Announcements
Journey Award honors stewardship role models
Who is your role model when it comes to being a responsible steward of their gifts and resources – including time, talent, money, health and the earth? Nominate them for the annual Everence® Journey Award! Nominations are due by April 30. See https://evrnce.com/igf for more information or to nominate someone.
2023 Missional Workshop has been canceled
The 2023 Missional Workshop scheduled for April 15 has been canceled. Registration fees are being refunded.
MWC requests prayer for victims of cyclone
Mennonite World Conference is requesting prayer for Anabaptist-Mennonite church members in Malawi and Mozambique who have been affected by Cyclone Freddy, an exceptionally long-lived tropical storm that battered the region for more than five weeks with heavy rains and high winds. See https://bit.ly/PrayerRequestCycloneFreddy for more details.
Summit Mennonite Church is meeting in new location
Summit Mennonite Church, formerly located in Barberton, is now meeting nearby in Norton. The congregation is renting space at the Grace United Church of Christ of Loyal Oak, 3285 S. Cleveland Massillon Road, Norton. Summit Mennonite’s email address is summit2mennonite@gmail.com. The congregation’s mailing address is as follows: Summit Mennonite Church, PO Box 296, Wadsworth OH 44282. To contact Summit Mennonite…
MDS March newsletter is now available
The March edition of On the Level is now available from Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS). In this issue: Executive Director Kevin King shares his experiences of working on an MDS project in Dulac, Louisiana; a home dedication in Kentucky provides visible reminders that God cares; and MDS Canada returns to Cape Bretton to repair damage from Hurricane Fiona. To read this…
‘Dealing with Crises’ is webinar topic
“It’s not a matter of if, but when a crisis will happen.” — Dr. Curt Bechler Anabaptist Communicators is hosting a webinar on the topic “Dealing with Crises.” This webinar featuring Dr. Curt Bechler, a specialist in crisis and conflict management, will take place on Thursday, March 30, from noon to 1 p.m. EST. The webinar is free to all,…
Relief sale board to hold kick-off meeting March 28
The Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale & Auction Board will hold its annual kick-off meeting Tuesday, March 28, at 6 p.m. This meeting will take place the home of board member Leroy Yoder at 1865 State Route 62, Wilmot, Ohio (located just outside of Winesburg). This year the Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale & Auction will have a new date and new…
ACA photos are online
Photos from the 2023 Annual Conference Assembly are posted online at https://bit.ly/ACAPhotos. You also can view them on the Ohio Conference Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OhioConferenceMCUSA. A brief summary video of ACA 2023 will be available by the end of this week. The video also will be posted on Facebook and at https://bit.ly/ACAPhotos.
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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.
You’re invited: Join the Winter Read conversation
It’s not too late to join the conversation! You are invited to join in the Ohio Conference’s Winter Read discussions, which are taking place on Tuesday evenings on Zoom. This winter participants are discussing Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Learn more and register at https://bit.ly/2023WinterRead. To see recordings of previous discussions, email Alysa Short at alysashort@gmail.com.
‘Finer Points’ offers peacemaking tools
Interested in learning more about peacemaking on an interpersonal level? Check out “Finer Points,” a blog on the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center website: https://lmpeacecenter.org/finerpoints.
Mennonite Health Assembly set for March 7-9
The 2023 Mennonite Health Assembly will take place March 7-9 in Denver, Colorado. Registration is due by Feb. 21. For more information or to register, see https://bit.ly/MennoniteHealthAssembly.
Youth Venture offers ways to serve and learn
Youth Venture sends teens and young adults (ages 15-22) on short-term service and learning experiences to engage with the work of God that is already taking place in communities around the globe. Hosted by churches and Mennonite Mission Network partners, Youth Venture teams will explore how Christians across the street and around the world are engaged in the work of…
MCC essay contest is for youth
The annual MCC U.S. National Peace & Justice Ministries essay contest highlights the perspectives of youth on significant public policy issues. Are you a youth who attends a Mennonite high school or an Anabaptist church? This contest is your opportunity to express your views in essay format on critical issues facing U.S. society. Submissions are due Feb. 24, 2023, and may…
Winter Read conversations begin Jan. 10
The first installment of the Ohio Conference Winter Read will take place next week on Tuesday, Jan. 10! Please join us on Tuesday nights in January and February on Zoom as we discuss the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Our online conversation will take place on Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. A reading schedule for this series…
Scholarship application deadline is Feb. 28
Everence is continuing its college scholarship program for the 2023-24 school year and will be accepting applications through Feb. 28, 2023. The program awards scholarships of $1,000, $2,000 and $3,000. To be eligible the student or the student’s parent must own or be using an Everence product. For more details or to apply, visit everence.com/college-scholarships.
AMBS conference to focus on ‘Reimagining Ministry’
“Reimagining Ministry” will be the theme of the 2023 Pastors & Leaders Conference at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana. This year’s conference is designed to give pastors and church leaders ideas and practices to help nurture resilience, compassion and hope in themselves and in their congregations by learning from Jesus’ ministry. Pastors & Leaders 2023 will begin…