Monfort Heights United Methodist Church sits on West Fork Road on the west side of Cincinnati, a few minutes from Monfort Heights Elementary and the neighborhood landmark known for generations as Asbury Chapel. The congregation's tagline is "Known by our Love," and the rhythm of the church - three Sunday services, a free Wednesday dinner, a bi-monthly food pantry, and an after-school program for the elementary school across the street - reflects that identity. People who have lived in the area for decades worship alongside families who are just learning where the light switches are.
Three Sunday Mornings on West Fork Road
Sunday at MHUMC begins early at Asbury Chapel & Arts Center with Word & Table Worship at 8:30 am. The service is simple and intimate: scripture, a short message, prayer, and Holy Communion each week. Classic Worship follows at 9:30 am in the main sanctuary, with traditional hymns, organ music, and the chancel choir. Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month. Connect Worship meets at 11:00 am in the Family Life Center, with a praise band leading modern music in a more casual setting. Communion is also served there on the first Sunday.
Classic and Connect services are livestreamed on Facebook Live and made available afterwards on YouTube. Nursery care is offered at both main services, and a Children's Message leads into KidsZONE at 9:30 or KidsCONNECT at 11:00. On the first Sunday of the month, children stay in worship with their families instead of heading to their programs.
The Welcome page captures the spirit of the room: "Some of us wear suits on Sunday, and some wear shorts and sandals. We are different in many ways, but we share a common love in our hearts for God, his son, and his people." The mission statement is plain and direct - "Empowering and equipping families and individuals to live in Christ-community" - with a goal of offering connection, growth, and serving opportunities for everyone.
Asbury Chapel & Arts Center: From 1836 to a Wedding Venue
Across the grounds stands a building that predates the city around it. Asbury Chapel was originally established in 1836 and has long been a landmark in the Monfort Heights neighborhood. After years of quiet, the chapel reopened its doors in November 2024 as the Asbury Chapel & Arts Center, a wedding chapel and event and arts venue. The renovated space and patio host engagement parties, baby and bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, and weddings, and the building also serves as a place for art exhibits, art classes, music, and receptions.
The chapel's calendar is open to the wider community. The Sunday 8:30 am Word & Table service is held there each week, and Melissa Wilz, the Marketing & Program Director for Asbury Chapel, coordinates tours and rentals. The transformation is recent enough that neighbors still stop in to see the changes for themselves.
Children and Students at MHUMC
Children are a visible presence on the campus. Kelly Burton, the Children's Ministry Director, oversees the nursery for infants through age four, KidsZONE at 9:30 am, and KidsCONNECT at 11:00 am. Both programs use age-appropriate, creative learning methods, and Burton describes the goal in everyday terms: "Our desire is to make their time with us their favorite hour of the week." A Christmas Program for children in PreK through 5th grade is part of the yearly calendar.
For elementary students from the school across the street, the church runs two weekday programs. Whiz Kids is a literacy-based, one-to-one tutoring and mentoring program that pairs adult volunteers with 3rd through 5th graders from Monfort Heights Elementary. Tutoring takes place on Tuesday afternoons from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, October through April. BLAST, the after-school program for 4th and 5th graders, runs Wednesday afternoons from September through May with games, a snack, and homework help from 5:30 to 6:00 pm, free of charge. Summer BLAST, for students entering 2nd through 5th grade, extends the same approach into the summer months with STEM activities, reading, meals, and devotions.
Elevate is the youth ministry for students in 6th through 12th grade, meeting Sunday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Jeff Snyder, who also leads the Connect praise band, coordinates Elevate and describes it as "a place where you can be known and belong." The focus is on helping teenagers see how God's story intersects with their own and walking with them into a life of discipleship.
Wednesdays Around the Family Life Center
Wednesday is when the church building opens its doors to the wider neighborhood. From 6:00 to 7:30 pm, the Community Dinner takes over the upstairs Family Life Center. The meal is free, no reservations are required, and anyone - families, friends, and neighbors - is welcome to sit down. A short message is shared during the meal. The elevator is available, which makes the upper level easy to reach for anyone who can't use the stairs.
The dinner has become a fixture of the week for many regulars. Volunteers help cook and serve, and the gathering feeds more than appetites - it is the kind of steady, repeated table that small congregations on the west side are known for. After dinner, the same Wednesday-evening rhythm carries families through the rest of the week, with BLAST finishing up in the lower level.
Blessing Bags and the Saturday Food Pantry
Twice a month, the church runs Blessing Bags, a food pantry open to anyone in the community who could use groceries. On the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, the morning begins at 8:30 am with breakfast in the Kick Back Cafe on the lower level of the church. At 9:00 am, the lobby opens and guests pick from items including milk, eggs, canned goods, bread, produce, pet food, and toiletries. The pantry closes at 10:00 am. "Whether you come for breakfast, come for groceries, come for community, or come for prayer, you are welcome here," the church writes.
Tap into Faith at Westside Brewing
A few miles east of the church, MHUMC takes its ministry off campus and into a different kind of gathering place. Tap into Faith meets at Westside Brewing at 3044 Harrison Avenue on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. The evenings feature live music, food and drinks, and a faith-based discussion around a table. The service is also livestreamed on Facebook for those who can't make it in person. Jason Taylor, the Fresh Expressions Pastor, describes the approach as "bringing the church outside of its walls and into the places where people are already gathering and living in community."
Sports, Scouts, and Small Groups
The church is also home to an active sports ministry. Pickleball meets in the Family Life Center on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 pm during the school year, with beginners and experienced players both welcome. Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Girl Scouts all have troops meeting at MHUMC, and the church office can put newcomers in touch with a local unit.
For those who want something quieter, Small Groups gather throughout the week at various times and locations, offering a place for study, prayer, and conversation. Senior Singles, coordinated by Christinelle Dring, is a Christ-centered group that meets monthly for outings and speakers. The chancel choir, accompanied by organ, leads worship at the Classic service, and Camp S'more provides seasonal summer and winter programming.
The Pastors and the Team
Paul Sittason Stark became Lead Pastor in January 2024. A North Carolina native who grew up in the United Methodist Church, he graduated from Duke University and the University of Chicago Divinity School. He and his wife, Dr. Traci Sittason Stark, have three children and one chosen daughter and family. Paul describes the congregation's calling with a verse from Luke: "Love God, love your neighbor, love yourself" (Luke 10:25-28).
Jason Taylor serves as Fresh Expressions Pastor with a focus on reaching people outside the walls of the church. He is also involved in Upward Basketball and the sports ministry at MHUMC. He and his wife Melinda have two sons, Brooks and Declan.
Kelly Burton directs the children's ministry after twenty years at MHUMC with her husband Shawn and their two children, Annabelle and Jackson. Jeff Snyder leads the praise band and coordinates Elevate; he is also the Associate Director of the Wesley Foundation at the University of Cincinnati. Julie Foster directs the on-site preschool, Directed Creative Play, a Christian preschool where she has been working with children for more than twenty years. Melissa Wilz directs programs, events, and rentals at Asbury Chapel & Arts Center.
Practicalities for a First Visit
The church sits at 3682 West Fork Road on Cincinnati's west side, just down the road from Monfort Heights Elementary. Office hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; the office is closed Mondays. Three services on Sunday morning give visitors a choice of styles: a simple chapel Communion service at 8:30 am, traditional worship at 9:30 am in the main sanctuary, and modern worship at 11:00 am in the Family Life Center. Dress ranges from suits to shorts and sandals. Nursery care is available at both main services, and children are welcomed into worship on the first Sunday of each month.
Giving is available online through Vanco Payment Solutions, and the church also offers the First Fruit Offering program with the Christian Family Credit Union. Giving forms are available at the church. To get connected, visitors can explore the ministries on the church's site, attend a Sunday service, or stop by one of the Wednesday Community Dinners to meet the people of MHUMC in the most neighborly way the church knows how - over a meal at a long table.