News & Stories
Building a new life in Ohio
What is life like for refugees who come to Ohio? The latest episode of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast tells the story of one immigrant family that has ended up in Kidron, Ohio, after fleeing the war in Ukraine. Listen to this episode to hear the conversation between host Kevin Himes and his two guests, Alex Murza and Terry Shue.…
Twenty-five women attend Women in Leadership Retreat
All photos by Alysa Short Twenty-five women attended the Ohio Conference Women in Leadership Retreat Feb. 2-3 at the Lial Renewal Center in Whitehouse, Ohio. Speaker Jewel Gingerich Longenecker, dean of lifelong learning at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, led group sessions focusing on the theme “Finding Your Voice.” The retreat format also included time for worship, spiritual practices, quiet…
Churches work together at NW Ohio Comforter Bash
Volunteers from area Ohio Mennonite churches came together Jan. 10 to support Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) at the NW Ohio Comforter Bash, which was held at Central Mennonite Church in Archbold. This event was sponsored by Central Mennonite Church, Lockport Mennonite Church, PEACE Mennonite Fellowship and Zion Mennonite Church. All photos by Alysa Short, Ohio Conference coordinator of volunteers …
Delegate News – 1-30-24
Here are resources for presenting our shared work to your congregation January 30, 2024 Ohio Conference Delegates, Thank you for the comments, edits and questions at the five cluster meetings. Being present at each meeting was valuable for me. Hearing that many felt the strategic plan was familiar was heartening. The facilitator and Strategic Planning Team listened intently to capture…
Delegate News – Retirement Announcement
Greetings to members of Ohio Conference, Tony Doehrmann, regional pastor for the western region of Ohio Conference, has informed the Conference’s Leadership Team that he intends to retire at the end of March 2024. Pastor Doehrmann began as a regional pastor on Oct. 1, 2019. In that time, he has been a meaningful Conference connection with pastors and congregations in…
Register for ACA by Feb. 9
Have you registered for Annual Conference Assembly (ACA)? Feb. 9 is the deadline to register for ACA at the regular fee of $50 per person. After that date, the registration fee rises to $65 per person. Sharon Mennonite Church in Plain City will host the 2024 ACA March 1-2. The featured speaker at this event will be Meghan Larissa Good,…
ACA speaker discusses faith and scripture in podcast episodes
Meghan Larissa Good will be the featured speaker at Annual Conference Assembly March 1-2. Want to learn more about Meghan? She has appeared as a guest on a number of podcasts. You can hear more about Meghan’s life and experience connecting with the Bible on the God Hears Her podcast episode titled “Enjoying & Exploring Scripture”: https://bit.ly/MLGoodExploringScripture. You also can…
CommonWord offers resources for Lent
This year Lent begins Feb. 14. If you are looking for new Lenten resources, check out the website for CommonWord, a collaboration of Mennonite Church Canada and Canadian Mennonite University. In preparation for Lent, CommonWord has curated a collection of resources for this season of the church year. Included in the collection are books, songs, and worship resources such as…
MEA announces scholarship application deadline
ELKHART, Indiana — Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) has announced the deadline to apply for the MEA Scholarship for BIPOC Students within Mennonite Church USA (MC USA). Applications will be accepted through April 1, 2024, for the 2024-25 academic year. The scholarship was launched in the fall of 2023 to help students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color…
Getting to know Ohio Conference’s newest staff members
In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, hosts Jacob Dodson and Paula Snyder Belousek talk with Ohio Conference’s newest staff members, Interim Conference Minister Dan Miller and Interim Regional Pastor Larry Rohrer, who serves the eastern part of the Conference. Listen to this episode to hear Dan and Larry’s hopes for the Ohio Conference in the coming years. You’ll…
Rediscover the Bible with ACA speaker
Everyone is invited to attend the 2024 Annual Conference Assembly (ACA) March 1-2 at Sharon Mennonite Church in Plain City. The featured speaker at ACA will be Meghan Larissa Good, the author of The Bible Unwrapped: Making Sense of Scripture Today and Divine Gravity: Sparking a Movement to Rediscover a Better Christian Story. Want to learn more about Meghan Larissa Good? You can see…
Giving increases during December
Giving to Ohio Conference increased during December. Receipts for the month totaled $31,476, including $21,569 in congregational giving and $9,885 in gifts from individuals. In contrast, receipts for the month of November totaled just $20,839. Expenses for December totaled $30,612, resulting in a small surplus of $864 for the month. As of Dec. 31, Ohio Conference’s operating balance for 2023-24…
Anabaptist World seeks submissions about including people with disabilities
Anabaptist World invites your original submissions for an upcoming issue focusing on the theme “Inclusion of people with disabilities.” Articles should be between 600 and 1,200 words. For more information about this theme, see https://bit.ly/AWDisabilitiesInclusion. Submissions are due to editor@anabaptistworld.org no later than Feb. 5.
Public educator group to meet Jan. 25
The next online meeting of the Mennonite Public Educators group is Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, at 7 p.m. Eastern. This group is intended for all Mennonite education professionals working in public school settings. The conversation topic will be “CRT, Social-Emotional Learning, & book banning.” Registration is required. Email info@MennoniteEducation.org to receive registration information.
Hope for the Future conference set for Feb. 9-11
Registration for Mennonite Church USA’s (MC USA) Hope for the Future conference, to be held in Dallas, Texas, Feb. 9-11, 2024, is now open. The annual conference provides space for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) leaders from across the United States to gather and share in mutual support and worship. More information is available on the MC USA website: https://bit.ly/2024HopeforFuture.
Register online for ACA
Registration is open for the 2024 Annual Conference Assembly (ACA). Sharon Mennonite Church will host ACA on March 1-2. For more information, please see https://bit.ly/2024ACAInfo. To register, go to https://bit.ly/2024ACARegistration.
Building Bridges and Seeking Shalom
How can we build bridges between people, working toward social righteousness and shalom? In a new episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, Doug Zehr introduces a series of podcasts from Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team. Listen to this episode to learn more about this five-part podcast series and to hear Doug discuss five common misconceptions about…
Sharon Mennonite to host ACA
Meghan Larissa Good to be featured presenter Sharon Mennonite Church in Plain City will host the 2024 Annual Conference Assembly (ACA) March 1-2. The theme of this year’s gathering will be “Following Jesus Together with a Common Mission,” based on Philippians 2:5-11. The 2024 Annual Conference Assembly is intended for all members of Ohio Conference churches, not just delegates. In…
You’re invited: Join us for the Winter Read
Starting this month: The Ohio Conference Winter Read, a Conference-wide book group on Zoom, will be returning for the third year in a row. We would love to have you join us for conversation about the book Not Quite Fine: Mental Health, Faith and Showing Up for One Another by Carlene Hill Byron. Discussion leaders will be Emiley Shenk and …
MCC essay contest highlights youth perspectives
The annual MCC U.S. National Peace & Justice Ministries essay contest highlights the perspectives of youth on significant public policy issues. Are you a youth who attends a Mennonite high school or an Anabaptist church? This contest is your opportunity to express your views in essay format on critical issues facing U.S. society. This year’s topics are climate change, immigration, and…
Living Out God’s Greatest Commandments and Jesus’ Great Commission
By Dan Miller Interim Conference Minister We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! The Ohio Conference staff hopes you had a meaningful celebration of Christ’s birth, and that you were able to be with people you love. We pray that you can begin 2024…
Safe Church offers tools for abuse prevention
By Ann Leaman Ohio Conference Resource Advocate This month I would like to highlight Safe Church, which is Mennonite Church USA’s newly formed abuse prevention ministry. Safe Church now has a webpage available on the Mennoite Church USA website: https://bit.ly/MCUSASafeChurch. The webpage offers resources to help faith communities keep children, youth and vulnerable adults safe from abuse of any kind. Safe Church offers…
Grace & Groundings offers resources
By Alysa Short Ohio Conference Coordinator of Volunteers Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s resource team focused on racial awareness and reconciliation, wants to bring your attention to a number of upcoming opportunities: Podcast series — Be sure to follow the Ohio Conference Cast on your podcast platform as there will be a new episode out each month from January through May…
Women in Leadership Retreat to equip women to use their leadership gifts
Coming in February: “Finding Your Voice” will be the theme of the 2024 Ohio Conference Women in Leadership Retreat. This retreat is planned for Feb. 2-3 at the Lial Renewal Center in Whitehouse, Ohio. Presenter for the retreat will be Jewel Gingerich Longenecker, dean of lifelong learning at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. She will lead participants in…
Delegate News – Winter 2024 Cluster Meeting Materials
Please review these documents in preparation for cluster meetings Dear Ohio Conference Delegates, Thank you for your diligent work over the last 20 months! Your involvement has been important. This is the home stretch for the strategic planning process approved by delegates in 2022. In the upcoming January delegate cluster meetings, we will work in groups to address three items:…
Please join us for the Winter Read
In less than a month, the Ohio Conference Winter Read will begin. We would love to have you join us for conversation about the book Not Quite Fine: Mental Health, Faith and Showing Up for One Another by Carlene Hill Byron. Discussion leaders will be Emiley Shenk and Darin Nissley. Winter Read discussions will take place on Zoom on five…
Prepare for ACA by reading Divine Gravity
The ACA Planning Committee is encouraging all Annual Conference Assembly (ACA) participants to read Meghan Larissa Good’s book Divine Gravity prior to ACA in March. Delegates will receive a copy of the book at winter cluster meetings. Everyone who has read the book prior to ACA will be entered into a prize drawing at ACA. Please see the 2024 ACA…
Safe Church offers abuse prevention resources
Safe Church, Mennonite Church USA’s newly formed abuse prevention ministry, now has a webpage available on the MC USA website: https://bit.ly/MCUSASafeChurch. The webpage offers resources to help faith communities keep children, youth and vulnerable adults safe from all abuse. Among other materials, the webpage contains a major update to the Circle of Grace curriculum: https://bit.ly/MCUSACircleofGrace.
Podcast episodes to focus on shalom
Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, is planning a podcast series focusing on social righteousness and shalom. The series will begin in January, with plans to publish one episode each month through May. Each episode will focus on a different topic designed to draw listeners into deeper conversations about issues of social righteousness and shalom. In addition…
Deficit increases during November
During November giving to the Ohio Conference was lower than expenses for the third month in a row. Receipts during November totaled $20,839, including $20,515 in giving from congregations. Expenses for the month were $23,334, resulting in a deficit of $2,495 for the month. After the first eight months of the 2023-24 fiscal year, the year-to-date operating balance stands at…