Mariemont Community Church gathers each Sunday in the clock-towered building at 3908 Plainville Road, right next to Mariemont Elementary School in the village of Mariemont, a short drive east of downtown Cincinnati. The congregation describes itself with a single phrase: "Just Jesus." Everything about the church - the Sunday gatherings, the weekday hours of worship in the main auditorium, the children's and youth ministries, the preschool, the discipleship classes, the small groups, and the mission trips to Mexico - flows from a stated purpose: "We help people pursue Jesus." In a region full of larger congregations, Mariemont Church stands out for the unusual rhythm of offering extended periods of worship and prayer in the middle of the week, and for treating its preschool as an outreach ministry rather than a private school.
Sundays at the Clock Tower
Two Sunday gatherings - at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. - fill the auditorium of the clock-towered building at 3908 Plainville Road. The atmosphere is described by the church as casual and welcoming, with coffee and tea available in the lobby before the service begins. Each gathering includes contemporary worship led by the Worship Arts team, prayer, biblical teaching, and community. Guests are invited to come as they are, and the church asks visitors to wear whatever feels comfortable.
Parking is available on the street and in the side and rear lots. Families with children are encouraged to park in the rear lot near the tennis courts and use the blue-canopied Kids Entrance on the lower level. All other guests enter through the main entrance at street level. The building sits next to Mariemont Elementary School, with a clock tower visible from the road.
Both Sunday services are livestreamed, so anyone unable to attend in person can join the gathering online. Previous messages are archived on the church's YouTube channel for on-demand viewing, and giving is available online as well.
Weekday Worship in the Auditorium
One of the most distinctive rhythms at Mariemont Church is its weekday worship. The main auditorium is open for several hours a week specifically for anyone who wants to spend time in prayer and worship outside of Sunday. A worship leader provides live music on Tuesday mornings from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., and the auditorium stays open as an "atmosphere of worship" - a quieter space for personal prayer, reading, and listening - on Tuesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. People are invited to come for a few minutes or for the full block of time.
This rhythm is tied to the church's first priority, which they call "Seek His Face" - an intentional pursuit of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as the foundation for everything else. The church notes that specific weekday times are occasionally cancelled, so checking the event calendar ahead of a visit is recommended.
Kingdom Kids: Infants Through Sixth Grade
Children are a major part of life at Mariemont Church. Kingdom Kids is the children's ministry for infants through sixth grade, with a stated goal of helping kids encounter Jesus as Father, Friend, and Savior. The ministry is led by Katie Smith, the Director of Next Gen, with Traci Major serving as Kingdom Kids Assistant Director.
On Sunday mornings, Kingdom Kids classes meet during both services in age-appropriate rooms:
- Nursery (0-35 months) - Room 107, both services
- Pre-Kindergarten (3-5 years) - Room 105, both services
- Early Elementary (Kindergarten through 3rd grade) - Room 103, both services
- Upper Elementary (4th-6th grade) - Room 108, 11:00 service only
First-time families are asked to park in the rear lot near the tennis courts and enter through the Kids Entrance marked by a blue awning. A Kingdom Kids supervisor will be on hand to help with registration, walk families to the right classroom, and explain the secure pickup process. Children are checked in using a system that issues the child a security name badge and gives the parent a matching tag to present at pickup. The church also keeps the caregiver's phone number on file in case they need to be reached during the service.
Beyond Sunday mornings, Kingdom Kids organizes events such as a summer pool party at the Mariemont Pool, seasonal activities, and family fellowship events. The ministry's goal is for the program to be staffed entirely by church-family volunteers.
Next Chapter Youth on Thursday Nights
The youth ministry at Mariemont Church is called Next Chapter Youth Ministry, and it follows a different schedule from the children's ministry. Rather than meeting on Sunday mornings, Next Chapter meets on Thursday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 108 on the third floor of the church building. The time is spent hanging out, eating snacks, playing games, listening to a speaker, and breaking into middle school and high school small groups with adult leaders.
The ministry is open to any student in sixth through twelfth grade, regardless of which school they attend or whether they come from a church background. The church encourages students to bring friends, and the leaders emphasize that the youth room is a place to ask questions and explore faith.
On Sundays, students worship with their families in the main gathering and are encouraged to serve on volunteer teams around the church. The ministry also runs outings and an annual mission trip during Christmas break to Casa Hogar Mama Paulita, an organization serving homeless children in Cuidad Mante, Mexico. The church commits to fully funding any student who wants to go on the trip.
Rooted Discipleship: Six Weeks That Shape a Year
Rooted Discipleship is the church's signature discipleship course. Each fall, the church runs a six-week series of classes designed to help the body of Christ be "rooted" and established in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Wednesday night track includes Communion With God, Identity, A Life of Worship, and Love and War for Couples. A parallel Tuesday evening Love and War for Singles class meets at the home of Pam Ping.
The courses run in the early fall and are open to anyone in the church or community who wants to grow in their understanding of Christian faith and practice. Rooted is one of several pathways into deeper involvement with the church, alongside small groups, men's and women's studies, and weekday worship hours.
Women's Ministry: Joy in the Morning and Evening Joy
The women's ministry at Mariemont Church centers on two ongoing Bible studies, plus quarterly social events, an annual Fall Kick-Off Night, and a winter women's retreat.
"Joy in the Morning" meets most Tuesday mornings during the school year, from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. in the Emery Room. The study is facilitated by Barb Leonard, and childcare is available with reservations. "Evening Joy" meets every other Monday evening, September through June, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., co-facilitated by Paula Ayer and Teresa Earhart. Both studies are Bible-based and designed to apply Christian principles to everyday life.
The ministry's vision is to encourage women of all ages to grow in their faith and equip them to be beacons of light in their homes, communities, and workplaces. Sisterhood Socials are held quarterly at local homes, giving women a casual setting for food, drinks, and laughter together. The annual women's retreat is held at Hueston Woods Lodge near Oxford, Ohio.
Men's Ministry: Friday Mornings and Midrash
The men's ministry focuses on forging a Christian brotherhood. Two regular small groups anchor the rhythm of the week. The Friday Morning Men's Study meets at 6:30 a.m. in the Emery Room and has been led by elder Mike Cambron for over a decade. Mariemont Men Midrash meets every other Wednesday at 6:15 a.m. in the Meeting Room and is led by Steven Manuel.
The ministry articulates a list of character goals for its members: hungering for God's Word, worshipping and obeying the Trinity, loving neighbors, praying without ceasing, serving God and family, leading families sacrificially, loving wives like Christ loved the Church, training up children, training together for spiritual warfare, making disciples, caring for widows, orphans, and strangers, and working heartily as for the Lord.
Small Groups Across Greater Cincinnati
Small groups are a major pathway for getting involved at Mariemont Church. The church describes them as the place "where faith grows deep and relationships thrive," and emphasizes that being the church is not limited to one hour on Sunday morning. Groups meet in homes and at the church building across Mariemont, Montgomery, Indian Hill, Loveland, Hyde Park, Madisonville, Fort Thomas, and East Gate.
Group personalities and content vary by host, but each one offers connection with others who want to support each other and pursue Jesus together. Most groups run from September through May, with many taking the summer off. Hosts include the Swift, Belanger, Palser, Ayer, Earhart, Cambron, Ping, Robinson, Schaaf, Wotawa, Manuel, and Thomas families, among others. The Sunday morning Swift Small Group runs during the second service and provides access to the church's Sunday school and nursery.
Worship Arts and the Tech Team
Worship is central to the church's identity, and the Worship Arts ministry is led by Paul "Raz" Rasmussen, the Associate Pastor of Worship. Raz has been on staff at Mariemont Church since 2010 and leads a large volunteer team of musicians, singers, songwriters, dancers, and tech artists. The church auditions musicians for the band, which includes bass guitarists, rhythm guitarists, lead guitarists, drummers, keyboardists, percussionists, and string players, plus harmony and melody singers.
A separate tech team handles production: front of house sound, broadcast sound, camera operation, Pro-Presenter slides and music, slides development, and producing. Training is provided for tech volunteers. The team sees itself as serving the church's priority of "Seek His Face" - using musical and technical gifts to lead the congregation into worship.
MC Preschool and Elementary Before Care
The Mariemont Church Preschool and Elementary Before School Care are both described by the church as outreach ministries. The preschool is a traditional program for children ages 2, 3, 4, and 5 that teaches simple Christian truths and values while helping children develop social, emotional, and cognitive skills. The Elementary Before School Care serves children in kindergarten through sixth grade with art, manipulatives, games, science, writing, and reading activities before the school day.
Renee Brownfield has directed the preschool since 1994. She grew up in nearby Fairfax, attended Mariemont Junior and Senior High School, and earned a bachelor's degree in early childhood education from Eastern Kentucky University. The Brownfield family - Renee and her husband Mike, the Director of Operations - are a central part of the church's staff. Spaces are limited and families are encouraged to contact Renee as early as possible.
Missions: Casa Hogar Mama Paulita
The church's mission efforts center on a long-term partnership with Casa Hogar Mama Paulita (CHMP), an organization in Cuidad Mante, Mexico, that serves homeless children. Mariemont Church sends annual mission trips to CHMP during the Christmas break and commits to fully funding any student who wants to go. Other efforts include the "Mission2Monday" workshop, which equips believers to bring Christian faith to their workplaces, and the "Business ... With Him" workshop for business owners and leaders.
Four Priorities and the Elder Council
Everything at Mariemont Church is organized around four stated priorities: Seek His Face (intentional pursuit of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit), Gifted and Going for It (equipping in spiritual gifts), Who's Next? (a culture of development, training, and discipleship, especially for the next generation), and Live Open-Handed (a posture of adventurous dependence on God and resistance to a spirit of control).
The church is led by Lead Pastor Jamie Moore, who joined the staff in 2019 and holds degrees in music, worship, and theology, including a PhD dissertation on the theology of A. W. Tozer. He wrote and published a book called "Friendship with God" in 2020. He is supported by an Elder Council that includes Royce Baker, Michael Cambron, David Ping, Paul Rasmussen, Brandon Snow, John Treas, Louis Arnold, and Steve Cesler, along with emeritus elders Tom Dewey, Burr Robinson, Denis Beausejour, and Zeke Swift. Mike Brownfield serves as Director of Operations, and Katie Smith as Director of Next Gen, overseeing both Kingdom Kids and Next Chapter Youth.
What Mariemont Church Believes
The church's statement of faith is rooted in classic evangelical Christianity. It teaches that the Bible is God's perfect revelation, that God exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that Jesus is fully God and fully man, and that salvation comes through his life, death, and resurrection. The Holy Spirit is described as fully God, pointing people to Jesus and empowering their lives.
The church believes salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and that God's justifying grace must not be separated from his sanctifying power. Marriage is described as a male-female union established by God, all humans are seen as bearing the image of God from conception, and the church affirms both heaven and hell, the return of Jesus, the reality of spiritual warfare, and the continuation of spiritual gifts. Baptism and communion are celebrated as practices that strengthen Christian life.