Announcements
AMBS offers Transition to Leadership Program
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is offering a Transition to Leadership Program. This program guides new pastors during the crucial first years of ministry through one-on-one mentoring, regular gatherings with peers, and learning sessions. It is free to participants who begin in Fall 2022. The Fall 2022 cohort starts Nov. 10; apply by Oct. 10. Learn more at https://www.ambs.edu/transition-to-leadership.
2022 Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale schedule set
The Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale will take place Aug. 5-6 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Wooster. For a schedule of events, please see the 2022 Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale Poster.
Golf event to benefit Adriel
Adriel will hold a benefit golf scramble Monday, Sept. 12, at 12:30 p.m. at the Eagle Rock Golf Club in Defiance. Proceeds benefit children in Northwest Ohio and throughout the state through Adriel’s foster care and adoption, clinical services, family preservation, and training programs. For more information, see https://www.adriel.org/adriel-golf-outings.
MC USA invites applications for Justice Fund grants
Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) is seeking applicants for its Justice Fund grants. The Justice Fund supports MC USA congregations that are working to combat poverty, dismantle racism, address immigration reform or reimagine policing. For more information, see the MC USA website: https://bit.ly/2022JusticeFundGrants.
Recording available of intergenerational worship webinar
How can we best engage all life stages in worship? What can we learn from alternative expressions like Messy Church and Forest Church? On Tuesday Anabaptist Worship Network and Mennonite Education Agency presented a webinar about intergenerational worship which explored these questions. To view a recording of the webinar, go to https://bit.ly/IntergenerationalWorship.
Rosedale to offer leadership formation retreat
Rosedale Bible College in Irwin, Ohio, is offering a leadership formation retreat Aug. 18 – 20, 2022. The theme for this event is “God’s Mission and Church.” The guest presenter for the retreat is Karl Vaters, who has been encouraging pastors and helping churches thrive for more than 20 years. His calling is to help churches with sizes of 250…
Relief sale website gets update
The Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale has a redesigned website with updated information about the upcoming sale on Aug. 5-6. See it at https://ohiomccreliefsale.org.
New book focuses on communion
Brad Roth, the featured speaker for Ohio Conference’s 2021 missional conference, has written a new book about communion, The Hunger Inside: How the Meal Jesus Gave Transforms Lives. See https://paracletepress.com/products/the-hunger-inside for details.
MC USA webinar to discuss ‘what now?’
What do the decisions made at the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) Special Delegate Assembly mean for conferences, congregations and individuals? MC USA will hold a webinar titled “Special Session of the Delegate Assembly: What Now?” on July 18 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This webinar will be hosted by MC USA Executive Director Glen Guyton, assisted by Linda Dibble,…
Nate Holton hired as superintendent of Central Christian
The Central Christian School Board of Trustees has hired Nate Holton to serve as the superintendent of Central Christian School, beginning July 1. Holton has served in various roles at Central Christian since 2008 and has been Central’s director of operations for the past four and half years. For more information, see https://bit.ly/2022CCSSuperintendent.
MDS offers yearlong service opportunity
The MDS Yearlong Volunteer Program provides a one-year service opportunity for volunteers to enhance their leadership skills and to help bring people home after disasters. Volunteers serve in a group from August to July at various Mennonite Disaster Service projects, experience multiple cultures and communities across the United States and Canada, and build meaningful relationships with disaster survivors and other…
Webinar to focus on dementia and congregational care
Anabaptist Disabilities Network will host a webinar, “Dementia and Congregational Care,” on Thursday, June 16, at 1 p.m. Dementia affects individuals, their family members and the congregation. Many times, we want to offer support but we do not know where to start. We often back off because we don’t want to do the wrong thing. This webinar will help participants…
Central Christian is hiring several faculty and staff
Central Christian School in Kidron has several open faculty and staff positions for the 2022-2023 academic year including operations director, middle school intervention specialist, elementary school teacher’s aide, and high school English teacher. Please see ccscomets.org for job descriptions.
Webinar to explore nonviolent direction action
Mennonite Mission Network invites you to join peacemakers Jonathan and Sarah Nahar for the Stir Up Peace webinar and learn more about this curriculum that’s perfect study material for your organization, small group or Sunday school class. The webinar will take place on Monday, June 6, at 7 p.m. EST on Zoom and Facebook Live. Register here: https://bit.ly/StirUpPeaceWebinar.
Mediation training set for Aug. 1-5
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center will hold a Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders (MTSI) Aug. 1-5 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The fee for five full days of instruction and a printed copy of the MSTI manual is $750. Please see the 2022 MSTI-Brochure for details.
Pastors to meet in Upper Sandusky
Save the date: Ohio Conference will hold a pastors’ gathering on Aug. 23 at the library in Upper Sandusky. This meeting will be facilitated by our consultant, Jeanne Zimmerly Jantzi, as part of the Conference’s review process. This meeting will be for all active, credentialed pastors, including chaplains.
SPI to hold peacebuilding courses in person
The Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI) at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, will begin in-person short courses next week. SPI is offering a variety of courses during four sessions in May and June. All SPI courses are available for training or academic credit. To learn more, see https://emu.edu/spi/courses.
Adriel to hold benefit auction online
Adriel will hold its annual benefit auction online this year. This auction will benefit foster families and foster youth. To participate, go to https://www.biddingforgood.com/AdrielBenefit and click on “Register to Bid” at the top of the page. Online bidding begins May 26 at 5 p.m. and ends May 31 at 5 p.m.
Larger group can attend MWC Assembly 17
Mennonite World Conference’s (MWC) Indonesian Assembly just got a little bit larger. The National Advisory Committee for Assembly 17 and the executive committee of MWC have decided to raise in-person attendance numbers for the gathering in Indonesia to 1,250. Assembly 17 will take place both online and in Indonesia July 5-10, 2022. COVID-19 cases in Indonesia remain low, so the…
How accessible is your congregation’s building?
Anabaptist Disabilities Network (ADN) is now offering a Congregational Assessment Survey, a tool intended to help your congregation assess its level of accessibility. Learn more and use this tool by visiting the ADN website: https://bit.ly/ADNSurvey.
Journal seeks articles on ‘Mission and Health’
Anabaptist Witness: Call for submissions. Anabaptist Witness welcomes submissions on “Mission and Health” for the October 2022 issue. Submissions can be from various genres and should relate to the journal’s focus on Anabaptist and Mennonite churches in mission. What guidance do scripture and Anabaptist/Mennonite theology offer for churches, mission agencies and missionaries faced with medical crisis? How might faith communities…
Conference youth worker webinar series continues
Ohio Conference is continuing its series of free online seminars for youth workers during the month of May. “Jesus as Model: Youth Ministry Reimagined” is the theme of this series, which began in late March. The final three online seminars will be held from 7 to 8:15 p.m. on May 10, 17 and 24. In addition to hearing from presenters, seminar participants…
MCC webinar to explore ‘Gardening for good’
Interested in creation care? On May 26 at 8 p.m., Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) will host a webinar, “Gardening for good: Creation care tips for your backyard and stories from Bolivia.” In this virtual visit, MCC will explore what it looks like to care for the planet ─ from our own backyards to remote Bolivian communities. This presentation will include…
Anabaptist Disabilities Network receives grant
Anabaptist Disabilities Network has received Mennonite Health Services’ Innovation Grant. Grant funds will be used for the development of an Anabaptist membership curriculum for youth and adults with intellectual disabilities. See https://bit.ly/ADNInnovationGrant for details.
Collaboration seeks to counter military recruitment
Mennonites Against Militarism – a collaboration of Mennonite Central Committee, U.S. (MCC) and Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) – is seeking to launch an initiative to counter military recruitment of U.S. youth. The vision for the project, Alternatives to Military Enlistment Network (AMEN), is to connect young people with volunteer advisors who can help them find non-military career, service and training opportunities. To learn…
AMBS to hold webinar about Christian nationalism
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) is hosting a free webinar about Christian nationalism on Wednesday, May 4, from 2 to 3 p.m. Drew Strait, Ph.D., assistant professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at AMBS, will provide an overview of the destructive force of White Christian nationalism. All registrants will receive access to a recording of the webinar. Learn more…
MC USA to host online call to prayer
Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) is hosting an online call to prayer and fasting for the upcoming special delegate session, which will take place May 27-30 in Kansas City, Missouri. This online gathering will take place May 2 at 7 p.m. For more information and to register, go to https://bit.ly/May2CalltoPrayer.
Holy Land tour planned for 2023
Have you ever dreamed of walking where Jesus walked? Of seeing where Jesus died? Of sailing the Sea of Galilee like Jesus and His disciples? Now you have the opportunity! In partnership with Friendship Tours (friendshiptours.com), Pastor Ryan Harker (West Clinton Mennonite) will be leading a group on a 10-day tour of Israel on April 18-27, 2023. A flier with…
MCC to offer webinar on welcoming refugees
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and Church World Service (CWS) are planning a webinar on Tuesday, April 12, for people interested in learning more about welcoming refugees in the United States. The hour-long webinar will begin at 2 p.m. During the webinar, Charity Stowell, MCC U.S. newcomer connections coordinator, and Ted Blessing, CWS community engagement organizer, will address several questions: Who…
Voices Together workshop is for worship leaders
Benton Mennonite Church is sponsoring a Voices Together worship leaders’ workshop on Saturday, May 14, from 9 a.m. to noon on Zoom. Anneli Loepp Thiessen and Katie Graber will provide background on worship resources in Voices Together and the Voices Together worship leader edition, highlighting uses in worship as well as the styles, cultures, and eras they represent. They will…