ALL CHURCH

We will be having a MINISTRY FAIR ON Sept. 14th!  If you would like a table to share about your ministry, please contact Pastor Brandi.  We hope everyone will use this as an opportunity to see what is happening and get plugged in!

DO YOU HAVE THE GIFT OF TEACHING? LEADING? BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS? WE NEED YOU! We are looking for volunteers who would like to teach Bible studies, lead small groups, gather church community together. (And if you are looking for a small group, we also want to know!) If this feels like a place God might be leading you, please reach out to Pastor Brandi, BrandiB@gcumc.org.

MONDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY – we are launching a new study on praying the scriptures! This starts August 25^th.

JOIN US FOR A MOVIE! SEPTEMBER 21ST, 4pm, we will be showing the movie "Small Groups". After the movie we will be starting a churchwide Bible study talking about the importance of small groups. We hope you will join us!

We are putting together a list for those in the church WHO MAY HAVE A NEED that someone else might be able to help with, like small projects around the house, in the yard, etc. Please send needs to Pastor Brandi.

 CONSTRUCTION UPDATE! For the remainder of the northern aspect of the Columbus Street project, please plan to access the church via La Rosa Drive. The entrances to the church office as well as the main parking lot are closed in preparation for the next phase of work. The Food Pantry/FLC entrance is available currently but will likely be blocked in the coming week. Thank you for your patience as the city completes its work!

IF YOU HAVE A DESIRE TO SERVE, THERE ARE TWO AREAS WHERE WE WOULD LOVE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT!

The first Sunday of each month, we need COMMUNION SERVERS during our 8:30 and 11am traditional services.

We also would like to welcome new LAY LEADERS TO SERVE AS LITURGISTS during our traditional services.

Finally, IF ANYONE WOULD BE WILLING TO HELP COORDINATE MONTHLY COMMUNION SERVERS AND OUR LITURGY SCHEDULE, that would be greatly appreciated!

Please reach out to Nichole here  for more information or questions!

GIVING

QUESTIONS ABOUT GIVING? If you have any questions regarding your giving, we have a new email address for that department. Please send all inquiries to finance@gcumc.org. 

KIDS/FAMILY/YOUTH/VBS

FALL SPORTS are about to be in full swing, if you or someone you know needs sports equipment, it is available in our SPORTS CLOSET!  And when the season is over, you can drop off the items that no longer work! Contact Pastor Brandi with questions!

BACKPACK SUNDAY, THIS SUNDAY. We want to pray over students of all ages, teachers and parents. Bring those backpacks with you! TEENS - join us for a fun night at youth group as we prepare for a great new year of school!

8/17 – Back to School Bash

8/24 – Normal Youth Group

8/31 – NO YOUTH GROUP!

MERGE

SUMMER MERGE WRAPS UP THIS WEEK AND WE WILL BE ON BREAK UNTIL SEPT. 17^TH. On that date, we will resume our normal midweek gathering back in the building for family night!

FREE STORE

THANK YOU!! THE BACKPACK/SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE WAS A HUGE SUCCESS. The Missions Task Force thanks YOU for all of your donations of backpacks and school supplies during the month of July. Your generosity will assist both area students and the school kickoff event at St. Mark’s. YOU ARE AWESOME!!

FREE STORE UPDATE - CURRENT NEEDS ARE:

GIRLS-

Short Sleeve Shirts/Shorts - 6/6X,7/8

Leggings - 6/6X,7/8

WOMEN-

Short sleeve shirts-XS and L

Jeans- 1, 5, 7, 10, 12

Dresses (summer & winter)-XS,2x&up

MEN-

Hoodies, Coats, Belts, Shorts- All

Ath Pants, Jeans - All

BOYS-

All Clothing, including Coats & PJs

INFANT BOYS-

24 mo. - All

Sleepers- All Sizes

Always in need of toiletry donations or new socks & underwear.

MISSIONS TRIP TO MEXICO!

If you are wanting to go on the mission trip to Mexico in March ’26, please contact Pastor Brandi ASAP! A $50 deposit is needed by 9/1 for confirmation of attendance.  

FUNDRAISERS: 

SMOKEY BONES – DINE OUT FOR MEXICO NIGHT! Join us Wednesday, August 27^th, anytime between the hours of 11:30am and 11:30pm and help us reach our goal for our Mexico missions trip! You must RSVP to join using this link , or contact Pastor Brandi so she can RSVP for you! Please note, this is the Stringtown Road location only!

BLANKET FUNDRAISER! Grab a blanket in support of our Mexico trip! $25 each! See us in the Great Hall to order!

ST. MARK'S

We are in need of VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH HAIRCUTS at our upcoming BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT ON AUGUST 16TH! If you or someone you know has this gift and would be willing to share that with our congregation, please reach out to Pastor Lizzy.

Collecting these items:

*LAMPS

*KITCHEN APPLIANCES/DISHES/GADGETS

These items can be dropped off at our St. Mark’s location (5200 Sullivant Ave., Columbus, OH 43228) every Sunday, 8am-6pm or every Wednesday, 9am-8pm).

PLEASE THESE ITEMS ONLY. 

Questions? Contact Pastor Lizzy, LizzyO@gcumc.org! 

MERGE! 

Merge is our mid-week family Programming that runs during the typical school year! We meet Wednesday evenings, 6-8pm. Sign up to attend here . 

HEY TEENS (7th-12^th grade)! YOUTH! SUNDAY NIGHTS, WE MEET AT 6PM IN THE FLC FOR A TIME OF DINNER, WORSHIP, MESSAGE & SERVICE OPPORTUNITY! If you were able to go to camp all week long this year, you can join us Sunday evenings for youth group! This is our summer schedule:

8/17 – Back to School Bash

8/24 – Normal Youth Group

8/31 – NO YOUTH GROUP!

We are looking for DINNER volunteers! Sign Up here .

Questions on any of the above or to RSVP for events, contact Pastor Brandi .

If you'd like to visit our Children/Family/Teens page, go here .

JOIN PASTOR BRIAN for our Bible Study this fall - From Heroes to Zeros: Lessons from the Judges of Israel. We will explore both the triumphs and the tragedies of the Judges of Israel and what they have to say to us today. We’ll look at the familiar judges such as Samson and Gideon, plus a host of the more unfamiliar as well.  The Pastor’s Bible Study will begin Sept 2^nd and run through November 18^th – time: 6:30-7:30pm. Please join us!

IF YOU HAVE A DESIRE TO SERVE, THERE ARE TWO AREAS WHERE WE WOULD LOVE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT!

The first Sunday of each month, we need COMMUNION SERVERS during our 8:30 and 11am traditional services.

We also would like to welcome new LAY LEADERS TO SERVE AS LITURGISTS during our traditional services.

Finally, IF ANYONE WOULD BE WILLING TO HELP COORDINATE MONTHLY COMMUNION SERVERS AND OUR LITURGY SCHEDULE, that would be greatly appreciated!

Please reach out to Nichole here  for more information or questions!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!  We are preparing to jump back into many of our school partnership programs. WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO HELP WITH FOOD BAG DELIVERIES EACH WEEK? Please reach out to Pastor Brandi HERE .ARE YOU PROFICIENT IN A SKILL OR TRADE? We are seeking volunteers that have skill trades or just like to work with their hands that might be willing to serve in the church using those skills! If you're willing to come alongside and help, contact Tony Haughn HERE. 

We have had people asking, so here you go! Our next MEMBERSHIP CLASS will be Sept. 14th. If you are interested in joining the class, please call the church office at 614/875-5612 or email communications@gcumc.org.

SAVE THE DATE! IMMERSION BAPTISMS will be August 24th at Deer Creek! If you are interested in being baptized please talk to one of the pastors, or email communications@gcumc.org. 

STREET CLEANING – 1st Saturday of the month. Questions? Contact Pastor Brandi, BrandiB@gcumc.org. 

MEN! YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN OUR MONTHLY GATHERING. Family calendars book up, so please try to block out these dates for the year. Contact Bo Blackstone to get plugged in. 

Sunday September 7

Friday October 3

Sunday November 2* (may get rescheduled)

Friday December 5

NEEDS:

BOTH CAMPUSES NEED BIBLES. Go here  to our specific Amazon link!

REMINDER – OUR ALUMINUM CAN COLLECTION IS ONGOING and is a way we continue to raise funds for our mission trips. You can leave them at the Info. Desk!

LOCAL SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS: 

BAGS OF HOPE - FOOD/BACKPACK PROGRAM – LOCAL SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS Even though school is out, the needs in our community continue to rise. During the summer, our provision of food to the students does not stop - we continue to provide food to the students in our community. Keep bringing in those items!

We have created a school partnership Amazon Wishlist for those that would like a simple way to grab some of our needed items, and you can have it delivered straight to the church! 

 Amazon Wishlist 

IMPORTANT NOTES - NO GLASS. Cans that have tab tops are preferred. Precooked items are helpful or items that only need water added. This is not an exhaustive list, but examples.

Cereal*Poptarts*Oatmeal*Pancake Mix*Syrup*Peanut Butter*Jelly*Honey*Pasta Sauce*Canned Veggies*Fruit cups*Applesauce*Rice*Pasta*Instant potatoes*Macaroni & Cheese*Ramen Noodles*Granola Bars*Crackers*Soups*Canned Meat - Chicken, beef, tuna, etc.*Fruit Snacks*Koolaids packs

Toiletries - deodorant, Q-tips, shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste, underwear

GET YOUR MERCH ON DEMAND! MERCH! Check out the website at HERE  for merch! T-shirts, hoodies, hats –you can order it online and get it in a SUPER FAST turnaround – AND – the company will donate $5 back to the church for every item purchased! You can also request your favorite name brands be used – for an increased price! If you ordered merch, you can pick it up at the Info. Desk!

TECH – We are in need of tech personnel for both our traditional and contemporary services. Able to serve? Contact Traci, traciw@gcumc.org to get plugged in! It’s a GREAT place to be!

MENTAL HEALTH: REAL TALK, REAL SUPPORT - A peer-led, social-emotional support group for parents and caregivers of children with mental health struggles. Two meetings a month:

• 2nd Tuesday of the month, 6:30-8pm – The Buckeye Ranch (5665 Hoover Rd.), Mary Dunn Building
• 4th Tuesday of the month, 6:30-8pm – The Purple Door Church, Fireside Room

For questions, contact Sheri Dunagan at sheri.dunagan@att.net or call/text 614-439-7110. Learn more online: www.RealTalkOhio.org.

• CONNECT ON FACEBOOK HERE .

GET INVOLVED! We love being able to serve our families and our community and we have SO many opportunities to plug in at The Purple Door Church. We are fully open and have all of our activities available to our congregation and community! There are plenty of places for you to serve – WE NEED YOU and want to encourage you to check out list of opportunities – go to our website: https://www.purpledoorchurch.com/opportunities-to-serve.

A LOOK AT WHAT WE NEED: It truly takes the hands and feet of ALL of us to do our part to make this church run day in and day out! We have some AMAZING volunteers who make this place exceptional and a place to call HOME. Here is a look at where we could use some help:

TECH TEAM (both Traditional and Contemporary) - Contact TRACI WURSCHMIDT 

SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS – Contact PASTOR BRANDI 

MONEY COUNTERS – Contact andrea nance 

LANDSCAPE TEAM – Help keep our grounds looking glorious! Kids are welcome! Contact communications

HOSPITALITY TEAMS – Contact Pastor Brandi, or sign up HERE .

WE NEED CHURCH OFFICE HELPERS - We need volunteers to work in the church office. You mainly will be answering the phones and other small jobs that might need to be done. If you are available, we need several spots to be filled on a regular basis: the second and fourth Tuesday in the afternoon from 9am-noon and the first and second Wednesday afternoon, 12-4pm. Also, we always need substitutes to fill in spots for our regular volunteers. If interested, please contact PEG ADDINGTON  or 614/270-1639.

PRAYER BOX – Did you know we have a Prayer Box located in our parking lot? It is a little purple mailbox located in the front of our parking lot facing Columbus Street. Our Prayer Chain is committed to praying for the people of this church and our city. If you have a prayer request, you can drop it in that box at any time. Prayer requests are collected weekly and prayed over by our committed prayer team.

PRAYER TEAM - Prayer is powerful and an amazing gift from God. We have the opportunity to talk directly to our Creator and the ability to pray on the behalf of others. Our prayer team started meeting this past Monday and we will continue to meet every week on Mondays at 9am. During our time together, we will be praying over our Sunday morning prayer requests, needs of the church, our community and nation. We will be prayer walking the church as well. If you are interested in joining, please contact CLARENCE DINNEN.

TO REQUEST PRAYER - If you'd like us to pray alongside you, you may fill out a prayer card during one of our services and put in the offering plate or in the offering boxes outside of our worship spaces; or, you may send an email to commuincations@gcucm.org . We would be honored to pray alongside you.

*RIGHT NOW MEDIA - Just a reminder that Right Now Media is available to all of our members as you think about your relationship with God in this upcoming year. Right Now Media is a database FULL of online Bible studies and social groups for individuals, families, children and groups. We often use this media resource in our Bible studies and small groups throughout the year. It’s a GREAT resource for you or for your family to be able to plug in to God’s Word and in the times we use it in our own church group setting. If you’d like to take advantage of this FREE online resource, contact Pastor Brandi to get set up. She just needs your email address. Your faith journey isn’t one you were ever meant to take alone. God made us for community!

MONDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY - launching a new study on praying the scriptures! This starts August 25^th.

SATURDAY MORNING WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY - meets the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month, 8am, via zoom.

CONTACT PASTOR BRANDI, BRANDIB@GCUMC.ORG FOR ZOOM LINKS

THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY

This study meets every Thursday morning at 10am, but is on break for the summer! Join us when we start back up in the fall!

BIBLE JOURNALING - 3RD MONDAY OF EACH MONTH, 6PM, CHURCH OFFICE

Are you creative? Do you enjoy time in the Word? Join the two together, and come hang out with us on the 3^rd Monday of the month at 6pm at the church office. Questions? Contact Pastor Brandi, BrandiB@gcumc.org. 

PURPLE DOOR WOMEN’S GROUP: Join our new group! Our focus is on our church and parishioners/shut-ins. Need more info.? Contact Jean Davis, 614/282-8590. We meet on the 2nd Monday of each month at 10am.

ST. MARK’S BACK TO SCHOOL BASH – AUG. 16TH, 3-6PM! Join our St. Mark’s Campus for our Back to School Bash! We will be passing out backpacks full of school supplies. This is a great way to get to know and impact the community we are serving, so if you would like to volunteer to help at this event, contact Pastor Lizzy, LizzyO@gcumc.org. WE ARE ALSO COLLECTING NEW UNDERWEAR AND SOCKS! Drop your donations at the Info. Desk with Pastor Lizzy’s name on them.  

This year, we would love to give a BILINGUAL BOOK to each kid! If you feel led, please share the good news with them: https://a.co/aY7SmM1.

SOCCER CAMP “JESUS TEAM” - AUG. 11-16TH: This year, we will be hosting our first soccer camp at St. Mark’s campus! If you are interested in knowing more about this and want to volunteer, please contact Pastor Lizzy (lizzyo@gcumc.org). THE BLESSING STATION -

We offer a small food pantry to our community. If you have food to donate, we look for dry beans, chickpeas, lentils, rice, and pasta; canned goods (tomatoes, corn); cereal; snacks; spaghetti sauce; tuna and chicken.

“THE LITTLE HOUSE” - With the help of the Free Store and lots of donations, we have been operating the “Little House” where we can provide different resources specific to the new families in the country/state. These items include household items, bedding supplies, kitchen supplies, kids toys and when we have some, furniture. This has been a blessing to the community and also to share the love of God. We have the opportunity to pray for those families we are serving and give them a Bible. Contact Pastor Lizzy for more information or ways to connect with this ministry: LizzyO@gcumc.org.

As you know, we were looking for a teacher for our nursery and God heard our prayer. We are thankful to have Micah and Yoselin Eller helping with this group. If you are still interested to come to our campus and serve our Sunday School Classes, let us know! REMEMBER: language is not a barrier. Most of our kids go to school here and speak English.

BOOK COLLECTION! We are collecting Christian base books or coloring books (for babies to high school age). If you have some in good condition, we will take them! We have been buying some for our toddlers at the dollar store. This is to share with the kids who are attending the afterschool program in our church.

There will be a box on the Information Desk with a sign

 “Iglesia Hispana / St. Mark’s Campus.”

CAN YOU GIVE A DAY? Do you love your church and cleaning is something you enjoy? Every month, we have a cleaning day at our west side campus, St. Mark’s Iglesia Hispana. Every 3^rd Saturday of the month at 9am, we go through our building and make it pretty! Email Pastor Lizzy for more info: lizzyo@gcumc.org.

Looking for a place to fellowship with other women, gain encouragement, give encouragement and grow deeper in your faith? We have several groups (aka “Circles”) that meet regularly throughout the week, have different areas of interests, and we’d love to invite you to find your fit!

We currently have three Circles:

REBECCA CIRCLE - meets the third Tuesday of the month @ 11:30am. For more info. or questions, contact Ann Beal (614-371-4472) or Peg Addington (614-877-4200), who are the leaders.

HANNAH CIRCLE - meets the 2nd Monday @ noon. For more info. or questions, contact Sue Flowers (614-357-7935) or Nina Riley (614-579-4624), who are the leaders.

MIRIAM CIRCLE – meets the 3^rd Sunday of each month @ 12:30pm. For more info. or questions, contact Brandi Blackstone (614-402-6706) or Tami Adams (614-545-8887), who are the leaders.

Each of the Circles would love to welcome new members. You do not need to be a member of our church. If you are interested in any of the Circles, please free to call the leaders or just show up at a meeting. Our UWF Circles are a wonderful way to meet new people and learn more about what actions they each do to help our church family and community.

CURRENT FUNDRAISERS:

SHOP AT KROGER AND GIVE BACK! Did you know that you can make a financial contribution to our Missions Task Force JUST by shopping at Kroger? It’s simple! All you have to do is link your Kroger Shopping Card to Grove City United Methodist Church.

Go to Kroger.com and log into your digital account (or create a digital account, if not already created).

Scroll down to “Community Rewards” and click. From there, you can select our organization by either scrolling or searching for “Grove City United Methodist Church.” Make sure our name matches our organization number, which is XY804. Enroll. Easy as that! Kroger will make donations to the organization based upon spending of those whose cards are connected to that organization.

Any questions regarding enrollment need to be directed to Kroger individually.

FREE STORE: 

Our Free Store is open every Wednesday, 5-6:30pm and serves 150-275 people each week. Lately, we have been serving individuals from 4 or 5 halfway houses, drug/alcohol rehab centers and addiction recovery centers. Therefore, we have several critical needs, especially for men.

Current critical needs:

New Underwear and Toiletries are always needed.  

Monetary donations are also welcome.

******PLEASE NOTE: WE ONLY ACCEPT CLOTHING. WE DO NOT ACCEPT APPLIANCES, TOYS, OR FURNITURE.

CAFÉ:

The time slots to volunteer in the café are: 7:30, 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30am.

A sign-up sheet will be on the Mission Counter in the café area. If you’d like more info. or to volunteer, contact Pastor Lizzy . 

Refreshments are available in the café upon donation and all proceeds will go to further Missions projects throughout the year.

CONNECT & SERVE COMMUNITY MEAL!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THIS MINISTRY.

DON’T FORGET, OUR COMMUNITY MEAL IS THE SECOND SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH, 4:30-5:30PM, and is for our congregation, 

as well as for the City of Grove City!

What is the “COMMUNITY MEAL?” It’s a time for us as the Purple Door Church to come together, to fellowship with one another as it is a meal for our congregation, as well as come together with our community and serve them. It’s a time for us to gather and share God’s Love with others.

    Sign up/Questions: contact Andrea at the church office, AndreaN@gcumc.org.