Hoge Memorial Presbyterian Church
2930 W. Broad Street Columbus OH 43204 614-276-5433
Covenant Presbyterian Church in Upper Arlington has been our partner for over a year. This pardnership has been beneficial to both churches. Rev. Dr. Tracy Keenan, Senior Pastor/Head of Staff, has helped provide ministers to Hoge for our Sunday services. She has chaired out Monthly Session meetings.
Groups from Covenant have been coming to our HM3 mission once a month. They prepare food and serve the community that comes. They send enough people to prepare boxes for our food pantry as the others are tending to the food. They also provide the music and the message.
Ministers of Covenant have visited some of our shut-ins and some of our congregation in the hospital.
When we mention that we could use assistance with one thing or another they are ready and willing to help.
Rev. Tracy has lead or brought to us informative and enlightening class sessions, such as "When Helping Hurts".
Worthington Presbyterian Church
An open house event was held at Hoge in 2009 where all Worthington PC’s members were invited to tour our church and listen to a discussion of all the ministries available for them to volunteer at. Of the 90 members who came to the open house, more than half showed interest and signed up to help in one or more areas.
The Worthington PC Junior and Senior High youth groups agreed to start coming to Hoge on opposite months to fill food boxes for Hoge’s Food Pantry. With changes to the youth group on the horizon we hope to renew the youth’s interest in this ministry.
Rev. Julia Piermont expressed an interest in our HM3 ministry. Tom Piecenski, not only helps with the food pantry,but also helps with HM3. In 2013 his scheduling was greatly simplified by the addition of two teams of families being formed. These new teams provide one meal every other month. With the upcoming 2015 HM3 Calendar in the works, Team Piecenski has shifted to every other month. Teams Elliot and Milroy will continue to be scheduled on opposite months.
Over the past few years Worthington has also provided candy and manpower to help with Hoge’s Easter Egg Hunt.
Members of Worthington supported the first Birthday Party for Jesus. It was an evening of games, crafts, and food, and a children’s storybook time.
This vibrant congregation located south of Delaware, Ohio has been active with Hoge for several years. For the past few years they have also been supplying manpower to ensuring our food pantry keeps its shelves full of food boxes and with our HM3 mission.
This small church with the big heart has been making the trip every quarter all the way from Lithopolis in Fairfield County to Hoge to be a part of our HM3 ministry.
In addition to their assistance at Hoge there are a variety of other ministry and outreach opportunities happening at Bloom. They have a monthly game night on the second Friday of each month at 6:30 pm and a free pancake and sausage breakfast the third Saturday of each month. Both are open to the community.
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Our neighbors to the west in Lincoln Village have shared what they have with us. They have been active partners in the work of Hoge, especially in regards to HM3, which they have participated in on several occasions during the last couple of years. Not only has the congregation in general provided meals, but also their youth group. With the departure of the core family of their youth group leaving the Columbus area, the youth ministry of Westminster is in a holding partner, with the hopes that more families will join the church and bring life back into this vital group.
One of the greatest miracles of the bible is the feeding of the 5000. Although Panera Bread does not perform a miracle, they do an excellent job of showing Christian love by giving their abundance from each of their stores to Hoge and a host of other worthy churches and organizations. The newly relocated Panera Bread located at 3 Avenue and Grandview Ave has been providing their leftover bake goods on Fridays to Hoge for over a year. That bread in turn is provided to those families who come to our Saturday evening HM3 program. For some, that bread may be the only thing they may have to eat the following day. We would like to thank them for their continuing generosity.
This large and ergetic ingregation, who shares a church design very similar to Hoge’s, has been volunteering their time with Hoge for several years. They have helped with Hoge’s HM3 program, food pantry and Easter Egg Hunts.
The members of Overbrook provided excellent meals at HM3. In addition, Rev. Mike Ludwig brought his guitar and accompanied HM3 Music Director, Ed Wilson, in the musical portion of the service prior to giving the message and serving communion.
One of our more recent additions to Hoge’s lineup of friends from the Presbyterian churches, Hilliard joined us in August by hosting an HM3 as part of their MTwoT (mission trip without the trip) program.
GLenwood United Methodist Church.
Our neighbors just to the north in Valleyview have been long time supports of Hoge. The church has supported Hoge monetarily and with manpower and food donations, all directed to our food pantry.
New Albany Presbyterian Church
Even during the building of their new church some members of this congregation came to share their musical talents at our HM3 ministry back in 2012.
Following the closure of Hilltonia UMC, the Wilson family moved to Cypress Wesleyan. It is a church with six weekend services totaling more than 4,000 in attendance collectively. They continue to be a vital part of our HM3 program and with the new personal care pantry. Some members of Cypress have begun assisting with the actual distribution of food boxes to families. In October 2014 they began helping with the filling of food boxes for our food pantry. This will occur on the third Saturday of each month prior to, or during, HM3. They have also been an important part of our personal care pantry operation.
This group joined our ministry by name, all though certain individuals have been coming to assist members from Cypress Wesleyan. Their initial point of interest is involvement with HM3. They are now serving meals at HM3 on the fourth Saturday, every other month.
Girls Scout Troop 50331
This troop, which meets in our church building every Tuesday evening, has been active in helping Hoge’s ministries thrive. The Girl Scout troop has been involved with cooking and serving HM3 meals, making boxes for the food pantry, and helping in multiple ways with our annual easter egg hunt.
It may seem strange to add a dry cleaner to the list of friends, but Rockwood’s actions demand recognition. Over the past 5 years Rockwood has provided hundreds of cardboard boxes for use in our food pantry. This has allowed us to make it possible to assist our food pantry clients in having a means to carry their food home. Rockwood has also given monetary donations and supplied 500 plastic Easter eggs with candy for this year’s Easter Egg Hunt. Congratulations to Rockwood Cleaners for being voted the top dry cleaner in Columbus for 2014
For several years the students in Harman Elementary School have conducted a food drive and donated their collections to one of our current missions of feeding the community physically and spiritually. Around Christmas time they bring these gift to us. It takes a lot of effort for adults to complete this kind of event, there children put forth that effort without a complaint and most with the anticipation of helping others.
Friends of Hoge
Hoge is involved in many ministries within its walls, from HM3 to the Food Pantry. From Easter in the Spring to the Birthday Party For Jesus in December. Hoge would find it very difficult, if not impossible to maintain all of its forms of outreach without help from beyond its immediate congregation. The call for help went out…. And they answered. Who are they, you might ask? Allow me to introduce to you … the Friends of Hoge.
If you would like to see a longer description of what these friends accomplished with us click here.
. The love and devotion these folks show to us on a regular basis plays a huge part in Hoge keeping its promise to the community to feed it both physically and spiritually.