Prepare for ACA by reading Divine Gravity

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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…

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Safe Church offers abuse prevention resources

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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…

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Deficit increases during November

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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…

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Register now for Women in Leadership Retreat

The biennial Ohio Conference Women in Leadership Retreat is quickly approaching on Feb. 2-3, 2024. This year’s retreat will be held at the Lial Renewal Center in Whitehouse, Ohio, and will feature Jewel Gingerich Longenecker, dean of Lifelong Learning at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. She will lead participants in exploring what it means to claim the fullness of their identity…

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Spiritual renewal program offered for clergy

The Center for Clergy Renewal (https://bit.ly/CCRProgram) offers spiritual renewal to Christian pastors through ecumenical immersion experiences into the life of Holy Wisdom Monastery, near Madison, Wisconsin, and an ongoing community of monastic resources and support that extends beyond the walls of Holy Wisdom. The program offers early and mid-career clergy the opportunity to nourish their spiritual center by developing life-long, covenantal relationships…

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AMBS offers Practical Leadership Training

Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, is offering training modules for pastors and lay leaders through its Practical Leadership Training program. Please see the 2024 Practical Leadership Training flyer to learn more about upcoming training modules.

Oak Grove in Smithville seeks lead pastor

Oak Grove Mennonite Church in Smithville, Ohio, is looking for a full-time lead pastor. Oak Grove was founded in 1818 and is steeped in Anabaptist belief, practice, and history. We seek a lead pastor to teach, encourage, and shepherd the people of Oak Grove Mennonite Church that they might grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and might further His…

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ACA speaker discusses scripture

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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…

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Arsenic mitigation efforts continue in Bangladesh

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At the 2023 Annual Conference Assembly, Bill and Carole Schumacher of Sharon Mennonite Church shared a presentation about the Arsenic Mitigation Project, which focuses on removing arsenic from the water supply in Bangladesh. The Schumachers have continued to work with this project. To learn more, see the project’s most recent newsletter: https://bit.ly/11-23ArsenicMitigation.

Winter Cluster meetings start Jan. 9

Five winter cluster meetings have been scheduled for Ohio Conference delegates to Annual Conference Assembly. Each meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last about two hours.  Locations are as follows: Jan. 9 — Tedrow Mennonite Church, Wauseon Jan. 11 — Beech Mennonite Church, Louisville Jan. 16 — Crown Hill Mennonite Church, Rittman Jan. 18 — Oak Grove Mennonite Church, West Liberty Jan.…

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Ohio MCC Comforter Bash set for March 8-9

Fairlawn Mennonite Church in Apple Creek will host the fourth annual Ohio MCC Comforter Bash on March 8 and 9. The church is located at 8520 Emerson Road, Apple Creek. All are invited to knot comforters for Mennonite Central Committee. Women, men, youth groups, friends and family are invited! Come and go as you are able. Hours are as follows:…

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Grant awarded to MEA Hispanic Ministries

Mennonite Education Agency Hispanic Ministries has received a $15,500 grant from The Schowalter Foundation to adapt the Instituto Bíblico Anabautista (IBA – Anabaptist Bible Institute) digital resources to better serve participants in virtual settings. Learn more at https://bit.ly/MEAHispanicMinistries-Grant.

MMN to offer new Anti-racism Grant

Mennonite Mission Network is offering an Anti-Racism Grant specifically for individuals and organizations managed by Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous or other People of Color groups who are engaged in peacebuilding, social justice and anti-racism efforts. Learn more at https://bit.ly/MMNAnti-RacismGrants.

The Soil and The Seed Project offers Advent and Christmas resources

If you are seeking ways to nurture faith at home during Advent, take a look at the new free resources available online at The Soil and The Seed Project: https://bit.ly/SoilandSeedVol8. Volume 8 of these faith formation resources, now available, is intended for use during Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. The Soil and The Seed Project has created “little liturgies” with downloadable…

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Retreat will equip women to use leadership gifts

Online registration is open for the Ohio Conference Women in Leadership Retreat planned for Feb. 2-3, 2024, at the Lial Renew­al Center in Whitehouse, Ohio. The retreat will feature Jewel Gingerich Longenecker of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Semi­nary, who will focus on the theme “Finding Your Voice.” This retreat will explore what it means for women to lead as their authentic…

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EMU to host Shalom Academy

Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, will host Shalom Academy (formerly School for Leadership Training) Jan. 8-10, 2024. Cultivating unity within faith communities can be difficult when cultural pressures are divisive. Shalom Acade­my 2024 will offer a place to learn and reflect on the practices that move congregations past divisiveness and toward peace, both within their walls and in their…

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AMBS gathering to focus on peacemaking

“Strategies for Peacemaking” will be the theme of the 2024 Pastors & Leaders Conference at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana, Feb. 19-22, 2024. Betty Pries, PhD, will be the featured speaker. This conference will focus on tools for peacemaking — building our capacity to tend to our inner work; address conflicts within our churches; and lead people…

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New training modules offered at AMBS

In August Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, launched a new Practical Leadership Training program to help pastors, lay leaders, community leaders, and leaders of nonprofit organizations increase their capacity to pro­vide effective Anabaptist leadership in a variety of settings. A new set of training modules is available beginning in January. Topics include Intergenerational Faith Formation, Riding the Wave…

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Retreat offers couples time for rest, reconnection

Fourteen couples attended the Ohio Conference Pastor-Spouse Retreat, which was held Nov. 10-12 at Deer Creek State Park Lodge in Mt. Sterling, Ohio. The theme of the weekend gathering was “Fill my Cup,” and participants were encouraged to rest, be refreshed and reconnect with their spouse. Our thanks go to the sponsors who helped to underwrite this event: Hummel Group,…

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You’re invited to join the Ohio Conference Winter Read

Coming in January: The Ohio Conference Winter Read. This winter Ohio Conference will once again hold a Conference-wide book study using the Zoom videoconferencing plat­form. This year we will be studying Not Quite Fine: Mental Health, Faith and Showing Up for One Another,  a book by Carlene Hill Byron. Discussion leaders will be Emiley Shenk and Darin Nissley. Winter Read discussion sessions will…

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Winter cluster meetings scheduled

Five winter cluster meetings have been scheduled for Ohio Conference delegates to Annual Confer­ence Assembly. Each meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last about two hours.  Locations are as follows: Jan. 9 — Tedrow Mennonite Church, Wauseon Jan. 11 — Beech Mennonite Church, Louisville Jan. 16 — Crown Hill Mennonite Church, Rittman Jan. 18 — Oak Grove Mennonite Church, West Liberty Jan.…

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Deficit increases during October

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Ohio Conference’s expenses outpaced giving during October. Receipts for the month totaled $18,589, including $18,462 in giving from congregations. Expenses for October totaled $26,130, resulting in a deficit of $7,541 for the month. As of Oct. 31, the Conference’s year-to-date operating balance was -$41,747. The Conference fiscal year ends March 31, 2024.              

Mennonite World Conference to hold Online Prayer Hour Nov. 17

Mennonite World Conference invites you to join the Anabaptist-Mennonite family at Online Prayer Hour, a Zoom prayer call, on Friday, Nov. 17, at 9 a.m. EST. There will be breakout rooms with a prayer leader in several languages. Please register in advance at https://bit.ly/MWCOnlinePrayerNov23.

MC USA to relaunch Equipping e-newsletter

ELKHART, Indiana (Mennonite Church USA) — After a two-year hiatus, the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) Executive Board communications department is relaunching Equipping, a resource e-newsletter for leaders across MC USA. MC USA will reintroduce Equipping as a quarterly email news­letter featuring resources on leadership, peacebuilding, worship, faith formation and more from MC USA and its confer­ences, congregations, agencies, ministry…

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Advent at Home guide coming soon

Update: The 2024 Advent at Home worship guide is now available. Go to https://bit.ly/AdventatHome  to download it. ELKHART, Indiana (Mennonite Education Agency) — Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) announces the upcoming publica­tion of Advent at Home 2023. Taken from Leader magazine’s Advent theme, “How will we know?” this worship guide accompanies individuals and families through the days and weeks of Advent…

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