Author: Shaquez Dickens
Register by March 31 for missional workshop
Do you have ideas for ministering to your community, but need motivation to begin making those ideas come to life? Plan now to attend Ohio Conference’s 2023 Missional Workshop at the St. Francis Spirituality Center in Tiffin on Saturday, April 15. The theme of this interactive workshop is “Outward Church: Mobilizing the church wherever you are.” During this one-day workshop, teams…
Pastor-Spouse Retreat to be held Nov. 10-12
Ohio Conference will hold a 2023 Pastor-Spouse Retreat Nov. 10-12 at Deer Creek State Park Lodge and Conference Center in Mt. Sterling, Ohio, about 32 miles south of Columbus. The theme of this weekend event will be “Fill My Cup.” Cost for this retreat is $250 per couple. Registration is due by Sept. 1, 2023. For more information or to…
MennoCon23 registration has begun
Online registration is open for MennoCon23, Mennonite Church USA’s (MC USA) leading faith formation event, at the Kansas City (Missouri) Convention Center, July 3-6, 2023. Registration is also open for the Youth & Young Adult Climate Summit, July 7, and the Delegate Assembly, July 7-8. Please see the MC USA website for more information and a registration link: https://bit.ly/MennoCon23Registration. The…
Development conference set for Oct. 3-5
The 2023 Everence Development Conference will take place Oct. 3-5 at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This conference is a biennial event designed to equip fundraisers, development professionals, leaders and board members with the tools they need to fund and care for their organization’s mission and vision. Registration for this event opens on April 4. For more…
ACA delegates adopt resolutions of thanks
Ohio Conference’s Annual Conference Assembly took place March 3-4 at Central Christian School in Kidron. Delegates at Annual Conference Assembly adopted two resolutions of thanks during Saturday’s last business session. The resolutions are below: We thank Ohio Conference Staff, leadership, and Jeanne Zimmerly Jantzi for their work and support of Ohio Conference churches and pastors this past year. We appreciate…
A message to delegates from the Leadership Team
To: Ohio Conference Credentialed Ministers, Delegates and Congregations From: Ohio Conference Leadership Team Subject: Thank You and Update from 2023 Annual Conference Assembly Date: March 7, 2023 The Ohio Conference Leadership Team would like to thank all of our credentialed ministers, delegates and congregations for the hard work of Christian discernment that has taken place over the past year, beginning…
Delegate News – Here is a copy of the resolution which delegates voted on at the 2023 ACA
We have heard that many delegates would like the text of the resolution that delegates voted on at Annual Conference Assembly. Below is a copy of the resolution: Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA ACA Resolution March 4, 2023 RESOLVED, that Ohio Conference withdraws from Mennonite Church USA; RESOLVED, that Ohio Conference will amend its Constitution (which must be approved…
Check out these new Lenten resources
The Soil and The Seed Project has released a new collection of free resources for Lent, Easter and Pentecost. Included are a new album of music, “Little Liturgies,” art, and lyrics/chord/lead sheets. To download these resources, go to https://www.thesoilandtheseedproject.org/vol-6. For more information about the Soil and The Seed Project, see https://www.thesoilandtheseedproject.org/about.
Giving to Conference increases in January
Giving to Ohio Conference increased during January, according to figures provided by Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for the month totaled $40,911, including $14,769 in giving from individuals. Expenses during January totaled $29,671, resulting in a surplus of $11,240 for the month. Even so, as of Jan. 31, the Conference had an operating balance of -$44,212 for the current fiscal…
Ohio MCC Comforter Bash set for April 21-22
Mennonite Central Committee will hold the second annual Ohio MCC Comforter Bash on Friday and Saturday, April 21-22, in the recreation building at the Kidron Community Park, 4434 Kidron Road, Kidron. Everyone is invited to knot comforters for Mennonite Central Committee at this event. MCC will distribute the comforters to people in need around the world. The Comforter Bash will…
Sent Conference set for May 4-7
Update: This event has been canceled. Mennonite Mission Network, in partnership with Mennonite Church USA Executive Board, Everence, and Mosaic Mennonite Conference, will host the seventh annual Sent Conference May 4-7 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The theme of this gathering will be “I Saw a Vast Crowd: Explorations in Multiethnic Ministry.” See https://bit.ly/2023SENT for more information.
This year as an Annual Conference Assembly service project, we will be collecting items for the food pantries at Crown Hill Mennonite Church in Rittman and Barberton Area Community Ministries, housed at Summit Mennonite Church in Barberton. Below is a list of suggested items to donate: Any canned fruit Any canned vegetables Any canned…
Delegate News – Resources for ACA
We look forward to seeing you at ACA ACA is almost here! We are looking forward to gathering together for Annual Conference Assembly on March 3 and 4 at Central Christian School in Kidron. More than 180 people have registered for ACA so far. If you still haven’t registered, please do so soon. You can register online at https://bit.ly/2023ACARegistration. Please…
ACA and hopes for the years ahead
In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, host Jacob Dodson, pastor of Wooster Mennonite Church, talks with Conference Minister Dick Barrett about the upcoming Annual Conference Assembly (ACA), which will take place March 3-4 at Central Christian School in Kidron. In the course of their conversation, Dick reflects on what he has learned during this time of discernment for…
2023 Lent at Home guide now available
ELKHART, Indinana (Mennonite Education Agency) — “Created in the Image of God, Shaped By Jesus” is the theme of the Lent at Home 2023 worship guide, now available for free at the Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) website: https://bit.ly/2023LentatHome. Using the theme developed for Leader magazine, the guide weaves weekly and daily Scriptures with worship rituals, prayers, activities, and background information…
EMU Chamber Singers to tour Ohio
The Eastern Mennonite University Chamber Singers will be performing in Ohio and Indiana during the group’s Spring Tour 2023. The Eastern Mennonite University Chamber Singers is an auditioned touring chamber choir now in its 44th year. The theme of this year’s program is “Local and Global: songs of peace and justice.” The group will feature styles and composers from the…
Congregational Discernment Information and Request for Prayer and Fasting
I want to thank all our delegates for your active participation in the gatherings we have had over the past year as we continue to discern God’s will for us as a Conference as we move into the future. As communicated at our winter gatherings which just concluded this past Monday evening, this issue of Delegate News includes documents prepared…
Help cover ACA in prayer
Ohio Conference’s Annual Conference Assembly (ACA) is quickly approaching on March 3-4, 2023. Even if you are not attending ACA, you can still participate! We invite you to sign up to help cover all of ACA in prayer. We are looking for willing individuals to commit to praying 20 minutes during the ACA weekend. You can do this from anywhere…
Have you registered for ACA yet?
The deadline to register for Annual Conference Assembly (ACA) is approaching quickly. Have you registered yet? ACA will take place March 3-4 at Central Christian School in Kidron. Registrations for ACA are due Friday, Feb. 10. After that date, the registration fee increases from $45 per person to $60 per person. For more information about ACA, please see the Conference…
June 18 is Social Justice Sunday
Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, is inviting all Ohio Conference churches to set aside Sunday, June 18, as Social Justice Sunday, in recognition of Juneteenth the following day. (If June 18 does not work well for your congregation, please consider setting aside a different Sunday as Social Justice Sunday.) The team is preparing worship planning resources,…
Work on plans to impact your community
How can your congregation positively impact your community? Ohio Conference’s upcoming missional workshop will be a great place to work on plans and get feedback from others. You can learn more about this workshop from Alex Dye, pastor of Oak Grove Mennonite Church in West Liberty, in this brief video: “Outward Church: Mobilizing the church wherever you are” is the…
Fundraiser to benefit Open Arms
Open Arms Hispanic Ministry will hold its annual Taco Tuesday fundraising dinner March 14 at 6 p.m. at Dutch Kitchen, 14278 Lincoln Way E, Dalton. RSVP by March 10 to kelsey@openarmshispanicministry.org or 330-466-7845 (call or text).
List of resources for racial reconciliation work now available
Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, has compiled a list of resources for working at racial reconciliation: Racial Reconciliation Resource List.
Zion Mennonite seeks collaborative ministry team pastor
Zion Mennonite Church in Archbold is seeking a full-time collaborative ministry team pastor. A job description is available: Collaborative Minstry Team Pastor Job Description. If you are interested in applying or learning more about this opportunity, please contact Regional Pastor Tony Doehrmann at 419-551-1107 or ocrpwest@gmail.com.
Bluffton to offer Master of Nutrition and Dietetics
BLUFFTON, Ohio — Bluffton University is now offering a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics graduate degree for students interested in becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). Beginning in January 2024, students must have a master’s degree and at least 1,000 hours of supervised experiential learning to sit for the RDN licensing examination. Bluffton’s new program fulfills both requirements. See www.bluffton.edu/dietetics…
Webinar series to focus on prison system
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and Mennonite Church USA are partnering in a new webinar series, “Beyond incarceration: A hard look at dismantling the prison system and building healthy communities.” This series will explore the ways the faith community is actively understanding and working against these complex systems of confinement. The webinars will take place on Feb. 7, Feb. 21, March 7,…
Register for ACA by Feb. 10
Have you registered for Annual Conference Assembly (ACA)? Feb. 10 is the deadline to register for ACA at the regular fee of $45 per person. After that date, the registration fee rises to $60 per person. Central Christian School in Kidron will host the 2023 ACA March 3-4. The theme of this year’s gathering will be “Doing Life Together: Rooted…
ACA resolution procedure announced
If you would like to propose a resolution for delegates to consider at Annual Conference Assembly (ACA), please note: At its Nov. 17 meeting, the Ohio Conference Leadership Team decided that this year all proposed resolutions must be submitted no later than three weeks prior to ACA. The deadline to submit a resolution is Feb. 10, 2023. If you have…
Giving to Conference drops in December
Giving to Ohio Conference was lower than average during December, resulting in a deficit of $8,493 for the month. According to figures provided by Stan Helmuth, Ohio Conference financial coordinator, receipts for the month totaled just $16,028, including $10,306 in congregational giving. Total expenses for the month were $24,521. As of Dec. 31, 2022, the Conference’s operating balance was -$55,452.…
Lent Worship Planning webinar set for Feb. 1
Anabaptist Worship Network will host a Lent Worship Planning webinar on Facebook on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 7:30 p.m. EST. This webinar will explore Lenten worship resources from Leader magazine and Voices Together, as well as offering time for brainstorming creative ways to gather during Lent. See https://www.facebook.com/events/692537162581966 to sign up.