News & Stories
Register now for Youth Worker Retreat
Sept. 24 is the deadline to register for the Ohio Conference Youth Worker Retreat. This event will take place Oct. 15-17 at Camp Luz in Kidron. Retreat speaker Glen Guyton, executive director of Mennonite Church USA, will focus on the theme “Equipped for the Journey: The who, what and how for youth workers.” We strongly encourage your congregation to GIFT this…
Five fall cluster meetings are scheduled
Please mark your calendar: Five fall cluster meetings have been scheduled for delegates to the Ohio Conference Annual Conference Assembly. Each meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last approximately 90 minutes. Locations are as follows: Oct. 19 — Beech Mennonite Church, Louisville Oct. 21 — Bethel Mennonite Church, West Liberty Oct. 28 — Lockport Mennonite Church, Stryker Nov. 2…
Being the church — challenge and calling
This episode of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast features an interview with Conference Minister Dick Barrett. Hosts Corben Weaver Boshart and Ramon Lianez talk with Dick about challenges facing the church today. Dick notes that he has been encouraged to view challenges as opportunities. “God has called us in this time for a specific reason,” he says. Listen to this…
Conference plans Women in Leadership Retreat
Ohio Conference will hold a Women in Leadership Retreat Feb. 18-19, 2022, at the St. Francis Spirituality Center in Tiffin, Ohio. The resource speaker will be Rebecca Slough, academic dean emerita and professor emerita of worship and the arts at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. Please see the event flier for details. Registration information will be announced in…
MennoMedia offers new resources for pastors
MennoMedia is offering the “What Now?” series designed specifically for pastors as they navigate the challenges and opportunities that have emerged as a result of the global pandemic. In August, September, and October subscribers will receive an email every other week with links to practical resources, worship helps, downloadable PDFs, shareable images, a mini-series of -ing podcasts, and more. There will be…
Online registration is open for Ohio Conference events
Online registration is open for five different events sponsored by the Ohio Conference: 30 — Prepare/Enrich Training, Salem Mennonite, Kidron 15-17 — Youth Worker Retreat, Camp Luz 19 — Prepare/Enrich Training, West Clinton Mennonite, Wauseon 6 — Believe and Be Baptized Workshop, Columbus Mennonite 12-14 — Pastor-Spouse Retreat, Mills Park Hotel, Yellow Springs To register for any of these events,…
Oak Grove seeks youth pastor
Oak Grove Mennonite Church in West Liberty is seeking a youth pastor. This individual would focus on working with people from junior high through college age. The position could be full time or half time. Both men and women are invited to apply. For more details, please see the job description. To apply, send your resume to Alex Dye at…
Rooted and Grounded to return to AMBS
Registration is open for the fifth Rooted and Grounded Conference on Land and Christian Discipleship, which will be held Oct. 14–16 at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. The theme of this conference will be “Land: Loss, Connection and Imagination.” The event will be offered in a hybrid format; some elements will be available only to in-person participants, and…
Sonnenberg Mennonite plans anniversary celebration
Sonnenberg Mennonite Church in Kidron is celebrating its 200th anniversary Sept. 24-26 with a variety of events which are free and open to the public. Please see the Sonnenberg Anniversary Flier for details.
Next MEA executive director chosen
The Board of Directors of Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) has named Rev. Dr. Michael Danner as executive director of MEA. The appointment is part of a collaborative staffing agreement with the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) Executive Board. Danner currently serves as associate executive director of Church Vitality for MC USA. Beginning Sept. 1, 2021, Danner will split his time between the MC USA…
Giving to Conference drops in July
Giving to Ohio Conference dropped during July, according to figures supplied by Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for the month of July totaled just $21,768, compared to the $25,467 given during June. Expenses for July totaled $28,896, resulting in a deficit of $7,128 for the month. As of the end of July, the Conference’s operating balance stood at -$3,124 for…
New Pastor Orientation held Aug. 15-16
Ohio Conference held a New Pastor Orientation Aug. 15-16 in Holmes County and Wayne County. Thirteen people participated, including Ohio Conference pastoral staff members. The orientation helped pastors new to the Ohio Conference learn to know each other and learn about resources available to them. In addition to visiting the Ohio Conference office in Kidron, participants spent time at MCC…
All-Ohio Conference Pastor Meeting features fellowship, worship and dialogue
By Dick Barrett Conference Minister On Aug. 5 congregational pastors from across Ohio Conference gathered at the Upper Sandusky Community Library for a time of fellowship, worship and discernment together. It was the first time they were able to gather in person in a year and a half. While fellowship was the highlight for the 28 ministers present, time was…
Equipping youth workers — an interview with Glen Guyton
How do we disciple young people in the church? How can we help them discover their calling in a cluttered world? In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast, Glen Guyton, the executive director of Mennonite Church USA, considers these questions and reflects on his years in youth ministry. He notes that we often don’t realize the long-term effects…
Camp Luz seeks program director
Camp Luz is accepting applications for the position of program director. This full-time position is a key member of the year-round team and carries primary responsibility for planning and carrying out all retreat and summer camp programs at Camp Luz. The full job description is available at www.campluz.com. Resumes should be sent to Andrew Michaels, Camp Director, at andrew@campluz.com or mailed…
Workshop to feature conversations about baptism
Ohio Conference and Central District Conference are hosting a free workshop featuring ecumenical conversation about baptism on Saturday, Nov. 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Columbus Mennonite Church. “Believe and Be Baptized: Conversations on a 500-year Tradition” will be led by John D. Roth, a history professor at Goshen College. This workshop is open to all in the…
Prepare/Enrich training offered this fall
Recognizing that pastors are often called upon to counsel engaged and married couples, Ohio Conference is offering training in a program called Prepare/Enrich. Ohio Conference will offer this training twice, on Sept. 30 at Salem Mennonite Church in Kidron and Oct. 19 at West Clinton Mennonite Church in Wauseon. This training equips pastors to use the Prepare/Enrich assessment with engaged…
New Missional Discipleship Group training available this fall
Over the past five years approximately 13 congregations across Ohio Conference have participated in the Missional Discipleship Group initiative which was started by Mennonite Mission Network (MMN). Over that time many of our pastors and other congregational leaders have been trained as coaches. The training has also been reduced from three eight-month-long training cohorts to one. While MMN is pausing…
Golf scramble to benefit Adriel
Adriel will hold a benefit golf scramble Monday, Sept. 13, at 12:30 p.m. at the Eagle Rock Golf Club in Defiance. Proceeds benefit children in Northwest Ohio and throughout the state through Adriel’s foster care and adoption, clinical services, training, and family preservation programs. For more information, see https://www.adriel.org/adriel-golf-outings.
Camp Luz to host youth worker retreat
Ohio Conference will hold a retreat for youth workers Oct. 15-17 at Camp Luz in Kidron. “Equipped for the Journey: The who, what and how for youth workers” is the theme of this retreat, which will be led by Glen Guyton, executive director of Mennonite Church USA. The cost of this retreat is $125 per person for members of Ohio…
Peace center offers mediation workshop
Registration is open for Lombard Mennonite Peace Center’s Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders, to be held Oct. 11-15 and Nov. 15-19, 2021. The two identical sessions will be held remotely via Zoom. This workshop is designed to help church leaders deal more effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict. For details, please consult the MSTI…
MEA suspends executive director search, pursues collaboration with MC USA Executive Board
ELKHART, Ind. (Mennonite Education Agency, Mennonite Church USA) — The Board of Directors of Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) has suspended its six-month search for an executive director to pursue a possible leadership collaboration with the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) Executive Board, according to Dick Thomas, MEA board chair. MEA is an agency of MC USA. MEA has a history…
Apply for a grant by Aug. 6
Is your congregation looking for ways to fund a ministry that impacts your community? Aug. 6 is the deadline to submit a grant proposal to the Ohio Conference Ministry Development Team (MDT). The MDT is accepting proposals from Conference congregations and related organizations for projects and mission initiatives. The MDT has $19,630 available for grants in 2021. Since 2012 the MDT has awarded grants…
Scripture resource focuses on immigration
The Ohio Conference Immigration Resource Team has compiled a list of scriptures related to immigration for personal and congregational use. “A Biblical Guide to Immigration” includes scriptures grouped by topic. It is intended for use in sermons and in Sunday school classes or for personal reflection. Download the Guide
Resource offers conflict transformation tools
Conflict is a normal part of life. It arises in our workplaces, in our churches and with our families. To help people learn to work through divisive issues, Mennonite Central Committee U.S. has produced a new adult Sunday school curriculum, Peaceful Practices: A guide to healthy communication in conflict. It invites churchgoers to follow Jesus’ call to peacemaking through dialogue with…
Conference remains in the black during June
Giving to Ohio Conference increased during June compared to the previous month, according to figures provided by Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for June totaled $25,467, up from the $20,720 received in May. Expenses for June totaled $26,878, which led to a deficit of $1,411 for the month. Even so, the Conference ended the first quarter of the 2021-22 fiscal…
Breaking stereotypes one quilt at a time
From MCC Great Lakes: Growing up in northeast Ohio, Paul Seling always admired beautiful quilts and hoped to learn how to make them someday. Stuck at home during the pandemic this past year, he decided to tackle that goal. A 34-year-old father of two young children, he doesn’t fit the stereotypical mold of a traditional Mennonite quilter. But he uses…
Workshop looks at pastor-congregation relations
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center is offering an online workshop, “Facilitating Healthy Pastor-Congregation Relations” on Tuesday, Oct. 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. Held on the Zoom videoconferencing platform, this workshop will offer strategies for church leaders who want to help their congregation function in healthier ways. Attention will be given both to structural changes and emotional processes. See…
Peace Sunday is Sept. 19
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) invites all Mennonite congregations to observe Peace Sunday together with brothers and sisters in the global Anabaptist church family on Sept. 19, 2021. The theme for this year’s Peace Sunday is “Finding hope and healing in crisis.” The MWC Peace Commission has created worship resources for celebrating Peace Sunday. Download the Worship Materials
MMN video series seeks to ‘Stir Up Peace’
From Mennonite Mission Network: Check out the brand new Stir Up Peace video series! Learn the tools to seek positive change in nonviolent ways. All nine video episodes are less than six minutes long. See the videos at https://bit.ly/StirUpPeace.