience the Trading Post

Author Brings Artistry to Brownlee Hall

Raiders of the Lost ‘Arc’

Rev. David HettMinister of Religious Life and Learning

I need a strong dose of liberation theology following the horrendous killings in Orlando, and my recent sermon, Raiders of the Lost ‘Arc’, was based on Psalm 146, a hymn of pure liberation theology:

The Holy One of Blessing, the Divine Source……Guards the stranger,Protects the widow and the orphanLifts up those who are bowed downFrees those who are boundBrings bread to the hungryAnd justice to the oppressed”

Liberation theology is a theological constant in the Bible from the liberation of the oppressed Hebrew slaves in Egypt through Jesus’ path of liberation for the fullness of our humanity—a consistent movement of liberation of the oppressed throughout history and seen, for instance, through the lens of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the United States, Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador, Desmond Tutu in South

Africa—this prevailing spiritual recognition that God, the Source and the force of Love, takes the side of the poor, the oppressed, the broken and the broken-hearted, bringing justice to all the “little ones,” whatever size, shape, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion or lack of religion they assume.

Acts of senseless violence, like Orlando, and so many others before it, make us wonder, “Where is the God of justice—the God of liberation—when even the littlest of the “little ones” God supposedly protects (those Sandy Hook Elementary School children would be in 6th grade now!) are gunned down, much less God’s slightly older children who were dancing in their Orlando sanctuary, Pulse.

And yet…I’ve focused on how much pure love has been pouring out in the aftermath of this latest horrendous hate crime. I am not naïve. I’m not in denial that there is also hate and vitriol coming out as well, including the murders themselves. It’s just that the love being expressed across all spectrums and around the globe by and for my gay and lesbian and transgendered and Latino American brothers and sisters as well as by and for my American Muslim brothers and sisters is overwhelming in its intensity and its immensity.

As soon as I read this Psalm, I thought of the phrase Martin Luther King, Jr., uttered many times, quoting the 19th century radical American transcendentalist preacher Theodore Parker: “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

We are to be the ones who need to add our little weight to that moral arc that it might bend ever more slightly toward liberation and justice for all God’s children. We are to be Raiders of the Lost ‘Arc,’ playing off the name of the first Indiana Jones movie. We are to seek out that lost ‘arc’ of the moral universe; find where it hides; scope out ways it reveals itself; and to allow ourselves to fall into the orbit of the moral arc of the universe instead of the often more compelling survival arc of the universe.

In a commencement speech Parker Palmer gave last May he told the graduates that people we respect live by a higher standard than mere “effectiveness;” they live by “faithfulness:” “Faithfulness to your gifts, to the needs of the world, and to offering your gifts to whatever needs are within your reach.”

So to all of you “raiders” out there...Shalom.

n By Dr. June Huff

I know I should say that what I remember most about growing up at First Community Church were the summers at Camp Akita, getting my Block of Wood and the high school choir trip.

But if I’m honest, it’s much smaller than those things.

Mostly it was being bored, wandering around the forest of grown-ups’ legs in Brownlee Hall after church and grumbling about my itchy tights. It was doodling on the offering envelopes when I was supposed to be listening to the sermon. It was hiding in the middle of

the clothes racks at the Trading Post and the smell of Play-Doh in the preschool room.

Since the years of Brownlee Hall boredom and itchy tights, I have become a wife, a mother, a published children’s book author, a veterinarian, an artist and my parents “favorite child” (go ahead, ask anyone).

Upon the urging of my parents, (whose basement was not big enough to house me and my art major for the rest of my life), I graduated in veterinary medicine instead of art and have spent the past 14 years as a vet by day and an artist by night. It has only been recently that the balance has shifted and I have been able to bring my art more into the daylight hours.

I hope you enjoy the pieces in this show, and if you don’t, let’s agree to at least say you do to my parents (Dave and Sandra Hammond) in an effort to maintain the ‘favorite’ status.

More infomation can be found on June’s website at junehuff.com

n By Rebecca Wolfe

A young man came in to Tri-Village Trading Post and bought a sport coat, Brooks Brothers dress shirt and a sporty tie for a party with his fiancé that night. Finding Trading Post through Google, another young man came in close behind and was delighted to find a set of poker chips in a wooden case. That afternoon, a Colorado couple stopped in on their visit home to Grandview. They used to shop with

us every Saturday and were so excited to see us again, shopping in their favorite store. The Millennial couple enjoys professions as fashion consultant and engineer and still enjoy thrifting.

Whether you are looking for something to wear, a great picture for your apartment or some new wine glasses, we have it at a fraction of the price you would pay new. We also promise a clean, bright space to shop with friendly help. Who could ask for more?

Thursdays, July 7-28 (August 4, tentative)7-8:15 pmBrownlee Hall, South Campus

Whether you’re new to a contextual study of our Christian Bible or an expert in Biblical studies, you will gain valuable insight into the Gospels, the Epistles and Revelation as Walter Watkins offers a quick and chronological examination of the New Testament during these Thursdays in July.

Walter, Adult Education Coordinator, with his master’s degree in theological studies, is an excellent guide for this study and superb discussion leader. There’s no book to buy, just bring your Bible.

Preregistration is helpful online at FCchurch.com/bible-study or by contacting Natalia at njones@FCchurch.com, (614) 488-0681 ext. 151 (voicemail). You may also register at the door. Donations welcome to support Adult Education programs.

8 JULY 1 - 31, 2016 | firstnews

QUEST SINGLES

We singles enjoy meeting new people, so join us for one of the dinners and/or the book discussion below.

Most of us are in our fifties, sixties and up, but we are an equal opportunity group and welcome all ages.

We communicate primarily via email, so if you are not on our list, contact Nancy Dunn at ndunn1975@gmail.com or call (614) 771-4869 to verify the current plans.

If you have an idea for a fun activity, let Nancy know.

DINNER AT LOUIE'S GRILL

Thursday, July 7, 6:30 pm4453 Cemetery Road, Hilliard  

1929 SILENT FILM

Thursday, July 14, Time TBDOhio Theater

BOOK DISCUSSION

Sunday, July 17, 5:30 pmMCL Cafeteria at Kingsdale

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

DINNER AT CHUY'S

Thursday, July 21, 6:30 pm154 Seward Street, Easton 

DINNER AT MORETTI’S OF ARLINGTON

Thursday, August 4, 6:30 pm2124 Tremont Center

DINNER AT STARLINER DINER

Thursday, August 18, 6:30 pm4121 Main Street, Old Hilliard

BOOK DISCUSSION

Sunday, August 21, 5:30 pmMCL Cafeteria at Kingsdale

Book title undetermined.

Foundation Grants Update

The Women’s Guild

Back Bay to Receive Offering in July

Shrimp Boil Benefits Back Bay Mission

n By Walter Neff

Nine grants have recently been awarded by the First Community Foundation.

Two of the grants were awarded to Worship and Arts. The first award for $10,000 underwrites the expenses of worship music services on June 12. The expenses include the hiring of orchestra members, the purchase or rental of orchestra and choral music, royalty fees and flowers for the altar table. The funding for this grant comes from the Polly and

Frank Kennard Charitable Fund, a Donor Advised Fund.

The second grant of $6,603 paid for emergency repairs to the Moeller organ at South Campus. The funds for this repair will come from the Lee Rinker Endowment Fund and the Roy A. Burkhart Memorial Fund.

Three grants were awarded from the Lynne Ayres Fund, A Donor Advised Fund. Awards were $3,000 for the Homeless Families Foundation, $2,000 to the Godman Guild and $2,000 to the

Mission Council Annual Gigantic Garage Sale.

Three grants totaling $11,765 were awarded to Camp Akita. The first award of $5,765 will replace the flooring in the Dogwood rental cabin. The Mary Bangle Johansmann Memorial Endowment Fund will provide the funds. This fund will also be used to pay $3,000 for the repair or replacement of wood in stairs and handrails that are unsafe, due to rotting wood and weathering. The third award of $3,000 provides scholarship support for

campers who can’t afford tuition to attend summer camp at Akita. The Anne P. Riley Akita Camper Scholarship Fund will provide the funds.

An award of $29,000 was made to the First Community Village Sustaining Fund to support residents whose personal financial resources are no longer sufficient to meet their monthly living expenses. Funding for this grant is from the William and Evelyn Boggs Memorial Fund.

n By Linda Larrimer

Join Mission Council on July 29 to enjoy a delicious all-you-can-eat shrimp dinner with red beans and rice, coleslaw, rolls and homemade fruit cobbler. Dinner is served from 6-8:30 pm with live entertainment throughout your meal.

Dinner ticket price of $20 ($10 for children under 12) benefits Back Bay Mission in Biloxi Mississippi.

Church members have traveled annually to Biloxi to volunteer with this United Church of Christ ministry. Back Bay Mission offers a variety of ministries serving the poor and marginalized of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Your delicious shrimp dinner will help provide services to Gulf Coast residents as they continue to struggle with poverty and the consequences of Katrina and the gulf coast oil spill.

Reprising their roles as master shrimp boilers, Loretta and Dave Heigle serve up the goods.PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL BARBER

n By Kathleen Lennon

On Sunday, July 24, a special offering will be collected for Back Bay Mission, a community ministry of the United Church of Christ that serves the poor and marginalized of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

In the 1920s, the mission began providing education, clothing, shoes and medicine to the children of the Back Bay fisher folk in the Biloxi, Mississippi area. The mission has evolved into a comprehensive program of services that address the areas of poverty, housing, homelessness,

health care and food security while advocating for social justice.

Back Bay Mission welcomes volunteers from across the U.S. First Community sends a contingent of workers annually to Biloxi to help Back Bay achieve its mission.

This year, our volunteers travel to Biloxi September 11-17.

If you are interested in joining, plan to attend the informational meeting on July 27 at 5 pm at North Campus.

Herlihy Moving & Storage

Portable Storage Containers

Full service to do-it-yourself

moving & storage since 1920

(614) 871- 4040

herlihymoving.com

n By Jill Eliot

Shrimp Boil Cobblers Needed! Group chairwomen have sign-up sheets for dessert cobblers for the Shrimp Boil on Friday, July 29 at 6 pm. Please bring your cobbler contribution to the North Campus kitchen on July 29.

Save the Date Installation/Potluck and baby shower, Tuesday, August 23 at 6 pm, North Campus.

The words below from Tony Award winner, Lin Manuel Miranda are words to live by at this precarious time of our lives.

Hope and love last longer than hate and fear and love is love, is love, is love, is love, is love, is love, is love, is love and can’t be killed or swept aside.”

— Lin Manuel Miranda, Tony Award Winner

2016-17 STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE WOMEN’S GUILD:

Spiritual Life ................................................................. Jill Eliot

Corresponding Secretary’s Report ... Liz Stranges (name correction)

Missions ........................................................ Kathleen Lennon

Publicity ....................................................................... Jill Eliot

Betty O’Neill Election Day Bake Sale ...................... Kitty Rohrer

Church Women United Layettes .......................... Ginny Culver

Trading Post ...................................................... Rebecca Wolfe

“We Love You” Luncheon ...................................Loretta Heigle

Foundation .................................................Janet McCutcheon

Christmas Wreath Sale .................Joy Plassman and Lynn Wells

Soup & Casserole ................................................... April Howe

Past President ............................................................Kie Seiple

firstnews | JULY 1 - 31, 2016 9

10 JULY 1 - 31, 2016 | firstnews

Early on the morning of June 12, a gunman entered Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida and opened fire.

It was Latin night and after the chaos and gunshots stopped, 49 people lay dead and more than 50 people were wounded. This assault was the worst

mass shooting in the history of the United States. It came in the very week we observed the one-year anniversary of the church shooting in Charleston and the year the children slain in Sandy Hook would be going to sixth grade.

I took to my journal and wrote, scribbled, lamented and anguished over who we have become as a nation, a people who seem to value our weapons over human lives and wondered how I would find words to preach the next Sunday.

I found words from Latin writers, my LGBTQ brothers and sisters and I found words in the Bible.

In the first chapter of Mark, a man reaches out to Jesus and says: “If you choose to, you can make me clean.” It is that cry I hear from my LGBTQ brothers and sisters and from the

families of those slain/affected by gun violence in this country, WHICH IS ALL OF US.

I know that through the death and resurrection of Jesus our last day is not our worst; however, I also know God needs our hands, our feet and our mouths to help bring about the new heaven and new earth proclaimed in our Christian story.

The time has come for all of us to mine our souls and our faith to decide just how we will reach out and respond to the cries of our neighbors today.

Listen to the voices of our brothers and sisters:Sacred Geography: A Queer Latino Response to Orlando: http://bit.ly/28Qv3biWhy This Queer Latina Is Not Giving Up On The Church: http://bit.ly/28PDDG3Undocumented, Queer and Bullied: http://bit.ly/1vy3So2

Senator Chris Murphy decided he was tired of just moments of silence after mass shootings in this country and filibustered the Senate until a vote was forced on sensible gun laws.

Many ask what they can do to help with this issue in the U.S. Sen. Murphy wrote an article to answer that question here: http://bit.ly/28PDSB0

My prayer is for peace on earth this day and that it begins with each one of us, TODAY.

Film Group Shows ‘Chariots of Fire’

JULY READINGSThese Bible readings are from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings. In general, readings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday are selected to prepare for the Sunday reading; readings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are selected to reflect the Sunday lectionary.

1 2 Kings 4:18-31 2 Corinthians 8:1-7

2 2 Kings 4:32-37 Luke 9:1-6

3 2 Kings 5:1-14 Galatians 6:1-16 Psalm 30 Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

4 2 Kings 5:15-19a Acts 19:21-27

5 2 Kings 5:19b-27 Acts 19:28-41

6 2 Kings 6:1-7 Luke 10:13-16

7 Amos 1:1-2:3 James 2:14-26

8 Amos 2:4-11 Acts 7:9-16

9 Amos 2:12-3:8 John 3:16-21

10 Amos 7:7-17 Colossians 1:1-14 Psalm 82 Luke 10:25-37

11 Amos 3:9-4:5 James 2:1-7

12 Amos 4:6-13 1 John 3:11-17

13 Amos 5:1-9 Matthew 25:31-46

14 Amos 5:10-17 Hebrews 5:1-6

15 Amos 5:18-27 Ephesians 3:14-21

16 Amos 6:1-14 Luke 8:4-10

17 Amos 8:1-12 Colossians 1:15-28 Psalm 52 Luke 10:38-42

18 Amos 7:1-6 Colossians 1:27-2:7

19 Amos 8:13-9:4 1 John 2:1-6

20 Amos 9:5-15 John 6:41-51

21 Hosea 4:1-19 Acts 1:15-20

22 Hosea 5:1-15 Acts 2:22-36

23 Hosea 1:11-2:15 Luke 8:22-25

24 Hosea 1:2-10 Colossians 2:6-19 Psalm 85 Luke 11:1-13

25 Hosea 2:14-3:5 Colossians 2:16-3:1

26 Hosea 6:1-10 Romans 9:30-10:4

27 Hosea 6:11-7:16 Matthew 5:43-48

28 Hosea 8:1-14 Romans 11:33-36

29 Hosea 9:1-17 Ephesians 4:17-24

30 Hosea 10:1-15 Mark 10:17-22

31 Hosea 11:1-11 Colossians 3:1-11 Psalm107:1-9, 43 Luke 12:13-21

Thursday, July 146 pm gathering and pizza($5 suggested donation for pizza)6:30 pm film beginsWicker Room, South Campus

In anticipation of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the ALC movie for July relives the glory and excitement of Olympic Games past.

Social issues, faith traditions, personal convictions and international relations all played a part in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, especially for Great Britain.

Two of Britain’s finest athletes stymied the Olympic Committee when one, Harold Abrahams chose a personal coach not approved by the committee and another, Eric Liddell refused to compete on Sunday.

This 1981 winner of four Academy Awards including Best Picture runs the gamut of emotions experienced in Olympic competition. The costuming, scenery and acting is superb.

Please RSVP by Wednesday, July 13 to Jennie Nickel at (614) 529-9930 or jnickel@columbus.rr.com

Let’s Play Outside This Summern By Mary Beth Aeh

Now that summer is here we need to think about the benefits of outdoor play for children (and adults too). Playing outdoors is a natural form of exercise that promotes well-being and healthy physical development.

Children are naturally drawn to active outdoor play. This type of play allows them to explore their environment, and to develop muscle strength and coordination.

Actively playing outdoors also increases flexibility, fine and large motor skills and is related to helping children gain a variety of abilities, including those used in sports.

Children need exercise both for their physical and emotional health. They need chances to run, swing, jump, climb and be out in the fresh air and sunshine.

Children enjoy using their whole body when they play outdoors,

and find such physical activities interesting and challenging.

Outdoor play encourages children to take positive risks and helps them build confidence. When children play outside they are more likely to invent games. As they do, they are able to express themselves and learn about the world in their own way. They

feel safe and in control, which promotes autonomy, decision-making and organizational skills.

Inventing games with rules promotes an understanding of why rules are necessary. As they invent, modify and enforce rules they gain communication skills and vocabulary.

Here are a few outdoor play ideas:• Blow bubbles outside. • Bring an old sheet outside for

the children to use for parachute games or to make a tent.

• Try “water painting” – let the children paint the side of the house with water.

• Provide materials (old tires, boxes, tree stumps) for them to build an obstacle course.

• Have a scavenger hunt in the backyard.

• Go on a nature/listening walk.

When parents think back on their own childhood, chances are some of their fondest memories are of outdoor places and activities. It is helpful to remember that when we show an appreciation for the great outdoors, the children in our lives will follow our lead.

So take the children outside to play. It’s a wonderful way to spend the day!

Has A New Baby Joined Your Family?The birth or adoption of a child is cause for celebration. There is a sense of awe at the creation of new life, and we want to celebrate with our church members in that joy. Please let us know of a new baby in your family so that we can share our blessings with you through a special gift for your child. Contact Paula Russell, Director of Congregational Care, at prussell@FCchurch.com or call (614) 488-0681 ext. 228.

Cries for Help

Rev. Kate ShanerMinister of Mission and Youth

We Want Your NewsFirstnews is dedicated to providing readers with quality news and features each month. We are particularly interested in receiving information directly from members regarding their participation in church events and programs. We invite you to submit story ideas, completed stories and photographs for consideration.

Contact Michael Barber, firstnews Editor, at mbarber@FCchurch.com or visit FCchurch.com, click Firstnews Extra

firstnews | JULY 1 - 31, 2016 11

It is with gratitude that First Community Church accepts the following gifts.

FOUNDATION GIFTSIn Memory of:Charles Richard Baxley, Jr. Greg and Betsy McCollumDon Gepfert Women’s Guild Group 7 Marcus Styer Women’s Guild Group 7Mary Beth Klamar Women’s Guild Group 7Richard C. Pickett Suzanne Wilson & William JudyRick Scheck Bob and Anne EberhartThelma Ross William Mielke Michael SchoedingerTom Sutphen Tamea SutphenIn Honor of:Center for Spiritual Search Susan Cadwalladr DayDominica School & Orphanage Billie Brown Daniel SalmonEstelle Scott David and Karyl HanhilammiFirst Community Foundation Herbert and Jeanne JohnstonKathie Jones Women’s Guild Group 7Kay Graf Lee Burges Lauren Norelli Sarah ErvinPhil and Jody Hawley Michael and Bethann Sprague

Get WellBetty O’Neill Lee Burges

New Fund: Esther Newell Memorial Fund George Newell

CHURCH GIFTSIn Honor of:Beth Hanson Lindsey DunleavyPrayers & Squares Quilt Ministry Guild RSZIn Memory of:James and Jeretta Long Stephen & Cynthia Rasmussen

FRIENDS OF AKITAIn Honor of:Andy Frick Jinny FrickWomen’s Guild Group Q Ruth Decker

GENERAL MISSIONS Brian and Sally Kriska

HABITAT FOR HUMANITYSPECIAL MISSION OFFERING

Angie and Frank AndujarPhil ArmbrusterJane BeltSallie and Pete BethgeDiann BowmanLee BurgesChuck CurryTerry and Barb DavisMike and Nancy DonaldsonMarcia EarlyMike and Laura ElliottRon and Jan GlaserCharles and Sara HaagMargo HeskettBill and Becky HingaMarilyn HoodLarry and Sarah Jonaus JrDaniel Jones JrRollie and Anne KingJohn and Cathy KlamarJ KnaupTommie LanamanJim and Jane LedmanDeb LinvilleJim and Clare LongJolene and Chris McCabeStephanie McCormick

Kay MooreBetty O'NeillSusan ParkinsBill and Pat PorterfieldJanet RhoadesLinda RitterDick and Kitty RohrerEleanor SchooleyPatricia and John SchusterRalph and Jane Setterlin JrDoug and Darian TorranceMarilyn WenrickBob and Jane WhiteGeorge and Cory WilsonJohn and Cheryl Zeiger

In Honor of:Jim Long Carol DeshlerPaul Baumer Deb LindsayDr. Deborah Lindsay Charlie and Judy Vachris In Memory of:William T Morrow Jeanne Morrow Garry Geren Vogelpohl Nancy Roth Jan Shelby Dave Shelby Ralph Wayne Jacobs, KIA 1967 Graham and Sharryn Webb III His brother who did not come home from Vietnam Bob Burns

HEART TO HEARTBob BurnsNancy L DellBenjamin S DickensWomen’s Guild Group XMarilyn G HoodMary Helen HopkinsGregory M McCollumRichard N RohrerAnne E ShelineJack E Shuter

FRIENDS OF MUSICMorningSong Service Jeanne Blair

Bob & Shirley Edler Sally & Jon Jaynes Dianne & Roger Albrecht Jean Verwohlt George & Jane Smith John & Cheryl Zeiger Christopher Vandeusen Paula Russell In Honor of:First Community Music Carolyn LeickRonald Jenkins Rick & Jo Hollander Marilyn Jennings Ron & Sue MaierRonald Jenkins & The Chancel Choir Dean & Judy Reinhard Anne CliffordThe Chancel Choir Bonnie Bell Webb Dave & Loretta HeigleThe Chancel & Chamber Choirs Louis Kutz Dick & Sara NicholsonThe Christian Eby Laver Family Edna D. LaverDick & Sara Nicholson Louise KutzPaul Baumer Carol DeshlerDavid Hett Brian SmithJinny Frick Louise KutzRichard & Marjorie Armbruster Phil ArmbrusterRev. Dr. Deborah Lindsay Charles Vachris & Judith LongThe Heart to Heart Garden Priscilla MeadLouise Kutz Women’s GuildIn Celebration of:Andy Gilliland Rev. Susan DayOur wonderful music programs Scott & Beth RyanLois Zook Eileen & Doug Covell

In Memory of:Thelma Ross Mr. & Mrs. Tom Wise Beth Clark Janice R. Judd Deborah N. Mackaman Christopher & Katherine Campbell John & Ann Dickerson Susan V. Brooks H B & Claudine Williams Richard Wood, Sr. Advisors Excel, LLC Scott Glaser J. Thomas & Kathleen Jones Jamie & Amy Graver Cheryl Hager Women’s Guild Group Q David & Nanette Kaufman Barbara SippJohn Warmolts Carolyn WarmoltsKent Brandt Jean BrandtRuth Ann Noble Judy RossHelen Thompson Patrick Carle & Kevin FloraWilliam T. Morrow Jeanne V. MorrowMoses L. Moody III Grace E. MoodyMarv & Marge Kincaid Charles & Linda BaldeckFrank Lanaman Iola T. (Tommie) LanamanCarl T. Kiplinger Janet CicconeFrank Kennard Beth Kennard & Patrick Donadio

CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL SEARCH Cynthia KuhnIn Honor of:Rev. David Hett & The Center for Spiritual Search Dean & Judy Reinhard

WOMEN'S DAY OF RENEWAL Sandra Berisford Darian Torrance

YOUTH CHOIRS are on a break for the summer but registration is open for the upcoming season. Go to FCchurch.com/youthchoirs to sign up your child (kindergarten-high school) for choir. For more information contact Sally Beske at SBeske@FCchurch.com

After-Hours Cleaning Position12-16 hours per week - evenings/early mornings. Cleaning experience, dependable and trustworthy is essential.

Submit resume to Pam Jameson pjameson@FCchurch.com

Heart to Heart Food Pantry TotalsHeart to Heart offers a helping hand and caring heart in times of need.

Donation Needs for July: Toilet Paper & Toiletries

May 2016 Month YTDHouseholds 472 1,726Individuals 1,422 6,478 Children 475 2,069 Adults 730 3,426 Seniors 217 983Total Meals 12,798 58,302

Unique Volunteers 38 117

THE PROGRAM STAFF OF FIRST COMMUNITY CHURCH

Richard A. Wing, Senior Minister; Paul E. Baumer, Minister to the Staff; David S. Hett, Minister of Religious Life and Learning; Ronald J. Jenkins, Minister of Music and Liturgy; Deborah Countiss Lindsay, Executive Minister; James M. Long, Minister of Pastoral Care; Katherine H. Shaner, Minister of Mission and Youth; Mary Beth Aeh, Director of Early Childhood Ministry; Michael Barber, Director of Marketing and Communications, Sally R. Beske, Assistant Organist/Director of Youth Choirs; Pam Jameson, Director of Facilities Ministry; Sarah Kientz, Director of Youth Ministries; Bobbi Mueller, Director of Office Operations and Special Projects; Scot Nicoll, Executive Director of Camp Akita; Missy Obergefell, Director of Older Adult Ministry; Julie Richards, Director of K-5 Ministry; Paula L. Russell, Director of Congregational Care; Tom White, Director of Finance.

articles and photos must be submitted to news@FCchurch.com by the 15th of each month. firstnews

Direct questions to Editor Michael Barber at mbarber@FCchurch.com

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

Affiliated with The United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Columbus Pride FestivalClergy, staff and members of First Community Church show their support of the LBGTQ community by attending the 35th Annual Stonewall Columbus Pride Parade Saturday, June 18.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY REV. KATE SHANER