Rev. Dr. Glen Miles, Senior Minister

The Apostle Paul, inspired by the very spirit of God, wrote to the church in Rome,

suffering produces endurance, 

and endurance produces character, 

and character produces hope, 

and hope does not disappoint... 

He is not auditioning for a job with Hallmark. He is not producing poetry to post on social media (and quickly forgotten when the next cute quote goes viral). 

No. He is writing from his own experience. He has been beaten, jailed, tortured, and nearly killed all because he dares to proclaim the love of God is for all people, period, end of discussion.

He is not writing from the mountain top or the ivory tower. He is a street theologian. Oh, to be sure, he is very well educated. If he were alive today, he’d probably have a couple of PhDs in theology and sociology. His letters, though, depict his desire to bring The Way of Jesus into the world. He believes, in the deepest part of his soul, that this way can truly transform the world. 

When Paul writes hope does not disappoint, he is grounding this very hope in the never-ending love of God. Earlier in the text, he declares we are standing in God’s grace. Do you hear the beauty of this transformative word? We find the power to stand up to despair through the gifts of God’s love and grace. 

The power we need to find our way through this mess is given through the unconditional love of God, the gift of God’s grace. I recall leading a child’s baptism service at the beginning of the pandemic. It was a small, intimate, lovely ceremony. The mom, dad, and their baby were there along with four friends. I reminded them that their infant was already a child of God; that the very same words uttered by God over the baptism of Jesus — “this is my child, my beloved” — were echoing again across heaven over the baptism of this little one. 

The promise made to this child is the same one God whispers to you: God’s grace will be with you through all that life sends your way. This is our hope, “and hope does not disappoint.”

Rev. Dr. Glen Miles, Senior Minister

As of today over 200 households have supported the Finish Strong campaign with gifts and pledges. It has been remarkable to witness this substantial response from our members and friends. When our community of faith works together, great things happen. Now, to fully realize the goals of Finish Strong we are calling for every household to participate in this work. Each gift, regardless of the amount, represents another step toward reaching our full potential. Eliminating the debt and strengthening our cash position sets us up to move boldly into the future.

If you have yet to make a gift to Finish Strong please prayerfully consider doing so today. Your participation will position First Community to invest even more fully in meaningful ministry, mission, and service to our neighbors near and far. To learn more or make a gift today, click here.

You’re Invited to Worship | Sunday, July 6

Make Church Part of Your Fourth of July Weekend!

This Sunday, July 6, we’ll gather for one service only at 10 am at South—and you’re invited to be part of it!

As we celebrate the holiday weekend, take an hour to ground yourself in gratitude, community, and faith. Our summer series inspired by the music of U2 continues with “Beautiful Day”, a reminder to find joy and wonder in the everyday.

It’s going to be a beautiful day... for a donut! Come a little early or stick around after worship to enjoy a donut and connect with friends.

Start your weekend with what matters most: grace, hope, and a community that welcomes you. See you Sunday!

(Please note FC North and South will be closed on July 4.)

This week in Sunday school

This summer, we are reading stories from the beautiful children’s Bible, The Book of Belonging by Mariko Clark. This week we will read the story, A Fiery Woman. Deborah was a wise and trusted leader who listened to God. When another king invaded their lands, Deborah prophesied that a woman would be the hero and, indeed, it was a woman named Jael who ensured their victory.

Rose Konrath, Governing Board Chair

Summer and Grace

Summer has arrived and with it, opportunities for get togethers, family reunions, travel, and enjoying home. I hope you’ve been able to keep cool and enjoy the bounty of the season.

Our yard is now inhabited by rabbits of all sizes who are feasting on my husband’s carefully tended plants and herbs. He gets a bit cranky and has replaced many items more than once and still admires the furry creatures. Just yesterday, he called me outside to see the “pocket-sized” bunny in the grass. Grace for the rabbits? Maybe. We’ve loved the new sermon series You Too: The Search for Something More and the music and lyrics of U2.

Somehow, as I listened to the sermon on "Grace", I felt so connected and thought of Thomas Merton’s (1915 – 1968, Cistercian monk) words:

“In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of separateness, of spurious self-isolation in a special world. . . . There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.”

June Governing Board Highlights

• Finance – Our Treasurer, Mark Hollinger, and the Governing Board (GB) continue to review our finances and stay updated on the work of the Financial Leadership team, which Mark also chairs.
• Direction 2025 Open Houses – April Howe, Immediate Past Chair of the GB took a lead role in organizing the June open houses. Look for more information in the ongoing updates from Ginny Barney.
• GB members identified our team’s existing skills and brainstormed the talents and experience that could enhance the work of the GB as new members join in 2026 and beyond.
• GB members completed outbound phone calls to those from whom we haven’t received a 2025 Measuring What Matters estimate of giving \to answer any questions or assist with the process if needed and possibly identify a pastoral need.
• Martha Livingston, GB member, and Women’s Guild Treasurer provided an informative overview of the history and key activities of the Guild. She emphasized staff appreciation, church support, and the meaningful relationships built.

June 11 Open House (l to r: Lois Zook GB, Rose Konrath GB, Tom Stewart, Chair - South Assessment Team, Jennifer Short, GB Vice Chair, Pam Shisler, South Assessment Team, Mark Hollinger, GB Treasurer)

Looking Ahead

Upcoming Governing Board activities include:

• Finance review
• Staff Appreciation
• Outreach calling
• Personnel Committee – development of enhanced FC on-boarding process
• GB members who are not already certified will complete Darkness to Light training in-person on August 19 or will complete an on-line version of the training. This training is focused on creating and maintaining safe environments for children.

Governing Board Summer Schedule / Next Meeting Date

Our next Governing Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 7 PM at First Community North, Room 102. We do not have formal meetings scheduled for July and August. The GB will continue its work during this time. If there is something you would like to discuss during this time, please reach out to me and we can schedule a meeting.

Closing Summer Thought:

Excerpt from Mary Oliver’s poem, The Summer Day:

“Tell me. What is it you plan to do

With your one wild and precious life?”

Until next month,

Rose Konrath, Governing Board Chair

(614)620-7406 konrathrose@gmail.com

First Community Foundation Update

Rev. Seth Stearns, Director First Community Foundation

Did you know that you can establish a named Foundation Fund that can be designed to continue to help support the operations of First Community far into the future following your passing? We are so fortunate to have had some members of our church community think very creatively as they established Foundation Funds that would continue to support the church by maintaining their annual pledge after they passed. This is a wonderfully thoughtful, generous, and important gift for the future of First Community. If you would be interested in exploring this idea further, please contact me.

Be sure to remember the Foundation in your estate planning, will, obituary, and 401(k) benefits. Planned giving is a wonderful way to support those ministries of First Community that you feel most passionate about for decades to come. Not only are your planned gifts vitally important in the support of the ministries of First Community, but there may also be tax advantages available to you now and/or to your loved ones in the disposition of your estate.

Remember that you can participate in the important work of First Community Foundation in support of the ministries of First Community through a gift of any size. You can make a gift to an existing fund or establish a new named fund. Speak with your financial advisor to see how your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) might be leveraged to add impact to your charitable giving.

First Community Foundation was established in 1961 to support the future of First Community Church’s programs and ministries. The Foundation is supported by immediate and/or planned gifts from those with a focus on the future of First Community and leaving a family legacy. The Foundation provides full assurance that donors' wishes for their legacy gift will be honored and benefit the church.

The impact areas supported by the First Community Foundation include:

• Camp Akita
• Facilities, landscape, and maintenance
• First Community Village
• Missions
• Worship & Arts
• Youth Programs

Please contact Rev. Seth Stearns, Director of First Community Foundation, to explore your planned giving options. Seth can be reached by email at sstearns@FCchurch.com or by phone at (614) 488-0681.

A Joyful Welcome to Our Newest Members

Kristy Glaser, Director of Membership Engagement

On Sunday, June 8, First Community joyfully welcomed 18 new members into the life of our congregation. Each person brings unique gifts, experiences, and stories that will enrich our community as we continue to grow in faith, service, and love together.

During worship, our new members stood before the congregation to affirm their commitment to walk this journey of faith with us. As a church family, we also reaffirmed our promise to support, encourage, and walk alongside them as we live out the call to be a community of grace, inclusion, and service.

If you are feeling called to take the next step in your own faith journey and would like to learn more about becoming a member of First Community, we invite you to contact Kristy Glaser. There’s a place for you here.

9 am (left to right): Rob and Nicole Elias, Jennifer Nickels, Stephanie Stevens, Linda McKean, Beth Lewis

10 am (left to right): Don Houser, Pari Mortazavi, Sandy Ross

11 am (left to right): Roger and Laura Lautzenhiser, Carly and Brian Gilson, John Boyer, Elizabeth and Christopher Berg, Nora Clark

Not pictured: Ann Watt

Welcome Guest Contributor, TC Brown

We’re excited to introduce TC Brown as a guest contributor to firstnews over the next few months. TC brings extensive experience as a journalist, with a passion for storytelling and a deep appreciation for community.

As part of his time with us, TC will be writing a special focus column highlighting the lives, callings, and stories of each of our clergy. Through these profiles, we hope you’ll gain new insight into the hearts and ministries of the pastors who serve our congregation.

We are grateful to have TC’s voice and expertise joining us for this season.

Read his first feature on Rev. Mary Kate Buchanan below!

by TC Brown, Guest Contributor

A nudge from God could come from anywhere, even Google.

That search engine led the Rev. Mary Kate Buchannan to the seminary after her adviser at Furman University in South Carolina suggested she rethink her plans to become a speech pathologist.

“Google was my divine call,” she said. “My mom said ‘finally.’”

Buchannan, born in Hudson, Ohio, grew up in the First Congregational Church of Hudson, where she was ordained in 2019 after seminary at New Jersey’s Princeton University.

During school she was a Chaplin at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, but the duty did not fit.

“There was no continuity of care. You never knew what happened to people,” Buchannan said. She knew then parish ministry was her calling.

She became associate pastor at Plymouth Church, Des Moines, Iowa, after she graduated. She served 27 months to a “fabulous congregation.”

When it was time to move, Buchannan chose Columbus, where she began at First Community South in September 2021 and is now the minister of pastoral care.

“I wanted to move somewhere where I knew someone,” she said. “I had a number of friends here and I’m two hours from my parents.”

Simply listening is a major part of the job, Buchannan said.

“It’s important to give people the space to share what’s on their hearts,” she said. “I am given the privilege of being there for people’s best days and worst days and I am humbled by it.”

Constant interruptions and time management are daily challenges.

“I’ll do a baptism, pre-marriage counseling, plan a memorial service and then go to the hospital, all in one day,” she said. “You hit all stages of life in mere hours and you have to be present and ready.”

Surprises are not uncommon. During one homily for a memorial service, Buchannan could hear the distinct sound of someone cutting their fingernails.

“It blew my mind, but I chose not to give them my mom stare,” she said.

On her own time, Buchannan likes gardening, baking, cooking and dancing, including anything “wild and crazy.”

She loves colorful dress and did not own any black clothing until she became a minister. And every other year, since she was 6-years-old, she has donated 10-12 inches of her hair, which “grows like a weed.” But not this year.

“I’ve been growing it out for my wedding,” she says, which was June 28.

Click below to read the On a Mission! monthly news. In this month’s news you can find these stories:



• Summer at Heart to Heart has been successful so far thanks in part to the many material donations received!
• Did you know you can shop eBay to support the Trading Post? Read about the volunteers who sell online.
• Register for the next in-person Darkness to Light training on August 19.
• The Share & Learn Garden is having a successful growing season thanks to a new colony of pollinators!
• All Mission and Community Justice ministry teams meet on the third Thursday of every month. Read June’s meeting recap and the agenda for July’s meeting!

Minute for Mission

by Rick Greene, Missions Grants Team Member

Veterans & First Responders Group

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others, and the world remains and is immortal.”

Albert Pike, American author and poet

The church's Veteran and First Responders Group (VFR) was founded by member Jennifer Garvin when she was an intern at First Community. Anyone that wants to support the VFR community is welcome to attend or participate in any of the meetings or events. This group includes veterans from different branches of service and a few people who are of the Gold Star Community. Other participants who have not been in the service but have loved ones who served and want to provide support to VFR.

The group’s vision is to give service, to make sure that the freedoms we have today are honored and not taken lightly or wasted. Camaraderie is developed in both the military and first responders’ community. The sheer fact that someone has “walked the same ground” strikes conversations and friendships, and the VFR helps to develop these relationships and support systems. As one member of the group says, “Speaking from my own experience it was difficult to transition into the civilian world, and my path was much easier than most since my last duty assignments had me assigned in the civilian community.”

He continues to say that his experience left him with an amount of baggage, and it took a few years and many jobs to find his path. He found it helpful sharing his journey with other veterans and sees the VFR group bringing veterans and non-veteran community closer. This group notes that the best way to do this is by giving service to the community, which will dispel prejudices and misunderstandings from all sides. Metamorphically speaking, participants and members are working to make string into rope…or making us all stronger.

Click here to read the entire article.

Click on each image for more information or to register.

Cooks needed to help prepare for 1.2.3…Akita! 

The K-5 team is preparing for our 1.2.3…Akita! Journey to India program. 1.2.3…Akita! is a day camp for children entering grades 1, 2, and 3. Each year we learn about a country where First Community has a mission connection through games, art, language, stories, and food. This year we will explore India.  

We are looking for some extra hands to help prep the food the children will make during camp. This will include cutting mangos, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers and carrots. We also need help sorting the food into pre-portioned bags. If you like to cook and might enjoy an afternoon in the kitchen with other First Community folks preparing for this fun program, please sign up.  

Use this link to let us know you will join us. We will meet on Sunday, July 20 from 2:30-4:30 pm in the First Community North kitchen. Please bring your favorite chef’s knife, a paring knife and a cutting board.  

You are invited to a day of service for all ages, sponsored by the Older Adult Ministry Team, inspired by the timeless wisdom of Rev. Fred Rogers.

In his own special way, Mr. Rogers reminded us that simple acts of kindness and being a good neighbor can transform lives and communities into the loving world God intends for us.

Take a break from the summer heat to join together as people of faith in service to our neighbors (cardigans and Keds encouraged!) Held in honor of the International Day of Friendship, the evening’s theme is “Neighbors Helping Neighbors.” We encourage you to invite grandparents, children, grandchildren, neighbors and friends as we seek to foster friendship across generations! 

To help prepare for our day of service, we encourage you to bring a box of protein or granola bars (types that won’t melt in the heat) and drop them off in the donation bins anytime between now and the event! 

Here’s what you can get excited about: 

• Hands-on service projects supporting Heart to Heart and the wider community 
• Live music from members of the Common Grace Band 
• Interactive storytelling by Erica Carlson 
• A rousing game of Friendship bingo! 
• Mr. Rogers Neighborhood themed supper 
• Activities to take home to continue spreading kindness! 
• More! 

This is more than just an event – it is an important opportunity to live out Mr. Rogers’ timeless message of being a good neighbor and making a difference, one kind act at a time. 

See you there!  

SAVE THE DATES

As fall approaches and the new church program year is beginning, the women of First Community’s Women’s Guild like to kick things off with an All Women’s Potluck & Installation Celebration.  The dinner will take place at 5:30pm on Wednesday, August 27 in Wing Grace Hall at FC North, 3777 Dublin Road.  All of the women of the church are encouraged to come, see old friends, meet new friends, and just enjoy the break in routine and the delicious potluck food! 

Each year a community charitable organization is chosen to be the recipient of donations from the participants at the dinner.  This year’s recipient is the Friends of the Homeless Men’s Shelter and was chosen as a tribute to Carol Baker who passed away this year on April 24, 2025. 

First Community has been providing “Monday Meals” to the men of the shelter continuously since 1983 (rain or shine, pandemic or holidays) and for close to 40 of those years the program was organized and coordinated by Carol Baker, who was wholeheartedly committed to this worthwhile outreach mission.  Carol grew up at First Community and valued the opportunity through the church to volunteer in a meaningful and satisfying way.  She loved working with the volunteers as well as the men at the shelter and was a strong advocate for the needs of these men as well as the shelter program in general.  

We will be joined at the dinner by Christina Bournique, Director of Homeless Services at the Southeast Mental Health Center, and by Mathias Kendricks, onsite Manager of Friends of the Homeless.  They will briefly share information about the shelter program in Columbus. 

Below is a list of some of the donation suggestions requested for the men at the shelter: 

• Bedding: Twin Sheets, Blankets, Pillows 
• Bath Towels, Washcloths  
• Shoes for Showering (like waterproof thongs) 
• Hygiene Supplies: Soap, Shampoo, Shaving Supplies, Deodorant, Dental Care Products  
• New Underwear (Briefs and Boxers), Socks 
• Laundry Detergent 

So, bring your favorite potluck dish, your donations, and join us for an enjoyable evening on August 27th.  Register here, scan the QR code in the graphic, or contact Jane Torbica via email at jtorbica@FCchurch or by calling (614) 488-0681, ext. 235. 

UPCOMING WOMEN’S ACTIVITIES

Please mark your calendars for the following events and activities sponsored by the Women’s Guild: 

• Lemonade Sunday – August 24 after worship.  An opportunity to meet and get to know some of the women from the Women’s Guild, learn more about the various Guild Groups, and enjoy home-baked cookies and lemonade! 

• Fall Potluck & Installation Dinner – August 27th at 5:30 in Wing Grace Hall (see corresponding article above). 

• Women’s Retreat – October 11 from 10 am to 3 pm in Wing Grace Hall.  This half day local retreat will be led by Barb Davis and Linda Cannon in conjunction with Mary Kate Buchanan and Sarah Kientz. The theme will center around the “The International Day of the Girl.” Women are encouraged to bring their daughters, granddaughters, nieces, etc. who are nine years of age and older. 

• The Betty O’Neill Election Day Bake Sale – Held at both church locations during the November election. Always popular with voters, staff, and poll workers, so please donate your home-baked goodies or soup and consider staffing a shift for fun. 

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*Some content in this newsletter was generated with artificial intelligence.