Worship
AMBS offers worship materials to congregations
Recognizing the toll that COVID-19 has had on pastors and worship planners over the last eight months, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is offering several elements of a worship service for congregational use. Included are a call to worship and a prayer, as well as videos containing a scripture presentation, songs and a sermon featuring the story of Jesus in the…
Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday is Jan. 24
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) invites all Anabaptist congregations to celebrate Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday on Jan. 24, 2021. Each year MWC provides worship planning resources for use on Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday. Worship materials for 2021 were prepared by Asian church leaders on the theme “Following Jesus across barriers,” based on the texts Isaiah 55:1-6, Psalm 27, John 4:1-42 and…
MC USA, Together in Worship offer free resources
By Ann Leaman Ohio Conference Resource Advocate This month I would like to highlight free worship resources, both for corporate worship and for worship at home. Together in Worship Are you looking for Anabaptist worship resources? Together in Worship (togetherinworship.net) is a new website containing a wide variety of free worship resources. A partnership with CommonWord, Together in Worship is a…
Anabaptist Witness seeks submissions for April issue
Call for submissions: Anabaptist Witness welcomes submissions of various genres (sermons, photo essays, interviews, biographies, poems, academic papers, etc.) for its April 2021 issue on “Worship and Witness.” The deadline is Nov. 1, 2020. View submission guidelines at anabaptistwitness.org.
Peace Sunday is Sept. 20
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) has created resource materials for a Peace Sunday worship service on Sept. 20, using the theme “When one member suffers, all members suffer: Peace as accompaniment and solidarity.” Go to https://bit.ly/2020MWCPeaceSunday to download these materials.
This far by faith
Vikki Pruitte-Sorrells, pastor of Lee Heights Community Church in Cleveland, wrote an article about her experience with music in worship for the July issue of The Mennonite. You can read “This far by faith: Music and worship in a diverse congregation” online at https://bit.ly/MusicLeeHeights.
Ecumenical group develops guidelines for resuming in-person worship
Following an extended consultation, an ecumenical group of religious leaders has developed a set of guidelines for resuming in-person worship services. You can read their recommendations at https://bit.ly/ResumingCare-FilledWorship.
Anabaptist Worship Network develops website
The Anabaptist Worship Network, which began as a group on Facebook, now has its own website at http://anabaptistworship.net with worship resources and information about courses and events. The Anabaptist Worship Network is dedicated to supporting worship and song leaders in making intentional, theologically grounded, and spiritually inspired choices about worship practices that respond to their local contexts.
Thoughtful and prayerful reopening
All of our congregations throughout Ohio Conference are discerning when is the best time to start gathering together in person again and what steps need to be taken to try to prevent any spread of COVID-19. Most will be reopening in phases offering limited interaction (e.g. no Sunday school, no nursery care, no coffee and refreshments). Some will begin by…
Anabaptist Worship Network offers connections
Are you interested in sharing ideas with others who are planning worship? Anabaptist Worship Network, a new Facebook group conversation, is hosted by Katie Graber and Anneli Loepp Thiessen. This Facebook group is a meetup for pastors, worship leaders, song leaders, and those interested in Anabaptist worship. Participants can ask questions, share ideas and resources, and make connections. To participate,…
Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday is Jan. 19
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) invites all Anabaptist congregations to celebrate Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday on Jan. 19, 2020. Each year MWC provides worship planning resources for use on Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday. The theme for 2020 is “Jesus Christ: Our Hope.” This year the worship resources were prepared by MWC member churches in Canada and the United States. To download…
Check CommonWord for Advent resources
Looking for additional Advent resources? Check CommonWord for possibilities, including free downloadable resources. Go to http://bit.ly/CommonWordAdvent to start exploring. CommonWord is a collaboration of Mennonite Church Canada and Canadian Mennonite University.
Churches come together for World Communion Sunday
Ohio Conference congregations from Wayne and Summit counties gathered at Central Christian School on the afternoon of Oct. 6 for a World Communion Sunday service. The worship service was a partnership of several local Mennonite churches and the Swahili Community Church of Akron, a Congolese Mennonite congregation. The worship service was held in English, Spanish and Swahili and included prayer,…
2019 Advent guide for families is now available
Anabaptist Faith Formation and Mennonite Church USA are offering a free, downloadable guide for family worship during Advent written by Elsie Rempel. This resource, titled Waiting and Wondering, is designed for parents to use at home with their children. With this free worship guide, families can create a space to notice important questions and bring them to God. For six weeks from…
World Communion Sunday to be celebrated at Central
Join in celebrating World Communion Sunday on Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. at Central Christian School in Kidron. This worship service is a partnership of several local Mennonite churches and the Swahili Community Church of Akron, a Congolese Mennonite congregation. The event will include prayer, scripture, communion, and worship offerings from the Salem Mennonite dance group, Congolese Swahili choirs, and…
MWC Peace Sunday is Sept. 22
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) invites all Mennonite congregations to observe World Peace Sunday on Sept. 22. The theme for the 2019 World Peace Sunday is “A peace that passes all understanding….” MWC has developed worship planning materials for this special Sunday. To download these materials, go to http://bit.ly/MWCPeaceSunday.
CommonWord offers Lenten worship resources
CommonWord, a collaboration of Mennonite Church Canada and Canadian Mennonite University, offers many resources for planning worship during the Lenten season. If you’re looking for resources to help you with planning worship or leading a devotional, you can visit www.commonword.ca/go/1765. Many of these resources are available as free downloads. If you’re looking for resources for a specific day you can…
World Fellowship Sunday is Jan. 20
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) invites all Anabaptist congregations to celebrate World Fellowship Sunday on Jan. 20, 2019. Each year MWC provides worship planning resources for use on World Fellowship Sunday. The theme for 2019 is “Justice on the Journey: Migration and the Anabaptist-Mennonite Story.” To download these worship planning resources, go to http://bit.ly/2019WorldFellowshipSunday. To learn more about the history of…
Advent worship guide is for families
Anabaptist Faith Formation Network and Mennonite Church USA are offering a free, downloadable guide for family worship during Advent written by Elsie Rempel and illustrated by Megan Kamei. This resource, titled God’s Goodness, is designed for parents to use at home with their children. For use between Dec. 2 and Jan. 6, the worship guide includes Bible readings, short litanies, songs, hands-on…
Churches celebrate World Communion Sunday together
Several Ohio Conference congregations celebrated World Communion Sunday on Oct. 7 with the Akron Swahili Community Church. Central Christian School in Kidron hosted the joint worship service, which was followed by a meal. Photos by Diane Hostetler. For more information about this gathering, see the Daily Record report at http://bit.ly/2018WorldCommunionSunday.
Central Mennonite hosts worship workshop
Central Mennonite Church in Archbold hosted the “Enhancing and Equipping for Worship” workshop Oct. 5-6. Rachel Miller Jacobs, associate professor of congregational formation at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, was the featured speaker. About 30 people participated in this event, which included break-out workshops on music, art in worship, and several other topics. The event was planned with…
Register for ‘Enhancing and Equipping for Worship’
Enhancing and Equipping for Worship” is coming to Central Mennonite Church Oct. 5-6. This event featuring speaker Rachel Miller Jacobs from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, will include a variety of workshops. Register by Sept. 15 to receive the regular registration price, $20 per person. The registration fee is waived for participants ages 20 and under. For more…
Central Mennonite to host worship workshop
Save the date: Oct. 5-6, 2018, Central Mennonite Church in Archbold is hosting Rachel Miller Jacobs for a one-and-a-half-day workshop titled “Enhancing and Equipping for Worship.” Break-out workshops, worship, food, and fellowship are planned for this educational and inspirational experience for worship leaders and planners, lay persons and pastors. Brochures will be available in August. The Worship Ministry Team at…
MennoMedia to publish Voices Together song collection
The new worship and song collection for Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada will be called Voices Together. The new hymnal will be available in fall 2020 in a variety of formats. Read the full news release from MennoMedia at http://bit.ly/MennoMediaVoicesTogether.
CommonWord offers lectionary resources
Does your congregation follow the common lectionary in your worship services? Are you looking for worship resources related to lectionary scriptures? CommonWord, a worship resource website offered by Mennonite Church Canada and Canadian Mennonite University, has an online lectionary worship calendar at https://www.commonword.ca/Content/revised-common-lectionary. The calendar has links to resources related to lectionary texts. Some resources may be downloaded for free,…
Advent At Home guide is for families
Central Plains Mennonite Conference and www.AnabaptistFaithFormation.org are offering a free, downloadable guide for family worship during Advent written by Elsie Rempel. This resource, titled Yes! Let it Be!, is designed for parents to use at home with their children. For use between Dec. 3 and Jan. 6, the worship guide includes a daily Bible reading, short litany, songs, hands-on activities and…
Congregations invited to regional hymn sings
HARRISONBURG, Virginia — The Mennonite Worship and Song Committee, working under the name Resonate Team, has invited congregations to hold a “Great Day of Singing” this fall and has scheduled a series of 10 regional hymn sings. Two of these regional events will be held in Ohio: Oct. 8, 9:30 a.m. — Oak Grove Mennonite Church, Smithville, Ohio, led by…
Worship is formation — formation is worship
By Ellen Nussbaum Members of Oak Grove Mennonite Church (Smithville) and Sonnenberg Mennonite Church (Kidron), having discovered a common interest in exploring training and resources for leading congregational worship, came together to plan a Worship Resourcing Seminar. It was held on Saturday, May 6, at Sonnenberg Mennonite Church. Sixty-three participants gathered from 16 different Ohio Mennonite congregations. Participants included youth,…
Worship habits which form us
At the May 6 Worship Resourcing Workshop, speaker Rachel Miller Jacobs described three types of worship habits which form us. Worship practices for the individual level of habitus formation include 1) Physical: silence/stillness/contemplation–learning to listen for God’s voice, learning to wait for God’s initiating action; 2) Intellectual: Bible study/reading; 3) Spiritual: individual prayer, self-awareness; and 4) Emotional: attitude of attentiveness. …
Rachel Miller Jacobs leads Worship Resourcing Seminar
Sixty-three people from 15 congregations participated in the Worship Resourcing Seminar at Sonnenberg Mennonite Church on May 6. This event was co-sponsored by Sonnenberg Mennonite Church and Oak Grove Mennonite Church in Smithville with additional financial support from the Ohio Conference.