The Church on the Hill
Perched on a stretch of Riverside Drive just south of Henderson Road in northwest Columbus, Northwest United Methodist Church is hard to miss. Many people recognize the building by its unique round shape, the Sanctuary of brick and oak that gives the congregation its nickname, the Church on the Hill. From the campus, the Scioto River is visible through the trees, and the wooded north end of the property gives way to a stone chapel, a Memorial Garden, a prayer labyrinth, and a children's vegetable garden tended by the congregation's youngest members and their families.
The church's identity, however, is not the architecture but the people inside it. As the congregation states plainly, at Northwest there is a building, but the people of God are the church. The mission is straightforward: loved by God, members find belonging in community and purpose in loving the world. A commitment to welcome drives everything from the front doors to the food pantries down the road.
A Welcome Without Exception
Northwest's welcoming statement is thorough. Following the example of Jesus Christ, the church commits to welcoming all people without judgment. Members are described as a community on a shared journey of faith, none of them perfect, and the church believes it is better together than alone. All people are affirmed as worthy of God's love and grace, for all are created in the divine image and called children of God without exception.
The church will not judge or exclude others based on physical or mental ability, race, nationality, theology, orientations, gender, political views, age, class, traditions, or anything else that might divide. The statement especially proclaims welcome to anyone who has known the pain of exclusion or discrimination, offering a place of respite and inclusion on a journey toward reconciliation, greater love, understanding, and respect.
Racism, the church declares, is the opposite of what God intends for humanity. Northwest United Methodist Church is committed to standing against, speaking against, and working against racism. A joint ministry with Woodland Christian Church, an historically Black congregation in downtown Columbus, has grown into the Interfaith Coalition for Racial Reconciliation, now involving five churches that meet on the fourth Saturday of each month at 4 p.m. at a rotating location. Pastor Chris co-leads the coalition with Pastor Eric Brown of Woodland Christian.
Three Sunday Services in Three Different Spaces
Worship at Northwest centers on Sunday. Two services run year round, and a third joins them in the warmer months.
At 9:30 a.m., the Sanctuary Service fills the round Sanctuary to the right of the main doors. The traditional service includes hymns led by the choir or a song leader, prayers, scripture, and a sermon. Greeters and ushers guide visitors each step of the way. Nursery care and Kids Small Groups are available.
At 11:00 a.m., the Gathering Service fills the Ministry Center, located to the left of the main doors. The feel is more contemporary, with music led by the praise band, alongside prayers, scripture, and a sermon. Greeters and ushers are again on hand, and Nursery care and Kids Small Groups are available.
From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, an 8:15 a.m. outdoor service takes over the Chapel in the Woods on the north end of the property. It features the same message as the indoor services, music led by a song leader, and communion each Sunday. In the event of inclement weather, the service moves into the Sanctuary.
Both the 9:30 Sanctuary Service and the 11:00 Gathering Service are livestreamed each Sunday on the Church Online Platform, Facebook, and YouTube, with a video guide posted for newcomers who want to know what to expect when joining worship online. Past services are organized into a Sanctuary Worship Playlist and a Gathering Service Playlist on YouTube.
The Round Sanctuary, the Ministry Center, and the Chapel in the Woods
The Sanctuary is the heart of the building, a round room of brick and oak with traditional pews that seats up to 300. The architecture is what most visitors mention first: the curved hallway, the round main doors, the way the room focuses the eye toward the center.
The Ministry Center is a multipurpose space to the left of the main entrance. It is flexible, rearranged as needed, and serves not only as the home of the Gathering Service but also as a setting for many of the church's other ministries.
The Chapel in the Woods is the third worship space and perhaps the most distinctive. It was built in 1988 as an Eagle Scout project and refreshed in 2020. The chapel sits on the north end of the property with a Memorial Garden and a prayer path nearby. A labyrinth has been added to the grounds to the left as visitors drive up the driveway, with a path leading down from the Chapel in the Woods. Next to the labyrinth, a new Pet Memorial Garden opened in the fall, a public space where collars can be hung on the fence or painted rocks placed in memory of beloved animals.
Children and Families: From the Renovated Nursery to the Children's Garden
The Children and Families Ministry sees itself as a partner with parents, grandparents, and guardians, building a foundation for lifelong faith development. The recently renovated Nursery is open during the 9:30 and 11:00 services for babies through preschoolers who are not yet potty-trained. Zoe Chirakos Zuccaro serves as the Nursery Coordinator.
Kids Small Groups meet in person on Sunday mornings at 9:30 and 11:00. Children in preschool (potty-trained) through 5th grade are invited to participate, with Preschool and Kindergarten in room 214 and grades 1 through 5 in room 111 downstairs. Families check in at their classrooms.
Children's Choir gathers children in Kindergarten through 5th grade on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. in the music room, late September through early May, led by Brian and Barbara Luke. The choir shares its music in worship several times during the year.
The Northwest Children's Garden sits at the heart of the intergenerational work. The vision is to grow healthy children and families by together growing good food to share with neighbors. Children and families tend the garden throughout the growing season, and the produce is delivered with the Brown Bag Lunches to provide fresh food alongside non-perishable items. The garden has been expanded over the years with the help of Eagle Scout projects, including gaga pits, benches, and planting beds.
Online, the Northwest Kids Facebook Group keeps families connected, and a YouTube channel offers craft videos with Ms. Jeannine. A 2020 Vacation Bible School called Happy Campers is still available on YouTube for anyone who wants to sing, learn, and do crafts at home.
As a United Methodist congregation, Northwest adheres to Safe Sanctuary Guidelines. Two teachers are in each classroom, or one teacher with a floater in the hallway. All teachers have clear background checks. Children in Nursery through 5th grade are released only to individuals a parent has specifically identified as an approved pick-up person.
Youth Ministry: Sunday Nights and a Mission Trip or Two
Youth Ministry is led by Pastor Chris Rinker and Zach Peterson, Associate Coordinator of Youth Ministries. Youth Group is for students in 6th through 12th grade and meets most Sunday nights from 6 to 8 p.m., September through May. A typical Sunday starts with dinner, then moves into games, worship, and Bible study.
The year also includes game nights, service nights, and outings, plus special events such as lock-ins, retreats, and summer mission trips. Beyond their own programming, youth volunteer with children's ministry, help with Vacation Bible School, deliver Brown Bag lunches, and serve at Church for All People and Manna Cafe.
Safety paperwork is taken seriously. The Emergency Contact Form is required for any youth attending events, especially when going off church property. The Church Transportation Form is filled out once per family. The Over the Counter Medication Form is renewed annually. A separate Medication Release Form is required if a youth is bringing their own medication, whether prescription or over the counter.
Music in All Its Forms
Music is a defining feature of Northwest, with opportunities for every age. The Adult Choir sings at the 9:30 service September through May and rehearses at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday evenings in the music room. In addition to Sunday anthems, the choir leads the entire worship service several times a year, usually around Christmas and Easter, and in May for Music Sunday. Brian Luke directs the choir.
The Praise Band leads worship at the 11:00 Gathering service each Sunday and rehearses at 9:45 a.m. before the service. Phil Nagy serves as Praise Band Leader.
JuBellation, the handbell choir, plays periodically throughout the year, with Wednesday rehearsals at 6:15 p.m. in room 213, September through May.
The Living Legacy Music, Drama, and Performance Fund, established in 2023, supports and expands the music, drama, and performance ministry, with priority given to projects that expand individual participation, especially involving youth and young adults.
Small Groups, Prayer, and the New Prayer Room
For adults, getting connected is a process rather than an event. The Adults Ministry hosts a mixture of online and in-person small groups, all of which are open to new members at any time. Simply sitting and observing is acceptable; no one is expected to lead a class or have a ready answer.
Prayer is one of the most developed ministries at Northwest. The prayer chain is typically sent out twice a week, early in the week for Sunday's prayer requests and on Friday for additional requests, with extra emails sent for urgent needs. Requests can be submitted online or emailed to prayer@nwumc.com.
The brand-new prayer room, completed in 2024, is a quiet space inside the building for reflection. It offers comfortable couches, a table for small meetings, and an outdoor balcony overlooking the river. Finger labyrinths and prayer books are available.
Outdoor prayer has a long history at Northwest. The labyrinth is a space for active prayer, located to the left as visitors drive up the driveway, with a path from the Chapel in the Woods that leads down the hill. The Chapel in the Woods and Memorial Garden, both on the north end of the main parking lot, are additional outdoor prayer spaces. A Pet Memorial Garden has been added near the labyrinth.
Stephen Ministry rounds out the care. A team of trained Stephen Ministers provides confidential, free, emotional and spiritual support to people facing challenges, with new trainings held as needed to add to the team.
Brown Bag Lunches, Find a Friend, and a Network of Partners
Outreach and Missions at Northwest is a sprawling ministry that starts a few miles from the campus and reaches as far as Mexico. The church both creates ministries of its own and partners with other organizations doing similar work.
Brown Bag Lunches grew out of a simple observation: within a few miles of the church are apartment communities with families eligible for free or reduced school lunches, and on days when there is no school, those children may or may not have food. Volunteers now pack lunches of a sandwich, fresh fruit or a fruit cup, a bag of chips, a cookie, and a juice box, then deliver them along the Bethel-Sawmill corridor. Students in these communities attend Dublin City Schools, including Daniel Wright Elementary, Thomas Elementary, Sells Middle School, and Coffman High School. Seniors along the route also receive deliveries.
The ministry has grown beyond lunches. Blessing Boxes now go out with pasta, pasta sauce, peanut butter, grape jelly, bread, macaroni and cheese, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, and fresh vegetables from the Northwest Children's Garden. Christmas and Thanksgiving food boxes, backpacks, school supplies, and even visits from Santa have all become part of the rhythm.
Find A Friend packs care kits containing wipes, granola bars, fruit snacks, water, socks, and a one-dollar bill for people to keep in their cars and hand out to people experiencing homelessness at intersections. Each kit costs about five dollars. Members are also encouraged to pair up, take someone out to eat, and see where the relationship might lead.
Coffee and Conversation grew out of requests from families in the Brown Bag Lunch Ministry for English classes. It meets on Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m. as a basic conversation time for community members to practice English and prepare for common life situations like parent-teacher conferences and grocery shopping.
Christmas Families is an annual program in which families are adopted by the church and interviewed, with specific Christmas gifts collected for each child. Winter Blessings gives away new coats each fall to children in the community whose families may not be able to afford them, drawing donations from church members and organizations like Operation Warm.
Church for All People, the Free Store, and the Food Pantries
Northwest provides and serves breakfast at the Church for All People on the fourth Sunday of each month, and on the fifth Sunday in months with five Sundays. The Church for All People is located on Columbus's South Side near Nationwide Children's Hospital and is part of the Community Development for All People Corporation, a faith-based nonprofit.
The United Methodist Free Store, which has served more than 40,000 families since opening in January 1999, receives clothing and household item donations collected in bins at the bottom and top of the stairs near the front doors of the church. In July, Northwest holds a school supply drive for the Free Store, and in December the youth group leads a collection of new toys and children's clothing for the Church for All People Christmas Store.
Food pantry support flows in several directions. A portion of pledges and offerings is shared with local food pantries. Monthly food collections are taken to the NNEMAP Food Pantry, one of the largest in Franklin County and a cooperative ministry of more than 30 churches on Columbus's near northside. The SouthSide Community Ministry Food Pantry at St. Paul UCC receives similar support. Each November, Harvest Home Sunday collects specific food items and monetary donations for both pantries.
Manna Cafe, a feeding ministry connected with Broad Street United Methodist Church, receives a meal cooked and served by Northwest on the third Wednesday of even-numbered months. The Linden Market, which began in fall 2022 and partners with the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, receives soup and sandwiches from Northwest on the third Thursday of each month. Once a month on the third Friday evening, men from Northwest meet at the church to carpool to Faith Mission, where they serve a hot meal, read Scripture, sing, pray, and share Christ's love with the men of the shelter.
From the Bethel-Sawmill Corridor to Piedras Negras
Other partnerships reach in many directions. Sparrow House Ministries, part of South Perry UMC in Laurelville, Ohio, receives gently used and new items for its God's Child Gift Shop each October. Daniel Wright Elementary School in Dublin, partnered with Northwest since 2015, receives meals on Parent-Teacher conference nights and support through the Brown Bag Lunch Ministry. House of Mercy, a children's home in Piedras Negras, Mexico, that serves abused, neglected, and homeless children, receives financial support and periodic mission teams. Little Bottoms Free Store in Franklinton collects baby wipes from Northwest each May and receives support filling diaper bags. Downtowners, founded in 1973 to serve college students in downtown Columbus, continues to support the Brown Bag Lunch and Children's Garden ministries. Crossroad World Outreach Ministries in the Franklinton community, founded by Pastor Cory, receives cookies, hygiene kits, food bags, cards, clothing, and books, with a VBS on the Go held each August.
Troop 200, the Boy Scout troop chartered at Northwest, meets in the building each Tuesday night. Troop 200 regularly participates in clean-up days and events like Breakfast with Santa, and Eagle Scouts have left their mark on the property through projects that expanded the Northwest Children's Garden, added benches, and built a gaga pit.
Weddings, Funerals, and a Working Lead Team
Northwest welcomes couples, families, and friends for weddings and gatherings in two venues. The Sanctuary, the round room of brick and oak, accommodates up to 300 people year-round. From mid-May to mid-September, couples may choose the Chapel in the Woods for an outdoor service accommodating up to 200. Pastor Chris Rinker and Pastor Mebane McMahon are both able to perform weddings on site or off, and a friend or relative licensed by the State of Ohio is also welcome to preside. Membership is not required, and every element of the wedding is individually priced, with couples free to choose their own florists, photographers, videographers, musicians, and wedding planners.
The Lead Team is the official governing council of the church, with elected members who serve by vision casting, setting priorities for mission and ministry, overseeing campus management, evaluating staff, and creating policies. Ann Gabriel serves as Interim Chair, with Cass Linkous on Trustees, JoAnna Freeman on Staff Parish Relations, Barb Ingram on Finance, Rebecca Sutton on Worship, Tracy Reed on Discipleship, Susie Kerr on Outreach, Lead Pastor Mebane McMahon, David Gardner on Missions, and Members at Large Steven Rodenbaugh and Lee Keller.
Giving That Outlives the Annual Budget
Northwest accepts gifts in several forms. Online giving is available through Church Center, Vanco, and PayPal Giving. The Kroger Community Rewards Program allows members and friends to designate Northwest United Methodist Church as their nonprofit, with a portion of each purchase coming back to the church. The organization number is FR737.
Living Legacy Partners, established in 2012, provides an opportunity for more permanent gifts separate from day-to-day funding. With the exception of the Real Estate fund, the funds are endowments from which only 4 to 5 percent of the balance can be disbursed each year. Current funds include Music, Drama, and Performance; Leadership Development; Children and Youth Programs (established in 2013 by Edith A. Hajek and Brian Hajek in memory of their son David Andrew Hajek); Chapel in the Woods and Memorial Garden; and Enhancement. Legacy Funds are held at the Columbus Foundation.
Office Hours and First Steps for Visitors
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Visitors can fill out a Plan a Visit form through Church Center or use the online Connect Card to let the church know they attended, request prayer, indicate interest in ministries, or ask questions. The phone is 614-451-2825, and the email is info@nwumc.com.
Anyone is welcome to walk in on a Sunday morning. Greeters and ushers are at the main doors. Nursery care and Kids Small Groups are ready at both the 9:30 Sanctuary Service and the 11:00 Gathering Service. Online worshippers are greeted by hosts in the chat. From the round Sanctuary to the labyrinth below the Chapel in the Woods, Northwest United Methodist Church is a congregation that has spent decades building a place for the neighborhood, and then kept on building.