News & Stories
Delegate News — Winter 2021
Regional meetings to be held online Ohio Conference will hold online winter meetings for delegates to Annual Conference Assembly. Four regional meetings are planned: Tuesday, Feb. 2 — Wayne County/Holmes County Thursday, Feb. 4 — West Central/Southwest Ohio Tuesday, Feb. 9 — Northeast Ohio Thursday, Feb. 11 — Northwest Ohio All meetings will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m.…
Giving to Conference drops during November
Giving to Ohio Conference dropped in November, according to figures provided by Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for November totaled just $17,320, including $11,956 in giving from congregations. In contrast, receipts for October totaled $32,631, including $30,700 in giving from congregations. Expenses for November totaled $31,680. As a result, the Conference had a deficit of $14,360 for the month. As…
Missional conference to focus on the rural church
Pastor and author Brad Roth will be the featured speaker for Ohio Conference’s 2021 missional conference on March 4 and 5. The theme of this online event will be “Come and See! The Mission of the Church in God’s Country.” Please see the event brochure for more information. To register online, go to https://bit.ly/2021MissionalConference.
Weekend College to focus on pastoring through COVID
The Center for Anabaptist Leadership and Learning at Hesston College will host a special online Weekend College event for pastors, congregational leaders and conference leaders on Feb. 20. The event is titled “What If They Don’t Come Back? Pastoring through COVID.” Event attendance is open to all. Those interested in attending can register online at www.hesston.edu/weekendcollege.
‘Thriving Together’ is conference theme
ELKHART, Indiana — Offering church leaders space to “be” while learning how to thrive as leaders and congregations in the midst of the unprecedented disruption of COVID-19 will be the focus of Pastors and Leaders 2021, an annual conference of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana. The event, which will be held online for the first time, will…
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…
Worldwide prayer gatherings planned
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is hosting two online prayer hour gatherings on Jan. 15 and 16 for Mennonite church members from around the world to pray together. Both gatherings will include a chance for participants to separate into smaller language-based rooms to pray together. To learn more, see https://bit.ly/2021MWCPrayer.
Call for immigration reform renewed
A note from the Immigration Resource Team: The Evangelical Immigration Table soon will be introducing a series of policy recommendations for the new Congress and new presidential administration. These recommendations will be guided by biblical principles, but one core element of those proposals will be renewing a call for an earned legalization process for undocumented immigrants based on the principle…
Online spiritual direction retreat set for Feb. 16
Ohio Conference will hold “The Joy of Rest,” a spiritual direction retreat for pastors, on Tuesday, Feb. 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Zoom videoconferencing platform. Led by pastor, teacher and spiritual director Dan Schrock, this retreat will focus on spiritual practices, including sabbath. The registration fee for this event is $15. For more information, please see…
Four winter delegate meetings planned
Update: Two of the winter regional meetings for delegates have been rescheduled. The revised meeting schedule is listed below. Ohio Conference will hold online winter meetings for delegates to Annual Conference Assembly. Four regional meetings are scheduled: Tuesday, Feb. 2 — Wayne County/Holmes County Thursday, Feb. 4 — West Central/Southwest Ohio Tuesday, Feb. 9 — Northeast Ohio Thursday, Feb. 11…
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…
Explore Anabaptist approaches to scripture
Online through AMBS: Understanding Anabaptist Approaches to Scripture (Feb. 10 – March 23). Join Loren Johns, Ph.D., to study ways in which 16th-century Anabaptists approached Scripture both similarly to and differently from Catholics and other Protestants. This six-week online short course from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary now includes weekly video conversations with Loren. Sign up by Jan. 13 and save…
MCC podcast tells stories of migration
Check out the new “On the Move — En Movimiento” podcast from Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) that uses storytelling to challenge current narratives of migration. In the first episode, Ron Byler, recently retired executive director for MCC U.S., reflects on his January 2020 pilgrimage along the southern U.S. border. Ron drove and walked along the border wall and visited with…
Peace Center plans online workshops
Update: Please note that the date for Healthy Congregations has been changed to Jan. 30. Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (LMPC) is offering two of its workshops, Conflict Transformation Skills for Churches and Healthy Congregations, online during January. Both workshops will take place on Zoom. Conflict Transformation Skills for Churches will take place Jan. 16 from 8 a.m. ET to 3:30 p.m.…
Voices Together dedication is Dec. 13
A reminder for music lovers: MennoMedia is holding an online dedication launch event for the new Voices Together hymnal on Dec. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. ET. The event will include both a time of worship and an overview of the creation process for the hymnal. Although the event is free, registration is required to receive the Zoom link.…
Goshen College offers online Advent devotions
As the Advent season begins, Goshen College is offering online devotions once again. Beginning Nov. 23 and culminating on Christmas Day, Goshen College students, faculty and staff will provide reflections three days each week based on the upcoming Sunday’s lectionary Scripture passages, available online at www.goshen.edu/devotions. To receive these devotions by email, go to www.goshen.edu/devotions/subscribe. Writers will reflect on the…
Deficit increases slightly during October
Ohio Conference’s deficit increased slightly during October, according to figures provided by Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Expenses for October totaled $33,829, while receipts during the same time period were slightly lower, $32,631. As a result, the Conference had a deficit of $1,198 for the month. As of Oct. 31, the Conference showed a deficit of $22,502 for the 2020-21 fiscal…
Ohio MCC Comforter Bash is postponed
The Ohio MCC Comforter Bash originally scheduled for April 2021 has been postponed for one year. In the meantime, MCC encourages you to continue making comforters for MCC in your homes or churches. These handmade comforters bring hope and comfort to the people who receive them. They provide not only warmth, but also a tangible message that their needs are…
Hurricane recovery donations sought
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) asks for support for Central American hurricane recovery: Not one hurricane, but two hurricanes within two weeks have caused extensive flooding in Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Hurricanes Eta and Iota have destroyed crops and forced people from their homes. MCC is working with churches and community organizations to provide emergency food, hygiene supplies and cleanup support.…
Journey program at AMBS offers theological training
When God calls someone to ministry, a journey begins. Perhaps you are on that journey. Perhaps you are looking for mentors and companions along the way. Ohio Conference invites you to join Journey: A Missional Leadership Development Program. This program from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is for pastors and other congregational leaders who are called without specific training for ministry…
Board to discuss 2020 relief sale results
The Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale Board will discuss results from the 2020 sale during a Zoom meeting Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. If you would like to join this meeting and hear about the results, see https://bit.ly/ReliefSaleWrap-Up.
Online dedication planned for Voices Together
MennoMedia is holding an online dedication launch event for the new Voices Together hymnal on Dec. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. ET. This event will include a time to worship with new songs and resources, hear stories, and offer blessings for Voices Together and all who receive it. After this time of worship, there will be an overview of the process…
Anabaptist World seeks submissions for Dec. 25 issue
Where and how do you find joy these days? Anabaptist World invites your original submissions for the Dec. 25 issue focusing on the theme “Joy to the World.” For more information about this theme, see https://bit.ly/AnabaptistWorld25Dec2020.
2020 Advent at Home theme is “We Wait for Jesus”
In a time when many people are spending more time at home due to COVID-19, Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) is again offering an Advent at Home devotional guide. MC USA’s 2020 Advent at Home devotional, “We Wait for Jesus,” is now available for free download. The annual guide for home-based worship provides daily and weekly scripture readings, prayers and activities…
Journey helps individuals explore ministry
Journey: A Missional Leadership Development Program. Now is the time to nudge someone to grow into a new ministry. This program from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary supports learners as they explore spiritual leadership in their local churches and communities and deepen their understanding of Anabaptist theology and ministry through online study and meetings with a dedicated mentor. Apply for Winter…
MMN webinar to share vision for the future
Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) is hosting a webinar with MMN Executive Director Mike Sherrill on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. The webinar will focus on the theme “Adapting to the pandemic and innovating for the future.” Participants will hear how MMN is swiftly adapting to current circumstances, and they will get updates on MMN’s current work and learn about…
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…
Unity in a divisive world
By Dick Barrett Conference Minister By the time you read this column in the Evangel, the United States will have voted to elect or re-elect its next president. Hopefully, by the time you are reading this we will know who won. It seems like each election cycle creates more and more division in our country. The United States is divided…
Pastors and congregations — Ohio Conference needs your help!
For a variety of reasons, the number of men and women who are graduating from seminaries and pursuing pastoral ministry positions has been decreasing. This trend has resulted in fewer candidates for pastoral openings throughout the Ohio Conference. The Leadership Development Resource Team is currently exploring both new and traditional ways of identifying those whom God may be calling into…
Regional gatherings focus on mission statement, congregational sharing
By Dick Barrett Conference Minister On Oct. 20, 22, 27 and 29 Ohio Conference held four regional fall gatherings for delegates to Annual Conference Assembly. Delegates learned about a proposed new mission statement for the Conference, heard more about the upcoming Annual Conference Assembly, and shared with one another about their congregations’ experiences dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to…