And he actually is a nice, normal guy . . . with a few habits that have put him in the pages of the Columbus Dispatch over the last couple of months.
First, he helped launch an eco-friendly transportation project at his downtown law firm.
Then, and more strangely, he moved an ancient barn. That’s right: took it apart and moved it from one county to another. Then rebuilt it.
Now he’s been in the Dispatch Arts section, the Business section. What’s next?
It's really something to see all those bright-eyed kids (of all ages) up there at the Blessing of the Backpacks. The beginning of the school year always seems so exciting. I guess the beginning of anything is exciting.
You know what else?
As an adult it felt good to "stand up" (because that’s what the good Rev. Croy told us to do) too. The standing signified to that we’re there to support those kids-with-backpacks. That’s one of the best things about Maple Grove: it’s a real collection of people who want to support each other and the community.
Every once in a while, even a church gets to be a show-off.
Clintonville drivers might have noticed the display of sparkly Christmas lights on the corner of High & Henderson on August 23. That was jam-packed Magic in the Moonlight dinner out on the lawn. In the process of having a very good time, the guests learned several things:
Eleven youth and five adults from Maple Grove went to Cherokee, North Carolina for a mission trip from June 22-28. The youth participants were Alexa, Nina, Caitlin, Will, Nathan, Courtney, Laura, Daniel, Rachel, Jenna, and Melissa, and the adults were Jeff, Alison, Cami, Evelyn and Brett. Some of their reflections on the trip are included here. Thank you to all who supported the youth mission trip through your gifts and your prayers.
“This mission trip was an amazing experience. From the gorgeous views to being able to meet the people we were helping. It was great to be able to go on the mission trip and really get to meet new people. Not only did I help people this trip, but I really feel my relationship with God grew a lot. I was really able to grow closer with God during the silent reflection time we had in the morning. All in all this was a great trip and I must say I would do it all over again if given the chance.” – Caitlin
“I worked on building a deck for a family all week. The little boy in the family had fallen off their old deck and gotten hurt several times, so they needed a safer deck with railings. We also wanted to make it big enough for the kid to play on because the yard was kind of steep and there weren't a lot of good places for kids to play. We did demolition the first day, then planned the deck and shopped for supplies before we could start building it. I really enjoyed digging the post holes and using the power tools. I like building things - it
was very satisfying.” – Daniel
“The mission trip was great. We did good yet difficult work, and I enjoyed almost every minute of it. I felt especially close to God when we were hiking in the Smokey Mountains and we got to a place where we could really see all of the mountains and just admire what God has made.” – Will
“I thought the week was really great. It helped me get in touch with my faith and get closer to God. During the trip each morning we would do Lectio Divina. It’s when we would read a passage and reflect on a word or phrase from it. It helped me evaluate my life and religion. It was one of the practices that spoke to me. The week also helped me meet new people and learn more about them. The work I did and the people I met were great. When we finished the deck we were building, it really gave me a sense of accomplishment. The family I met at the deck site couldn't have been nicer. They always had a smile on their face. Pastor Jeff and every one at the Cherokee UMC were really nice too. It was a great trip. I will always remember it.” – Nathan
“God was alive and present in so many ways during the part of the trip in which I was able to participate...in the beauty of the hills, the hospitality of our host church, the generous welcome with which we were received by the Cherokee people for whom we worked and the joyful, serving spirit of the mission team.” – Alison
“Going into this trip, I did not really know what to expect. But it was an eye-opening experience and I learned a lot about Native American culture, the level of poverty that some Native Americans experience, and that I could make a difference by working among them. I really enjoyed meeting the people there, especially Carol whose house we spent the week painting. Carol was a breast cancer survivor and didn’t have much money, but she was so welcoming and gracious to us. At the end of trip, when we were leaving, she even said she loved us! It was so touching to me and I felt lucky to have gotten to know a person as great as Carol. Each night during the week we did a different activity. One night we got to meet with a man named Jerry Wolf who had been a member of Cherokee UMC for over 40 years and had lived in Cherokee all of his life. He told us about Indian culture and allowed us to ask him questions. We asked him if he found Indian names and mascots (like for schools and sports teams) to be offensive. He said that he felt using words like “braves” (like our high school, the Whetstone Braves) and “warriors” were ok because they described Indians in an honorable, powerful, and respectful way. But he found the mascot “red skins” to be very offensive and he asked us to think about what it would feel like to be called the “white skins”. I want to say thank you to Maple Grove for continually supporting the youth group. Your support makes it possible for us to do meaningful trips like this one.” – Rachel
“I knew this mission trip would be great because of the group going and the opportunity to serve God in such a beautiful location - the Smokey Mountains. It was even that much more amazing, however, because we were able to witness the face of God not only in the spectacular views and sites, but also in the faces and lives of the Cherokee we were serving. We learned so much about their amazing culture. They are truly proud of their heritage and past, and we were blessed to experience it with them every day of that week. We also had a fantastic group that worked well as a team. I was on the painting crew all week, and, personally have never painted the entire exterior of a house. It was hard work, and the frustrations we felt when the project seemed to be never-ending only enhanced the feeling of satisfaction when it finally did get finished. I look so forward to mission trips to come!” – Cami
“From the time most of the youth on this trip were Little Lambs, I have known them and some of their parents. It is gratifying to now work with these young people, who are hard working, fun loving, respectful of others, generous, willing to share God's love with folks very different from them. The two projects on this trip, painting a house and building a 12' x 24' deck, were completed with little or no complaints about the heat, travel distances and living conditions. The youth were serious about the morning and evening meditations and recognized the leadership of the adults accompanying them. I am very proud of our youth and their leaders, and look forward to being included in future trips, wherever they may be!” – Evelyn
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