During the Ohio Conference Year of Mission (2016-17), the Conference has been encouraging people to think about how they and their congregations can participate in God’s mission right in their own communities.

This March, as part of this mission emphasis, Ohio Conference is sponsoring a Missional Conference with Alan and Debra Hirsch. The conference will take place at Kidron Mennonite Church on March 23-24, immediately prior to Ohio Conference’s Annual Conference Assembly.

debra-hirsch3alan-hirsch2The theme of the missional conference will be “Who is my Neighbor?” Presenters will be Alan and Debra Hirsch.

The conference will focus on a variety of topics:

  • Inviting all people in so they feel that they have a place just to be and feel loved
  • Leading with embrace rather than theology
  • Respecting high standards while extending grace
  • Engaging third places*
  • Christ and the Gospel as core for mission and church life

Cost for this event will be $40 for Ohio Conference members attending ACA, $55 for other Ohio Conference members, and $85 for non-Ohio Conference members. Participants ages 30 and younger will receive a half-price discount on the cost of registration.

A brochure with more details about this missional conference is available. To register online for this event, go to http://bit.ly/MissionalConferenceRegistration. Please register by March 3.

*Third places — According to Wikipedia, in community building, the third place (or third space) is the social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home (“first place”) and the workplace (“second place”). Examples of third places would be environments such as cafes, clubs or parks. To learn more about sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s concept of “third places,” see “What is a Third Place?” on the Forge America website: http://bit.ly/ThirdPlaces.