Meghan Larissa Good to be featured presenter

Sharon Mennonite Church in Plain City will host the 2024 Annual Conference Assembly (ACA) March 1-2. The theme of this year’s gathering will be “Following Jesus Together with a Common Mission,” based on Philippians 2:5-11.

The 2024 Annual Conference Assembly  is intended for all members of Ohio Conference churches, not just delegates. In a letter to delegates, Conference Moderator Ken Sims wrote, “This year we will offer some exciting changes as ACA will begin on Friday morning. This schedule will give us time to hear from our featured speaker, Meghan Larissa Good from Trinity Mennonite Church in Arizona. Meghan is the author of two books and will be sharing with us specifically on her newly published book, Divine Gravity: Sparking a Movement to Recover a Better Christian Story.

“We are really excited to have Meghan play such a large role in the weekend. Churches will want to send as many people as possible, not just delegates, to ACA this year as Meghan’s input will be beneficial for all as she leads us in finding ways to tell the Christian story and to reignite hope in Christ, recognizing that God is breathing life among us, restoring creation, and reconciling all divided things.”

In addition to presentations by Meghan Larissa Good, ACA will include a prayer time on Saturday morning, worship services, delegate business sessions, and a group session for delegates led by the Conference consultant, Jeanne Zimmerly Jantzi, which will be devoted to working on the Conference’s strategic plan. Alternate activities will be available for non-delegates during the delegate sessions.

The registration fee for ACA is $50 per person if received by Feb. 9. After that date, the registration fee will increase to $65 per person. There is an additional charge for meals.

Registration forms and more information about ACA are available on the Ohio Conference website: https://bit.ly/2024ACAInfo. To register online, go to https://bit.ly/2024ACARegistration.

ACA to offer activities for non-delegates

While delegates are engaged in Conference work during the worshipful work sessions at ACA, non-delegates will have the option of participating in alternate activities.

Several options are available:

Volunteering at Country Closet Thrift Shop, the local MCC thrift store located around the corner from Sharon Mennonite. Volunteers are needed for a variety of services that may include light cleaning, bagging, sorting donations, stocking items, or other things.

Volunteering at Daily Needs Assistance (DNA), a Christ-centered non-profit serving impoverished/low-income families in the greater Plain City area with holistic resources and programming. Their mission is to love their neighbors, act to alleviate poverty, and walk with people towards Christ. DNA would appreciate help on Friday morning unloading trucks for their food pantry.

Participating in one or more spiritual practices. Options include Lectio Divina (reading and reflecting on scripture), Visio Divina (reflecting on a sacred image), Praying in   Color, and Prayers of Lament.  Explanations of each spiritual practice will be provided for participants.