Announcements
MDS offers Summer Youth Program
The Summer Youth Program (SYP) of Mennonite Disaster Service is now accepting applications. The SYP is a weeklong summer service experience designed for youth and their sponsors to put hands and feet to the gospel by serving others. SYP work is focused on cleanup, disaster mitigation, and repairing homes. The 2017 SYP locations are Detroit, Michigan; Pine Ridge, South Dakota;…
Planners encourage young adult attendance at missional conference
Have you registered for the Missional Conference with Alan and Debra Hirsch? The conference will take place at Kidron Mennonite Church March 23-24, just prior to Annual Conference Assembly. Planners of this event would like to encourage all congregations to cover the cost of registration for their young adults interested in attending. Young adults up to age 30 already receive…
Year of Covenant Meeting for Pastors set for Feb. 2
The third Year of Covenant Meeting for Pastors will take place Thursday, Feb. 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Toledo Mennonite Church. Pastors of Ohio Conference congregations will meet for a day of discussion. The first two Year of Covenant meetings have focused on the nature of covenant making and on the mission of God as a backdrop for…
Worship resourcing seminar coming to Kidron
Sonnenberg Mennonite Church in Kidron will host a worship resourcing seminar on Saturday, May 6. Primary speaker for the day will be Rachel Miller Jacobs, assistant professor of congregational formation at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. The day also will include workshops. The seminar is for people of all ages, but especially for young adults (high school and…
MCC seeks SWAP location coordinators
Mennonite Central Committee is seeking location coordinators for the Sharing With Appalachia People (SWAP) site in West Virginia. The location coordinators have overall responsibility for the implementation of the SWAP program within McDowell County. SWAP provides week-long service opportunities for young people and adults, mainly during the summer months, but also some in the spring and fall. The primary focus…
Everence plans clergy tax seminar
Everence is inviting all Ohio Conference pastors to participate in a clergy tax webinar with other pastors from around the country on Tuesday, Jan. 24, from 11:45 to 1:30 p.m. This webinar will take place via a Zoom conference call. Ohio pastors will meet in the conference room of the Everence building at 4136 Kidron Road, Kidron, Ohio. Lunch will be…
Remembering Naomi Engle
Naomi Engle, who pastored West Clinton Mennonite Church in Wauseon along with her husband, Jess, passed away mid-day on Jan. 1, 2017. Naomi served as chair of the Ohio Conference Credentialing Ministry and was a member of the Ohio Conference Leadership Team from 2011 until late last year after she was diagnosed with brain cancer. An obituary can be found…
AMBS to offer !Explore program for youth
This summer Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, is offering !Explore, a theological program for high school youth in grades 11 and 12. This program includes both congregational experience and a group experience on the AMBS campus. Registration deadline is Feb. 1. To learn more, see http://bit.ly/AMBSExplore.
Ohio Mennonite Women seeking new board members
Attention all women! We are looking for women to serve on the Executive Board of Ohio Mennonite Women. We seek women who believe in our mission to connect Mennonite women in Ohio by planning meaningful spiritual and social events. We coordinate opportunities for women to support missions both locally and globally. Please consider serving in this way. Thank you. Several positions are currently vacant: Vice-Chair/Chair-elect,…
Conference deficit increases during November
Ohio Conference’s financial deficit increased during the month of November, according to figures provided by Ohio Conference Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for the month were $21,055, and expenses totaled $22,562, resulting in a net loss of -$1,507 for the month of November. For the first eight months of the fiscal year, receipts have totaled $174,781, and expenses have totaled…
2017 convention to offer increased accessibility for persons with disabilities
Anabaptist Disabilities Network (ADN) and planners for Orlando 2017 are collaborating to provide increased accessibility for persons with disabilities attending next summer’s biennial Mennonite Convention, July 4-8 in Orlando, Florida. ADN will serve as the information center and point of access for accessibility services to assist the new convention accessibility coordinator and volunteers. Various accessibility services are planned: Printed maps…
Year of Covenant Meeting postponed
The third Year of Covenant Meeting for Pastors, originally scheduled for Jan. 12, 2017, has been postponed until early February. Pastors will meet Thursday, Feb. 2, at Toledo Mennonite Church.
The Mennonite features online Advent devotions
The Mennonite is featuring online devotions each day during Advent. To see them, go to https://themennonite.org/category/advent.
Men’s Retreat to focus on sharing faith
Church consultant J. David Eshleman will be the speaker at the annual Men’s Retreat at Camp Luz in Kidron March 31-April 2. During the weekend, David Eshleman will focus on material from his newest book, Share the Irresistible Story of Jesus. In the preface to the book, Eshleman states that his purpose is “to motivate Christians and churches to make…
Conference deficit increases during October
Ohio Conference’s financial deficit increased during the month of October, according to figures provided by Ohio Conference Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for the month were $24,732, including $24,617 in giving from congregations. Expenses for the month totaled $29,266, resulting in a net income of -$4,534 for October. For the first seven months of the fiscal year, receipts have totaled…
Webinar to focus on racial justice
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary will be offering a webinar titled “Changing the Way the Church Views Racism” on Thursday, Dec. 1, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Drew Hart, Ph.D., assistant professor of theology at Messiah College, will provide concrete practices for churches committed to journeying toward solidarity with the oppressed and committed to racial justice. See http://bit.ly/AMBSWebinars for more information.
Camp Luz to host Mother-Daughter Retreat
Camp Luz is hosting a Mother-Daughter Retreat Jan. 20-21. Rhoda Steiner will be speaking on the topic “Radical Faith from a Resting Place.” Visit www.campluz.com for more information and registration forms.
Online Advent devotions to begin Nov. 21
GOSHEN, Ind. — As churches prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth, Goshen College offers an online spiritual resource to help believers make time and space in their hearts and minds to welcome Advent, even in the midst of busy schedules and hectic lives. Beginning Nov. 21 and culminating on Christmas Day, Goshen College students, faculty and staff will provide…
Registration is open for missional conference
“Who is my Neighbor?” is the theme for the upcoming Ohio Conference Missional Conference with Alan and Debra Hirsch. This two-day event will take place March 23-24, 2017, at Kidron Mennonite Church immediately prior to Annual Conference Assembly. This missional conference will focus on a variety of topics: Inviting all people in so they feel that they have a place…
Writers sought for Sunday school curriculum
Shine: Living in God’s Light, the Sunday school curriculum produced by MennoMedia and Brethren Press, is accepting applications for curriculum writers. The curriculum is for children age three through grade 8. Accepted writers must attend a Writers Conference in Virginia, March 2-5, 2017. Shine pays for meals and lodging during the conference and covers reasonable travel expenses. More details are…
Mennonite Men has new coordinator
The Mennonite Men Board of Directors is pleased to announce Steve Thomas of Goshen, Indiana, as their new Coordinator. Thomas brings extensive experience in ministering to men and has served at numerous Mennonite congregations as a pastor. He is a graduate of Hesston College, Goshen College and the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. “We are excited about having Steve Thomas join…
Spread the Peace grants available
To encourage congregations and conferences to “spread the peace” in and beyond Mennonite Church USA, the Peace and Justice Support Network of Mennonite Church USA has small start-up grants available. Grants of $1,000 are given as Peace and Justice Support Network (PJSN) funding allows. The goal is to distribute $5,000 annually. PJSN will accept applications through Dec. 31, 2016. For…
Audio series offers interviews
Would you like to learn more about what’s happening in Ohio Conference while you’re on the go? A new podcast series, the Ohio Conference Cast, features interviews with people from throughout the Conference. You can download these audio interviews from iTunes (search for “Ohio Conference Cast”), or go to the “Podcasts” page to listen to them. The Ohio Conference Leadership…
Election Day Communion returns
Election Day Communion is back. In 2012 fifteen congregations from across the Ohio Conference held Election Day Communion services, including several who held joint communion services with other congregations. One of the purposes of Election Day Communion was to build unity in Christ in the midst of theological, political and denominational differences. Around 900 congregations from various denominations participated in…
Missional Conference to feature Alan and Debra Hirsch
On March 23-24 Ohio Conference will hold a Missional Conference with Alan and Debra Hirsch at Kidron Mennonite Church. This event will immediately precede Annual Conference Assembly, which will take place at Central Christian School in Kidron March 24-25. Attendees ages 30 and younger will receive a half-price discount on registration costs. To learn more about this missional conference, please…
MDS seeks volunteers for Detroit, West Virginia
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) has an urgent need for volunteers in Detroit and West Virginia. Weekly volunteers are needed for projects in Detroit and West Virginia Nov. 20-Dec. 16. To schedule, please call the MDS Volunteer Development Team at 800-241-8111 or email Alicia Hurst at ahurst@mds.mennonite.net.
Explore faith and values in business
Everence, Mennonite Foundation, and the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center will present a workshop titled “Faith and Values in the Marketplace” on Monday, Nov. 14, at the Gardens at Homestead Furniture in Mt. Hope. The workshop will run from 6:45 to 9:15 p.m. The workshop will include three presenters: Edward Hershberger, business owner and deacon — “Mutually Beneficial Employer-Employee Relations”…
Alan Kreider to speak at Malone University
The Center for Christian Faith & Culture will welcome Dr. Alan Kreider to Malone University in Canton on Thursday, Nov. 17. He will speak at a pastors’ luncheon at the University’s Brehme Centennial Center. This event, which will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m., is also open to non-pastors. Dr. Kreider combines a lifetime of academic study about the…
David Boshart presentation now on DVD
Are you interested in hearing the presentation about rural church mission given by David Boshart in September at Zion Mennonite Church? Boshart, the executive conference minister of Central Plains Mennonite Conference, spoke on the topic “New Frontiers in Mission for the Rural Church” while at Zion. To order a DVD of his presentation, please contact Karmin Brooks in the Zion…
Peace Center plans peacemaker’s pilgrimage
Richard Blackburn, executive director of the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, will be leading “A Peacemaker’s Pilgrimage to the Holy Land” Jan. 11-22, 2017. Please see www.lmpeacecenter.org/events/a-peacemakers-pilgrimage-to-the-holy-land/ for more information. Credentialed pastors, please note: Mennonite Church USA’s “Come and See Fund” will provide a minimum of a $500 scholarship for any credentialed MC USA leaders who join the pilgrimage. To apply…