Author: Shaquez Dickens
Delegate News — Winter 2020 #2
Dear Ohio Conference Pastors and Delegates: It is now almost 10 months since we passed a resolution on immigration at our 2019 Annual Conference Assembly. Since then, our Team has been given the mandate to “…investigate, evaluate, and help congregations implement the resolution.” Toward this goal, we are asking for a few minutes of your time to complete a brief…
Delegate News — Winter 2021
Regional meetings to be held online Ohio Conference will hold online winter meetings for delegates to Annual Conference Assembly. Four regional meetings are planned: Tuesday, Feb. 2 — Wayne County/Holmes County Thursday, Feb. 4 — West Central/Southwest Ohio Tuesday, Feb. 9 — Northeast Ohio Thursday, Feb. 11 — Northwest Ohio All meetings will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m.…
Delegate News — Winter 2020
Four cluster meetings planned Ohio Conference will hold four winter cluster meetings in January for delegates to Annual Conference Assembly. All meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last about 90 minutes. The following meetings have been scheduled: Jan. 21 — Berlin Mennonite Church Jan. 23 — Salem Mennonite Church in Elida Jan. 28 — Zion Mennonite Church in Archbold…
Jan. 14 is registration deadline for spiritual direction event
Ohio Conference is offering a spiritual direction event for pastors Feb. 4 at Camp Luz in Kidron. If you plan to participate, register at http://bit.ly/2020SpiritualDirectionEvent by Jan. 14. For more details, please see the event flier: http://bit.ly/2020SpiritualDirectionFlier.
West Clinton seeks associate pastor
West Clinton Mennonite Church in Wauseon is seeking an associate pastor (up to .75 FTE) whose primary focus will be youth, young adults, Christian formation and outreach. It is also important that he or she has an interest in rural ministry. Please see the job posting for details: http://bit.ly/WestClintonAssocPastor. For more information contact Wes Graber, Search Team Chairperson, wes_graber@hotmail.com or Dick…
The Mennonite seeks submissions for February issue
The Mennonite Inc. invites your original submissions for the February 2020 issue focusing on the theme “the dignity of bodies.” Submissions are due to Editor@TheMennonite.org no later than Jan. 3. For more information about this theme, see http://bit.ly/TheMennoniteFeb2020.
Four winter cluster meetings planned
Ohio Conference will hold four winter cluster meetings for delegates to Annual Conference Assembly. All meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last about 90 minutes. The following meetings have been scheduled: Jan. 21 — Berlin Mennonite Church Jan. 23 — Salem Mennonite Church in Elida Jan. 28 — Zion Mennonite Church in Archbold Feb. 6 — Summit Mennonite Church…
Deficit increases during November
During November giving to the Ohio Conference was lower than expenses for the third month in a row, according to figures supplied by Ohio Conference Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts during November totaled $22,774, including $18,909 in giving from congregations. Expenses for the month were $37,046, resulting in an operating balance of -$14,272 for the month. After the first eight…
Join MCC’s Great Winter Warm-up
Make plans to join MCC’s Great Winter Warm-up at Toledo Mennonite! Mennonite Central Committee will kick off its centennial celebration year with comforter knotting events across the U.S., Canada and Europe. On Saturday, Jan. 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. people of all ages are invited to Toledo Mennonite Church, 5501 Nebraska Avenue, Toledo, for the Great Winter Warm-up comforter…
Growing Disciples, Part 2 — Seeing God at Work
This podcast episode is the second in a series exploring Missional Discipleship Groups. Guest host Lucas Johnson, pastoral team member at Valley View Mennonite Church in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania, talks with several people who are participating in these weekly small groups. Listen to this episode to hear Casey and Gail, two members of a women’s small group, reflect on how God…
Bloggers focus on Advent themes
Throughout Advent, bloggers for The Mennonite will write reflections on the upcoming Sunday’s Lectionary text. These reflections are archived at themennonite.org/advent. To receive these reflections, sign up for the TMail e-newsletter at https://themennonite.org/t-mail or follow The Mennonite on Facebook.
Conference to consider faith and digital culture
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, is hosting “Shaping Faith in a Digital Culture” March 2-5. This conference will be a time for faith leaders to think theologically about living, worshiping and playing in digital spaces. Presenter Karen-Marie Yust, author of Real Kids, Real Faith, is professor of Christian education at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. She will…
Sent Conference 2020 coming to Philadelphia
Save the date! Mennonite Mission Network is planning another conference focusing on church planting. The Sent Conference 2020 will take place April 24–26 in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Praise Center. Visit http://www.MennoniteMission.net/SentNetwork to learn more about the Sent Network.
MMN seeks Service Adventure leaders
Thinking of pastoral ministry? Be a Service Adventure leader! Live in a unit house with a small group of youth and offer support as they serve and live in Christian community. Age: 24+; term: 2 years. For more information, contact LaurenEH@MennoniteMission.net.
Youth Venture team to serve at Nazareth Village
Experience the town of Jesus, meet its people, learn their language, join and experience local churches, and explore the rich and varied culture of Israel. Apply to join the Nazareth Village Youth Venture team at www.MennoniteMission.net/Serve. Age 18+; term: 2-3 weeks.
Weekend College expands biblical literacy
Interested in expanding your congregation’s biblical literacy? Hesston College faculty member Nick Ladd would love to come to your congregation to present a Weekend College course, “The Bible as Story.” This weekend-long resourcing event focuses on helping congregations to put Bible stories together as one big story, expanding biblical literacy and understanding. Nick Ladd formerly served as a member of…
Churches support radio ministry in Argentina
For several years Sonnenberg Mennonite Church in Kidron and Pike Mennonite Church in Elida have been supporting a radio ministry which reaches out to the Indigenous population in the Chaco region of Argentina. To learn more about this ministry, which is also supported by Mennonite Mission Network, see http://bit.ly/ChacoRadioMinistry.
Growing Disciples, Part 1 — The Explosion
Sometimes growth takes a while, but patience can pay off. That’s been the experience at Valley View Mennonite Church in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania. In the latest episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, Lucas Johnson and Robb Esh, pastoral team members at Valley View Mennonite, talk about the growth of Missional Discipleship Groups in their area of Pennsylvania. The groups now include…
How do we #BringThePeace? A conversation with Glen Guyton
How do we #BringThePeace to our communities? Mennonite Church USA Executive Director Glen Guyton says, “People say that we are a historic peace church, but I say, hey, we need to be a peace church of today.” Learn more about Mennonite Church USA’s #BringThePeace campaign by listening to this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast. While visiting Ohio this month,…
Goshen College offers online Advent devotions
Beginning Nov. 25 Goshen College will offer online weekday devotions during the season of Advent. Goshen College students, faculty and staff will provide weekday reflections based on the lectionary Scripture passages, focusing on the theme “What are you waiting for?” To learn more, see http://bit.ly/2019GCAdventDevotions.
Try the Anabaptist Prayer app during Advent
This Advent, try out the free Anabaptist Prayer app. Let Jesus’ words pervade your day through morning and evening prayer services with a distinctive Anabaptist flavor. Take Our Moments and Our Days: An Anabaptist Prayer App includes Scripture-saturated prayers and space for communal reflection. The free, easy-to-navigate app covers Advent through Pentecost as well as Ordinary Time. Available for iPhone…
Hesston to offer online Bib Lit course
Starting this January, Hesston College is offering its well-known Biblical Literature course as a 16-week online course taught by Bible professor Nick Ladd. To learn more, see http://bit.ly/HesstonBibLitOnline.
School for Leadership Training set for Jan. 13-15
Eastern Mennonite Seminary’s annual School for Leadership Training will take place January 13-15, 2020. “Shalom in the Streets: Recapturing God’s Vision in Ordinary Places.” The biblical narratives beckon us to discover shalom in genuine relationships with the people in our neighborhoods, communities and cities. In the flourishing of the places where we live, we flourish as well (Jeremiah 29:7). Some…
Holiday card campaign supports detainees
If your congregation is looking for a way to connect with immigrants, consider an idea Paula Snyder Belousek shared in the latest issue of Ohio Mennonite Evangel: the Casa Mariposa Visitation Program in Arizona has a goal of collecting 3,000 cards in time for Christmas so that each person in the immigration detention centers in Eloy and Florence, Arizona, receives…
Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday is Jan. 19
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) invites all Anabaptist congregations to celebrate Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday on Jan. 19, 2020. Each year MWC provides worship planning resources for use on Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday. The theme for 2020 is “Jesus Christ: Our Hope.” This year the worship resources were prepared by MWC member churches in Canada and the United States. To download…
Deficit increases during October
Ohio Conference’s deficit increased during the month of October, according to figures provided by Ohio Conference Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for the month totaled $27,274, including $26,274 in giving from congregations. Expenses in October totaled $30,795, resulting in an operating balance of -$3,521 for the month. As of Oct. 31, the Conference’s operating balance is -$26,479 for the 2019-20…
Pastor-Spouse Retreat offers rest, renewal
Twenty-eight couples participated in the Ohio Conference Pastor-Spouse Retreat Nov. 15-17 at the Mills Park Hotel in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The weekend was a time for pastors and their spouses to rest, rejuvenate, and reconnect. Retreat planners included Sue Short, Bill Seymour, Jamie Rye and Coordinator of Volunteers Alysa Short. Photos by Sue Short and Tony Doehrmann
Hesston College alumni and friends event planned in Kidron
Hesston College alumni and friends across Ohio are invited to an event at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, at Salem Mennonite Church in Kidron. The church and college will host an evening of fellowship featuring a mini-concert by internationally acclaimed baritone Tony Brown, who is a Central Christian and Hesston College alumnus. A reception will follow the performance, along…
MC USA Executive Director is coming to Ohio
Come and meet Glen Guyton, executive director of Mennonite Church USA! On Nov. 24 Glen will visit First Mennonite Church in Bluffton and offer the sermon based on John 17:20-23. Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. Later that day, at 6:30 p.m., Glen will share his vision for the denomination at a reception in First Mennonite’s fellowship hall. All are invited…
Register now for spiritual direction event
On Feb. 4 Ohio Conference will be offering a day-long event at Camp Luz in Kidron to introduce the concept of spiritual direction to pastors. Spiritual direction is an opportunity to pay attention to God’s movement and stirring in one’s life. Led by Janice Hershberger, Randy Murray, and Christine Nafziger, attendees will learn about spiritual direction while also experiencing how…