News & Stories
Leonard Dow assumes new role at Everence
Everence has named Leonard Dow as its vice president of community and church development, effective March 31, 2021. Dow first joined Everence in 2017 as a stewardship and development specialist, helping to create the organization’s urban market business plan. To learn more, see http://bit.ly/EverenceLeonardDow.
Online workshop series continues
Ohio Conference is continuing its series of workshops held on Thursday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. These free online workshops are open to everyone, and we invite you to come and learn more about the Lord’s work. Tonight, April 8, Matthew Peterson will lead the workshop “Creating a Culture of Ordinary Goodness.” During World War II, the town of Le Chambon, a…
‘MissionWary?’ examines mission in a Mennonite context
“MissionWary?” takes a deep dive into examining mission in a Mennonite context. This new podcast from Mennonite Mission Network is now available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
AMBS creates worship materials for congregations
Recognizing the toll that COVID-19 has had on pastors and worship planners over the last year, members of the community at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, have prepared worship materials for congregational use for two separate worship services. The first set of worship materials is designed for the Sunday after Easter (April 11). The resources, which are based…
Newsletter includes info about MennoCon21
Wondering about this summer’s denominational convention? The latest MennoCon21 Newsletter includes information about this year’s convention, which will be a hybrid event with an in-person gathering in Cincinnati as well as an online option. The online experience will use a virtual event platform called Pheedloop, which is specially designed for conferences. Registration for MennoCon21 opens April 6. See the MennoCon21 Newsletter…
CommonWord calendars link to worship resources
CommonWord now has season and event calendars with links to related resources. To explore these handy references to lectionary resources and materials for other events in the church and calendar years, go to https://www.commonword.ca/Content/worship-calendar.
MDS seeks volunteers for plumbing repairs
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers have been helping to restore water in Texas homes damaged by a major February ice storm. More volunteers are needed for plumbing repairs. Read the March edition of On the Level, the MDS newsletter, for details: http://bit.ly/OnTheLevel3-21.
How essential is prayer for renewal? The conversation with Brad Roth continues
How essential is prayer for renewal? This episode of the Ohio Conference Cast features discussion of this question with Brad Roth, the featured speaker at Ohio Conference’s recent missional conference. Listen to this episode to learn how Brad has seen the fruits of prayer in his own ministry. You can also hear some suggestions for incorporating prayer and fasting into…
Conference explores mission in the rural church
Speaker Brad Roth helped participants focus on God’s mission in the rural church during the evenings of March 4 and 5 during Ohio Conference’s missional conference. One hundred nineteen people participated in this event, which was held on the Zoom videoconferencing platform. A pastor of a rural church in Kansas, Roth is also the author of the book God’s Country:…
Conference holds first virtual Assembly
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio Conference held its 2021 Annual Conference Assembly (ACA) virtually rather than in person. On March 6 delegates from all around the Conference met on Zoom for business sessions and worship. One hundred thirty-three people registered for ACA, including 122 delegates from 32 congregations. Day includes worship In addition to business sessions, the online annual…
Volunteers accept Conference positions
Members of Ohio Conference congregations who volunteer their time play a vital role in Conference life. Without the help of numerous volunteers, many of the programs and functions of the Ohio Conference could not take place. Much of the work of Ohio Conference is done by the Leadership Team, the Ministry Development Team, the Credentialing Ministry, the Stewardship Ministry and…
Return to our roots
By Dick Barrett Conference Minister I write this just a few days after we concluded our 2021 Annual Conference Assembly (ACA). Because of the continued COVID pandemic, ACA had to be held virtually, but due to the efforts of many gifted people in Conference and our many congregations, the feedback that we have received so far has been very positive.…
The Ohio Conference Cast returns with new hosts
After a hiatus of several months, the Ohio Conference Cast podcast is back with two new hosts, Corben Weaver Boshart and Ramon Lianez. These two friends from Northwest Ohio are both pastors of Ohio Conference congregations, but they aren’t carbon copies of each other. Listen to their first episode to learn more about Corben and Ramon. You’ll even find out…
Invite MMN to your worship service
Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) is offering resources for congregational worship services. MMN staff members are available to join congregations in worship to preach, teach, and share stories of God at work around the world. MMN staff members can join congregations through video chat or with a prerecorded message. To request a virtual visit from an MMN staffer, go to http://bit.ly/MMNinChurches.
Recordings of ACA are online
Recordings of Annual Conference Assembly are available on the Ohio Conference website. Recordings include all three business sessions and the worship service. To view any of these recordings, go to https://bit.ly/AboutACA.
Sharing our faith with others — Count the casts, not the fish
In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, hosts Corben Weaver Boshart and Ramon Lianez talk about evangelism with Brad Roth, who was the speaker at Ohio Conference’s 2021 missional conference. Corben, Ramon and Brad discuss evangelism, especially in a rural setting. Listen to this episode to learn why curiosity and asking questions are important as we share our faith,…
Video series promotes discussion
A group of Ohio Conference congregations from Wayne County has joined together to create a video series focused on intercultural ministry and racial reconciliation. Series on Solidarity is a six-part series of videos and accompanying questions for small group discussions.
The goal of this series is to facilitate understanding and to promote the equality of all people. The Ohio Conference supported this project with a ministry grant in 2020. For links to these videos and the discussion guide, see http://bit.ly/SeriesonSolidarity.
Giving is lower during February
Giving to Ohio Conference decreased during February, but the Conference managed to stay out of deficit territory, according to figures provided by Stan Helmuth, Conference financial coordinator. Receipts for February totaled $15,068, a significant decrease from the amount received during January, $48,939. Expenses for the month totaled $30,037, resulting in a deficit of $14,969 for February. Even so, the Conference…
MC USA membership guideline documents now on website
During the 2021 Annual Conference Assembly, Conference Minister Dick Barrett shared a statement regarding the membership guidelines for Mennonite Church USA. A copy of this statement is available on the Ohio Conference website, along with a copy of the membership guidelines, and other related documents. To see these documents, go to http://bit.ly/ACA_Documents.
How important are emergency savings?
Evelin Gonzalez, a financial consultant at Everence, discusses the importance of an emergency savings fund during a pandemic: http://bit.ly/Everence-EmergencySavings.
Online seminary course deals with congregational conflict
Online Anabaptist Short Course: Transforming Congregational Conflict and Communication: April 14 – May 25. Join Betty Pries, Ph.D., to explore the possibilities and pitfalls of courageously engaging differences within congregational life in this six-week online noncredit course at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. No grades, no papers! CEUs available. Register by March 17 and save $50. See ambs.edu/shortcourses.
MEA continues executive director search
Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) is continuing its search for a new executive director. The deadline to apply is March 31. For more details, please see https://bit.ly/MEAExecDirector.
Peace center offers mediation training refresher
A note from Lombard Mennonite Peace Center: For those who have already taken our Mediation Skills Training Institute (MSTI), we are pleased to offer a new one-day event: the MSTI Refresher Course. Sessions are available on Tuesday, May 11, and Saturday, June 12. The fee is $99, and the event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. The full five-day…
Online workshops are free to all
Ohio Conference is offering a series of free online workshops. These workshops will take place on Thursday evenings on Zoom, beginning at 7 p.m. For information about these workshops, please go to http://bit.ly/2021OnlineWorkshops. Please register online at https://bit.ly/OhioConferenceEvents by the Monday before the workshop.
Ohio Conference Cast 2.0 — Meet our new hosts
After a hiatus of several months, the Ohio Conference Cast podcast is back! In this episode, our new hosts, Corben Weaver Boshart and Ramon Lianez, introduce themselves. These two friends from Northwest Ohio are both pastors of Ohio Conference congregations, but they aren’t carbon copies of each other. Listen to this episode to learn more about Corben and Ramon. You’ll…
Ohio Conference to offer free online workshops
As winter turns to spring, Ohio Conference invites you to join with others across the Conference in the exploration of new ideas. During March and April, Ohio Conference is offering a series of free one-hour workshops on the Zoom videoconferencing platform. All workshops will take place on Thursdays, beginning at 7 p.m. These workshops, led by individuals from Ohio Conference…
Mennonite Disaster Service Early Response Teams head to Texas
Lititz, PA — Early Response Teams from Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) are heading to Texas with a focus on repairing broken pipes and waterlines so residents hard-hit by the recent deadly ice storm can make their first step toward recovery. The storm sent some 29 million people into a state of crisis and, though power is back on for many,…
Delegate News – Winter 2021 #3
We look forward to our time together We are looking forward to meeting online for Annual Conference Assembly (ACA) March 6. This year ACA will take place on the Zoom videoconferencing platform. This issue of Delegate News includes more information to help you prepare for ACA. Gifts Discernment Ministry to present slate at ACA At ACA delegates will be asked…
MennoMedia shares answers to copyright and licensing questions
Church services on Zoom, streaming, podcasting, screensharing — all of these practices raise questions of copyright, especially in relation to the new Voices Together worship and song collection. MennoMedia has assembled a comprehensive resource to answer all of your copyright questions. Up-to-date information, downloadable pdfs, and specifics about the Voices Together audio recordings and projection edition can all be found…
Strong January giving erases deficit
After running a deficit for most of the current fiscal year, Ohio Conference ended January with a positive operating balance, according to figures provided by Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for the month totaled $48,939, including $40,278 in giving from congregations. Expenses for January totaled just $28,442, resulting in a surplus of $20,497 for the month. That surplus was large…