Special Message From Pastor

Beloved in Christ, 
I am sure that you remember vividly the event or date which marked the beginning of the pandemic for you. For me, it was March 12, 2020 the day Governor Dewine closed schools for what we thought then would be an extended spring break. It is hard to believe that the calendar now reads March 2022, and that we are still making decisions related to the pandemic. 
As I am confident you are aware, mask mandates are being changed and lifted around the state, nation, and world. As a church which is committed to being a welcoming place for all people to worship God in a loving community of faith, we have been conservative in our response to the pandemic, requiring masks in the building for church related functions. While we understand that as a religious organization, local mandates are not mandates for us, we have chosen to comply with the mandates of our city. Though our address is in Columbus, we know that many of our community of faith reside in Worthington, Dublin, and other municipalities as well. 
With Covid19 cases declining and with the changing requirements regarding masks, beginning today (March 8, 2022), we will move from “Masks Required” to “Masks Encouraged and Affirmed.” We recognize that there are some who are longing for the days when we can see each other’s whole faces, and there are some who will still be most comfortable and safe wearing a mask. We affirm the decisions that keep you, yourself, and our community first safe and second comfortable. 
We also understand that there are those who may, for the first time, now choose to come back to church. We can’t wait to see you! We also know that this change may mean that you now choose to worship via our live-stream. We affirm your decisions, too. As always, if you or a family member are feeling unwell, we ask that you stay home and utilize our live-stream technology for worship, gatherings, and meetings. 

Daylight Savings is Observed Saturday Night  

Remember to spring your clocks forward for Sunday morning!

Lent 2022
Lent is a season of reflection and preparation, commemorating the time Jesus spent fasting in the desert, preparing for his own ministry. We observe Lent by focusing on our relationships with God and growing as disciples.  Join us as we look at not only women of Scripture, but also the ways in which God is and is described as feminine. We hope that this season of preaching broadens your discipleship and your knowledge of Scripture.
 

Newest Staff Members
The Staff/Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) would like to introduce you to our newest staff members, Cara Oden and Brian Otte. Cara will serve as our Director of Contemporary Worship Music beginning immediately! Brian will serve as our Human Resources and Engagement Manager and will be begin March 27th.  Would you please welcome Cara and Brian in the hospitable Spirit of LUMC?

CONNECT
Upcoming Events & News

 EGGS, EGGS, EGGS and CANDY!

 

Sunday, April 10 from 2-3pm, Linworth UMC will be holding an Easter Egg Hunt for our community. This will be the first Easter community event in two years and I know kids and families will be excited to participate.
As preparations are being made, we need your help. Now through April 1, we are collecting plastic Easter eggs and wrapped candy. Our hope is to have about 3,000 and enough candy to fill them. If you would like to support this ministry event, please drop of donations in the box outside the office or make a financial donation and we will do the shopping for you.
IF you would be willing to offer hospitality on April 10, please email Pastor Brooke.

An Opportunity to Honor and to Give to Missions
We are so grateful for all the support the Linworth Church family offers toward sponsoring weekly altar flowers, and bread and water funds for missions.
It is time once again to sign up for the Sundays you would like to sponsor the Bread & Water and/or Altar Flowers for 2022.   Please find information click here or click the button below within this newsletter to sign up for the date and flower or bread / water option that you would like to support financially
Our office will be in touch to confirm sponsored dates.  You can also call the church office to sign up for a particular date. Call us at  614-336-8485 or email Stephanie at office@linworthumc.org.

Club 456 Celebrates Mardi Gras
Join us for our next Club 456 on Sunday, March 13 from 3-5pm for movie and snack with friends in the Youth room. Please bring your favorite snack to share.

LYF in Service
Linworth Youth Fellowship, our 7th—12th Grade ministry, meets weekly from 1-2:30pm in the youth room. This past month the youth explored our faith and gifts through the lens of Disney’s newest movie, Encanto. The students used their gifts to organize and pack 250 Lenten Pretzel Prayer bags for our LCC families.
If you would like to learn more about Linworth LYF, please reach out to Pastor Brooke.
  

Connect Cards
Welcome to Linworth!  If you are new to worship or need to update information, we encourage you to fill this out so we can stay connected with you. These blue cards are located at the back of the worship area, ask a Pastor or one of our wonderful ushers or welcome committee volunteer. If you are worshipping with us online, you can email Stephanie.

 
Spring is nearing and NLCO is transitioning to lighter weight clothing donations. Always needed are men’s jeans, sweatshirts, athletic shoes, light jackets, new underwear (S,M,L,XL), white athletic socks, and hygiene products: deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste & brushes ,soap, and wash cloths. Thanks to all who donated winter clothing. Your generous support helped over 250 homeless persons in January alone! Questions? Call Linda Mrukowski 614-436-0382.

GROW
Spiritual Journey

Lenten Contemplative Prayer Circles: Join us for a reflective time of prayer, silence, and guided practices in community.
March 9th in person in the sanctuary
March 23rd on Zoom
Contact Christine Hiester for more information.

Once again LUMC is providing special

daily devotionals for the season of
Lent. We would love to make sure
that you have one! We will have the
devotionals available on Sunday mornings on a
table near the worship center but we could also
mail one to you or schedule a time for you to pick
up a devotional at your convenience. Please
contact Pastor Sara at
pastorsara@linworthumc.org or Stephanie at
office@linworthumc.org if you would like to
make arrangements to get your devotional soon!

Did you know pretzels have a long historical connection to the
Lent season, dating all the way back to the seventh century? It's
true! Pretzels were a common food during Lent because the few
ingredients they used (water, flour, and salt) made them the
perfect snack for a season of fasting, and even their shape has
significant meaning!
We invite you to participate in Pretzel Prayers this Lent. This
simple family resource will only take 2-3 minutes a day. Here’s
how it works: Each day during Lent (taking Sundays off), you will
choose a Pretzel Prayer card from the bag. You’ll read the
Scripture and complete the prayer prompt together, or older kids
can do this on their own. That’s it!
You can pick up your Pretzel Prayers for Lent outside the Worship
Center beginning Sunday, February 27 and we will be sending
them home with our LCC Families beginning February 28.

Youth Lenten Bible Study
Wednesday March 9, 16, 23, 30
7-8:30pm
 At one time or another, everyone had had a bad week. For some, it is an all-too-common occurrence. Pressure. Stress. Pain. Loss. If we think about it, Jesus’ last week was one of those weeks. It started with a memorable entry into Jerusalem, included a spectacle in the temple, a meal with friends, betrayal, pain and death. Ending with an empty tomb.
 Join this Lenten Study as we walk through the week with Jesus and exploring how He show us hot God continues to be with us today.

Download the pdf here.

LOVEboldly exists to empower willing Christians and LGBTQ+ individuals to step towards loving one another more boldly. Full information is available on our website: https://www.loveboldly.net/small-groups.
The basic details are: LGBTQIA+ Christian Small Group
Evening group, every other Tuesday from 7-8:30pm. 
Morning group, every other Tuesday from 10-11:30am.
Parents and Caretakers of LGBTQIA+ Youth and Young Adults Small Group
Second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 8pm
This group will be will be led by our board chair, Rachel Dew, and one of our board members, Paula Unrau. 

SERVE
Get Involved

Do you enjoy helping behind the scenes? We are looking for people to be a part of our worship service production team.  All skill levels are invited to inquire - we will train you!  We need individuals (or couples) to help with sound, av, and livestream services for weekly worship at 9 am and 1030 am services.  Would you prayerfully consider learning more about this vital ministry?  For more information and to sign up for training, click here.  Pastor Sara will be in touch with you to go over your availability so that we can coordinate training in the near future.