A Reconciling in Christ Congregation on Dublin-Granville Road
Lord of Life Lutheran Church sits along Dublin-Granville Road on the northwest side of Columbus, Ohio, a few miles from the Worthington border. Its building and parking lot are easy to spot from the road, but what the congregation is best known for around the region is the word that fronts everything it does: accepting. Since 2004, Lord of Life has been a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, openly affirming LGBTQ members and neighbors, welcoming all couples to marry at the church, and opening its communion table to anyone of any age who wants to receive. A Sunday morning here begins with the smell of fresh Silver Bridge coffee and warm cookies and the sight of people in everything from jeans to jackets and ties. The congregation's mission is short and direct: to reach people with the love of Jesus Christ.
What They Believe
Lord of Life is grounded in classic Lutheran theology, with grace at the center. The congregation teaches that God's love for humanity is so vast that nothing a person does, or fails to do, can overshadow or take that love away. Christians, in response, are freed to love and serve the world rather than to earn God's favor. The values the church publicly names include unconditional regard for all people, prayer as a daily practice, Scripture as the foundation for faith, and a structure in which an elected Congregation Council handles administration while called pastors carry the spiritual authority of Word and Sacrament ministry. Each member is described as uniquely gifted for ministry and expected to keep maturing as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Evan Cameron, called in the summer of 2023, often frames this in plain language. In Texas and Iowa he was known as a people pastor, and the congregation describes his ministry as built around relationships, parables and connection, the same patterns by which Jesus, in their telling, revealed God's unconditional love. He is joined by a Faith Formation Director, Emily Wiegman, who shapes learning for children, youth and adults, and by a Music Director, Bret Wiegman, who oversees worship music across the congregation's two services.
Sunday Morning: Two Services and a Full Education Hour
The Sunday rhythm at Lord of Life is built around three blocks. At 8:30 a.m. the Traditional Worship service begins in the sanctuary, led by the Adult Choir and supported by the Bell Choir and organ. At 9:30 a.m. the Education Hour fills the building with classes for every age, including the Life Passages program for children, the Affirmation middle school class, the OneBody high school group, and Life classes for adults that range from Bible discussion to deeper dives on faith and discipleship. At 10:45 a.m. the crossCurrent band leads a Contemporary Worship service that is often filled with the Cherub and Grace Choirs as well.
Children are welcome everywhere on Sunday morning. A staffed nursery is open from 8:00 a.m. until noon for ages 0 to 5, with two adults present at all times, sign-in and sign-out procedures, pagers for parents, and background checks for every volunteer. A carpeted prayground sits on the right side of the sanctuary for families who want to worship together with young ones, and a children's quiet corner in the narthex lets parents and kids listen to the service over the broadcast audio when they need a little more space. The narthex also hosts A Cup of Joy, the Sunday hospitality station, where volunteers serve fresh coffee and warm cookies each week along with tea, espresso and hot chocolate on request.
The Bridge on Wednesdays
From Labor Day through early May the church's midweek gathering, called The Bridge, takes over the building. Kid-friendly food is served from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., and the Cherub Choir (ages 3 through first grade) and Grace Choir (second through sixth grade) rehearse from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. At 6:00 p.m. the congregation gathers around the baptismal font in the sanctuary for Five at the Font, a short and beloved ritual that retells the promises God makes in baptism. The evening closes with the Adult Choir rehearsing from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. and the Bell Choir meeting separately on Tuesday evenings. The Bridge is intentionally multigenerational and intentionally relaxed, the kind of night where a family can eat dinner together, drop kids at choir, and stay for choir rehearsal or a rotating activity.
Music That Runs Through the Building
Music is one of the most visible ministries at Lord of Life. The Adult Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings and sings at the 8:30 a.m. service, with participation and worship valued over performance. The crossCurrent band leads the 10:45 a.m. contemporary service and is often pulled in for other engagements through the program year. The Bell Choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings and supports both the traditional service and adult choir anthems. The two children's choirs, the Cherub Choir and the Grace Choir, rehearse on Wednesday nights as part of The Bridge and sing at the contemporary service. The musical team is led by Bret Wiegman as Music Director, with Suzanne Rippel co-leading crossCurrent, Eric Kaufman directing the choirs, and Sarah Kaufman serving as pianist and organist.
Christian Education for Every Age
Christian education is one of the core values of the congregation, and the Sunday morning Education Hour is treated as the main engine of faith formation. Life Passages is the children's program, designed around Bible-focused crafts, music, games and activities that communicate God's unconditional love. Affirmation is the middle school offering, where students read the Bible together, examine real-life faith questions, work in small groups, and take on more worship and service roles. OneBody is the high school ministry, with Sunday morning devotionals, monthly programs built around fun and rest, and service events that push students outside their comfort zones. Adults meet for Life classes during the Education Hour and also gather for an afternoon Bible study on the first and third Tuesday of each month.
Care and Support Within the Community
Several ministries are quietly at work caring for members and neighbors. Stephen Ministry trains and matches lay caregivers with people going through grief, illness, loneliness, divorce, job loss or other hard seasons. The Meal Team Ministry, made up of around forty members, brings food to families in the congregation during upheaval, change, illness or grief. The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits blankets for baptisms and for homebound seniors, with the Prayer Shawl knitters meeting in the narthex on the fourth Monday of each month. Manage Your Memories and Messes is a free service that helps local seniors downsize, declutter and organize. Coffee Ministry volunteers make sure cookies are warm and coffee is poured each Sunday, and also serve receptions around funerals and memorial services.
Outreach Beyond the Building
Lord of Life's outreach stretches well beyond its own walls. Buddy Boxes supports about 1,500 children in Worthington, South-Western and Columbus City Schools through a school-aged meal program. The Angel Tree partnership with Prison Fellowship invites the congregation to adopt families with a loved one incarcerated each November and December. Fore Christ is the church's annual summer benefit golf tournament that raises money for the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio. The 1st Gifts to Jesus collection each January supports two area organizations chosen by the congregation. Lord of Life also partners with four other area churches to support a breakfast and a Thursday dinner at First English Lutheran Church, and members participate in Jacob's Porch, an OSU-area church that meets Wednesday evenings for study and Sunday evenings for worship.
A dedicated Mission Endowment Fund, part of a pooled trust, receives gifts and channels annual interest into ministries that further Christ's work in the world. The Hospitality and Connection team opens the church's doors with intention throughout the year, planning fellowship meals and making sure newcomers and long-timers alike are met when they arrive. The Equity and Justice group gathers monthly for contemplation, education and action around social justice. Worship Arts designs seasonal installations in the sanctuary inspired by the liturgical year, and the Generosity Team works with the Council and pastor on annual stewardship.
Vacation Bible School and Family Programming
Each summer Lord of Life runs a Vacation Bible School program with separate online registration for children and for adult volunteers. The Family Offerings page also points to Christian Education on Sunday mornings, the Christmas Program presented by the Life Passages students around the third Sunday in Advent, the two children's choirs, and the prayground and quiet corner as regular ways that families with younger children stay woven into the life of the church. A Cup of Joy, the Sunday coffee and cookies ministry, is treated as part of the church's expression of radical hospitality, with hot chocolate in winter being a particular favorite among the children.
Leadership, Office and Building
The staff team is small and close to the congregation. Pastor Evan Cameron shares ministry with his wife Katharine, an ELCA deacon at All Saints Lutheran in Worthington, and their two sons. Sara Herchenroether, the Church Administrator, keeps the business side and facilities running. Emily Wiegman directs faith formation. Bret Wiegman directs music. Suzanne Rippel co-leads crossCurrent and the Cherub choir. Eric Kaufman directs the adult and children's choirs, and Sarah Kaufman serves as pianist and organist. Tim Edwards leads the OneBody high school ministry. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and the building is available for weddings, baptisms and funerals, which can be arranged by calling or emailing the office.
Worship is livestreamed on YouTube under the name AcceptingAll, and giving is handled online through Faith Teams, with gifts also welcome by mail at the church address. The congregation's online newsletter, the Weekly Reader, keeps members and friends in touch with what is happening week to week, and the calendar on the church's site carries the full schedule of services, classes and fellowship events. From its place on Dublin-Granville Road, Lord of Life continues to do what it has been doing for more than two decades: keep the table open, keep the music playing, and keep the doors wide for whoever walks through them next.