Announcements
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…
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…
Registration open for Believers’ Church Conference
GOSHEN, Ind. — Goshen College and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) will co-host the 18th Believers’ Church Conference, titled “Word, Spirit and the Renewal of the Church,” Sept. 14-17, 2017, at Goshen College. The conference will explore the gifts and tensions of the Reformation legacy for the Believers’ Church tradition, with a view toward its ecumenical and global dimensions, focusing…
Conference ends May with deficit
Ohio Conference ended the second month of the 2017-18 fiscal year with a deficit, according to figures provided by Ohio Conference Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for the month of May totaled $21,972, including $16,319 in congregational giving. That amount represents a significant decrease from congregational giving during April, which totaled $28,693. Expenses for the month were $23,910, resulting in…
Wooster Mennonite to celebrate 75th anniversary
Wooster Mennonite Church will be celebrating 75 years of worship, fellowship, and mission Sept. 9-10, 2017. Many have attended Wooster Mennonite over the years, and all are invited to attend this special celebration to share memories, stories, and ways God has been faithful. Activities for the weekend include an open house on Saturday, Sept. 9, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. …
Coming soon: Ohio Conference Cast, Orlando edition
Ohio Conference Cast is going on the road. We will be podcasting from Orlando each night of the MC USA Convention, which means, if all goes according to plan, a new podcast will be available each morning from Wednesday, July 5, through Sunday, July 9. This is only possible because we have terrific support people. Norm Sohar is the reason…
Discount still available for Pastor-Spouse Retreat
It’s not too late to receive the discounted registration rate for the upcoming Ohio Conference Pastor-Spouse Retreat. The full registration cost is $410 per couple, but the first 25 couples who submit their registration with payment will receive a discounted rate of $210. A few spots at the discounted rate remain. The Pastor-Spouse Retreat will take place Nov. 10-12 at…
Unit leaders needed for Service Adventure
Do you enjoy mentoring young adults and living in community? Service Adventure is looking for unit leaders for the Jackson, Mississippi, unit. The term begins late July with orientation, and participants begin their service term in August. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Susan Nisly at SusanN@MennoniteMission.net or visit www.mennonitemission.net.
Development conference to feature Jim Wallis
The 2017 Everence Development Conference will offer ideas for building relationships between donors and charitable organizations. This three-day event will take place Sept. 20-22, 2017, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Featured speakers will include Jim Wallis, president and founder of Sojourners; Susan Schultz Huxman, president of Eastern Mennonite University; and Doug Mason, a partner at Gonser Gerber, advancement consultants. A variety of workshops…
Sabbatical bike ride to raise funds for orphanage
While on sabbatical, Berlin Mennonite Pastor Myron Weaver is bicycling 3,500 miles across the United States to raise funds for an orphanage in Nicaragua. To learn more about Myron’s sabbatical journey, see his blog at https://pedalingparson.blogspot.com/.
Bible studies for youth to be livestreamed
The Mennonite Inc. is teaming up with Michele Hershberger, professor of Bible at Hesston College, to offer a series of four virtual Bible studies for junior and senior high youth groups in June. Whether your youth groups are headed to the Mennonite Church USA convention in Orlando this summer or not, they’ll be sure to benefit from Michele’s four-week Bible…
OC Leadership Team would like to hear from you
The Ohio Conference Leadership Team has begun a process designed to call a person to serve the Conference as a half-time Missional Leader. The first steps are to gather feedback to help shape this new position and to solicit names of potential candidates for this position. The Leadership Team has sent a brief online survey to Ohio Conference pastors and…
Conference ends April with a slight deficit
Ohio Conference ended the first month of the 2017-18 fiscal year with a slight deficit, according to figures provided by Ohio Conference Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for the month of April totaled $33,015, including $28,693 in congregational giving. Expenses for the month were $33,861, resulting in an operating balance of -$846 for the month. The Ohio Conference fiscal year…
Executive director sought for Ohio MCC Activity Center
The board of the Ohio MCC Activity Center of Kidron, Ohio, is searching for a full-time executive director to assume responsibilities on Dec. 1, 2017. The director’s responsibilities largely entail giving direction to the MCC Connections Thrift Shop, which has three additional full-time paid staff and more than 300 active volunteers. The candidate must show a capacity for administering staff…
Youth participants sought for Future Church Summit
About 40 spots remain open for the Step Up program – an opportunity for high school age youth to participate in the Future Church Summit at this summer’s Mennonite Church USA Convention in Orlando. This opportunity was initially open to only three youth per conference. Now, any interested youth attending convention may participate. Participants will attend an orientation seminar and…
Volunteers needed at International Guest House
Volunteer staff members are needed at the International Guest House in Washington, D.C., with flexibility of two months to a full year (currently scheduling 2018-19) for the ministry of Christian hospitality. The Guest House, a ministry of Allegheny Conference, serves both international and U.S. travelers. Volunteers are provided full room and board in the Guest House and a monthly stipend…
Jeanne Zimmerly Jantzi to lead Central Christian
The Central Christian School (CCS) Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the hiring of Jeanne Zimmerly Jantzi as the superintendent of CCS beginning Aug. 1, upon the retirement of the current superintendent, Gene Miller. Jantzi is a 1982 Central Christian alumnus originally from Orrville. She is married to Dan, and they have three adult sons. She received her undergraduate…
Pastor-Spouse Retreat set for Nov. 10-12
Ohio Conference will hold a Pastor-Spouse Retreat Nov. 10-12 at the Mohican State Park Lodge in Perrysville. Presenters for the weekend will be James Lapp and Miriam Book. Tim Shue will be the worship leader for this event. The Ministry Development Team of Ohio Conference encourages congregations to gift this weekend to their pastors by paying the registration fee and…
MC USA Convention to include Future Church Summit
Every two years, at the Mennonite Church USA convention, the Delegate Assembly convenes to tend to the business of Mennonite Church USA. However, at the convention in Orlando, Florida — July 4-8, 2017 — the role of delegates will be anything but business-as-usual. This year the denomination will be trying something new — the Future Church Summit — in conjunction with…
MMN seeks Service Adventure leaders
Do you enjoy mentoring young adults and living in community? Service Adventure is looking for unit leaders for their Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Jackson, Mississippi, units. The two-year term begins in late July. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Susan Nisly at SusanN@MennoniteMission.net or visit www.MennoniteMission.net.
Submissions sought for new hymnal
In 2016, with excitement and anticipation, the Mennonite Worship and Song Committee began developing a new collection designed to succeed Hymnal: A Worship Book (1992), and supplements Sing the Journey (2005), and Sing the Story (2007). One aspect of building a collection is the call for new and original work. The Mennonite Worship and Song Committee is calling on authors…
Youth Venture is accepting applications
Explore what God is doing around the world through Youth Venture, a short-term service and learning program of Mennonite Mission Network. Teams of youth and adult leaders will join local ministries in Belfast, Benin, Detroit, and Perú for two to three weeks this summer. These formational experiences are geared for young people ages 14-22. Space is filling up fast, so…
Pastors meet in Toledo for Year of Covenant discussion
Thirty-nine people representing 29 congregations participated in the Year of Covenant Meeting for Pastors on Feb. 2 at Toledo Mennonite Church. Pastors met in groups for discussion, led by Regional Pastor Cliff Brubaker. See http://bit.ly/YofCPhotos for pictures from that meeting.
Janice Hershberger to speak at Day of Inspiration
Ohio Mennonite Women’s Day of Inspiration will take place Saturday, April 8, at Crown Hill Mennonite Church in Rittman. Featured speaker Janice Hershberger will focus on the theme “Invitation to Rest,” based on Matthew 11:28-30. Several workshops will be offered. Janice Hershberger has an M.A. in pastoral counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary. She has been a clinical counselor for more…
Central Christian seeks school superintendent
Central Christian School is seeking an energetic and visionary leader to serve as superintendent beginning July 2017. Central Christian School is an equal opportunity employer offering a Christ-centered education within the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The ideal candidate for this position will demonstrate a clear commitment to Anabaptist faith and practice; serve as spokesperson for the school; and advance the mission and…
Conference seeks youth for ‘Step Up’ program at MC USA Convention
This summer’s Mennonite Church USA convention will feature a new program, Step Up, aimed to get youth engaged in the discussions and work of the larger Mennonite Church. Each conference is encouraged to nominate three regular church attendees, incoming sophomores in high school and older, to be involved in this program. Youth will receive preparation for being a part of the delegate…
Three regional meetings scheduled
Ohio Conference has scheduled three regional meetings for delegates to Annual Conference Assembly. The meetings will take place at these locations: Feb. 21 — Tedrow Mennonite Church in Wauseon Feb. 23 — Crown Hill Mennonite Church in Rittman March 7 — Oak Grove Mennonite Church in West Liberty All three meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last about an…