In Canton's Fulton Drive area, around Lake Cable, Lake O'Springs, and Lake Slagle, Church of the Lakes is located at 5944 Fulton Dr NW. The Global Methodist congregation is known for traditional and contemporary worship, a wide network of family learning and care, and service that reaches foster children, families without stable housing, and partners in Northeast Ohio and overseas. Its mission is to connect all to Christ so they can become healthy in God and courageous in love.
A Cross That Tells the Story
Founded in 1956, Church of the Lakes has grown around a sanctuary constructed in the 1960s and an addition completed in 2009. The church's cross-and-circle logo came from the unique cross placed on the sanctuary's exterior during construction. Its vertical beam represents a holy relationship with God built through worship and prayer; the horizontal beam represents deep contact with one another as Jesus mandated for the church to be relational. The circle symbolizes an enduring commitment to discipleship, while the rays depict service that spreads God's mercy and love. Water below the cross points to baptism, the refreshing of the Spirit, and Christ as Living Water.
Four values shape the church's work:
- Welcoming All People: The church welcomes people as Christ welcomes them, wherever they are, whatever their need, and regardless of their past.
- Guiding All Ages: People of every age are guided toward deeper relationships with God and one another.
- Discovering Your Purpose: The church helps people identify and use their gifts to fulfill Christ's call.
- Spreading God's Mercy: Ministry is intended to shine Christ's light on all.
Two Worship Traditions, One Congregation
Church of the Lakes worships in the sanctuary and Activity Center, offering traditional services at 8:30 and 11:00 AM and contemporary services at 9:30 and 11:00 AM. The 11:00 AM contemporary gathering is called Oasis and serves young adults. Communion is offered at the 8:30 service on the first Sunday of every month and at Oasis on the first Sunday of each month. The 9:30 AM contemporary and 11:00 AM traditional services are available live and in an on-demand archive through Live Worship.
Music for Traditional and Contemporary Services
- The 25-voice Sanctuary Choir sings weekly at the 8:30 service and rehearses Sundays at 9:30.
- The 30-voice Chancel Choir sings weekly at 11:00 and rehearses Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:00.
- Bells of the Lakes is a 13-member handbell choir that plays about once a month at both traditional services.
- The four-member Joy Ringers is an advanced handbell ensemble that performs approximately every six weeks.
- The 12-voice Men's Chorus and 16-voice Women's Chorus rehearse twice monthly and sing at traditional worship approximately every six weeks. Both welcome youth beginning in ninth grade.
- The praise team plays every Sunday during the 9:30 and 11:00 contemporary services.
- The Cherub Choir serves children ages three through kindergarten, the Wesley Choir serves grades one through six, the CHAOS Youth Worship Band serves grades nine through twelve, and Youth Bells serves musically advanced students in grades six through twelve.
Children From Nursery Through Fourth Grade
Sunday Mornings
Children receive electronic check-in for Sunday school from birth through fourth grade. Nursery care is available for children from birth through age five during the 8:30, 9:30, and 11:00 services, as well as for small groups and weeknight classes arranged in advance. Preschool Sunday School focuses on one key truth each month through creative activities involving the five senses: God made me, God loves me, and Jesus wants to be my friend forever. Sunday school for kindergarten through fourth grade meets at 9:30 and 11:00 in the children's wing. Its monthly lessons introduce a core virtue and memory verse around three truths: making the wise choice, trusting God no matter what, and treating others as you want to be treated.
Wednesday Evenings and Summer
T-N-T Together in Truth serves children in kindergarten through fourth grade during fall and winter semesters. Wednesday evenings begin with dinner at 5:30 PM, followed by the program from 6:00 to 7:30. Children rotate among Bible Discovery, Exploration, and Recreation stations, using creativity, imagination, physical activity, Scripture, and memory. They are encouraged to dress for the weekly theme, and parents are asked not to send them in flip-flops. Fifth and sixth graders participate in B.L.A.S.T., with dinner and Bible study from 5:30 to 7:15 PM. Summer Vacation Bible School welcomes children from preschool age through sixth grade and offers morning and evening sessions.
Child Care and LifeWise
The Church of the Lakes Child Care Center provides child care and preschool for children from 2 1/2 years old, if potty trained, through age five, plus after-school care for kindergarten through fifth grade during the school year. It is open from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM and welcomes nonmembers. The church also provides space, financial support, and volunteers for LifeWise Bible-based character education in Jackson Local School District. LifeWise is available to fourth-grade students in all district elementary schools.
Young People Finding Place and Purpose
Student ministries for grades seven through twelve include Muse, a Sunday scripture class with discussion and community-building that meets at 9:30 and 11:00. Students who attend Muse at 9:30 are encouraged to remain for Oasis and the afternoon Revel activities. Revel includes social events, mission trips, retreats, and opportunities to put faith into action.
CHAOS, short for Christ Has Anointed Our Souls, gives students a weekly Wednesday-night rhythm. Dinner begins at 5:30, followed by Bible study, drama, or praise-team preparation from 6:15 to 7:15, fellowship at 7:15, and a student-led service at 7:30. The service includes music, drama, Scripture, and a short sermon. A coffee house follows from 8:00 to 9:30 with refreshments, games, homework time, karaoke, and fellowship. Winter retreats, mission trips, and a junior-high mission experience add further opportunities for worship, service, and community.
Small Groups for Every Season of Life
Adult discipleship centers on connected small groups that meet regularly in homes and at the church. Instructor-led classes generally take place twice per year, while connected groups explore topical material based on the interests of their members. The We Believe! class examines the core beliefs of Christianity and the Methodist heritage. New Members Class combines an informal luncheon with four weeks of preparation for church membership.
- Men's Breakfast meets on the first Sunday of each month at 7:30 AM for breakfast, fellowship, and prayer.
- Women's Exchange meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays from 9:30 to 11:30 AM for friendship, discussion, programs, and outings.
- Quest 52 is a yearlong men's Bible study led by Teaching Pastor Bryan George, with Wednesday evening and Thursday morning gatherings.
- Covenants is a Tuesday evening study examining the covenants between God and humanity and their fulfillment in Jesus.
- Prayer Shawls meets on the first and third Tuesdays at 1:00 PM. Participants knit or crochet comfort shawls, and newcomers can learn the skills.
- Care & Connect meets on the second Monday at 6:30 PM to support foster, adoptive, and kinship families, with childcare provided.
- DivorceCare meets Monday evenings, while GriefShare meets Thursday evenings. Both offer discussion, support, and biblical teaching for people facing separation, divorce, or bereavement.
Retreats create additional space for spiritual growth. The three-day Walk to Emmaus retreat focuses on deepening a walk with Christ, while marriage, women's, and other retreats offer times of rest, fellowship, and reflection.
Women's Ministry: Spiritual, Social, Service, and Support
The Women's Ministry seeks to foster a joyful relationship with God for women of all ages through fellowship, exploration of Scripture, and service. Its work has four connected areas. Spiritual gatherings include several Bible studies, including Encountering God and Moms on the Move. Social opportunities include Christian book clubs, Women's Exchange, and Widow's Connection, a monthly luncheon for friendship among widows.
The service side includes prayer shawls, baby blankets and stuffed animals, diaper-bank packing, and the Encouragers card ministry. Support comes through Care & Connect and P.A.C.T., a prayer fellowship for adults and grandchildren that welcomes both women and men. Faith in Action gatherings bring women together for fellowship and service projects supporting local ministries, including Blessing Bags for Total Living Center.
Foster Care at the Heart of GRACE6:8
GRACE6:8, God's Responsive And Compassionate Embrace, brings together the church's foster-care support ministries. Rooted in Micah 6:8, it emphasizes acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God. Its purpose is to help foster families carry the practical demands of caring for vulnerable children through specific forms of support.
- Care Communities are teams of four to eight volunteers who provide scheduled meals, housework, transportation, and child care for foster families.
- Care & Connect Closet collects particular items needed when a child enters a new foster placement.
- Royal Family Kids Camp provides an annual weeklong experience for children ages seven through eleven who have experienced abuse or neglect. Activities include swimming, sports, crafts, a carnival, a birthday party, a clothing store, hiking, painting, and a spa day.
- The Encouragers creates cards for foster children, caregiving parents, social workers, and case workers.
- Care & Connect Support Group offers monthly fellowship and encouragement for foster, adoptive, and kinship families.
- Respite Care provides child care on Monday evenings so parents can spend time with their biological children or together alone.
The Wednesday children's program is free for children in foster care, and the Child Care Center offers three preschool scholarships each year for children in foster care.
Meeting Practical Needs Across Stark County
Blessing Bags gather essential supplies for distribution to people experiencing homelessness throughout Stark County. The FISH Program provides emergency assistance to local families and to the church community. Lil' Lambs Closet operates as a children's consignment sale where sellers keep 70 percent of the selling price and 30 percent is donated to local children's charities. The sale includes children's clothing, shoes, toys, games, books, baby equipment, nursery furniture, and maternity clothing.
Church volunteers package diapers, period products, and adult incontinence supplies for the Heart of Ohio Diaper Bank. Children and youth regularly help serve hot meals and bagged groceries through the S.A.L.T. Box. Church of the Lakes also supports Total Living Center with volunteers and financial contributions. That organization provides grocery distribution, weekly meals, a hair salon, chiropractic services, a laundromat, and other assistance for people seeking stability in the Canton area.
Partnerships Across Northeast Ohio and Around the World
Church of the Lakes sustains a wide network of regional partners. Habitat for Humanity is supported through a house-building partnership every other year, with the participating family contributing labor and receiving a no-profit, no-interest loan for the remaining mortgage. Other relationships include:
- Christian Children's Home of Ohio, which provides a stable environment for abused, neglected, and abandoned children.
- HopeBridge, which advocates for Ohio's foster-care system and helped Church of the Lakes establish GRACE6:8.
- Canton For All People, focused on food and housing insecurity in downtown Canton.
- Henderson Settlement, where youth have completed repair, building, painting, and pressure-washing projects.
- RAHAB Ministries, which confronts sex trafficking through outreach, mentoring, education, drop-in homes, and other services.
- The Pregnancy and Parenting Center, supported through an annual baby-bottle fundraising campaign.
- Project KARE, through which families provide holiday gifts and gift cards for children served by Stark County Jobs and Family Services.
- Family Living Center, which provides temporary housing and basic needs for families, households without children, and single women through church financial and meal support.
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which supports coaches, athletes, small groups, and an all-abilities sports camp for people with disabilities.
Global mission relationships extend to Hope Secondary School in Beit Jala, Palestine, which receives financial support and church visits; Helping Children Worldwide in Sierra Leone, where the church has taken mission trips and supports child-welfare and women's-health programs; City for the Nations, which partners with indigenous churches; and Compassion International, supported through child sponsorship in Ecuador.
Sanctuary, Prayer Chapel, and Weddings
The church's spaces support worship, gathering, and remembrance alongside the sanctuary and Activity Center. A Prayer Chapel just off the sanctuary contains the Columbarium, where cremains of members and their immediate relatives may be kept. Its double niches have marble exteriors and bronze plaques for names and years of birth and death. The room is intended as a place of rest, memory, and reflection.
Church of the Lakes also hosts weddings using the Global Methodist Worship Book. The minister oversees the integrity of the service while working with wedding coordinators to make options available for the ceremony. The church conducts baptism-by-immersion services, including opportunities to remember or renew a baptism. One-time and recurring gifts can be directed toward the General Fund, Youth, RFKC, or other ministries through online giving.
Pastoral and Ministry Leadership
The pastoral team includes Lead Pastor Jared Priset, Teaching Pastor Bryan George, Pastor of Discipleship Robert Strock, Pastor of Contemporary Worship and Student Ministries Tony Walsh, and Pastor of Healing Ministries Nancy Conley. Angela Fritz directs Christian education and the Women's Ministry; Dean Wagner directs music for sanctuary services; Cara Haley directs family and community outreach; and Tricia Talbott directs hospitality. Ashley Katzenmeyer leads the Child Care Center, Sheri Grunwald coordinates congregational care, and Matt Lovell leads sound and audiovisual work.
From children's learning and nursery care to foster-family support, worship music, practical assistance, and mission partnerships, Church of the Lakes remains organized around its stated purpose: connecting all to Christ, becoming healthy in God, and living courageously in love.