Author: Shaquez Dickens
MCC webinar to share international stories of responding to COVID-19
Mennonite Central Committee will hold a Facebook Live webinar on June 17 about COVID-19 in the developing world: Wednesday, June 17, at 7 p.m. EST: “COVID-19 hits the developing world: Q&A with MCC’s Health Coordinator” free Facebook live webinar. Paul Shetler Fast, MCC’s Health Coordinator, will share stories of how MCC is scaling up and adapting programs in response to COVID-19.…
Webinar to explore immigration policy effect on COVID-19 spread
Mennonite Central Committee’s webinar series on immigration continues June 16: Tuesday, June 16 at 2 p.m. EST: “MCC’s migration work in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala/El Salvador” free immigration webinar. In the continuing six-part webinar series on immigration and border realities, MCC staff and partners will discuss how U.S. policies and protocols are affecting the spread of the coronavirus among vulnerable populations in Latin…
MennoMedia offers free devotional resource
MennoMedia is offering a second special issue of its daily devotional magazine, Rejoice!, as a free download. The special publication, titled Rejoice! A Time Enduring, was written, edited, and designed by individuals volunteering their time to contribute their gifts for the benefit of their communities of faith. To download a copy, go to https://bit.ly/RejoiceATimeEnduring.
MWC calls for coordinated aid response
Mennonite World Conference has invited Anabaptist mission and service agencies to coordinate their financial response to COVID-19 hardships experienced especially by under-resourced member churches around the world. Learn more at https://bit.ly/MWCPandemicResponse.
Mourning in time of COVID-19 is webinar topic
AMBS webinar: Mourning Our Losses Together During COVID-19: The Good News of Biblical Lament: Tuesday, June 23, 2–3 p.m. EDT. This free webinar is for those experiencing loss during this global pandemic and their caregivers. Participants will explore the three–act movement of biblical lament as a faithful response to God in both individual and corporate settings. Registration is required: ambs.edu/mourningourlosses.
Leadership Team makes statement on racial injustice
As the Leadership Team of Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA, we affirm the recent statement from Mennonite Church USA on racial injustice and Executive Director Glen Guyton’s open letter to the denomination. We lament the death of George Floyd, the latest death of an African-American person at the hands of a white police officer. We grieve the violence that has erupted…
Bill and Thomas reflect on their time as Ohio Conference Cast hosts
After more than three years, Bill Seymour and Thomas Dunn have decided to conclude their time as hosts of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast. In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, Bill and Thomas reflect on their time as hosts of the podcast, which began in the fall of 2016. They talk with Ohio Conference Assistant Moderator Paula Snyder…
Faith leaders call for National Day of Mourning and Lament
This week America surpassed 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. Many of those who died had to do so without the presence of family and loved ones. The deaths have been disproportionate in age, race and economic status. As we mark this grim milestone of more than 100,000 deaths in America and more than 350,000 worldwide, faith leaders from across our country…
Donut Day fundraiser to benefit MCC
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is inviting everyone to celebrate National Donut Day on June 5 by joining MCC’s social media baking party. Due to COVID-19, many spring and summer MCC relief sales have been postponed or canceled. These events raised more than $2.2 million last year alone. Any funds raised on National Donut Day will go to MCC’s “Where needed…
MMN webinar to focus on spiritual practices
Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) is offering a free webinar, “Spiritual practices for peacemakers: finding your center when you feel pulled apart.” Karla Minter, church relations representative for MMN, will lead the webinar on June 4 at 7 p.m. She will invite participants to encounter or rediscover spiritual practices that create a daily rhythm to help turn despair and isolation into…
New podcast hosts sought
After more than three years, Bill Seymour and Thomas Dunn have decided to conclude their time as hosts of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast. The Ohio Conference Ministry Development Team is seeking new hosts for the podcast. If you are interested in hosting the podcast, or you have suggestions for new hosts, please contact Assistant Moderator Paula Snyder Belousek at…
Black Swamp Benefit canceled, donations sought
The 2020 Black Swamp Benefit has been canceled, but all are encouraged to contribute online to this fundraiser, which benefits Sunshine Inc. and Mennonite Central Committee. To donate, log on to Facebook and search for @blackswampbenefit. You can contribute to this fundraiser by clicking on the post with the “donate” button. The goal for this online fundraiser is $10,000.
Webinar to focus on pastoral care, social distancing
MennoMedia is hosting a free webinar about pastoral care on June 11 at 2 p.m. Pastoring from a Distance: Offering Pastoral Care while Social Distancing will feature a panel discussion with Anabaptist pastors moderated by David Augsburger. The webinar will explore practical advice as well as theological considerations for providing pastoral care while practicing social distancing. To register for this…
Website offers faith-based resources for abuse response and prevention
Mennonite Central Committee, with support from CommonWord, has launched a resource website addressing issues of abuse for faith communities and their members. The website includes resources on intimate partner abuse, healthy relationships, sexual violence, clergy sexual abuse, and how to offer support to survivors of abuse and assist those perpetrating harm. To access these resources, go to abuseresponseandprevention.ca.
MDS launches new e-newsletter
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) has launched On the Level, a monthly online newsletter. The May issue includes the story of MDS volunteers helping a victim of multiple disasters return home even after closing down the project. Read On the Level online at https://bit.ly/OnTheLevelMay2020.
Thoughtful and prayerful reopening
All of our congregations throughout Ohio Conference are discerning when is the best time to start gathering together in person again and what steps need to be taken to try to prevent any spread of COVID-19. Most will be reopening in phases offering limited interaction (e.g. no Sunday school, no nursery care, no coffee and refreshments). Some will begin by…
Jesus is the Center
By Dick Barrett Conference Minister More than 10 years ago now Palmer Becker wrote a small book titled What is an Anabaptist Christian? The booklet was his attempt to highlight the distinctiveness of an “Anabaptist Christian,” and he did so by highlighting three core values: 1) Jesus is the center of our faith; 2) Community is the center of our…
An important part of Christ’s Body
By Ramon Lianez Central Mennonite Church I believe that young adults are an important part of Christ’s Body, but we are not ministering to them accordingly. The ball is being dropped on both sides; however, through appropriate means and in God’s timing, we all can turn our present situation around. I do not attest that I am an expert in…
Podcast hosts to conclude their work
After more than three years and dozens of podcast episodes, Thomas Dunn and Bill Seymour have decided to resign as hosts of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast. The Ohio Conference Cast began in the fall of 2016 with the goal of creating another avenue for people to learn about happenings within the Ohio Conference. Since that time, Bill and Thomas…
Hispanic families suffering more in the era of COVID-19
By Haroldo Nunes Executive Director Open Arms Hispanic Ministry Hello my sisters and brothers, I would like to start this article with a quote from Jim Wallis of Sojourners: “We believe that the ultimate test of our discipleship to Jesus Christ is how we treat the most vulnerable in society, or as Jesus refers to them in Matthew 25, ‘the…
Peaceful at Heart explores healthy masculinity
What does Anabaptism have to teach us about healthy masculinity? Don Neufeld and Steve Thomas, coordinators of Mennonite Men Canada and Mennonite Men USA, respectively, have edited a collection of essays, Peaceful at Heart: Anabaptist Reflections on Healthy Masculinity, with support from the Institute of Mennonite Studies to answer this question. This project of Mennonite Men is a collaborative effort…
Applications pour in for COVID-19 Congregational Relief Fund
By Susan Kim GOSHEN, Indiana — Anabaptist churches in the U.S. have submitted more than 200 applications to the new COVID-19 Congregational Relief Fund since its launch on April 13, 2020. The great majority of the applications have come from churches serving racially or ethnically diverse communities – congregations whose needs center around lost jobs and income that have led…
University Euclid congregation closes
University Euclid Christ New Testament Church, an Ohio Conference congregation in Cleveland, has closed, reports Regional Pastor Ralph Reinford. The congregation’s pastors, Brian Anderson and Sheila Spencer Anderson, resigned in September 2019. A small group from the congregation continued meeting through February of this year, when the congregation decided to close. The congregation intends to donate the church property to…
MC USA releases video series about technology best practices
Mennonite Church USA has released a new video series, Technology Best Practices for Service, that offers best practices for holding virtual meetings and worship services, as well as effective technology tools for working from home. Created by Crystal Washington, a technology strategist and certified futurist, this series is broken into short videos that offer tips and suggestions for navigating today’s leading…
Michael Sherrill to be next executive director of MMN
The Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) board of directors has appointed Michael J. Sherrill, Ph. D., as the organization’s next executive director. Dr. Sherrill is an ordained educator, scholar, administrator, and leader with 25 years of global experience. Dr. Sherrill has been the director of Asia and Middle East for Mennonite Mission Network since 2017. See the MMN news release for…
MDS approves additional funds for COVID-19 Congregational Relief Fund
Lititz, PA — Faced with a large number of requests for assistance from U.S. churches for the COVID-19 Congregational Relief Fund, the Board of Directors of Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) have approved an additional $250,000 to help meet the high demand. The COVID-19 Congregational Relief Fund is a joint effort of MDS, Everence and Mennonite Central Committee U.S. With this…
Webinar’s focus to be ‘radical aloneness’
How can church leaders respond to the challenges of the current pandemic and the resultant “radical aloneness” that afflicts many of us? Lombard Mennonite Peace Center is planning a webinar exploring these questions, Social Distancing, Not Social Isolation, on Thursday, May 14, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Central Time. Participants will learn how church leaders can reach out to people…
Issues to consider before meeting in person
As the State of Ohio introduces plans to slowly open up once more after weeks of stay-at-home orders, congregations have many things to consider before reopening their church buildings and returning to in-person worship services. As your congregation’s leaders discuss plans for returning to meeting in person, here are two articles outlining issues to consider: “Twenty-four questions your church should…
2020 Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale to be an online auction only
Due to the uncertainty COVID-19 has brought to our lives, the Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale Board has decided to hold an online auction only rather than a physical event and auction this year. Many auctions of all types have been cancelled or at least postponed. Plans are to still offer items from the quilt and wood auctions, as well as…
Seminary hosts online forum series on navigating ministry during COVID-19
Eastern Mennonite Seminary is hosting Navigating Ministry During COVID-19, a free online forum series for pastors. All forums will be live via Zoom on Wednesdays, from 3-4:30 p.m. EDT. Register here. The series is an outgrowth of an April 1 online gathering that drew 32 pastors, including 22 alumni, representing Mennonite Church USA, the Church of the Brethren, Presbyterian Church USA and United…