Fall meetings planned for delegates

This fall Ohio Conference will hold four regional cluster meetings for delegates to Annual Conference Assembly (ACA). Each meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and last about an hour and a half. Meeting dates and locations are as follows:

  • Oct. 17 – Lockport Mennonite Church in Stryker
  • Oct. 24 – Oak Grove Mennonite Church in West Liberty
  • Oct. 26 – Salem Mennonite Church in Kidron
  • Oct. 31 – Beech Mennonite Church in Louisville
Missional conversation and Leadership Team update on agenda

In addition to an update from the Ohio Conference Leadership Team, the fall meetings will include several agenda items planned and led by the Mission Planning Team:

  1. Missional Conversation
  • “Gathered and Sent” in Ohio Conference
  • What does it take to make mission missional?*
  • Small group discussions
  • Large group sharing
  1. Looking Forward
  • Pre-ACA missional training event goals
  • Video clips of missional speakers
  • Missional coaching/Missional Discipleship Initiative (MDI) in Ohio Conference

*In preparation for the cluster meeting, the Mission Planning Team is asking all delegates to read the essay “What does it take to make mission missional?” Please download this essay by clicking on the link: “What does it take to make mission missional?”

Join in the missional conversation with Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg

Calling all those interested in joining the Missional journey: Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg would like to connect with all of those interested, curious, or passionately practicing missional living. Be sure to come to the cluster meetings! Jessica would like to establish a network with those in Ohio Conference who want to work together towards becoming Missional people! ​

Beginning in October, Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg of Zion Mennonite Church, is volunteering as a missional consultant for Ohio Conference. She will be serving the Conference in this capacity three to four days per month. (See the announcement in the September-October issue of Ohio Mennonite Evangel for more details.) As part of her work with the Conference, she is interested in connecting with people from around the Ohio Conference who have begun focusing on living missionally. If you cannot attend one of the fall cluster meetings but would like to connect with Jessica, contact her at jsringenberg@gmail.com.

Bluffton University to host ACA 2018

The Ohio Conference will hold its 2018 Annual Conference Assembly (ACA) March 9-10 at Bluffton University. The theme for the 2018 ACA will be “Gathered and Sent,” based on 1 Peter 2:9-10 and Luke 10:1-12.

ACA will be preceded by a missional conference at Bluffton University March 8-9. Presenters for the missional conference will be Meghan Good, teaching pastor at Trinity Mennonite Church in Glendale, Arizona; and Marvin Lorenzana, the discipleship initiatives director for Mennonite Mission Network. Meghan Good and Marvin Lorenzana also will be speaking at ACA.

Conference deficit shrinks in August

Giving to Ohio Conference in August increased from the previous month, according to figures provided by Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for the month totaled $29,034, including $24,211 in congregational giving. In contrast, giving during July totaled just $19,041.

Expenses for the month of August were $25,243, resulting in an operating surplus of $3,791 for the month. That surplus reduced the Conference’s year-to-date deficit. As of the end of August, the operating balance for the year was -$6,803.

 

Conference minister search progresses

The Ohio Conference Leadership Team has approved a job description for a half-time conference minister for the Conference, and the search committee has begun publicizing this job description. A PDF of the full job description is available here:  Ohio Conference Minister Job Description. Search committee members include John Rohrer, LaVonne Hartman, Robb Esh, Paula Snyder Belousek and Jeff Hochstetler.

The following announcement may be shared with your congregation:

Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA is seeking a part-time (50 percent) Conference Minister with a vision of the church in mission to lead a conference made up of 51 congregations spanning Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, primarily in small town and rural communities.  Accepting applications immediately with projected start date March 2018. For a full job description consult: http://bit.ly/OHConferenceMinister. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply. To apply, send a Ministerial Leadership Inquiry Form and submit a letter of interest to John Rohrer, Search Committee chair, at   rohrer.john@gmail.com by November 30, 2017.

The search committee appointed to find the next conference minister for the Ohio Conference is working in consultation with Bob Sauder, Ohio Conference moderator; and Terry Shue, director of leadership development for Mennonite Church USA. Pictured left to right are Robb Esh, Jeff Hochstetler, John Rohrer, Paula Snyder Belousek, LaVonne Hartman, Terry Shue and Bob Sauder.
Delegate News is for you

…if you are a delegate to Ohio Conference’s Annual Conference Assembly. Each Ohio Conference congregation is eligible to send at least two delegates, as well as an additional young adult delegate. In addition, the following people are automatically delegates:

  • Credentialed pastors of Ohio Conference congregations
  • Ohio Conference staff members
  • Ohio Conference Leadership Team
  • Ministry Development Team
  • Stewardship Ministry Team
  • Credentialing Ministry Team
  • Gifts Discernment Ministry Team

If you are no longer a delegate for your congregation, please forward Delegate News to the new delegates in your congregation. In addition, please inform Judy King, Conference administrative assistant, of the change. You may contact her at ohmc@zoominternet.net or (330) 857-5421.