Author: Shaquez Dickens
Anabaptist World seeks article submissions
Anabaptist World invites your original submissions for an upcoming issue focusing on the theme “Wise Managers?” How are Anabaptists doing as stewards — as caretakers of community resources and personal assets, financial and otherwise? Article length should be about 600 to 1,200 words. Submissions are due to editor@anabaptistworld.org by May 3. For more information about this theme, see http://bit.ly/AnabaptistWorldWiseManagers.
Open Arms plans Fellowship Fiesta
Open Arms Hispanic Ministries will hold a fund-raising event, the Open Arms Fellowship Fiesta, on July 17 at Oak Grove Mennonite Church in Smithville. This event will be a boxed-lunch picnic. More details will follow.
Adriel to hold benefit auction May 6-8
Adriel will hold a virtual benefit auction May 6-8. You can preview the items being offered beginning Saturday, May 1. Proceeds are used to benefit children and families in need. For more information, see www.adriel.org.
Explore a call to ministry with Journey
When God calls someone to leadership, a journey begins. Perhaps you are on that journey. Perhaps you are looking for mentors and companions along the way. Ohio Conference invites you to join Journey: A Missional Leadership Development Program. This program is for lay leaders, pastors, church planters, and other emerging leaders who are called without specific training for ministry or…
Register now for Pastor-Spouse Retreat
Ohio Conference will hold a Pastor-Spouse Retreat Nov. 12-14 at the Mills Park Hotel in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The registration cost is $240 per couple. The theme of this event will be “Live and Laugh.” Pastors and their spouses are invited to find the joy in the everyday through laughter and stories. Due to the size of this venue, a…
Planning is underway for 2021 Relief Sale
The Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale Board has begun planning for an in-person Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale on Aug. 6-7 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Wooster. The event will be under one roof in an air-conditioned building. Online bidding will be offered again for auction items. The Relief Sale Board will host its annual Kick-Off Meeting on Tuesday, April 27,…
Registration is open for MennoCon21
Registration is open for MennoCon21, which will take place July 6-10, both online and in Cincinnati, Ohio. An early bird discount is available through April 30. See https://convention.mennoniteusa.org/registration/ for more information.
Lighthouse Ministries to celebrate 25 years
Lighthouse Ministries in Canton is celebrating 25 years of ministry with two events in May. On May 8 from noon to 4 p.m. the Lighthouse will host a marketplace and tour at its southeast Canton location. This socially-distanced event will include a self-led tour and refreshments. Participants also will be able to support the fourth- and fifth-grade students in the…
Everence offers tips for planning giving
Everence offers Spring tips to refresh your giving plans. Now is an ideal time to review your 2021 charitable goals. See http://bit.ly/RefreshYourGiving for details.
Leonard Dow assumes new role at Everence
Everence has named Leonard Dow as its vice president of community and church development, effective March 31, 2021. Dow first joined Everence in 2017 as a stewardship and development specialist, helping to create the organization’s urban market business plan. To learn more, see http://bit.ly/EverenceLeonardDow.
Online workshop series continues
Ohio Conference is continuing its series of workshops held on Thursday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. These free online workshops are open to everyone, and we invite you to come and learn more about the Lord’s work. Tonight, April 8, Matthew Peterson will lead the workshop “Creating a Culture of Ordinary Goodness.” During World War II, the town of Le Chambon, a…
‘MissionWary?’ examines mission in a Mennonite context
“MissionWary?” takes a deep dive into examining mission in a Mennonite context. This new podcast from Mennonite Mission Network is now available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
AMBS creates worship materials for congregations
Recognizing the toll that COVID-19 has had on pastors and worship planners over the last year, members of the community at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, have prepared worship materials for congregational use for two separate worship services. The first set of worship materials is designed for the Sunday after Easter (April 11). The resources, which are based…
Newsletter includes info about MennoCon21
Wondering about this summer’s denominational convention? The latest MennoCon21 Newsletter includes information about this year’s convention, which will be a hybrid event with an in-person gathering in Cincinnati as well as an online option. The online experience will use a virtual event platform called Pheedloop, which is specially designed for conferences. Registration for MennoCon21 opens April 6. See the MennoCon21 Newsletter…
CommonWord calendars link to worship resources
CommonWord now has season and event calendars with links to related resources. To explore these handy references to lectionary resources and materials for other events in the church and calendar years, go to https://www.commonword.ca/Content/worship-calendar.
MDS seeks volunteers for plumbing repairs
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers have been helping to restore water in Texas homes damaged by a major February ice storm. More volunteers are needed for plumbing repairs. Read the March edition of On the Level, the MDS newsletter, for details: http://bit.ly/OnTheLevel3-21.
How essential is prayer for renewal? The conversation with Brad Roth continues
How essential is prayer for renewal? This episode of the Ohio Conference Cast features discussion of this question with Brad Roth, the featured speaker at Ohio Conference’s recent missional conference. Listen to this episode to learn how Brad has seen the fruits of prayer in his own ministry. You can also hear some suggestions for incorporating prayer and fasting into…
Conference explores mission in the rural church
Speaker Brad Roth helped participants focus on God’s mission in the rural church during the evenings of March 4 and 5 during Ohio Conference’s missional conference. One hundred nineteen people participated in this event, which was held on the Zoom videoconferencing platform. A pastor of a rural church in Kansas, Roth is also the author of the book God’s Country:…
Conference holds first virtual Assembly
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio Conference held its 2021 Annual Conference Assembly (ACA) virtually rather than in person. On March 6 delegates from all around the Conference met on Zoom for business sessions and worship. One hundred thirty-three people registered for ACA, including 122 delegates from 32 congregations. Day includes worship In addition to business sessions, the online annual…
Volunteers accept Conference positions
Members of Ohio Conference congregations who volunteer their time play a vital role in Conference life. Without the help of numerous volunteers, many of the programs and functions of the Ohio Conference could not take place. Much of the work of Ohio Conference is done by the Leadership Team, the Ministry Development Team, the Credentialing Ministry, the Stewardship Ministry and…
Return to our roots
By Dick Barrett Conference Minister I write this just a few days after we concluded our 2021 Annual Conference Assembly (ACA). Because of the continued COVID pandemic, ACA had to be held virtually, but due to the efforts of many gifted people in Conference and our many congregations, the feedback that we have received so far has been very positive.…
The Ohio Conference Cast returns with new hosts
After a hiatus of several months, the Ohio Conference Cast podcast is back with two new hosts, Corben Weaver Boshart and Ramon Lianez. These two friends from Northwest Ohio are both pastors of Ohio Conference congregations, but they aren’t carbon copies of each other. Listen to their first episode to learn more about Corben and Ramon. You’ll even find out…
Invite MMN to your worship service
Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) is offering resources for congregational worship services. MMN staff members are available to join congregations in worship to preach, teach, and share stories of God at work around the world. MMN staff members can join congregations through video chat or with a prerecorded message. To request a virtual visit from an MMN staffer, go to http://bit.ly/MMNinChurches.
Recordings of ACA are online
Recordings of Annual Conference Assembly are available on the Ohio Conference website. Recordings include all three business sessions and the worship service. To view any of these recordings, go to https://bit.ly/AboutACA.
Sharing our faith with others — Count the casts, not the fish
In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, hosts Corben Weaver Boshart and Ramon Lianez talk about evangelism with Brad Roth, who was the speaker at Ohio Conference’s 2021 missional conference. Corben, Ramon and Brad discuss evangelism, especially in a rural setting. Listen to this episode to learn why curiosity and asking questions are important as we share our faith,…
Video series promotes discussion
A group of Ohio Conference congregations from Wayne County has joined together to create a video series focused on intercultural ministry and racial reconciliation. Series on Solidarity is a six-part series of videos and accompanying questions for small group discussions.
The goal of this series is to facilitate understanding and to promote the equality of all people. The Ohio Conference supported this project with a ministry grant in 2020. For links to these videos and the discussion guide, see http://bit.ly/SeriesonSolidarity.
Giving is lower during February
Giving to Ohio Conference decreased during February, but the Conference managed to stay out of deficit territory, according to figures provided by Stan Helmuth, Conference financial coordinator. Receipts for February totaled $15,068, a significant decrease from the amount received during January, $48,939. Expenses for the month totaled $30,037, resulting in a deficit of $14,969 for February. Even so, the Conference…
MC USA membership guideline documents now on website
During the 2021 Annual Conference Assembly, Conference Minister Dick Barrett shared a statement regarding the membership guidelines for Mennonite Church USA. A copy of this statement is available on the Ohio Conference website, along with a copy of the membership guidelines, and other related documents. To see these documents, go to http://bit.ly/ACA_Documents.
How important are emergency savings?
Evelin Gonzalez, a financial consultant at Everence, discusses the importance of an emergency savings fund during a pandemic: http://bit.ly/Everence-EmergencySavings.
Online seminary course deals with congregational conflict
Online Anabaptist Short Course: Transforming Congregational Conflict and Communication: April 14 – May 25. Join Betty Pries, Ph.D., to explore the possibilities and pitfalls of courageously engaging differences within congregational life in this six-week online noncredit course at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. No grades, no papers! CEUs available. Register by March 17 and save $50. See ambs.edu/shortcourses.