Author: Shaquez Dickens
Women’s retreat to focus on sharing stories
“Sharing Your Story” will be the theme of the annual Women’s Retreat Sept. 16-18 at Camp Luz in Kidron. Guest speakers for the weekend will be Vickie Esh and Kim Leichty. Women’s Retreat is designed for women of all ages to come and spend time with others worshipping, laughing, and relaxing. The cost of the retreat is $90 for those…
Spiritual competence
By George O’Reilly Year of Covenant Facilitator The Church of today is in a crisis of credibility. Not just with those who never entertained the possibility of Christian faith, but especially with many who tried the Church and found it “wanting.” If the Church just had problems with intellectuals and materialists, the Church would have much higher standing with our…
Conference receipts drop during April
Lower than hoped-for giving to Ohio Conference in April led to a deficit for the first month of the 2016-17 fiscal year, according to figures provided by Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Total receipts for the month were just $10,834, including $10,764 of congregational giving. That amount of congregational giving is the lowest monthly total…
MDT to accept proposals for grants
For the fifth year in a row, the Ohio Conference Ministry Development Team (MDT) is accepting proposals from Conference congregations and related organizations for projects and mission initiatives. This year, the MDT has $21,614 available for grants. In light of the current Year of Mission focus within Ohio Conference, the MDT will give preference to proposals that are particularly mission…
Sharon Mennonite hosts Year of Covenant Meeting
Fifty people participated in the first Ohio Conference Year of Covenant Meeting, which took place May 11 at Sharon Mennonite Church in Plain City. Credentialed leaders from around the Conference attended. The special resource speaker for the day was David Boshart of Iowa, who serves as executive conference director of Central Plains Mennonite Conference. In addition to input from David…
Conference to focus on faith formation
A conference for individuals concerned about faith formation is coming to Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Ind., this fall. Deep Faith: Anabaptist Faith Formation for All Ages will be held Oct. 6-8 at the seminary. Conference planners describe Deep Faith: Anabaptist Faith Formation for All Ages as a practical conference designed to empower Anabaptist pastors, teachers and lay leaders in…
Lilly grants to provide financial assistance, financial education programs for pastors
Financial assistance is available for pastors of congregations in Mennonite Church USA. At Annual Conference Assembly in March, Jim Frado of Everence and Terry Shue, director of leadership development for Mennonite Church USA, talked to delegates about a program designed to address the financial challenges facing pastors. This program, which is a three-year initiative, is made possible by a grant…
Salem Mennonite in Elida plans celebrations
Salem Mennonite Church in Elida is celebrating 175 years as a congregation during 2016. The church has planned a series of events to celebrate not only the congregation’s history but also the history of the surrounding area and Anabaptist Christian traditions. On May 22 John Roth, professor of history at Goshen College, will be the guest speaker at Salem. He…
Awesomely and Wonderfully Made
In a passage often echoed in our own experience, a psalmist declares in considering his physical being: “I praise You, for I am awesomely, wonderfully made ….” — Psalm 139: 14 (TNK) We can readily identify even in our age of advancement in science and medicine at the almost unbelievable complexity and the mysterious functioning of the human body. Even…
Taxpayers can benefit themselves, charities with income tax refunds
KIDRON, Ohio– Retailers offer special promotions this time of year, encouraging people to buy new mattresses or TVs with their income tax refunds. Everence® would like to offer a different idea. Taxpayers may use their refunds to help charities advance their missions – and the donors can lower their own taxable income for their 2016 tax returns in the process.…
Going Organic
Organic is in! Everywhere we look new organic approaches to life are being touted as the healthy, the natural, the most environmentally friendly ways to be and live. So, I began pondering … Did Jesus espouse an organic approach to spirituality and discipleship? And, if so, just what exactly might that mean? On the last day, the great day of…
West Clinton congregation sees value in being blessed by a dress
By Pam Graber Outreach ideas come in many ways, but by far the most successful come when God does the nudging. West Clinton’s “Prom Trend: Beauty Comes from the Heart” event is the result of one such nudge. “If someone had told me five years ago that I would be coordinating a prom dress event, I would have told…
The power of congregational support in a long, difficult journey
By Howard Nikkel My particular journey began seven and a half years ago when I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. The journey has included many visits to the cardiologists, medications to help the heart function better, a procedure called ultrafiltration done in a Venezuelan hospital, an implant that contained a pacemaker, defibrillator and a resynchronizer, and ending up with…
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…
Cliff Brubaker joins Ohio Conference as regional pastor
Cliff Brubaker has accepted a call from the Ohio Conference Leadership Team to serve as a regional pastor for the western part of the conference, beginning April 1. This half-time assignment is for a one-year interim period. A resident of Hillsdale, Mich., Brubaker has a long history of ministry in the Ohio Conference. He was pastor of Salem Mennonite Church…
Funding available for Sentralized Conference
Are you interested in learning how to engage in God’s mission in life-changing ways? Ohio Conference is offering financial assistance for up to four people from Ohio Conference to attend Sentralized, a missional conference which will be held in Little Rock, Ark., May 5-6. Sentralized is organized by Forge America and sponsored by a variety of Christian organizations. Among the…
Inspiration
By Pastor George O’Reilly Transitional Conference Leader Inspiration. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I really need some. You see, most of the time I’m a pretty much a “keep on keeping on” kind of person. And that can be good, since that often seems like what I need to do, just keep moving. If I name it “persistence,”…
Working together as a body
By George O’Reilly Transitional Conference Leader As I write this, many of us have just returned from several days of working together as Ohio Conference on our mission and trajectory for the next year certainly, and on into the foreseeable future. We began with a special Missional presentation from Forge Network titled “Becoming Missional: Re-Learning How to Be Sent.” This…
Workshop to focus on faith and values in business
KIDRON, Ohio — Everence® and Mennonite Foundation are presenting a workshop titled Faith and values in the marketplace at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 7, in the Kidron Park Community Building, 4434 Kidron Road. Christians are called to be good stewards of their gifts from God — including their time and talents in addition to their money. How does that standard…
Congregations invited to sign Year of Covenant document
At the 2016 Annual Conference Assembly, delegates discussed the Leadership Team’s proposal to enter into a Year of Covenant, and congregations have been invited to sign the covenant. The document can be downloaded here: One Year of Covenant sign up for Congregations Some excerpts from the covenant document are included here: We will attempt to participate fully, converse respectfully, and to…
Winter 2016 Delegate News #4
We look forward to seeing you next week! In one week delegates will be gathering at Central Mennonite Church in Archbold for Annual Conference Assembly (ACA). Assembly planners are busy finalizing details for our time together. The Gifts Discernment Ministry Team has been hard at work, developing the slate of nominees which delegates will vote upon at ACA. A copy…
Conference has new Resource Advocate
Lois Bontrager is the new Ohio Conference Resource Advocate. The role of the Resource Advocate is to be aware of the latest resources from the various Mennonite Church USA groups and to find creative ways to make these resources useful to area conferences, pastors and lay leaders in congregations. Resource Advocates from conferences across Mennonite Church USA held their annual…
Conference’s deficit continues in January
Ohio Conference’s deficit increased during January, according to figures provided by Ohio Conference Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Congregational giving during January totaled $24,864, and total income for the month was $26,302. Expenses for January were $34,803, resulting in an operating balance of -$8,501 for the month. That shortfall brought the operating balance for the first 10 months of the fiscal…
Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship offers student grants
Graduate Students in Healthcare Professions: Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship (MHF) offers educational grants for Anabaptist students to learn and serve in cross-cultural mission/service settings in developing countries. The application deadline for the 2016-17 academic year is May 15, 2016. For details and application form, see http://mennohealth.org/SET, email info@mennohealth.org, or call 1-888-406-3643.
Winter 2016 Delegate News #3
Delegate News for ACA 2016 – Somes questions and answers In preparation for Annual Conference Assembly on March 11-12, the Ohio Conference Leadership Team is responding to delegate questions about several items. Please see these questions and answers below. (These questions and answers are also available in a downloadable PDF document.) Statement on Remaining with MC USA 1. …
A Most Neglected Commandment
By George O’Reilly Transitional Conference Leader Having come into Mennonite circles from an evangelical background and seminary, despite attempts at understanding this new approach to life and discipleship, I was not always able to quickly “track” the peculiarities of typical “Mennonite theology.” During my first pastorate at a Mennonite congregation in Illinois, I found myself personally taking issue with an…
Conference to begin Year of Mission
By Jacob Dodson Pastor, Wooster Mennonite Church Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA exists to nurture healthy congregations in worship, faith and witness. One of the best ways for the Conference to fulfill this purpose is by engaging in a Year of Mission in 2016-17. During this year the Conference will encourage members of local congregations to do mission in…
Embracing the Hope we really don’t want
By George O’Reilly Transitional Conference Leader I have come to value more and more Paul’s emphasis on Hope in the midst of personal and corporate anguish. There are simply times when despite the effectiveness of Christ’s work for His body that we simply will not receive what we know is rightfully ours in this life. Galatians 5 is an intense…
Winter 2016 Delegate News #2
Delegates to discuss documents at cluster meetings The Ohio Conference Leadership Team has developed several documents which delegates will discuss at winter cluster meetings. The documents are included below: Statement on Remaining with MC USA Proposed Membership Resolution with Cover Letter One-Year Covenant for Ohio Conference Congregations, Pastors, Conference Leaders and Staff Please download these documents and take some time…
Winter 2016 Delegate News
Winter cluster meetings scheduled Seven winter cluster meetings for delegates to Annual Conference Assembly have been scheduled: Wayne County — Feb. 2 at Sonnenberg Mennonite in Kidron, 7 p.m. Northwest Ohio — Feb. 4 at Zion Mennonite in Archbold, 7 p.m. Holmes/Tuscarawas — Feb. 11 at Berlin Mennonite, 7 p.m. Columbiana/Pennsylvania — Feb. 16 at Leetonia Mennonite, 7 p.m. West…