News & Stories
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.
Convention planners seek proposals for seminars
Convention planners are seeking proposals for equipping seminars at MennoCon21, the Mennonite Church USA biennial convention slated to take place in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 6-10, 2021. The deadline for proposal submissions is Oct. 10, 2020. See https://bit.ly/MennoCon21SeminarProposals for more information.
MCC livestream celebration set for July 26
A message from Mennonite Central Committee: It’s time to celebrate 100 years! Join us (virtually) for an MCC Centennial Celebration this Sunday, July 26. This year marks the 100th anniversary of MCC! It is not the centennial year we anticipated. Still, we invite you to join us (virtually) on Sunday, July 26, at 6:30 p.m. (EDT), as we offer thanks…
Everence to celebrate 75th anniversary July 19
GOSHEN, Indiana — Everence is not letting social distancing deter plans to commemorate the organization’s 75th anniversary. Instead of an in-person gathering, the faith-based financial services company will celebrate virtually, with a videocast on Sunday, July 19, at 3 p.m. (EDT). The July 19 videocast will feature comments from John D. Roth, Ph.D., Goshen College Professor of History and author…
Lighthouse Ministries plans Over The Edge fundraiser
Update: Following the guidance of the City of Canton’s health department, Lighthouse Ministries is postponing the Over The Edge fundraising event until spring 2021. A message from Lighthouse Ministries in Canton: Are you willing to go Over The Edge for kids? On Friday and Saturday, Sept. 4 and 5, people from all over northeast Ohio will be rappelling 14 stories down the side of the Bliss Lofts in downtown Canton.…
AMBS webinar is for those experiencing loss
AMBS webinar: Mourning Our Losses Together During COVID-19: The Good News of Biblical Lament: Tuesday, July 21, 2–3 p.m. EDT. This free webinar — back by popular demand! — is for those experiencing loss and those journeying with them. Participants will explore the three–act movement of biblical lament as a faithful response to God. Registration is required. See ambs.edu/mourningourlosses.
MCC plans centennial livestream celebration
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) will celebrate its centennial year with a virtual event on Sunday, July 26, at 6:30 p.m. EDT. MCC will be broadcasting live from Prairie Street Mennonite Church in Elkhart, Indiana, the site of an important first meeting in the formation of MCC. This livestream event will feature a combination of live and pre-recorded speakers and music.…
MCC U.S. names next executive director
Ann Graber Hershberger has been named the next executive director of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. She will begin her new role in October 2020 as current executive director J. Ron Byler retires. The shift reflects a leadership plan determined in 2019 and affirmed by the organization’s board of directors at their June 20 meeting. Hershberger began as associate executive director following…
Women in Leadership Retreat planned for February
Update: This retreat has been postponed until the fall of 2021. Save the date: Ohio Conference will hold a Women in Leadership Retreat Feb. 5-6, 2021, at the St. Francis Spirituality Center in Tiffin. The input speaker for this retreat will be Rebecca Slough, academic dean emerita and professor emerita of worship and the arts at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary.…
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.
‘Race, Church and Change’ is webinar theme
Save the date: Mennonite Church USA is planning a second webinar on the theme “Race, Church and Change.” This webinar is scheduled for July 23 at 6:30 p.m. EDT on both Zoom and Facebook Live. To register for this webinar, go to https://mcusa.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JKz_I1rpS76YxM8QwSvRzg. The first “Race, Church and Change” webinar took place on Thursday, June 25, and featured a discussion…
Peace center moves its courses to Zoom
For the rest of 2020 Lombard Mennonite Peace Center will hold all its scheduled training events remotely via Zoom rather than in person. Scheduled training events include Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders (Aug. 3-7), Conflict Transformation Skills for Churches (July 18), Healthy Congregations (July 21), and Breaking Free: Finding Resilience in an Era of Collective Trauma (July 16…
Mennonite colleges begin sharing plans for fall semester
Mennonite colleges and universities in the United States have begun announcing plans for returning to in-person classes this fall. The Mennonite reports more details at https://bit.ly/Fall2020CollegePlans.
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.
MDT to award Ministry Grants
Ministry Grants are back! Aug. 10 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 $7,000 available for grants in 2020. This year the MDT is seeking to provide grants for projects that address…
Conference receipts drop sharply in May
Ohio Conference experienced a sharp drop in receipts during May compared to April. Congregational giving totaled just $11,964 in May, compared with $28,038 in April. Total receipts for the month were $12,444, and expenses totaled $26,252. As of the end of May, the Conference’s year-to-date operating balance was -$9,730.
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.
New members join Immigration Resource Team
The Ohio Conference Immigration Resource Team has added two new members from western Ohio, Megan Bettelon and Krisha Pagniano. Below they share some information about themselves and their interest in immigration: Megan Bettelon: I’ve been a lifelong attendee of Huber Mennonite Church in New Carlisle. I am a social worker and currently work in a school setting. Growing up in…
Being Jesus in the reopening of his churches
By Dick Barrett Conference Minister The past several months have certainly been a difficult time in our individual lives and in the lives of our churches throughout Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA. It seems like “a perfect storm” — a pandemic that almost none of us have ever experienced before, an economy that crashed with no one sure of…
The Mennonite seeks submissions for August issue
The Mennonite Inc. invites your original submissions for the August 2020 issue focusing on the theme “Why I am an Anabaptist.” For more information about this theme, see https://bit.ly/TheMennoniteAugust2020. Submissions are due to Editor@TheMennonite.org no later than July 3.
June 21 is World Refugee Sunday
June 21 has been designated as World Refugee Sunday. The Immigration Resource Team of the Ohio Conference is encouraging congregations to highlight World Refugee Sunday during their worship services on June 21, perhaps by mentioning it in any sharing or announcement time and including it in the pastoral prayer. The following links have numerous excellent ideas for observing World Refugee…
MCC webinar to share international stories of responding to COVID-19
Mennonite Central Committee will hold a Facebook Live webinar on June 17 about COVID-19 in the developing world: Wednesday, June 17, at 7 p.m. EST: “COVID-19 hits the developing world: Q&A with MCC’s Health Coordinator” free Facebook live webinar. Paul Shetler Fast, MCC’s Health Coordinator, will share stories of how MCC is scaling up and adapting programs in response to COVID-19.…
Webinar to explore immigration policy effect on COVID-19 spread
Mennonite Central Committee’s webinar series on immigration continues June 16: Tuesday, June 16 at 2 p.m. EST: “MCC’s migration work in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala/El Salvador” free immigration webinar. In the continuing six-part webinar series on immigration and border realities, MCC staff and partners will discuss how U.S. policies and protocols are affecting the spread of the coronavirus among vulnerable populations in Latin…
MennoMedia offers free devotional resource
MennoMedia is offering a second special issue of its daily devotional magazine, Rejoice!, as a free download. The special publication, titled Rejoice! A Time Enduring, was written, edited, and designed by individuals volunteering their time to contribute their gifts for the benefit of their communities of faith. To download a copy, go to https://bit.ly/RejoiceATimeEnduring.
MWC calls for coordinated aid response
Mennonite World Conference has invited Anabaptist mission and service agencies to coordinate their financial response to COVID-19 hardships experienced especially by under-resourced member churches around the world. Learn more at https://bit.ly/MWCPandemicResponse.
Mourning in time of COVID-19 is webinar topic
AMBS webinar: Mourning Our Losses Together During COVID-19: The Good News of Biblical Lament: Tuesday, June 23, 2–3 p.m. EDT. This free webinar is for those experiencing loss during this global pandemic and their caregivers. Participants will explore the three–act movement of biblical lament as a faithful response to God in both individual and corporate settings. Registration is required: ambs.edu/mourningourlosses.
Leadership Team makes statement on racial injustice
As the Leadership Team of Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA, we affirm the recent statement from Mennonite Church USA on racial injustice and Executive Director Glen Guyton’s open letter to the denomination. We lament the death of George Floyd, the latest death of an African-American person at the hands of a white police officer. We grieve the violence that has erupted…
Bill and Thomas reflect on their time as Ohio Conference Cast hosts
After more than three years, Bill Seymour and Thomas Dunn have decided to conclude their time as hosts of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast. In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, Bill and Thomas reflect on their time as hosts of the podcast, which began in the fall of 2016. They talk with Ohio Conference Assistant Moderator Paula Snyder…
Faith leaders call for National Day of Mourning and Lament
This week America surpassed 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. Many of those who died had to do so without the presence of family and loved ones. The deaths have been disproportionate in age, race and economic status. As we mark this grim milestone of more than 100,000 deaths in America and more than 350,000 worldwide, faith leaders from across our country…
Donut Day fundraiser to benefit MCC
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is inviting everyone to celebrate National Donut Day on June 5 by joining MCC’s social media baking party. Due to COVID-19, many spring and summer MCC relief sales have been postponed or canceled. These events raised more than $2.2 million last year alone. Any funds raised on National Donut Day will go to MCC’s “Where needed…