Author: Shaquez Dickens
Starting this fall: Please join us each Wednesday for prayer
One of the opportunities to practice our faith together, growing out of our commitments from the most recent Annual Conference Assembly gathering, is to join in a collaborative prayer practice this fall. We will meet on Zoom from noon to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, beginning Sept. 14 through Nov. 23, using Take Our Moments and Our Days: An Anabaptist Prayer Book,…
How is the Holy Spirit at work in the Ohio Conference?
In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, Jacob Dodson and Bill Seymour talk with Conference Minister Dick Barrett about the current season of review and discernment taking place in the Ohio Conference. Listen to the episode to hear Dick Barrett discuss how the Holy Spirit is at work during this time and to hear his reflections on how the…
Women’s leadership conference planned
Mennonite Mission Network and Mennonite Women USA are planning a women’s leadership conference Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2022, in Elkhart, Indiana. The theme of this gathering will be “Leaders Inspiring Leaders.” Conference events will take place at the Mennonite Church USA offices and on the campus of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. African American women will lead the conference through prophetic witness…
Peace Sunday is Sept. 18
Mennonite World Conference invites you and your congregation to observe Peace Sunday together with brothers and sisters in the global Anabaptist church family on Sept. 18, 2022. The theme for this year’s Peace Sunday is “Being a new creation in the midst of external turmoil.” Worship planning resources for Peace Sunday 2022 are available now: 2022 Peace Sunday Worship Materials
Conference deficit increases in July
Ohio Conference’s financial deficit continued to increase during the month of July, according to figures provided by Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts during June totaled $15,349, including $15,327 in giving from congregations. Expenses during June totaled $27,750, resulting in a deficit of $12,401 for the month. As of July 31, the Conference’s operating balance for the 2022-23 fiscal year was…
Grant supports conflict transformation program
Eastern Mennonite University has been awarded a grant of $998,606 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support Eastern Mennonite Seminary’s development of a new interdisciplinary pastoral leadership institute that will offer workshops, courses and trainings on conflict transformation. The institute opens this fall. For more information about this grant, see the EMU website: https://bit.ly/ConflictTransformationGrant.
LMPC to offer ‘Restorative Conversations’
Coming in 2023: Lombard Mennonite Peace Center will be offering a new one-day workshop called “Restorative Conversations: Storytelling, Healing and Community Building.” This one-day workshop will introduce church leaders to the key concepts of circle processes and ways in which circles can be used within their congregations. Restorative conversations are useful when working through difficult or polarizing topics, processing shared painful experiences,…
MEA schools seek staff members
Central Christian School in Kidron and a number of other schools affiliated with Mennonite Education Agency are still seeking staff members for the 2022-23 school year. Please see https://bit.ly/MEAJobs8-4-22 for a listing of these job positions.
Register for Mentor/Mentee Retreat by Aug. 16
Last call: Aug. 16 is the deadline to register for the Ohio Conference Mentor/Mentee Retreat. This retreat for newer pastors and their mentors will take place Sept. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the St. Francis Spirituality Center in Tiffin. Terry Shue will provide input, along with representatives from Ohio Conference. Register online at https://bit.ly/2022Mentor-MenteeRetreat.
Relief sale board releases preliminary results from 2022 sale
The Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale took place Aug. 5-6 in Wooster, Ohio. The preliminary total for funds raised at this year’s sale is $330,000, according to the treasurer for the Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale Board.
Study guide focuses on accessibility
After the Mennonite Church USA Accessibility Resolution passed at a special delegate session in May 2022, Anabaptist Disabilities Network (ADN) created a Study Guide for the MC USA Accessibility Resolution. This study guide was written for ADN by Joanne Gallardo, a conference minister of Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference of MC USA in Goshen, Indiana. The study guide is a resource for congregations to…
Online book study planned for fall
Elaine Enns, co-author of Healing Haunted Histories: A Settler Discipleship of Decolonization, will be leading an online intensive book study this fall for the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition. This book encourages personal and collective work toward decolonization. It asks those of us who are settlers, immigrants and displaced peoples to do our own pre-work of integrating our ancestral…
MCC requests material resource donations
Mennonite Central Committee’s inventory of material resources is getting low. Needed items include comforters, soap and towels as well as dignity, hygiene, infant care, relief, school and sewing kits. Your donations will provide relief and a tangible sign of hope for people in difficult situations around the world. To get involved, please visit mcc.org/kits.
Column shares thoughts on words for worship
Darrin Snyder Belousek, a member of Salem Mennonite Church in Elida, shares thoughts about the words we use in worship in a recent “Menno Snapshots” column on the MC USA website. Read his column at https://bit.ly/WordsforWorshipColumn.
MC USA webinar recording available
Mennonite Church USA recently held a webinar titled “Special Session of the Delegate Assembly: What now?” A recording of this webinar is available online at https://bit.ly/WhatNowWebinarRecording.
Mentor/Mentee registration deadline is Aug. 16
Aug. 16 is the deadline to register for the Mentor/Mentee Retreat. This event, which is designed for newer pastors and their mentors, will take place Sept. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the St. Francis Spirituality Center in Tiffin. Terry Shue will provide input, along with representatives from Ohio Conference. To register, go to https://bit.ly/2022Mentor-MenteeRetreat.
You’re invited to Dwell in the Word with us
As Ohio Conference enters into a period of review and discernment, Conference Minister Dick Barrett is inviting all members of Ohio Conference congregations to read through the entire New Testament. To download a copy of the scripture reading schedule, go to https://bit.ly/OCDwellingintheWord.
Ministry Grant proposals due Aug. 1
Last call: Aug. 1 is the deadline to submit a grant proposal for an Ohio Conference Ministry Grant. The Ministry Development Team (MDT) is accepting proposals from Conference congregations and related organizations for projects and mission initiatives. The MDT has $15,225 available for grants this year. Learn more and apply online at http://bit.ly/MinistryGrants.
Ohio Conference Cast Update
Ohio Conference Cast returns! In this episode Jacob Dodson and Thomas Dunn share ideas for the podcast in a new season, announce a number of upcoming Ohio Conference events, and reflect on the recent gathering of Ohio Conference pastors and credentialed leaders in Plain City. Thomas says, “I think Ohio Conference is at its best when we are listening to…
Register for Mentor/Mentee Retreat by Aug. 16
Ohio Conference will hold a Mentor/Mentee Retreat for pastors on Sept. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the St. Francis Spirituality Center in Tiffin. Terry Shue will provide input, along with representatives from Ohio Conference. Registration is due by Aug. 16. For more details, see the 2022 Mentor-Mentee Retreat flier.
Fall delegate gathering dates set
Please mark your calendar: Ohio Conference is planning five fall delegate gatherings for delegates to Annual Conference Assembly. Each meeting will run from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. If a delegate from your congregation is unable to attend one of these meetings, the Conference is encouraging your congregation to send an alternate delegate. These delegate gatherings are a part of…
MWC Assembly 17 report and photos available
Mennonite World Conference’s Assembly 17 in Semarang, Indonesia, concluded on July 10. For a report on Assembly 17, see https://bit.ly/MWCAssembly17Report. An album of photos from Assembly 17 is available on Flickr: https://bit.ly/Assembly17Photos.
Workshop to focus on conflict transformation
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center is offering a one-day workshop, “Conflict Transformation Skills for Churches.” This training event will be held in person in September and online in November. “Conflict Transformation Skills for Churches” will be offered in person on Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, the same training will be…
MEA-affiliated schools seek staff members
Central Christian School in Kidron and a number of other schools affiliated with Mennonite Education Agency are seeking staff members. Please see https://bit.ly/MEAJobs7-7-22 for a listing of these job positions.
MCC raises $8.8 million for Ukraine relief work
Thanks to the donations of many individuals, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has raised $8.8 million to respond to the needs of the people of Ukraine. See MCC’s website for details: https://bit.ly/MCCUkraineDonations.
CommonWord offers tutorial video with tips for using its website
CommonWord now has a brief video tutorial designed to help you browse its collection of resources more easily. You can watch the video on YouTube at https://bit.ly/CommonWordWebsiteTutorial.
Please join us as we Dwell in the Word
On July 2 Paula Snyder Belousek (Assistant Moderator), Dan Hooley (Prayer Coordinator) and I met to discuss some spiritual practices that we might be able to engage in as a Conference during the course of our review/discernment process. We looked at what was recommended by the delegates at our Annual Conference Assembly back in March. Four spiritual practices were recommended…
Dwelling in the Word
By Dick Barrett Conference Minister As we are early in this season of trying to discern God’s will for us together as a conference of Mennonite churches across Ohio and our neighboring states, it is very important to make sure that each of our hearts, minds and souls is prepared for the process. Even as individual Christians, discerning God’s will…
Explore these webinar offerings
By Ann Leaman Ohio Conference Resource Advocate This month I would like to highlight a variety of webinars being offered by various church-related agencies. The first is an upcoming webinar, and the other three are recordings of previously offered webinars. Housing Mennonite Central Committee will host “Creative Housing Solutions for Refugees and Asylum Seekers” on Tuesday, July 26, at 2…
Conference deficit continues
Ohio Conference’s financial deficit increased during the month of June, according to figures provided by Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts during June totaled $32,307, including $27,238 in giving from congregations. Expenses during June totaled $32,870, resulting in a deficit of $563 for the month. As of June 30, the Conference’s operating balance for the 2022-23 fiscal year was -$25,538. The…