A Place of True Belonging on High Street
Worthington United Methodist Church stands at 600 High Street in the heart of Worthington's Historical District, two blocks south of the Worthington Green and across the street from the Worthington Post Office. The church has built its identity on a single promise: it is a place where you can know true belonging. In a world that is becoming increasingly divided, the congregation describes itself as a place where everyone can feel welcome and accepted, simply by living God's love.
WUMC is an 800-member United Methodist congregation and a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network, a United Methodist organization that seeks the inclusion of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in both the policy and practices of the church. The church's own motto is "Christ-Centered. Engaged in Community. Sharing God's Love." It belongs to the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church, specifically the Capitol Area North District, and is easily accessible from State Route 161 and I-71.
Two Sunday Mornings, Two Worship Spaces
Worship at WUMC happens in two distinct Sunday morning services, each with its own feel. At 9 am, the congregation gathers in Potter Chapel, a more intimate space inside the 1926 building. At 10 am, worship moves to the main Sanctuary, where the Chancel Choir, Jubilee Ringers, and a full music program support a service that is also livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel. A Hospitality Coffee Hour follows the 10 am service.
The Sunday morning worship includes familiar hymns, inspiring choral music, and thought-provoking sermons. The first Sunday of each month is set aside for Holy Communion. During the second half of the 10 am service, children from age 4 through third grade are invited to Children's Church, where scripture readings, lessons, crafts, and activities are tailored to younger worshippers. This children's program runs year-round.
Visitors are invited to come as they are. The church states plainly that there is no required dress and no prescribed beliefs, only an open, accepting, and supportive environment for connecting with God. Friendship cards are available for visitors who want to share their contact information, and the church encourages newcomers to complete one so the pastors and staff can follow up.
Pastors and Staff
The pastoral team is led by Rev. Jennifer Kimball Casto (she/her), who was appointed Lead Pastor in July 2025. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she holds a B.A. from Westminster College and a Master of Divinity from Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and was ordained an Elder in 1994. She is passionate about helping people grow in their commitment to Jesus' call to love God and serve others, especially the most vulnerable neighbors, and she believes the church is called to welcome all people.
Rev. Dominic J. Short Mejia (he/him) was appointed Associate Pastor in July 2021. A native of Bryan, Ohio, he holds a B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Master of Divinity from the Boston University School of Theology. His areas of interest include mercy and justice ministries, practical theology, and the intersections of pop culture and faith.
Ashley Gerard (she/her) is the Director of Discipleship from Birth to Young Adult and has been on staff since June 2013. She holds a degree in Human Development and Family Science from The Ohio State University and a Master of Practical Theology from The Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and has a heart for camp ministry and seeing the next generation in leadership. Jarod Ogier (he/him) is the Director of Music, overseeing all music activities and conducting the Chancel Choir and Jubilee Ringers. He holds degrees in Vocal Performance and Musicology from Otterbein College and The Ohio State University, and a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Management from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at Ohio State. Tim Byrer (he/him) directs the Children's Music Ministry, including Children's Choir, Children's Handbell Choir, and music during Vacation Bible School. Eddie Jarrell is the Facilities Manager, and Craig Kramer is the AV and Office Technology Manager.
A Story That Begins in 1808
Worthington United Methodist Church traces its roots all the way back to 1808, when Thomas Jefferson was president. Worthington itself had just been started by a few pioneer farming families newly arrived from Connecticut, organized by Colonel James Kilbourne, a lay Episcopal preacher, and the Scioto Company, only a few years after Ohio became the 17th state in February 1803.
Services at WUMC have progressed from Methodist camp meetings in the early 1800s, served by circuit-riding preachers such as a Rev. Mr. Martin and Francis Asbury (later named the first Methodist bishop of the church conference), through a succession of four distinct buildings. The first permanent church, a one-story brick at South and Hartford Streets, was in use from 1823 to 1864 and was the first building in Worthington used exclusively as a church. A second brick church near Short and High Streets, started during the first year of the Civil War and featuring double doors facing High Street with hitching posts lining the street in front, served the congregation from 1864 to 1926. WUMC's first full-time minister, the Rev. J.H. Creighton, was appointed to serve the growing church with a membership of 105 in that second building. Since then, approximately 76 pastoral teams have led the congregation.
A third building, completed in 1926 and still in use today, houses Potter Chapel and an education wing, connects to the church's Gothic-style Bell Tower, and features Gothic-shaped leaded stained glass windows. During the Great Depression, many church families pooled their financial resources to help the church with its indebtedness, and the building has since been remodeled and modernized. The fourth and most recent building, designed and built in 1968 to accommodate a larger church membership and provide more modern and expanded facilities, is now the main church building.
Children: From the Nursery to Children's Music
Children are welcomed in WUMC worship services at all times. For families who would like their children to participate in age-appropriate activities during the morning, the church offers a layered set of programs running from infancy through sixth grade.
Nursery and toddler care is offered every Sunday from 8:45 to 11:15 am on the third floor, alongside the Sunday School rooms, for newborns through age 3. Parents can drop their children off before either service and pick them up after Hospitality.
During the 9 am service, Sunday School is offered for Pre-K through sixth grade. The Pre-K through second grade class focuses on a weekly Scripture, games, crafts, and fun activities, while the third through sixth grade class is built around movies watched over several weeks, with small group discussion based on the clip of the week and a Scripture lesson tying it all together. Sunday School is offered during the school year and pauses in the summer. The Sunday School rooms are on the third floor of the building.
During the 10 am service, Children's Church is offered for children age 4 through third grade, with scripture readings, lessons, crafts, and activities tailored for younger worshippers. This program runs year-round.
Music for the church's youngest members is led by Tim Byrer, the Director of Children's Music Ministry. Children's Choir is open to ages 3 through sixth grade and rehearses on Thursday evenings, with Family Fellowship Dinners on the first Thursday of each month. Children's Bells, for third through sixth graders, rehearses on Thursday evenings as well, giving children the chance to learn handbells, from white gloves to ringing in worship.
Family Ministry ties all of this together. In addition to weekly gathering events, WUMC hosts Vacation Bible School in the summer, an Easter egg hunt on the lawn, picnics and potlucks, and Trunk or Treat each fall, with decorated car trunks in the parking lot, a cookout, and live music.
Youth: IMPACT and the Summer Camps
Middle and high school students at WUMC are served by IMPACT, the church's youth ministry for grades 7 through 12. IMPACT meets each Sunday night during the school year, from mid-August through mid-May, in Potter Chapel. A typical evening includes an informal small group discussion on the Scripture reading for the week and how it relates to everyday life, followed by a large group game or an outreach opportunity that is an integral part of the church's ministry. About once a month, the group ventures out for a special event such as laser tag, bowling, a corn maze trip, or a church-wide event. IMPACT runs from 6 to 8 pm on Sunday nights.
The youth program also gathers the wider congregation for service. Sunday Serve, an outreach opportunity for sixth graders and older, takes place once a month after worship, from 11:15 am to 1 pm. Projects have included plarning plastic bags for the Mat Ministry, packing food donations and hygiene kits, and traveling offsite to resource pantries and local farms. Sunday Serve is a good fit for students looking for volunteer hours or simply a chance to give back.
Two summer camps round out the youth offerings. ReachOut is a United Methodist mission camp for students currently in seventh grade and older, held each July in Lakeside, Ohio, a gated community on Lake Erie. Campers and counselors stay in cabins and lodge housing near the downtown area, with worship each night, a two-day mission component serving local nonprofits in northern Ohio, sports and art activities, and a chance to get to know youth from other churches. ReachOut is planned and run by a group of high school youth elected by the previous year's campers, who meet year-round to choose the theme verse, plan activities, and lead worship. Explorations is a day camp for incoming fourth through incoming seventh graders, meeting at the church each morning from 10 am to 2 pm for a week of mission and outreach, with transportation to local partner sites. The week typically includes service at Seminary Hill Farm, Sunrise Sanctuary in Marysville, Help My Neighbor Food Pantry at Smoky Row Brethren Church, and ministry projects within WUMC itself, including time with the Riverside Sewing Guild and the Mat Ministry.
Sojourn: A Young Adult Community
Sojourn is the young adult ministry for people in their 20s and 30s. After an initial launch gathering, the group meets the first Wednesday of each month on Zoom and the third Wednesday of each month in the Dixon Lounge, with conversations running from 7 to 8 pm. The Associate Pastor, Rev. Dominic Short Mejia, hosts the gatherings and plans the topics for the year with the group.
Studies, Circles, and Groups for Adults
Adult formation at WUMC is built around a wide range of small groups, classes, and circles. Adult Education includes seasonal book studies during Advent and Lent, with curriculum for children through adults, an ongoing New Members Group, and Adult Bible Study classes that meet periodically to study particular books, themes, or characters of the Bible. No prior scriptural knowledge is required.
Around-the-Table is the church's fellowship-of-meals ministry. Interested people are organized into random groups of about eight at the beginning of the year, and each group meets once a month for a meal, with the host choosing to make dinner, make reservations, or make plans for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at a restaurant, at the host's home, in a park, at the church, or any other creative location.
United Women in Faith is a local part of a national United Methodist women's organization, raising money for missions and organized into smaller circles that meet regularly for fellowship, personal enrichment programs, and mission projects. Circles include Deborah (typically active retirees, second Thursday at 1 pm at the church), Elizabeth (working mothers with teen to young adult children, second Monday at 7 pm at the church), Hannah (mothers of school-aged children, with childcare provided, fourth Wednesday at 6:30 pm), Martha (women of all ages crafting together, second Thursday at 7 pm at the church), Naomi (retired or semi-retired women meeting in members' homes, third Wednesday at 7 pm), Riverside Sewing Guild (creating items for patients of Riverside Methodist Hospital, first Wednesday at 9:30 am in the hospital's North Medical Building), and Ruth (morning people, second Tuesday at 9:30 am at the church).
WUMC also hosts a Men's Breakfast Group that meets on Zoom at 8 am on the second Saturday of the month for breakfast and a scripture discussion led by Mark Rodgers, and a Singles group for adults over 40 that gathers for dinners at local restaurants, tailgating, pizza and games, and other activities.
Refresh. Explore. Commit. is the membership pathway for those who want to learn more about Christianity, about Methodism, or about WUMC. The series rotates four classes on Sunday mornings at 9 am in the Library, covering basic Christian doctrine, sacrament and story, the church and membership vows, and growing as disciples and getting involved. A summer retreat version of the same material is offered as a one-day intensive, with pizza and childcare available.
Music Ministry for Every Age
Music is a defining part of WUMC's life. Jarod Ogier, the Director of Music, oversees all music activities and conducts the Chancel Choir and Jubilee Ringers. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8 pm in the Sanctuary and sings in weekly worship from September through May, drawing on a wide repertoire from the 18th and 19th centuries to contemporary anthems by composers like Craig Courtney, Elaine Hagenberg, Dan Forrest, and Mark Hayes. No audition is required to join.
The Jubilee Ringers, the church's handbell choir, rings up to five octaves of handbells and choir chimes in worship. The group consists of 12 to 14 ringers and rehearses on Sundays from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall, with weekly commitment from September through May and a typical schedule of ringing once per month in worship. Good hand-eye coordination and a basic sense of music notation are helpful, but the group teaches the details.
Children's music runs from age 3 through sixth grade under Tim Byrer, with Children's Choir and Children's Handbell Choir rehearsing on Thursday evenings. Family Fellowship Dinners on the first Thursday of each month bring the families together before rehearsal. Music also features prominently in the Good Friday concert, summer concerts on the lawn, and the Christmas Eve services, where the children's choir and bell ensemble lead the 4 pm family service.
Outreach: Pantries, Sleeping Mats, and Grace Bags
WUMC's outreach ministry partners with organizations across the Columbus area, with the church describing its work as a kind hand to the underserved, to its community, to the larger world, and to those within the congregation itself. The Mission and Outreach program supports food and clothing collection, meal preparation, sleeping mat construction, and disaster rebuild trips.
Bags of Blessings is a monthly food and essentials drive, with a different partner each month. Recent and ongoing partners include the Worthington Resource Pantry, New Life Community Outreach (which supports the breakfast, clothing room, and health and wellness ministries of New Life UMC serving the Short North area), and the NNEMAP Food Pantry, a cooperative ministry of over 30 churches distributing food and material assistance to residents of Columbus and one of the largest food pantries in Franklin County. WUMC also supports Help My Neighbor Food Pantry at Smoky Row Brethren Church, an ongoing partner of the Explorations day camp.
The Mat Ministry, also called "plarning," turns plastic grocery bags into waterproof mats and other household items for people in the community who are unhoused. The Mat Ministry is supported through Sunday Serve, Explorations, and other volunteer efforts.
Everyday Grace Bags is a newer ministry launched in response to an Evicted book study, supporting neighbors dealing with housing insecurity. Items collected include chapstick, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, individual packs of wipes, hand sanitizer, socks, individualized packages of nuts and shelf-stable snacks, and bottles of water.
On the fourth Saturday of each month, a WUMC group heads to Gates-Fourth UMC on East Gates Street to support their free community breakfast. Guests at the breakfast include people who are homeless, veterans, and others from the surrounding neighborhood, and each is welcomed with a name tag before being served.
Open Hearts: Disability Justice and Pride
Open Hearts is a WUMC ministry that joins with others to open wide the doors of the church's hearts and minds to all of God's children. The group addresses the needs of those who may feel marginalized, including people with disabilities and those with special needs, and participates in activities like walking in the Columbus Pride Parade and singing in the Pride Choir. Open Hearts meets on the second Tuesday of odd-numbered months and has hosted book discussions on topics like disability justice in the church. The church's involvement with the Reconciling Ministries Network reflects this same commitment to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in both the policy and practices of the United Methodist Church.
The Creative Play Center
Worthington United Methodist Church opened Creative Play Center (CPC) in 1972 to serve community families in need of high-quality childcare, and has since served hundreds of children in the greater Worthington community. CPC provides care and education for children ages 6 weeks through 5 years, with a program inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, a child-directed, project-based philosophy developed in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Teachers serve as co-constructors of the children's learning, observing and listening as children play and work, then designing environments and experiences that build on the children's interests. The result is a community-oriented program that nurtures the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth of each child in its care and lays a foundation for the next stage of learning. Creative Play Center can be reached at 614-885-7529 or at creativeplaycenter@sbcglobal.net.
The Memorial Garden
The Memorial Garden, located outdoors on the southeast corner of the building adjacent to the main church entrance, was established to honor those with us and to remember persons no longer with us. Designed to be a place of beauty, peace, and contemplative thought, the garden is also a place to scatter ashes after cremation. Individuals may purchase an engraved paver that will be placed in the garden walk and may have their cremated ashes scattered there as well. The garden is also available to host other events, such as weddings, baptisms, small receptions, and individual prayer. The Memorial Garden is not a cemetery or columbarium, and no records of the specific location of scattered ashes or engraved bricks are kept, though the church maintains a record of the names of those whose ashes have been scattered and the date of interment.
Becoming a Member
Membership at WUMC is a commitment to offering prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness to the work of God in the world through the ministries of the congregation. In return, the WUMC community commits to nurturing and supporting each member's journey of loving God and loving neighbor. Those interested in exploring membership are encouraged to take the Refresh. Explore. Commit. classes offered in rotation on Sunday mornings or to attend the summer retreat version of the same material. The Refresh. Explore. Commit. series, alongside other adult education offerings, also serves as a way for anyone in the congregation to brush up on the basics of Christian theology, Methodist doctrine and history, sacrament, testimony, and the membership vows. The next step is to reach out to the church office or to the Associate Pastor.
Stewardship and Giving
The annual Stewardship Campaign frames giving in the words of 1 Corinthians 12:4-7: there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit, and to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. Members are invited to fill out a Commitment Form, indicating both a financial pledge and a spiritual gift they are willing to offer, so that the church can continue to make a positive difference in the community and beyond.
WUMC offers several ways to give. Recurring and one-time electronic giving is available through Vanco. ACH direct withdrawal is available through an E-Giving form, with no fee. Members can also set up automatic Bill Pay through their own bank, with no fee, or continue to use weekly offering envelopes. The church office can be reached at 614-885-5365 or at office@worthingtonumc.com.
Worthington United Methodist Church is, at its heart, a Reconciling congregation seeking to be a place of true belonging for everyone who walks through its doors. From its 1808 camp meeting roots to its four successive buildings on High Street, from the bell tower and the Memorial Garden to the busy Sunday morning schedule, from the smallest nursery babies to the Jubilee Ringers and the oldest members of United Women in Faith, the congregation continues to live out its motto: Christ-Centered. Engaged in Community. Sharing God's Love.