Announcements
Health plan open enrollment begins Nov. 1
The Corinthian Plan, the health plan of Mennonite Church USA (MC USA), provides affordable group health coverage for pastors and staff of eligible congregations. Open enrollment for 2022 is from Nov. 1-Dec. 31, 2021. All MC USA-affiliated congregations can enroll their eligible staff for health coverage, life and disability insurance, and/or optional dental and vision coverage. For more information, please…
Webinar to focus on reason for immigration
If you are interested in learning more about the reasons why some people are migrating to Ohio, consider participating in a webinar on Nov. 4. This webinar, titled “Terror and Loss — War in Guatemala,” will feature Maria Garcia from Eastern Michigan University. She will discuss the civil war in Guatemala and how it started the migration of Mayan refugees to the…
Retreat registration deadline is extended
The registration deadline for the Ohio Conference Pastor-Spouse Retreat has been extended to Oct. 28. There is still room for two more couples to attend this retreat, which will take place Nov. 12-14 at the Mills Park Hotel in Yellow Springs. To register or to learn more, go to https://bit.ly/2021Pastor-Spouse.
Register for Believe and Be Baptized by Oct. 25
Ohio Conference and Central District Conference are co-hosting a workshop about baptism, Believe and Be Baptized: Conversations on a 500-year-old Tradition. Led by historian John D. Roth, this workshop will take place Saturday, Nov. 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Columbus Mennonite Church. The workshop will include a time of conversation with local Catholic and Lutheran clergy, and…
MC USA initiative focuses on poverty
Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) has launched “Learn, Pray, Join: Cost of Poverty,” an initiative to raise awareness about the impact of the pandemic on poverty in the United States and how Jesus calls his followers to respond. This fall MC USA is seeking to engage people in the initiative by offering resources, prayers and ways to care for one another and…
Register for Believe and Be Baptized by Oct. 25
Ohio Conference and Central District Conference are co-hosting a workshop about baptism, Believe and Be Baptized: Conversations on a 500-year-old Tradition. Led by historian John D. Roth, this workshop will take place Saturday, Nov. 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Columbus Mennonite Church. The workshop will include a time of conversation with local Catholic and Lutheran clergy, and…
Everence seeks financial consultant
Everence Financial is growing in Holmes and Wayne counties, and looking for a highly motivated individual to grow with Everence as a financial consultant. The ideal candidate will have a passion for finance, great analytical skills, and the ability to build trusting relationships. But most importantly, they will have a burning desire to help Everence members plan for their financial…
Immigration guide focuses on scriptures
Have you explored “A Biblical Guide to Immigration” yet? This past summer, the Ohio Conference Immigration Resource Team released this guide, which includes a compilation of scriptures related to immigration. This resource is suitable for both personal and congregational use. A copy of this guide is available at https://bit.ly/BiblicalGuideToImmigration and on the “Immigration” page of the Ohio Conference website: https://ohiomennoniteconference.org/resources/immigration.
Youth Worker Retreat has been canceled
Ohio Conference’s Youth Worker Retreat, planned for Oct. 15-17 at Camp Luz in Kidron, has been canceled due to low registration.
Faith Formation Roundtable offers discussion
Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) is hosting a series of virtual Faith Formation Roundtable discussions to connect, encourage and support faith formation leaders amid the uncertainties of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These discussions are being held via Zoom twice a month through the end of October. These online gatherings are held Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Upcoming discussion topics are as follows:
Sept. 21 — Staying connected with your college students
Oct. 12 — Ruth Goring, Mennonite author of children’s books
Oct. 19 — Family faith formation with “Pause: Play, Breathe, Pray”
To participate, please register at https://bit.ly/FaithFormationSignup.
Women’s Retreat to use personal retreat format
Camp Luz in Kidron will hold a Women’s Retreat Sept. 24-25. This event will follow personal retreat format. Each woman will have her own room, unless requesting to share with a family member. Prayer stations and a simple devotional will be provided, but participants are welcome to use their own devotional resources if they like. Three meals will be provided on Saturday,…
Resslers receive regional Journey Award
Bill and Edna Ressler of Dalton were chosen recently to receive a Journey Award from the Everence Financial® offices in Northeast Ohio. The award recognizes the Resslers for their generosity in sharing their resources. See https://bit.ly/2021JourneyAward for more information.
Girl Named Tom to compete on The Voice
Girl Named Tom, a sibling trio from Zion Mennonite Church in Archbold, is competing on NBC’s The Voice this season, which begins Sept. 20. The date that the group’s audition will air has not been announced. See https://bit.ly/AnabaptistWorldGNT and https://bit.ly/TheVoice2021GNT for more information.
Mennonite Church USA seeks communications staffers
Mennonite Church USA is seeking a full-time multimedia news editor and a full-time marketing, communications and engagement associate. See the announcements below for more information: Mennonite Church USA is seeking a full-time marketing communications and engagement associate to assist in all levels of project execution, including research, coordination of online and in-person events, handling constituent inquiries, writing, production, newsletter/collateral distribution and analytics/reporting. This…
Over The Edge to raise funds for Lighthouse Ministries
Lighthouse Ministries in Canton will hold its Over The Edge fundraiser Sept. 14 and 15. During this fundraiser, people from all over northeast Ohio will be rappelling 150 feet down the Onesto and Bliss Lofts in downtown Canton. Participants have to raise $1,000 for the right to rappel. All funds raised benefit Lighthouse Ministries programs which provide academic support, mentoring and scholarship opportunities for the children…
Prepare/Enrich training offered this fall
This fall Ohio Conference is offering training in a program called Prepare/Enrich. This training will be offered twice, on Sept. 30 at Salem Mennonite Church in Kidron and Oct. 19 at West Clinton Mennonite Church in Wauseon. This training equips pastors to use the Prepare/Enrich assessment with engaged and married couples. With almost 40 years of research validation, Prepare/Enrich has…
Online registration is open for Ohio Conference events
Online registration is open for five different events sponsored by the Ohio Conference: 30 — Prepare/Enrich Training, Salem Mennonite, Kidron 15-17 — Youth Worker Retreat, Camp Luz 19 — Prepare/Enrich Training, West Clinton Mennonite, Wauseon 6 — Believe and Be Baptized Workshop, Columbus Mennonite 12-14 — Pastor-Spouse Retreat, Mills Park Hotel, Yellow Springs To register for any of these events,…
Oak Grove seeks youth pastor
Oak Grove Mennonite Church in West Liberty is seeking a youth pastor. This individual would focus on working with people from junior high through college age. The position could be full time or half time. Both men and women are invited to apply. For more details, please see the job description. To apply, send your resume to Alex Dye at…
Rooted and Grounded to return to AMBS
Registration is open for the fifth Rooted and Grounded Conference on Land and Christian Discipleship, which will be held Oct. 14–16 at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. The theme of this conference will be “Land: Loss, Connection and Imagination.” The event will be offered in a hybrid format; some elements will be available only to in-person participants, and…
Sonnenberg Mennonite plans anniversary celebration
Sonnenberg Mennonite Church in Kidron is celebrating its 200th anniversary Sept. 24-26 with a variety of events which are free and open to the public. Please see the Sonnenberg Anniversary Flier for details.
Next MEA executive director chosen
The Board of Directors of Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) has named Rev. Dr. Michael Danner as executive director of MEA. The appointment is part of a collaborative staffing agreement with the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) Executive Board. Danner currently serves as associate executive director of Church Vitality for MC USA. Beginning Sept. 1, 2021, Danner will split his time between the MC USA…
Camp Luz seeks program director
Camp Luz is accepting applications for the position of program director. This full-time position is a key member of the year-round team and carries primary responsibility for planning and carrying out all retreat and summer camp programs at Camp Luz. The full job description is available at www.campluz.com. Resumes should be sent to Andrew Michaels, Camp Director, at andrew@campluz.com or mailed…
Golf scramble to benefit Adriel
Adriel will hold a benefit golf scramble Monday, Sept. 13, 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, training, and family preservation programs. For more information, see https://www.adriel.org/adriel-golf-outings.
Camp Luz to host youth worker retreat
Ohio Conference will hold a retreat for youth workers Oct. 15-17 at Camp Luz in Kidron. “Equipped for the Journey: The who, what and how for youth workers” is the theme of this retreat, which will be led by Glen Guyton, executive director of Mennonite Church USA. The cost of this retreat is $125 per person for members of Ohio…
Peace center offers mediation workshop
Registration is open for Lombard Mennonite Peace Center’s Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders, to be held Oct. 11-15 and Nov. 15-19, 2021. The two identical sessions will be held remotely via Zoom. This workshop is designed to help church leaders deal more effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict. For details, please consult the MSTI…
MEA suspends executive director search, pursues collaboration with MC USA Executive Board
ELKHART, Ind. (Mennonite Education Agency, Mennonite Church USA) — The Board of Directors of Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) has suspended its six-month search for an executive director to pursue a possible leadership collaboration with the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) Executive Board, according to Dick Thomas, MEA board chair. MEA is an agency of MC USA. MEA has a history…
Workshop looks at pastor-congregation relations
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center is offering an online workshop, “Facilitating Healthy Pastor-Congregation Relations” on Tuesday, Oct. 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. Held on the Zoom videoconferencing platform, this workshop will offer strategies for church leaders who want to help their congregation function in healthier ways. Attention will be given both to structural changes and emotional processes. See…
Peace Sunday is Sept. 19
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) invites all Mennonite congregations to observe Peace Sunday together with brothers and sisters in the global Anabaptist church family on Sept. 19, 2021. The theme for this year’s Peace Sunday is “Finding hope and healing in crisis.” The MWC Peace Commission has created worship resources for celebrating Peace Sunday. Download the Worship Materials
MMN video series seeks to ‘Stir Up Peace’
From Mennonite Mission Network: Check out the brand new Stir Up Peace video series! Learn the tools to seek positive change in nonviolent ways. All nine video episodes are less than six minutes long. See the videos at https://bit.ly/StirUpPeace.
Everence to hold development conference
Registration is open for the Everence Development Conference, which helps charitable organization leaders stimulate and nurture generosity to strengthen their missions. The event, Invest in What Lasts, is scheduled for Sept. 28-30 at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. You can register now at everence.com/devcon21. The event is offered every two years.