Make Friends…
Connect with God…
Grow in your Faith…
Staff contact: Beth Palmer, Director of Adult Discipleship.
Quick Links
- NEW! Eckhart: Experience God’s Presence
- Whole Story Groups
- Deeper Waters
- Prayer & Meditation Boot Camp
- Sacred Earth Group
- Midday Bible Discussion
- Centering Prayer Reboot
- Other ongoing groups
- Walk to Emmaus weekend spiritual retreat
Eckhart: Experience God’s Presence
6 Monday evenings
March 10 – April 14
6:30-7:30pm
Sanctuary building
room 206
(parlor, main level)
Come and explore the “pathless path” of Meister Eckhart, a path which he says can help us to experience the presence of God!!
Over the six Mondays of Lent, come learn about Meister Eckhart, a 13th and 14th century scholar, teacher, preacher, and mystic (1260-1329). Join Sam Harnish and Ginny Fisher to dig into some of Meister Eckhart’s teachings, using them as a guide for renewing our minds and discerning God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will (paraphrase of Romans 12:2).
Each week will focus on a separate topic, so join as often as you are able. Sessions include Seeking Light, Facing Darkness, Risking Love, Knowing Nothing, and Embracing Everything.
Signup link coming soon – or just show up.
Whole Story Theological Reflection Groups
We’re starting some new small groups in the coming weeks for conversation and theological reflection (which just means thinking about our faith, how we know what we know) around The Whole Story message series. Why do we believe what we believe?
We’ll talk about how we interpret the Bible and understand our faith using the resources of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (scripture, tradition, reason, & experience).
Groups will meet for at least 6-8 weeks, possibly more, depending on the group.
Stay tuned for more groups to come, but here are the first two!
- Hoeflinger/Poliseno Group: Sunday mornings, 10-11am, starting February 2, Sanctuary building, room 306/308
- The newly-forming MAP* Small Group (see below): Sunday mornings, 11:30am-12:30pm, Sanctuary building, room 206 (parlor, main level)
NEW! MAP Small Group
Sunday mornings
11:30-12:30pm
Sanctuary building
Room 206/parlor
All Middle-Aged People (MAP – but really anyone!) are invited to discuss the sermon series and provide support as we navigate through life. Come with an open mind and a willing spirit to wrestle with difficult issues in a loving and supportive environment. Facilitation is shared by attendees. Each session will stand alone.
This group will also operate as a Whole Story Theological Reflection group (see above).
Contacts: Lori Lee, Amelia McCarty, Scott Merillat.
Prayer & Meditation Boot Camp
6 Wednesday evenings
January 15 – February 19
6:30-7:30pm at church
Sanctuary building
room 305
Today’s scientists are revealing what people of faith have long known, that prayer and meditation are powerful tools to promote wellness, reduce anxiety, and foster healing.
Studies show that a regular practice of prayer or meditation, even 5 minutes a day, can rewire the brain and change the way we react and respond in the world, helping us to be less reactive, anxious, and ashamed, and more rooted in the generous love of God.
Many would like to nurture a practice like this in their lives but aren’t exactly sure where to start or how to integrate it into an already busy life. Using simple tools from historical Christian prayer practices, Ginny Fisher, Emily Clark, and Mike Boyers will provide some practical ways to help you kick start a consistent practice or deepen the practice you already have. The group will provide support and accountability as you build this into the rhythm of your life. Join us!
Meeting space: Sanctuary building, room 305. Park past the playground and use the Education Wing door; we’ll be upstairs, first room on the LEFT. You’re also invited to come early for Wednesday Community Supper in the social hall, serving a free hot meal 5:30-6:30pm! Use the building entrance under the giant portico. Then to get to class, walk all the way through the social hall, turn left at the wall (family restroom door) and go all the way down the hallway; take the stairs up to your left, and we’ll be the last room on the RIGHT.
Sign up or Show Up
You can sign up for class ahead of time or you can also just show up to class without registering!
Support our Teaching Ministry
We invite you to make a voluntary contribution to the church to support our teaching ministry. Any amount welcome! Use the Give Online button below, or drop your check/cash in the offering plate Sunday or bring to class, marked for Adult Discipleship. We never want the cost of a class or materials to prevent your participation, so if donating doesn’t fit your budget at this time, it’s on us, happily! And if you’d like to contribute a few extra dollars to support someone else’s participation, we’d be honored. Thank you!
Sacred Earth Group
Meets 2nd & 4th Wednesdays
6:30-7:30pm
In person:
Sanctuary building
Parlor (room 206)
Join facilitators Ellen Hans and Emily Lamb for conversation and action around climate change, environmental stewardship, and how to best care for our Sacred Earth!
Come for discussion around what this group can be: working on projects together, generating action steps, perhaps inviting guest speakers, reading and discussing books to educate ourselves, and mostly supporting each other in our efforts to protect our Earth. Bring your ideas and energy for this crucial work!
We invite voluntary contributions in any amount toward the Adult Discipleship ministry at Hilliard UMC. Your generosity helps us continue to offer opportunities such as this, and we’re humbled by and grateful for your donations.
Enneagram Classes
Hilliard UMC is a hub for learning about the Enneagram, a powerful tool for self-discovery and growth.
We will learn to see ourselves as we are: reflections of the divine… creatures of habit… children of God… new creations in Christ.
Midday Bible Discussion
First & Third Wednesdays
12-1pm in person
Church office, room 6
Facilitated by Judy Scott & Pastor Jon Osmundson
Join Pastor Jon and others to encounter and discuss scripture with this Engaging the Bible foundational class. Learn a method of praying the scriptures called “lectio divina,” which just means “sacred reading.” It’s about slowing down and reading the same verses several times, listening for God’s word to us today.
No experience or preparation necessary! Just come willing to listen and share if you want to.
We invite contributions in any amount toward the Adult Discipleship ministry at Hilliard UMC. Your generosity helps us continue to offer opportunities such as this, and we’re humbled by and grateful for your donations.
Centering Prayer Reboot
2nd Mondays
6:30-7:30pm
Sanctuary building
Parlor (rm 206, accessible)
Please use the playground door to enter the building rather than the social hall door, so as not to disrupt the AA meeting happening in the social hall 6-7pm.
Ginny Fisher will facilitate a monthly group for Centering Prayer practice. Expect an opening grounding/centering activity, an abbreviated Centering Prayer practice (10-15 minutes), and then some conversation around what you’ve been noticing and experiencing in your practice, what fruits have you seen, what has been going well or not, etc., for 30-40 minutes. She may provide a topic or experience based on previous conversations and questions.
If you’re interested in practicing Centering Prayer in community, whether you have little experience or are a long-time practitioner, this opportunity is for you. You’re welcome to come for just the first part or the entire hour.
Sign up below so we know to expect you, or you’re also welcome to just show up as your schedule allows.
We invite contributions in any amount toward the Adult Discipleship ministry at Hilliard UMC. Your generosity helps us continue to offer opportunities such as this, and we’re humbled by and grateful for your donations.
Walk to Emmaus
A Weekend Spiritual Retreat
The Greater Columbus Walk to Emmaus community hosts weekend spiritual retreats for adults a few times a year at the Church of the Purple Door (Grove City UMC). It’s an inclusive community, so we’re happy to support their work.
If you’ve never taken a spiritual retreat as an adult, we can’t recommend it highly enough!
Several members of the Hilliard UMC community have attended a walk as a pilgrim or served on a leadership team. Any of these folks would be happy to talk with you about this wonderful experience: Max & April Andrick (she’s the HUMC staff contact and serves on the Emmaus leadership team), as well as Virginia Blasingame, Lisa Haney, and Melissa Landon.
Deeper Waters
Innovative & Courageous Leaders
Starts September 2025
It’s an extraordinary time to be a human. With everything we are facing collectively and individually, more than ever, the world needs innovative and courageous leaders who can meet this moment with a
- Capacity to hold complexity and ambiguity
- Compassionate, non-anxious presence
- Commitment to pursuing the most humane and loving path forward
Even if you don’t hold a leadership position in your organization, all of us can be leaders simply because we can influence others in important, life-giving ways!
How do we continue to evolve into the leaders that are needed in this season?
Research consistently points to the critical work leaders must do that is PERSONAL and SPIRITUAL in nature. This includes engaging in practices that increase their awareness and ability to be present to self and others, help them reflect and make meaning, widen their capacity to hold complex thoughts and emotions, and point them toward the greater good. Leaders who are also cultivating self-compassion and love as central values that guide the way they live are the same leaders building healthy, thriving, and innovative organizations that employees and customers want to be connected to.
As leaders ourselves, we’ve experienced the kind of growth, healing, and transformation that can come when we are doing robust personal and spiritual work. We’ve seen what can happen when this kind of transformation happens in communities of people, willing to do this work together.
We want to create that kind of space right here in central Ohio.
Are you ready to dive deeper into this kind of work?
You are invited to apply to be a part of the next cohort of DEEPER WATERS: Innovative and Courageous Leaders.
Space is limited to 20 participants.
Our fourth cohort will launch in September 2025 in Hilliard, Ohio, for 9 months of collective work.
As we do our work, we will engage and explore
- An Innovative Leadership Model
- Resources for cultivating deeper self-awareness, including the Enneagram
- Tools for understanding and navigating our social location and its implications for social justice work in our organizations
- Models for nurturing healthy, authentic communities
- Daily meditative and reflective practices
Engagement in Deeper Waters will include:
- Monthly in-person teaching sessions on Sunday afternoons at Hilliard UMC, September 2025 through May 2026 (Sept 21, Oct 12, Dec 7, Jan 11, Feb 15, Apr 12, May 3).
- Monthly in-person small group sessions (could also meet online)
- Two in-person overnight retreats (Nov 7-9, 2025, & Mar 20-22, 2026)
- All books and curriculum
- Online learning platform that includes readings, videos, and podcasts to guide your learning
- One-to-one session with one of the facilitators
Application
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and reviewed monthly starting June 1, then July 1, and finally August 1 if space remains. Space is limited to 20 participants.
Cost
Cost: $1500
This includes your food and expenses for the two retreats, as well as all books, curriculum, and group sessions.
Upon acceptance, a deposit of $50 will be due. First payment of $250 due by September 1, 2025, followed by 3 payments of $400 (due November 1, January 15, and March 1).
Scholarships and special payment plans are available.
Deeper Waters Info Sessions
Come learn more! Hear from past participants, learn about the curriculum, and ask your questions.
- Sunday, February 16, 4:30-5:30pm on Zoom
- Tuesday, March 25, 7-8pm on Zoom
- Sunday, April 13, 1-2pm in person at church, social hall
- Thursday, May 8, 7-8pm on Zoom
Facilitators
Rev. April Blaine
Lead Pastor, Hilliard UMC
Adjunct Professor, Methodist Theological School in Ohio
Nikki Buskirk
Director of Middle Grades Ministry, Hilliard UMC
Dan Mushalko
Vice President, Innovative Leadership Institute
Beth Palmer
Director of Adult Discipleship, Hilliard UMC
Testimonials
“Deeper Waters was everything I didn’t know I needed. What made it a transformative experience for me was witnessing God showing up at various points along the way, often during moments when the group was being vulnerable with one another. It ended up feeling like a journey that goes beyond the curriculum description.” (Mike Boyers)
“As someone who has been privileged enough to be a part of this group for two years, it is hard to articulate the impact it has had on my life and what a great catalyst that it has been. This experience really opened me up. It broadened my perspectives. I was able to grow so much in my self knowledge with the tools that were taught and the conversations that we had. In my adult life, it helped me in getting more comfortable being uncomfortable. I’m coming to acceptance that I don’t control most things, and learning to flow with it. If you’re thinking about doing it, I can wholeheartedly say, take the leap. See where it leads. This experience has been one of the most meaningful in my life and I feel pretty confident saying it probably will be for you too.” (Emily Clark)
“I’m amazed how often I’ve found connections in random, everyday things and can then explore further because of my experience in Deeper Waters: increased self-awareness, connections with community, and deconstruction are just some of them.” (Stephanie Harrell)
“Deeper Waters has made a major difference in my life: self love, spiritual growth, working with others, growing together…” (Louann Liming)
Watch Video Testimonials
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Foundational Classes
We regularly offer foundational classes to help ground your spiritual life and practice. Stay tuned to this page for details and signup links, as each class is offered.
- Engaging the Bible, an opportunity to learn how to read and understand the Bible, using an ancient prayer practice called lectio divina (“sacred reading”).
- Prayer & Meditation Boot Camp, for developing a consistent personal prayer practice.
- Introduction to the Enneagram, a powerful tool for self-discovery and growth.
Complete descriptions are listed HERE.
Costs
We don’t want the cost of books or class materials to get in the way of you taking a class, so sign up whether you have class or book money or not. Pay what you can from your heart (any amount welcome), or it’s on us, happily!
And if you’d like to contribute a few extra dollars toward a book or class materials for someone who doesn’t have money this time, we’re honored by your support, thank you! You can always contribute online here, or class facilitators will collect money at class.
Staff Contact
Beth Palmer, Director of Adult Discipleship
bpalmer@hilliardumc.org