Grace & Groundings
How did your congregation celebrate Social Justice Sunday?
Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation team, would like to hear how you did or did not use the 2024 Social Justice Sunday resources. We would appreciate responses to a short questionnaire whether or not you used, or plan to use, the resources created by Grace & Groundings. The questionnaire is brief and will help Grace & Groundings as they continue their work. Please respond…
Food justice in Ohio
Why do so many Ohioans have difficulty getting food that is affordable, nutritious, culturally acceptable, and accessible? The newest Ohio Conference Cast podcast explores this topic with Dr. Brandy Phipps, associate professor at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. Dr. Phipps works with others throughout Ohio and the Midwest to create new options for people to grow and access food…
Podcast series focuses on shalom
Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s resource team focused on racial awareness and reconciliation, is sponsoring a series of monthly podcasts about social righteousness and shalom. The series began in January, with plans to publish one episode each month through May. Each episode focuses on a different topic designed to draw listeners into deeper conversations about issues of social righteousness and…
Social Justice Sunday is June 23
Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, would like to remind everyone that February is Black History Month and June 23 is Social Justice Sunday. This spring Grace & Groundings will be sharing resource materials for observing Social Justice Sunday in your congregation.
Building a new life in Ohio
What is life like for refugees who come to Ohio? The latest episode of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast tells the story of one immigrant family that has ended up in Kidron, Ohio, after fleeing the war in Ukraine. Listen to this episode to hear the conversation between host Kevin Himes and his two guests, Alex Murza and Terry Shue.…
Building Bridges and Seeking Shalom
How can we build bridges between people, working toward social righteousness and shalom? In a new episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, Doug Zehr introduces a series of podcasts from Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team. Listen to this episode to learn more about this five-part podcast series and to hear Doug discuss five common misconceptions about…
Grace & Groundings offers resources
By Alysa Short Ohio Conference Coordinator of Volunteers Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s resource team focused on racial awareness and reconciliation, wants to bring your attention to a number of upcoming opportunities: Podcast series — Be sure to follow the Ohio Conference Cast on your podcast platform as there will be a new episode out each month from January through May…
Podcast episodes to focus on shalom
Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, is planning a podcast series focusing on social righteousness and shalom. The series will begin in January, with plans to publish one episode each month through May. Each episode will focus on a different topic designed to draw listeners into deeper conversations about issues of social righteousness and shalom. In addition…
Putting the focus on social justice
By Nathanael Hofstetter Ressler Note: This year Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, invited Ohio Conference churches to set aside Sunday, June 18, as Social Justice Sunday. The Grace & Groundings team provided worship planning resources for Social Justice Sunday. Below, Nathanael Hofstetter Ressler, pastor of Maple Grove Mennonite Church in Hartville, reflects on his congregation’s experience…
God’s kingdom is bigger
By Kevin Himes In Acts 10, Peter had a dream — a weird dream. Foods that any God-fearing Jew knew to be unclean were no longer off limits. It’s like a vegetarian dreaming of bacon high fiving a cheeseburger while God says, “It’s okay to eat meat now!” Although it seemed ridiculous at the time, Peter’s dream ultimately paved the…
Please let us know how you used these resources
Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, has produced a brief, six-question questionnaire concerning the Social Justice Sunday resources the team shared with congregations. Team members would appreciate hearing from your congregation regardless of whether or not you used the resources. Please take a few minutes to help the team assess the use of these resources. The questionnaire…
How will you celebrate Social Justice Sunday?
Social Justice Sunday, June 18, is quickly approaching. Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, will be sending each congregation a questionnaire later in the month to learn if and how your congregation celebrated. You may find it beneficial to keep notes on how you celebrated the day in order to respond to some of the questions. Please…
‘Aha’ moments: Reflections on a lifetime
By Gregory Battle “Now I understand why people choose to have biographers. This is painful to revisit.” — All-Too-Black Greg Many of the things that have formed my life experiences are the same things that have formed the lives of other men of my age. Then there’s a whole other thing: I am visibly Black. I have 67+ years of learning…
2023 Social Justice Sunday
2023 – Social Justice Sunday Resources
June 18 is Social Justice Sunday
Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, is inviting all Ohio Conference churches to set aside Sunday, June 18, as Social Justice Sunday, in recognition of Juneteenth the following day. (If June 18 does not work well for your congregation, please consider setting aside a different Sunday as Social Justice Sunday.) The team is preparing worship planning resources,…
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.
Humbled from the start: One person’s start on the anti-racist journey
By Greg Bowman Part 1 “When did you begin to grapple with being White?” The answer to this question is fairly straightforward: about 2001. The back story is more revealing. I was 49, living in eastern Pennsylvania in an all-white community, attending an all-white rural Mennonite congregation in Bally. It was at a Saturday morning session of a weekend-long anti-racism…
Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.
Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This is a day that remembers the nonviolent approach to racial justice that was led by minister and activist Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Grace & Groundings,” Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, invites you to use the previous Sunday – Jan. 15, 2023 – to remember the work…
Grounding our healing in grace
Let us begin to heal. Read Proverbs 3:1-7, noting especially verse 5a: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” We are in community with each other. Many of us are hurting. Can we come together and promote healing? Maybe you don’t see it. Maybe you don’t feel it. But when you listen…