By Nita Wilkinson

Faith Editor

Nestled in the village of Zanesfield is a small church with a big heart. Zanesfield United Methodist Church welcomes between 30 and 40 people through its doors each Sunday, but Pastor April Phillips says the size of the congregation doesn’t tell the whole story.

“Our congregation is vibrant,” Phillips said. “They love each other well and they are big servers.”

That is the best way to understand Zanesfield United Methodist Church, 2880 Main St. They are a congregation built on connection.

They connect with one another. They connect with the people they serve. And, most importantly, they connect their service back to the God they love.

“They are welcoming, they love Jesus, and they just love all people,” Phillips said. “They do life together.”

That idea of doing life together spills well beyond Sunday morning.

Every other month, Phillips meets members of the community for Pizza with the Pastor at Firehouse Pizza. The church brings homemade ice cream and pie to the Zanesfield Block Party and serves hot chocolate and candy during trick-or-treat.

On the last Sunday in November, the church hosts Sundays with Santa, complete with crafts, snacks and, naturally, Santa himself.

Their Easter Egg Hunt brings out more than colorful eggs. Fire trucks and a K-9 join the fun, giving local children another reason to gather with their neighbors.

The church also participates in Blue Helen Wonders, finding yet another way to be part of the life of the community.

But their service doesn't stop at the village limits.

Zanesfield United Methodist supports Mountain Missions, collecting donations throughout the year and making the trip to Appalachia twice annually to deliver them. In fact, the church eventually had to build a shed simply to hold all the donations coming in between trips.

They collect toiletries for Blue Star Mothers, an organization supporting men and women serving in the military. They participate in UMCOR's Festival of Sharing and conduct a blanket drive.

For a congregation of 30 or 40 people, that is a lot of serving.

But perhaps that is exactly the point. Phillips says the congregation is connected, to one another and to the people they are serving. They don't simply want to be a church people attend. They want to be a church that is part of the community.

They make space for everyone. There is something beautiful about that kind of church. It isn't necessarily about how many people fill the pews on Sunday morning. It is about what happens when those people walk back out the doors.

They serve. They welcome. They show up. They share pie and ice cream, hand out candy, hunt Easter eggs, collect blankets and fill a shed with donations for people they've never met.

They make connections, and in doing so, they say something about what they believe.

“We love to glorify God in our service,” Phillips said.

At Zanesfield United Methodist Church, perhaps that is what connection looks like: loving God by loving people, and loving people well enough to make room for them at the table.

They are a small church with big connections. Zanesfield United Methodist Church has a whole lot of heart. ■