Over the past 40 years, the Dublin Prince of Peace has grown with the City of Dublin, undergoing renovations and expansions to include new spaces, initiatives and members.
As it reflects on this milestone, the Prince of Peace celebrates different developments to come in this pivotal year.
Beginnings and initiatives
The Prince of Peace established its roots in the Dublin community long before the groundbreaking on Brand Road.
Dublin Prince of Peace
The original Prince of Peace church.
Megan Orr, a member of the Prince of Peace for more than 30 years and an anniversary committee member for the church, had recently moved to Dublin at the time the church was starting.
“I remember I had a young baby, and this guy rang the doorbell, and it was Pastor Roger Ganzel, who was getting ready to start this church,” Orr says.
As the programming and interest were growing, the church learned to utilize spaces beyond its walls. Sunday school was offered at Bailey Elementary, adult bible study was hosted at the firehouse and over the summer, vacation bible school was housed at the Homestead Metro Park in Hilliard.
Dublin Prince of Peace
1985, groundbreaking.
The Prince of Peace has foregrounded traditional liturgical services, as well as educating others of all ages about the faith, from early education to the youth and high school programs to adult studies and senior ministries.
The congregation offers many ways to get involved, from assisting with services and volunteering in the POPS Café to providing rides for seniors and supporting online service streaming.
“We are having more and more programs and things for our older congregation, which we didn’t have (when I joined) in 2000. So that’s something that is changing things. We have to take care of everybody,” Communications Coordinator Jocelyn Alford says.
The church has continued to develop its in-house early education facility, the Little Shepherds Learning Center, since it was established under Director Sue Miller in 2001. Little Shepherds caters to kids ages 2 to 5 and focuses on building foundational skills for their education.
“We just take them from wherever they’re at. Because of our small class sizes, we’re really able to cater learning lesson plans for each child. And I don’t know if you’d be able to get that in larger learning environments,” says Alice Lawler, a coordinator for Little Shepherds.
Dublin Prince of Peace
Dublin Prince of Peace
Dublin Prince of Peace
Dublin Prince of Peace
Connections
The Prince of Peace has built partnerships locally and globally to make a widespread impact.
“What’s driven our motivation has been the people (who) have brought organizations, connections and relationships to us, and it’s mostly people (who) have been in the congregation with a focus outside the walls,” says nearly 30-year church member Jim Hoyt.
One member, who is a physical therapist, started Help Your Neighbor to help cover the cost of medical appointments not covered by insurance. A retired executive from a large automotive company started the nonprofit Rides for Refugees to help refugees obtain access to driver training and buy a car.
These and other connections bring the current and relevant to the forefront of Church initiatives.
Anniversary celebration
To celebrate four decades of community and growth, the congregation has hosted a yearlong list of celebrations to recognize different aspects of the church’s history and future.
From last year’s Thanksgiving potluck honoring the church’s charter members to this year’s 40 days of Lenten Testimonials, anniversary concert and baptism, wedding and confirmation remembrances, and more, the congregation has found countless ways to celebrate.
To close out this year, the congregation will also be hosting a chili cookoff and talent show in October as well as an anniversary gala in November.
Throughout the celebration, the Prince of Peace is raising money for multiple charities. One fundraising focus is four spotlighted mission partnerships – two local organizations, the Dublin Food Pantry and One Dublin, and two global organizations, Lutheran World Relief and the Grain of Rice Project. The congregation is also looking to install a three-story bell tower to commemorate the special connection between the church and music.
“Bells have historically been thought of as a connection to churches for all ages, and that idea of being called to worship with bell tolls. So, we thought as part of both the in-reach and outreach of celebrating 40 years, it would be a cool thing to build a bell tower,” says Jeremy Bankson, the director of music and worship for the church.
Jane Dimel is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at jdimel@cityscenemediagroup.com.
