Ephesus church

It was 1979, and we had just completed a year in Osaka, Japan, as student missionaries from Oakwood College (Ala.). The last stipend had been received and was just enough to get my husband, Thomas, and me home to Richmond, Va. Our plan was to see parts of the world on our return trip that we might never visit again.

Earlier this year, the Health Ministries Department of the Ephesus church in Columbus, Ohio, began “Sabbath Walks in the Park.” Members meet every other week in the city’s parks to get some exercise, explore nature and bond with each other in a safe environment.

An increasing number of young Americans appear uninterested in being part of a church. In this August Visitor cover story, we ask, how can we reach them? This is part one of the two-part feature.

The Ephesus congregation in Columbus, Ohio, recently celebrated its centennial with a weekend full of festivities. Many former pastors returned to help celebrate, including James Washington, Charles Drake, Henry M. Wright, Stephen T. Lewis, Bufford Griffith and William T. Cox. Other guest speakers with close relationships to Ephesus included Barry C. Black, chaplain for the United States Senate, and James L. Lewis, former Allegheny West Conference president.

Frank Hale Jr., PhD, (84) a beloved member of the Allegheny West Conference’s (AWC) Ephesus church in Columbus, Ohio, died last Wednesday after an extended illness.