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News Feed

  • Regional Pastor Matt Hamsher has received and accepted a call to become the lead pastor of Longenecker Mennonite Church. He will begin that assignment on Aug. 1, 2013, concluding his work as Ohio Conference regional pastor on July 31, 2013. The Ohio Conference Leadership Team is processing this change, and in July they will announce the adjustments that will be made in regional pastor assignments as well as Pastor/Peer group assignments.
  • Aug. 1 is the deadline to submit a grant proposal to the Ohio Conference Ministry Development Team (MDT). For the second year in a row, the MDT is accepting proposals from Conference congregations and related organizations for projects and mission initiatives. This year the MDT has $38,000 available for grant projects. To apply or to learn more about the grant process, see Grants.
  • Congratulations to Sherah-Leigh Gerber, Ohio Conference Coordinator of Volunteers, and her husband, BJ, on the birth of their son, Titus Benjamin! He was born on Wednesday, June 5, and weighed 7 pound and 6 ounces. Sherah-Leigh will be on maternity leave through Aug. 16.
  • One hundred eighty adults, youth and children from around Ohio gathered at Camp Luz May 17-19 for the 10th annual Hispanic Retreat. Pastor Victor Vargas of Oregon was the main speaker for the weekend. A photo from the retreat can be found on the Ohio Conference Facebook page.
  • The Ohio Conference Young Adult Resource Team is seeking new members to help plan young adult events. To keep travel time and expenses to a minimum, much of the team’s work is done by email and Skype. If you are interested in joining this resource team or would like to suggest someone else who would work well with this team, please contact Kathryn Wengerd at kathrynwengerd@gmail.com.
  • Want to know what went on at Annual Conference Assembly March 8-9? Take a look at the video summary.
  • Volunteers wanted for ministry opportunity: Church planter Larissa Moore is seeking volunteers to help with the church planting work at Lee Heights Community Church Solon. She is looking for persons with musical gifts or pastoral gifts who would like to participate in leading worship. Currently the congregation meets in Solon on Sunday afternoons at 2:30. If you are interested in participating in this ministry, please contact Larissa Moore at rissamoore0312@gmail.com or (216) 355-6509.
  • The May-June issue of Prayer Prompter is now available: Prayer Prompter.
  • Coming in 2014: The second Ohio Youth Event will take place June 27-29, 2014, at Blufton University.
  • Like a Sturdy Oak, a book about the history of the Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA from 1969-2010, is now available for purchase. The book, which was edited by Celia Lehman, includes sections by Celia Lehman, Ernest Martin, Herman Myers, Bruce Stambaugh, George Bixler, John Rohrer and Tom Kauffman. Also included in the book are an Ohio Conference timeline, a list of congregations and credentialed pastors, an Ohio Conference personnel list, and a listing of Annual Conference Assemblies. Copies of Like a Sturdy Oak may be purchased from the Ohio Conference office for the price of $13 (including $3 postage and handling). To order a copy, send a check to Ohio Conference, Box 210, Kidron OH 44636. Please include the following information with your order: name, address, telephone number and email address. Please make the check payable to “Ohio Mennonite Conference.”
  • Ohio Mennonite Women (OMW) are developing plans for Pilgrim's Hostel, a shelter near the prayer labyrinth at Camp Luz in Kidron. Plans call for this shelter to include a "Wall of Comfort," which will list names of people from throughout Ohio Conference who have mentored, encouraged, taught, served and blessed others in their church communities. To learn more about Pilgrim's Hostel or to see how you can donate to this project, see the following materials: Pilgrim's Hostel
  • Ohio Conference’s Human Trafficking Resource Team reminds you that checking out the supply chain for items you purchase is one way for you to individually address the issues of human trafficking. To learn more, check the Free2Work Web site: http://free2work.org/home.
  • Ohio Conference now has a page on Facebook. To view it, go to www.facebook.com/OhioConferenceMCUSA.