Author: Shaquez Dickens
Ohio Mennonite Women Executive Board decides to dissolve the organization
July 29, 2017 Dear Ohio Mennonite Women, The Ohio Mennonite Women have been meeting for many years, to accomplish its primary mission and vision: “To minister to the women of Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA, by resourcing women’s groups and individual women, as we nurture our life in Christ, study the Bible, utilize our gifts, hear each other, and…
Jessica talks about missional VBS (and pigs)
Sometimes, to engage others missionally we need to let go of things that we cherish. In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, hosts Thomas Dunn and Bill Seymour talk with Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg, pastor of Zion Mennonite Church in Archbold, about Zion’s experience with reinventing Vacation Bible School this summer. The story includes the local swimming pool, vending machines, the park,…
Ministry Development Team awards six grants
The Ohio Conference Ministry Development Team (MDT) has awarded six grants totaling $22,100 to Conference congregations and related groups. The MDT approved the grants at its Aug. 23 meeting. Funding for these grants comes from surplus funds that had accumulated during years in which the Conference ended its fiscal year with a surplus. Grants will provide funding toward the following…
Sunshine Inc. seeks volunteers for fundraiser
Sunshine Inc. of Northwest Ohio is seeking volunteers to help with its annual Walk, Run and Roll fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 9. The event will take place from 6:30 a.m. to noon at Monclova Elementary School, 8035 Monclova Road, Monclova. Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks. See the event flier for details.
MDS scheduling volunteers for fall
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) is now scheduling volunteers for its fall projects. MDS will be working in the following locations from Oct. 8–Dec. 15: Lake County, California – Wildfires Pine Ridge, South Dakota – Straight Line Winds Lafayette, Louisiana – Flooding Greenbrier, West Virginia – Flooding West Virginia Bridges – Flooding To register to volunteer, go to https://mds.mennonite.net/volunteer-registration.
New Pastor Orientation canceled
The New Pastor Orientation, scheduled for Sept. 10-11 has been canceled. Scheduling conflicts for several pastors resulted in a low number of pastors able to attend the orientation in September. The Conference staff plans to reschedule the orientation for a later date, possibly in the summer of 2018.
Conference deficit increases during July
Ohio Conference’s deficit increased during July, according to figures provided by Ohio Conference Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for July totaled $19,041, including $14,910 in congregational giving. Expenses for the month totaled $27,256, resulting in an operating balance of -$8,215 for the month. The year-to-date operating balance at the end of July was -$10,594.
MCC needs relief kits, comforters
Mennonite Central Committee urgently needs relief kits and comforters to ship to people in need around the world. Please help families meet their basic human needs. Find instructions for relief kits and comforters as well as drop-off locations on the MCC website: http://bit.ly/KitsComforters.
Mennonite Arts Weekend to be held Feb. 2-4
Cincinnati Mennonite Church will hold the 14th Mennonite Arts Weekend Feb. 2-4, 2018, at Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati. A variety of writers, actors, musicians and visual artists will be featured during the weekend. For more information, see www.mennoniteartsweekend.org.
Berlin Mennonite plans centennial celebration
Berlin Mennonite is celebrating 100 years, and all are invited to join the celebration! To kick off the celebration year, the church will host a picnic on Saturday, Sept. 16, from 4 to 8 p.m. The evening will be filled with food, music, memories, children’s activities, and fellowship. The night will end with a hymn sing led by Tim Shue…
OMW Executive Board decides to dissolve organization
On July 29, 2017, the Executive Board of the Ohio Mennonite Women (OMW) made the difficult decision to dissolve the organization of the Ohio Mennonite Women. The Executive Board asks all congregations to include the following announcement of this decision in their church bulletins on Aug. 20: Dear Women of Ohio, Over the years, Ohio Mennonite Women (OMW) has significantly…
Delegate input sought on staffing
The Ohio Conference Leadership Team would like to hear from Conference delegates. In the Summer 2017 issue of Delegate News, the Leadership Team presented an update on the search for Conference leadership staff. Tentative job descriptions were included for both a Missional Leader and a Conference Administrator. (See Delegate News for details.) The Leadership Team is asking for delegate input about…
Missional Work Camp — You can do this!
Many church youth groups go on summer service trips, but this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast features something different — a summer work camp in the local community. Instead of traveling to a far-off location to serve, youth and adults at Sharon Mennonite Church in Plain City use the church building as a home base for the week and spend…
Delegate News – Summer 2017
Conference Leader Announcement At the 2017 Annual Conference Assembly, the Leadership Team was tasked with finding a Conference leader who is passionate about mission and who would encourage and lead us in our desire to become more missional as well as pick up the pieces that have over-burdened our staff for the past two years. As the Leadership Team began…
Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale will be Aug. 4-5
The Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale will take place Aug. 4-5 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Wooster. See http://www.ohiomccreliefsale.org for a schedule and more details.
MWC Peace Sunday worship materials are now available
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is encouraging congregations to celebrate Peace Sunday on Sept. 24. The theme for Peace Sunday in 2017 is “A Renewed Peace Church Builds Bridges.” This theme picks up on two elements. The first builds on the Renewal 2027 process which MWC has embarked on. Second, in light of the rising nationalisms around the world, which separates…
New Pastor Orientation is Sept. 10-11
Ohio Conference will hold a New Pastor Orientation Sept. 10-11. New pastors and their spouses are invited to attend this overnight event free of charge. Lodging will be in the Comfort Suites in Berlin. Participants will visit the Ohio Conference office, Camp Luz, Everence, Central Christian School and MCC Connections. See the event flier for more details, including the orientation…
Conference deficit decreases slightly in June
Ohio Conference’s receipts were slightly higher than expenses in June, according to figures provided by Ohio Conference Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for June totaled $23,965, including $20,225 in congregational giving. Expenses for the month totaled $23,560, resulting in a surplus of $405 for the month. The year-to-date operating balance at the end of June was -$2,378.
Missional Discipleship Initiative signup deadline is July 31
Ohio Conference is partnering with Mennonite Mission Network to offer the Missional Discipleship Initiative (MDI) to Conference congregations. This program includes both leadership development and small group discipleship training. To learn more about MDI, check the Ohio Conference website at http://bit.ly/OhioConfMDI and listen to the podcast about MDI at http://bit.ly/OCCast-MDI. If your congregation is interested in participating in MDI, contact…
Time remains to apply for ministry grants
Last call for grant applications: Aug. 9 is the deadline to submit a grant proposal to the Ohio Conference Ministry Development Team (MDT). For the sixth year in a row, the MDT is accepting proposals from Ohio Conference congregations for projects and mission initiatives. This year the MDT has $24,992 available for grants. So far only one grant application has…
Leadership Team continues work on staffing
The Ohio Conference Leadership Team, with the help of Regional Pastor Cliff Brubaker, has been diligently working at finding leadership for the Conference to address several needs. We are looking for leadership to guide the missional movement that has become the desired focus of the Ohio Conference. In addition, the Leadership Team is seeking to ensure that executive functions are…
Hispanic Retreat focuses on peace
By Raul Tadeo On the weekend of June 16-18, Hispanic families came together at Camp Luz in Kidron, including 42 children, and 102 youth and adults. Families came from churches of western Ohio, Salem Mennonite Church of Wooster and Iglesia Christiana of Columbus, Ohio. Local Hispanics appreciated getting acquainted with Hispanic Mennonites from other Ohio churches. Meal times were the…
Oak Grove celebrates the arts
By Joanne Murray Oak Grove Mennonite Church in Smithville hosted “Celebrating the Arts,” a visual art exhibit with background instrumental music. This event was held April 29-30 and featured the work of more than 20 church artists. People of all ages from Oak Grove participated by bringing their creations to the church Fellowship Center, where they were displayed. This first event…
Mennonite Mission Network offers training in discipleship, mission
Ohio Conference is partnering with Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) to offer the Missional Discipleship Initiative to Conference churches. The Missional Discipleship Initiative (MDI) helps local congregations work at leadership development and intentional disciple-making. MDI uses two main tools to achieve these goals. First, MDI uses online Learning Circles (also known as “Huddles”) for leaders. Second, MDI utilizes Missional Discipleship Groups,…
Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale set for Aug. 4-5
Wooster, Ohio — The 52nd Annual Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale will take place at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Wooster on Aug. 4-5. The 2017 Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale will include live music, breakfast, food and vendor booths and children’s activities, as well as a 5K run and a volleyball tournament. Multiple auctions will be held, including a silent auction,…
Festival raises funds, builds community
What started out as a fundraiser turned out to be something more. On June 24 Salem Mennonite Church in Waldron, Michigan, held a Strawberry Festival on the church grounds to showcase the congregation’s new unfinished building and to help raise funds to complete it. Salem’s new building sits behind the current structure in the middle of a hay field more…
Make disciples. Seriously. Here’s one way how.
The Missional Discipleship Initiative is coming to the Ohio Conference! The Conference is partnering with Mennonite Mission Network to offer the Missional Discipleship Initiative (MDI) to congregations, starting this fall. In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, hosts Bill Seymour and Jacob Dodson talk about MDI with Mennonite Mission Network staff members Marvin Lorenzana and Karla Minter, as well…
First Mennonite to host inter-church dialogue
First Mennonite Church in Bluffton will host an inter-church dialogue, “Knowing and Hearing the Stories,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 27. While celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Presbyterians from the Maumee Valley Presbytery “lament the violence and division that took place between Christian sisters and brothers.” They have asked to hear stories of Anabaptists and Catholics. Storytellers will…
MMN offers missional training for congregations
Is your congregation interested in learning more about what it means to be missional? Ohio Conference is partnering with Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) to offer the Missional Discipleship Initiative to Conference churches beginning this fall. Marvin Lorenzana, the director for discipleship initiatives at MMN, coordinates the Missional Discipleship Initiative (MDI). “Our goal is to help leaders engage the missional church…
Ohio Conference Cast features Orlando podcasts
The Mennonite Church USA Convention in Orlando (July 4-8) was a busy time full of discussion, workshops and worship. But for one person, Bill Seymour, host of the Ohio Conference Cast, the week was even busier. In between all the other convention activities, Bill and several co-hosts interviewed people participating in the convention as part of the Ohio Conference Cast…