THE VIOLET CONNECTION 1 July, 2026 / Vol. 030
Senior Pastor Transition Update
On June 14, our church family overwhelmingly affirmed Pastor Eric Flynn as the next Senior Pastor of Violet Baptist Church. This important milestone marks both a celebration of God's faithfulness through Pastor Rick Williams' 30 years of ministry and an anticipation of what God has planned for the future of our church. Following the congregation's affirmation, Violet Baptist Church is entering a thoughtful and intentional transition process designed to provide continuity, clarity, and strong leadership for the years ahead. Pastor Eric will be on a previously scheduled sabbatical during July and August, a time set aside for spiritual renewal, prayer, family, and preparation for this new season of ministry. During this time, Pastor Rick will continue serving as Senior Pastor, alongside our pastoral staff and ministry leaders. When Pastor Eric returns in September, he and Pastor Rick will begin a formal transition period, working side-by-side to complete leadership handoffs, ministry transitions, and future planning. This season will focus on listening, learning, mentoring, and preparing for the future while honoring the strong foundation God has established through Pastor Rick's leadership. The transition will culminate on October 25, 2026, when Pastor Rick preaches his final sermon as Senior Pastor. The following day, October 26, Pastor Eric will officially assume the role of Senior Pastor of Violet Baptist Church. As we move through this season together, we encourage our church family to remain united in prayer. Please pray for Pastor Rick and his family as they prepare for retirement, for Pastor Eric and his family as they prepare for this new responsibility, and for our church as we continue pursuing our mission of making disciples and reaching people with the hope of Jesus Christ. We are grateful for God's faithfulness in the past and excited to see how He will continue to lead Violet Baptist Church in the years ahead.
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Sharing Christ's Love at the Embassy of Pickerington One of the many ways Violet Baptist Church is making an impact in our community is through the faithful service of the women in our church. Women of Faith has maintained a meaningful relationship with the Embassy of Pickerington Rehabilitation and Nursing Center since our dear church member, Bev Flener, was cared for there before going home to be with the Lord. Over the years, that connection has grown into an ongoing ministry of encouragement and support for both the residents and staff. Recently, Women of Faith group leaders Pam Hawbecker and Gail Reid met with Shereas Cole, Activities Director at the Embassy, to deliver a variety of items for residents, including prizes, games, puzzles, decorations, notecards, and more. (Pictured are samples of some of the supplies donated.) In addition, the Sisterhood of Grace and Women of Faith partnered together to support the Embassy's June Farmers Market. Members of both groups donated homemade baked goods, candies, and fresh fruit to help make the event a special experience for the residents. Noelle Lydic delivered the donations and spent time with Shereas during the visit. These groups have also found meaningful ways to encourage residents throughout the year. The Women of Faith VioletGroup prepared Father's Day cards for the male residents, helping them feel remembered and appreciated. Earlier in May, Pat Taylor lovingly created handmade Mother's Day cards on behalf of the Sisterhood of Grace VioletGroup for the female residents. These thoughtful gestures brought smiles, encouragement, and reminders that they are cared for by their community. Shereas expressed her gratitude for the continued support these groups provide throughout the year. She shared that Violet Baptist Church is currently the only church actively serving and partnering with the facility. This ongoing relationship is a beautiful example of how God uses faithful servants to encourage others and meet practical needs within our community. Through acts of generosity, compassion, and friendship, the women of Violet are helping residents experience care, connection, and the love of Christ. Thank you to everyone in Women of Faith and the Sisterhood of Grace who contributed to this outreach ministry. Your kindness continues to make a meaningful and lasting impact.
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Introducing the Growing Families Ministry One of the greatest blessings God gives is the gift of children. Whether a family is expecting through pregnancy or preparing to welcome a child through adoption, those months of waiting are often filled with excitement, anticipation, questions, and prayer. We are excited to introduce the Growing Families Ministry, a new ministry designed to walk alongside families during this special season.
Our desire is simple: no family should walk through this journey alone.
When a family joins the ministry, they will be paired with a prayer partner who will intentionally pray for them throughout their waiting season. We want every expectant parent to know they are loved, supported, and covered in prayer by their church family. After the arrival of their child, we will celebrate with a welcome basket and help parents become familiar with resources available at Violet, including our nursery and Violet Kids ministries. We hope to provide encouragement, answer questions, and help families feel connected as they enter this new stage of life. Psalm 127:3 reminds us, "Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him." We are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate these precious gifts and support the families who are raising them. If you are expecting a child, pursuing adoption, or would like to serve as a prayer partner in this ministry, we would love to hear from you.
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Together, let's celebrate, encourage, and pray for the growing families of Violet.
Introducing Our Overflow Youth Summer Intern, Brady Pennington Brady has attended Violet for 13 years and graduated from Overflow Youth Ministry in 2025. He has served as a Junior High Youth Leader for five years and has a gift for connecting with junior high boys. Whether playing basketball or football together or leading Bible studies, our students relate to Brady because he loves God and genuinely loves them. Brady recently completed his first year of college at Wright State Lake Campus, where he played baseball. While serving at Scioto Hills Summer Camp, Brady began to sense God's call to explore full-time ministry. This summer, Brady will be serving with our Junior High and High School Youth Ministries in a variety of capacities. In addition to attending Super Summer, he will teach in youth groups and serve at summer camp. He will also spend time at the church during the week to get a "behind-the-scenes" look at ministry. Please pray that God will continue to make His calling clear to Brady and use him to make an impact for His Kingdom!
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Violet Hosts Serve Teams from Upstate Church in Greenville, South Carolina A group of 185 students and adults from Upstate Church in Greenville, South Carolina, spent the first week of June staying at Violet and serving throughout our local community. The group divided into community teams and construction teams, each seeking to meet practical needs while sharing the hope of the Gospel. One community team led a basketball camp and participated in neighborhood evangelism around the Stowe Mission on Parsons Avenue. Other teams did similar outreach at Change City Church in Pickerington and Found Church in Gahanna. Another community team partnered with Jersey Church to host more than 500 students at a Christ-centered Sports & Arts Camp in a Pataskala park. Additionally, one team hosted a Backyard Bible Club at a local apartment complex. The construction teams also made a significant impact. One team installed a new roof and built storage shelves at Outreach Ministries, a Christ-centered drug and alcohol recovery program for men in Pataskala. Another construction team spent the week making updates to cabins at Geneva Hills Christian Camp in the Hocking Hills area. Each team brought the light of Christ and the hope of the Gospel to every person they encountered. They were extremely thankful for the hospitality extended to them by the people of Violet.
The week was a beautiful picture of the Body of Christ coming together to meet real needs and share real hope.
Pastor Keith Next Gen Pastor keithh@violetchurch.com
Super Summer: Raising Up Kingdom Leaders A group of 25 Violet members participated in Super Summer Ohio at Cedarville University during the last full week of June. More than 500 people from across the state of Ohio gathered for the event. Super Summer is sponsored by the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio and provides biblical leadership training for students who have completed seventh grade through those who have completed their freshman year of college. I am not aware of a better program for raising up Christian student leaders. On Sunday, June 28, our group had the opportunity to share their experiences with our church family during both morning services. They spoke about the lessons they learned through their age-group classes, elective courses, and evening worship services with the entire camp. They also shared how God deepened their worship and strengthened their faith during the week. Many church members commented on how inspired they were by the passion and spiritual maturity of our students. It is exciting to see how God is raising up this generation to be Kingdom leaders both now and in the years ahead!
Pastor Keith Next Gen Pastor keithh@violetchurch.com
COMMUNITY IMPACT
A Month of Mission and Ministry June was a wonderful month at Violet! We were blessed to host a mission team from Upstate Church in South Carolina. For one week, 187 adults and youth called Violet home as they ate, slept, showered, worshiped, and prepared to serve our community. We are especially grateful for our Disaster Relief volunteers and teams who worked behind the scenes to provide and maintain hot showers and facilities throughout the week.
Celebrating Father’s Day
On Father’s Day, we had the opportunity to celebrate the fathers and father figures who make such a difference in our lives. Thank you to everyone who joined us for worship and fellowship. A special thank you goes to Fresh Donuts, our locally owned Pickerington business located on Route 256, for providing the delicious, sweet treats enjoyed by our church family.
Mega Sports & Art Camp Is Almost Here!
Mega Sports & Art Camp is just around the corner, and we need YOU!
There are many ways to serve, whether you enjoy coaching, leading a huddle group of kids, preparing meals for the volunteers or snack for the kids throughout the week. Every volunteer plays an important role in helping kids experience God’s love in a fun and meaningful way. Please prayerfully consider spending the week with us. As a bonus, we’ll provide dinner for all volunteers each evening. If you’re interested in serving Sign up and plan to join us in the VioletCafé for a volunteer training on Sunday, July 19th, from 12:30 - 1:30 PM. During this training, we will cover the daily schedule, logistical information, and more details on this year's theme - Mission Cup! We can’t wait to see what God will do through Mega Sports & Art Camp this year!
Thank you, Jamie McCleese jamiem@violetchurch.com
Events Team | Community Outreach
Do you have a heart for serving others and a passion for community outreach? We are looking for volunteers to join our Events Team as we continue creating opportunities to connect with and serve our community! Whether you enjoy organizing, decorating, welcoming guests, helping behind the scenes, or simply being part of something meaningful, there is a place for you to serve. Our next big community outreach event is Mega Sports & Art Camp in July, and we would love to have more helping hands as we prepare for this exciting week of ministry and outreach to local families and children. If you are interested in serving or would like more information, please reach out to me. Come be part of making a difference in our community!
Men’s Retreat
Attention Men! Grab a friend and join us at Round Lake from August 7th through 9th.
This year our guest speaker will be Aaron Taylor (Link to Aaron's Messages). Aaron Taylor is the Teaching Pastor of Living Hope Church in Powell, Ohio. In 2018, Aaron, his family and a team of faithful followers of Jesus planted the church in NW Columbus. In addition to that, he serves as the City Missionary for Send Network in Columbus where he works with churches to see new churches planted all across the city. He and his wife Elizabeth have been married since 2011 and have two daughters. The schedule for the weekend will include some group events as well as Round Lake’s traditional activities such as axe throwing, basketball, volleyball, fishing, swimming and more!
The cost of this year's retreat is both nights for $110 or one night for $55!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Aaron Taylor is the Teaching Pastor of Living Hope Church in Powell, Ohio. In 2018, Aaron, his family and a team of faithful followers of Jesus planted the church in NW Columbus. In addition to that, he serves as the City Missionary for Send Network in Columbus where he works with churches to see new churches planted all across the city. He and his wife Elizabeth have been married since 2011 and have two daughters.
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