Sunday Mornings on Lorain Road
On the corner of Lorain Road, the John Knox Presbyterian Church building has been a fixture in North Olmsted for decades, but the heartbeat of the place is the 10 a.m. Sunday worship service, which a digital check-in system captures for anyone walking in. The sanctuary holds around 250 people and is set up for both in-person and online worship: a camera at the back streams the service live, and viewers can find it on the church's Twitch channel, Facebook page, and YouTube channel, or open it directly from the church's Sunday page. The service typically runs about fifty minutes and moves through a time to center for worship, music, a sermon, and a closing song. The style is described by the church itself as traditional with some contemporary elements, with the chancel choir, bell choir, flute ensemble, and the Remix praise band each taking a turn at the front depending on the week.
Visitors who arrive unsure of what to wear will be told, simply, to be themselves. Members arrive in everything from sweats to suits, and the church has made a point of saying that appearance is not important. Greeters meet people at the doors before showing them to the sanctuary. For anyone who would rather not appear on camera, the recommendation is to sit near the back on the left side. Most Sundays, coffee hour follows the service and offers a low-pressure way to meet people, grab a snack, and find out what is happening in the life of the church.
Parking is available on both the north and south sides of the building, and both lots have entrances into the church. Accessible parking is on the north side, and anyone who wants to be dropped off closest to the sanctuary should use the west doors off Lorain Road.
Children, Youth, and the Thrive Family Ministries
Faith formation at John Knox is organized under what the church calls Thrive Family Ministries, a sprawling web of programs that begins with infants and runs through high school. The promise to families is concrete: a safe and judgement-free environment where children come as they are, ready to have fun, meet new friends, and engage with caring staff and volunteers.
Free childcare is offered in the nursery during the Sunday service for children up through age three, with secure check-in and age-appropriate toys. For ages four through fifth grade, Children's Sunday School meets at 10 a.m. on most Sundays using a hands-on curriculum that introduces the Bible and builds friendships. Once a month, and on certain holidays, kids of all ages are invited to join the whole congregation in worship, a practice the church calls Intergenerational Worship. Coloring books and worship bags are available in the sanctuary for families who would rather stay together.
Middle school and high school students meet in the Youth Wing, where the room is set up with comfy couches, table games, Wi-Fi, and space to eat breakfast together. The youth Sunday school class digs into real-life topics, while Sunday-evening youth group time mixes games, devotionals, and conversation. Mission work is a steady thread through the year: most recently the youth spent a week in Kenosha, Wisconsin, serving at a local achievement center for individuals with disabilities and at an all-girls Christian school, and have in past summers worked alongside Building Hope in the City's summer camp in Cleveland. Vacation Bible School runs annually, with this year's theme, Rainforest Falls, gathering children in late June for four evenings of programming followed by a VBS Sunday celebration.
Other family offerings include a Halloween Party in October, a Blessing of the Backpacks each August, and a Night in Bethlehem during Advent, all of which are presented by Thrive Family Ministries. An annual Intergenerational Retreat at Beulah Beach in Vermilion gives the whole church a chance to spend a weekend together.
Music That Carries the Service
Music is described on the church's music page as integral to worship, praising God, expressing joy, and providing a vehicle for meditation and reflection. Four ensembles keep that vision alive from September through May, when they perform in Sunday services and present two concerts a year, one at Christmas and another in the spring.
The Chancel Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and sings for worship twice a month. New singers are welcome and can reach out to Director of Music Craig Galinski. The Chancel Bell Choir plays five octaves of Schulmerich handbells and four octaves of Malmark handchimes, performs on the second Sunday of each month, and rehearses on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Bell Director Cheryl Onesky notes that anyone who can count to six can learn. The Flute Ensemble, led by Betty Dimond, brings together flutists of varying abilities and meets Thursday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. in the run-up to each concert. For a more contemporary sound, Remix is the church's praise band, a small group of guitarists, percussionists, keyboard players, and vocalists who perform for intergenerational services and beyond, rehearsing on an ad hoc basis.
Growing Spiritually Beyond Sunday
A wide range of small groups and classes forms the backbone of spiritual formation during the week. LifeGroups are made up of ten to fifteen people who meet monthly from September through June, exploring the same monthly theme as the wider church (past themes have included Hospitality, Generosity, Gratitude, and Incarnation). Some meet in the evening, some during the day, and some on weekends, and anyone can join or invite a friend.
Other ongoing offerings include a Wednesday Morning Bible Study led by pastoral associate Lou Will, which works through Old and New Testament writings and what they mean for discipleship today; a Tuesday Men's Breakfast and Study that gathers over donuts and conversation around a passage of Scripture; a year-long Disciple Bible Study that runs weekly with daily study between meetings; and a Wednesday evening yoga session led by a certified instructor named Jennifer, which is described as gentle, candlelit, and more about remembering one's identity as loved by God than about yoga technique. Some groups take a hiatus during the summer.
A Mind for Mission, A Heart for Service
Mission is described as huge part of who John Knox is. The Be the Bridge Committee keeps the congregation connected to the wider community through book discussions, speakers, and partnerships with other faith communities. As a Matthew 25 congregation, the church has committed to working boldly and compassionately to dismantle structural racism, eradicate poverty, and build congregational vitality.
Food ministries sit at the center of that work. A free hot community meal is hosted once a month on the fourth Tuesday, now distributed through a drive-through car line. A food pantry collects and distributes canned goods and non-perishable groceries to those in need around North Olmsted. The Cleveland Food Bank is a partner in both efforts.
Local partnerships run deep. John Knox has worked with Building Hope in the City, Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, the Refugee Services Collaborative of Greater Cleveland, and Kids Hope USA, which provides mentoring at Maple Elementary School. Volunteers regularly travel to North Presbyterian Church in the city to help serve the homeless, prepare and serve a meal at Bethany Presbyterian Church, tutor students with learning disabilities at Bridge Avenue School, and contribute to John Knox Knitters and Quilters, who deliver handmade blankets to people battling cancer or serious illness. Other partners include the Angel Tree Project, CREDO at Oberlin, Procop House, Love Inc., Garden Valley Neighborhood House, and Metanoia.
National and international work is part of the rhythm too. Disaster Assistance teams are sent within the United States in response to events like tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. A small team travels once a year to the Spirit Lake Ministry in North Dakota to work alongside that community, and the church supports Rise Against Hunger's meal-packing events. Internationally, John Knox partners with the Tony Flauto Christian Academy for preschool children in Estelí, Nicaragua, sends a Guatemala Medical Mission team, supports Living Water clean-water projects, and works with the Presbyterian Church in Ikiliwindi, Cameroon, as well as RELUFA in Yaoundé. The church also walks alongside a number of missionaries in Nicaragua, Cameroon, Guatemala, South Africa, and Liberia.
Caregiving and a Culture of Prayer
Caregiving is built into the structure of the church. Deacons are ordained leaders who serve through hospitality, outreach, and caregiving, organizing coffee hour, recruiting greeters, sending care packages to college students, and caring for homebound members. Stephen Ministers are lay caring ministers who receive fifty hours of training and offer one-to-one Christian friendship and listening to people going through transitions, loss, or crisis. A Healing Prayer ministry offers personal prayer for anyone in need, and the prayer list carries ongoing requests from the congregation. Hospital visits and calls are coordinated through the office.
The Building and Its Spaces
The church building is more than a sanctuary. It is also a working campus with rooms that groups and individuals can reserve for their own events. The Sanctuary, with seating for about 250, includes a piano, organ, and audio-visual equipment capable of streaming. The Gallery is a place of gathering adjacent to the Sanctuary with an entrance off Lorain Road. Trinity Hall is a multipurpose room with AV projection and an adjoining kitchen equipped with stove, ovens, convection oven, triple sink, and prep areas. The Lounge and Room 108/109 are medium-sized meeting rooms with whiteboards and AV equipment for hybrid meetings. Fellowship Hall is a large carpeted room that can be set up with tables and chairs or left open. A small Prayer Room seats up to eight with an electric fireplace and a view of the garden courtyard. The Cave is a cozy windowless room for small groups or prayer meetings. At the back of the church sits a fire pit area for outdoor gatherings. Pictures of the spaces and an inquiry form are available on the church's event-scheduling page.
The Preschool on the Same Campus
Sharing the property with the church is John Knox Preschool, directed by Lori Haag with lead teacher DeAnn Dunlap and assistant teacher Amy Lenz. The preschool is a separate program with its own online presence and serves as another way families in North Olmsted find their way to the church.
A Preschool-Friendly Playgroup and Building Blocks
On Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m., the church hosts a free Toddler Playgroup for children from babies in arms through preschool age and their caregivers. The morning includes play, a basic circle time, crafts, and caregiver community, and welcomes children with disabilities such as autism, speech and language delays, and sensory processing disorders to play alongside typically developing peers. Denise Pappu oversees this program along with the church's Building Blocks ministry.
Beliefs and the Welcoming Heart of God
John Knox is part of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and its statement of beliefs centers on a God whose welcome is wide, whose grace is deep, and whose love equips people to be in community with one another. The church is open about its identity as a More Light Presbyterian congregation, working toward justice, equity, and education for the LGBTQIA+ community both within the church and beyond. The current theme, Welcoming Heart of God, runs through Knox News, sermons, and the church's programs, with the leadership inviting the congregation to show up with compassion, stand for grace that includes everyone, and grow together in Christ, grounded in love. The shorter version, painted across the church's homepage, is the three-word invitation: Be here. Be you. Belong.
Stewardship, Giving, and the Chorus of Generosity
Stewardship is described as how the congregation takes care of what has been given in a way that honors God as the giver of all that is good. The annual Chorus of Generosity Stewardship Campaign shares stories from the church's ministry circles and invites members and friends to renew their financial commitments. Dedication Sunday each year gathers the congregation to celebrate shared ministry and recommit to the year ahead.
Giving happens in several ways: online through Realm with a one-time or recurring gift, by texting johnknoxpc to 73256, by mailing a check, or by placing an envelope in the offering box near the sanctuary. Gifts of stock and securities can be arranged by contacting Finance Manager Mindi Schibley, with transfer details routed through Charles Schwab.
Realm, Knox News, and the Wider Conversation
Realm is the church's online community platform, used for the directory, group communication, event sign-ups, and giving. Members and friends can access it through a web browser or the Realm Connect mobile app. Knox News is the monthly newsletter, published as a PDF on the church's news page, sharing what has happened and what is coming. Devotions are released on Instagram and through short video series, and a back catalog of devotional series includes titles like Cultivating Faith in a Rocky World, Walking With Jesus, Discipleship in Matthew, Hope, and Reorientation. Past worship services are archived on the church's past-services page.
The People at the Center of It
Senior Pastor Tom MacMillan and Executive Associate Pastor Susanne Bendoraitis lead the congregation. Laura Mirecki oversees Children's Ministry, and Jordyn MacMillan leads Middle and High School Ministries. Craig Galinski is the Director of Music, Cheryl Onesky directs the Bell Choir, and Denise Pappu coordinates Toddler Time and Building Blocks. Lori Haag directs the on-site Preschool. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, with one of the pastors usually on site during those hours and available to meet.