Shaquez Dickens, Author at Ohio Mennonite Conference

Retreat to focus on responses to climate change

Camp Friedenswald in Cassopolis, Michigan, is hosting a retreat Sept. 17-19 with the theme “Who Cares about Climate Change? Pastoral Responses to Denial and Despair.” This retreat will explore the effects of climate change on our brothers and sisters worldwide, our own locales, and ourselves. The retreat is free to Mennonite pastors. Meals and lodging are included. Others pay $225.…

‘Reviving Hope’ to focus on suicide prevention

Camp Luz is sponsoring “Reviving Hope,” a suicide prevention training event on Saturday, Sept. 22. The event will be held at Central Christian School in Kidron from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jay Trainer, a member of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and founder of Infuzion, will be the presenter. The registration fee for this event is $15 per…

Missional Network training events scheduled

Ohio Conference Missional Consultant Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg will be leading a second Missional Network training event during August and September. This training event will cover two focus areas: 1. Leadership Development and 2. Growing Missional Communities. See the Missional Network page for more details. The training event will be offered three times: Saturday, Aug. 18— 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Zion Mennonite Church, Archbold…

Conference deficit continues during June

Ohio Conference’s expenses were greater than receipts during June, according to figures provided by Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Expenses for the month were $24,784, while receipts totaled just $19,460, resulting in an operating balance of -$5,324 for the month. For the first three months of the fiscal year, the Conference’s operating balance stands at -$23,435.

Lockport Mennonite to host MDS fundraiser

Ted & Co. is bringing its newest event, “Boots, Buckets & Barrows,” to Lockport Mennonite Church in Stryker on Sunday, July 29, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. This event is part theater/part auction, to raise awareness, funds, and volunteers for Mennonite Disaster Service. The event will feature the show The Jesus Stories: Faith, Forks & Fettuccine, written by and starring Ted Swartz,…

Church planting and patience

What role does patience play in the church planting process? In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, host Bill Seymour and his guest co-host, Paula Snyder Belousek, talk with Sally Youngquist of Living Water Community Church in Chicago, Illinois, about the process of planting that congregation. Listen to find out how many years it took for Living Water to…

Grant application deadline is Aug. 6

Do you have more ideas for ministries than funds to make those ideas happen? Consider applying for an Ohio Conference Ministry Grant. Aug. 6 is the deadline to submit a grant proposal to the Ohio Conference Ministry Development Team (MDT). The MDT is accepting proposals from Conference congregations and related organizations for projects and mission initiatives. This year the MDT…

Register now for Pastor-Leadership Team Retreat

Ohio Conference invites all pastors and their leadership teams to an overnight retreat Oct. 26-27 in Bellville, Ohio. Duane Beck will provide input on the topic “Leadership Matters: Finding God in the Changes.” Please note that for lodging purposes, the registration deadline for this retreat is somewhat early, Aug. 27. For details or to register, go to http://bit.ly/OCLeadershipRetreat2018.

The Mennonite seeks submissions on the theme of pilgrimage

The Mennonite, Inc., invites your original submissions for the September 2018 print magazine issue and corresponding online content focusing on the theme of pilgrimage. Submissions are due to Editor@TheMennonite.org no later than July 27. For more details, see http://bit.ly/TheMennoniteSeptember2018.

Missional Network training begins

How can we live as missionaries in our own communities, sharing the Good News with those we meet and discipling people who are already in our lives? And how does that mindset differ from the “church as usual” model that many of our congregations currently use? Participants in the Ohio Conference Missional Network are beginning to consider the details of…

Central Mennonite to host worship workshop

Save the date: Oct. 5-6, 2018, Central Mennonite Church in Archbold is hosting Rachel Miller Jacobs for a one-and-a-half-day workshop titled “Enhancing and Equipping for Worship.” Break-out workshops, worship, food, and fellowship are planned for this educational and inspirational experience for worship leaders and planners, lay persons and pastors. Brochures will be available in August. The Worship Ministry Team at…

Prayer requested for conference minister search

On Monday, July 9, the Conference Minister Search Committee met to review candidates who have applied for the position. The Committee plans to set up a first round of interviews for late July and early August. Please be in prayer for the candidates and the search committee during this process.

Ohio Conference seeks vehicle

There comes a time in any non-profit organization when a need arises outside of budgeted expenses. That time has come for the Ohio Conference. We have found that it is less expensive to provide a vehicle for staff persons who are expected to travel many miles to perform their duties than it is to pay them mileage to drive their…

Stewardship Ministry seeks volunteers

The Ohio Conference Stewardship Ministry has been considering ways to save money for the Conference. One area of focus is expenses of the Conference office located in Kidron. The Stewardship Ministry is seeking volunteers to conduct a feasibility study. This group will review the current Conference office structure to see if/where costs can be trimmed. If you would be willing…

Learn about the Missional Discipleship Initiative

Are you interested in nurturing discipleship in your congregation? Marvin Lorenzana, director of the Missional Discipleship Initiative (MDI) of Mennonite Mission Network, is offering three information sessions for Ohio Conference people about MDI. Each session is 30 minutes long and will take place online. The MDI is one of the main initiatives of the Missional Planning Team. The online sessions…

God is doing a new thing in Central America

By Dan King Instead of a luxury cruise to some tropical paradise this year, consider an “Anabaptist Church Tour” in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras this fall. Charles Geiser will be leading this tour Oct. 19-30, and it will highlight what Anabaptist churches in the region are doing. Experience firsthand and up close how God’s Spirit is working among Anabaptist believers…

Let the Bible Speak for Itself addresses common questions

Where do we find answers to the great question we all have about life and faith? Do you ever find yourself asking questions such as these: Where do we find truth? What is faith? Is my life significant? Why bother with church? Why is there so much evil in the world? Will I make it to heaven? David Eshleman has…

Church Planting — From Jerusalem to Antioch

What happens when non-church planters — aka pastors from long-established churches — attend a church planting conference? And why would they even want to attend? In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast, host Bill Seymour talks with Ohio Conference pastors Paula Snyder Belousek, Corben Weaver Boshart and Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg about their experience attending SENT 2018, a church planting…

Berean Fellowship Church hands the baton to another congregation

The members of Berean Fellowship Church have decided to close the congregation after more than 50 years of ministry in Youngstown. The congregation was founded in 1961. The congregation held a closing worship service on Sunday afternoon, July 1. During the worship service, Pastor Samuel Olarewaju talked about how the congregation decided to close and sell the building to another…

Please join us in prayer this Saturday

Unite for the Search: Online Prayer Meeting. Please join us as we unite in prayer for the search for a new conference minister. Using the GoToMeeting Web conferencing program, we’ll connect on Saturday, July 7, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Please use the information below for logging in to the online meeting: Prayer Time – Conference Minister Search Saturday, July…

Missional consultant to move out of state

July 2, 2018 Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg’s Resignation Announcement Dear Ohio Conference, On Sunday, July 1, I announced my resignation from Zion Mennonite Church in Archbold, effective Oct. 1. My husband is purchasing a business and will be moving out of state soon. The children and I will be moving at Christmas break. (We are unable to say more at this time.)…

Time is changed for July 8 training

Please note: The time for the July 8 Missional Network Training at Zion Mennonite Church has been changed to 4-7 p.m. Questions? Contact Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg at jsringenberg@gmail.com. To learn more about the Ohio Conference Missional Network, please see http://bit.ly/OCMissionalNetwork.

AMBS plans fourth Rooted and Grounded Conference

ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) — Registration is now open for the fourth Rooted and Grounded Conference on Land and Christian Discipleship, which will be held Sept. 27–29, 2018, at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. “Building on the conversations of the Rooted and Grounded conferences in 2014, 2015 and 2017, we are very excited to continue bringing together people from across…

Why missional?

By Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg Ohio Conference Missional Consultant What is my motivation? Why do I do what I do? What is my end goal? What am I valuing above anything else that would inspire me to behave the way in which I am behaving? As Mennonite people, deeply rooted in tradition, history, and a strong communal story, we need to ask…

The Mennonite seeks submissions focusing on pilgrimage

Conference operating deficit continues

Ohio Conference’s expenses were greater than receipts during May, according to figures provided by Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Expenses for the month were $27,878, while receipts totaled just $21,455, resulting in an operating balance of -$6,423 for the month. For the first two months of the fiscal year, the Conference’s operating balance stands at -$18,111.

Fall retreat planned for pastors’ wives

Ohio Conference will hold a Pastors’ Wives Retreat Nov. 2-4 at the St. Francis Spirituality Center in Tiffin, Ohio. Cost of this retreat will be $115 per person. The Steiner Family Charitable Fund has made five fully paid scholarships available for those who need financial assistance in order to attend this retreat. Please contact the Ohio Conference at 330-875-5421 or…

New pastor orientation set for Aug. 12-13

Ohio Conference will hold a new pastor orientation Aug. 12-13. Pastors who are new to the Ohio Conference are invited to attend this overnight event free of charge. Spouses are also invited. Lodging will be at the Cobblestone Hotel & Suites in Orrville. Participants will visit the Ohio Conference office in Kidron and other organizations related to the Conference, such…

MennoMedia to publish Voices Together song collection

The new worship and song collection for Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada will be called Voices Together. The new hymnal will be available in fall 2020 in a variety of formats. Read the full news release from MennoMedia at http://bit.ly/MennoMediaVoicesTogether.

MC USA releases ‘Pathways’ study guide

Mennonite Church USA has released a study guide, “Pathways,” to invite churchwide engagement in the denomination’s two-year Journey Forward process. The “Pathways” study guide, available online at http://mennoniteusa.org/resource/pathways-study-guide/, invites congregations and groups across Mennonite Church USA to engage in studying Scripture, singing, praying, storytelling, exploring Anabaptist history and values, and discussing how they see God working in their lives. The “Pathways”…