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The current installment of the COEC began meeting in 2007.

We are currently on a "break," for no particular reason, and many little reasons - mostly pertaining to life circumstances. If anyone is interested in calling a meeting, feel free to post on the blog, join the google group (see link below) and send an email, or contact either Nancy (nancykj10@yahoo.com) or Jesse (schroeder.jesse@gmail.com) for more information.

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6.23.2008

Agora Ministries

I just wanted sum up our Sunday morning experience yesterday. Noel, Kara, and I went to the Agora ministries Sunday morning worship time. The ministry is part of the Mennonite church. However, they are completely self-supported. The building is located on Broad St. in Franklinton. We showed up 30 minutes early because we thought it started at 10:30, but they actually start at 11:00am. But it was cool. Richard Bartholomew (hope I got the name right) greeted us warmly and told us a bit about the ministry. They are doing some really cool stuff in the community. In the front of the building, they have a kind of bakery and cafe in the fellowship area. They actually bake their own bread in the bakery and sell it in local coffee shops. The ministry largely focuses on reaching kids in the inner city. You can see what kinds of services they offer on the website. Also, there were youth groups visiting for the week from several churches in northern Ohio and Indiana (including Goshen, IN!). So there were a LOT of kids. 

There was fresh bread and cereal and coffee available. At about 11:00 am, everyone gathered in the "auditorium" area and we sang worship songs for about half an hour. After which, there was an open time in which people shared what blessings they had experienced during the week. There was a prayer, and then we broke for "fellowship time." At this time, everyone gathered back in the fellowship area to visit and chat over coffee and fresh bread. After about half an hour, we gathered again in the auditorium. Richard's dad, Rich, is the pastor. He shared some good thoughts from 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

All in all, it was a really good experience for Kara and I (I can't speak for Noel, we didn't have a chance to chat afterwards). We had really good conversation with Richard Bartholomew. He was quite interested in our group and asked if he could come sometime. I gave him a card (thanks, Andrew!!), and hopefully he can come visit us soon. I also suggested that maybe sometime, he or someone else could come share with us more about the ministry they are doing ... much like Lower Lights did last time.

Hope to see you soon, Richard. Please drop in anytime. 
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1 comment:

Jesse said...

Thanks for letting us know about your experience! It is so encouraging to hear about great faith communities in Columbus.

Kel and I had a great morning at Vineyard Grove City - the sermon was on money, and the words "tithe" and "offering" were never said - not even once! But seriously, a great moment in the service happened when they invited members of a home group to share why the group was important to them. A middle-aged woman who was very (very) nervous, and appeared to have a slight mental handicap, shared a very simple statement and was received warmly and encouraged by the congregation.

It was a small thing, but something that Kellye and I both recognized as a real church really loving real people - it meant a lot to me.

Alright - that's it on church for now :)

6/23/2008 9:26 PM

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