News & Stories
Growing Disciples, Part 2 — Seeing God at Work
This podcast episode is the second in a series exploring Missional Discipleship Groups. Guest host Lucas Johnson, pastoral team member at Valley View Mennonite Church in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania, talks with several people who are participating in these weekly small groups. Listen to this episode to hear Casey and Gail, two members of a women’s small group, reflect on how God…
Bloggers focus on Advent themes
Throughout Advent, bloggers for The Mennonite will write reflections on the upcoming Sunday’s Lectionary text. These reflections are archived at themennonite.org/advent. To receive these reflections, sign up for the TMail e-newsletter at https://themennonite.org/t-mail or follow The Mennonite on Facebook.
Conference to consider faith and digital culture
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, is hosting “Shaping Faith in a Digital Culture” March 2-5. This conference will be a time for faith leaders to think theologically about living, worshiping and playing in digital spaces. Presenter Karen-Marie Yust, author of Real Kids, Real Faith, is professor of Christian education at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. She will…
Sent Conference 2020 coming to Philadelphia
Save the date! Mennonite Mission Network is planning another conference focusing on church planting. The Sent Conference 2020 will take place April 24–26 in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Praise Center. Visit http://www.MennoniteMission.net/SentNetwork to learn more about the Sent Network.
MMN seeks Service Adventure leaders
Thinking of pastoral ministry? Be a Service Adventure leader! Live in a unit house with a small group of youth and offer support as they serve and live in Christian community. Age: 24+; term: 2 years. For more information, contact LaurenEH@MennoniteMission.net.
Youth Venture team to serve at Nazareth Village
Experience the town of Jesus, meet its people, learn their language, join and experience local churches, and explore the rich and varied culture of Israel. Apply to join the Nazareth Village Youth Venture team at www.MennoniteMission.net/Serve. Age 18+; term: 2-3 weeks.
Weekend College expands biblical literacy
Interested in expanding your congregation’s biblical literacy? Hesston College faculty member Nick Ladd would love to come to your congregation to present a Weekend College course, “The Bible as Story.” This weekend-long resourcing event focuses on helping congregations to put Bible stories together as one big story, expanding biblical literacy and understanding. Nick Ladd formerly served as a member of…
Churches support radio ministry in Argentina
For several years Sonnenberg Mennonite Church in Kidron and Pike Mennonite Church in Elida have been supporting a radio ministry which reaches out to the Indigenous population in the Chaco region of Argentina. To learn more about this ministry, which is also supported by Mennonite Mission Network, see http://bit.ly/ChacoRadioMinistry.
Growing Disciples, Part 1 — The Explosion
Sometimes growth takes a while, but patience can pay off. That’s been the experience at Valley View Mennonite Church in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania. In the latest episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, Lucas Johnson and Robb Esh, pastoral team members at Valley View Mennonite, talk about the growth of Missional Discipleship Groups in their area of Pennsylvania. The groups now include…
How do we #BringThePeace? A conversation with Glen Guyton
How do we #BringThePeace to our communities? Mennonite Church USA Executive Director Glen Guyton says, “People say that we are a historic peace church, but I say, hey, we need to be a peace church of today.” Learn more about Mennonite Church USA’s #BringThePeace campaign by listening to this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast. While visiting Ohio this month,…
Goshen College offers online Advent devotions
Beginning Nov. 25 Goshen College will offer online weekday devotions during the season of Advent. Goshen College students, faculty and staff will provide weekday reflections based on the lectionary Scripture passages, focusing on the theme “What are you waiting for?” To learn more, see http://bit.ly/2019GCAdventDevotions.
Try the Anabaptist Prayer app during Advent
This Advent, try out the free Anabaptist Prayer app. Let Jesus’ words pervade your day through morning and evening prayer services with a distinctive Anabaptist flavor. Take Our Moments and Our Days: An Anabaptist Prayer App includes Scripture-saturated prayers and space for communal reflection. The free, easy-to-navigate app covers Advent through Pentecost as well as Ordinary Time. Available for iPhone…
Hesston to offer online Bib Lit course
Starting this January, Hesston College is offering its well-known Biblical Literature course as a 16-week online course taught by Bible professor Nick Ladd. To learn more, see http://bit.ly/HesstonBibLitOnline.
School for Leadership Training set for Jan. 13-15
Eastern Mennonite Seminary’s annual School for Leadership Training will take place January 13-15, 2020. “Shalom in the Streets: Recapturing God’s Vision in Ordinary Places.” The biblical narratives beckon us to discover shalom in genuine relationships with the people in our neighborhoods, communities and cities. In the flourishing of the places where we live, we flourish as well (Jeremiah 29:7). Some…
Holiday card campaign supports detainees
If your congregation is looking for a way to connect with immigrants, consider an idea Paula Snyder Belousek shared in the latest issue of Ohio Mennonite Evangel: the Casa Mariposa Visitation Program in Arizona has a goal of collecting 3,000 cards in time for Christmas so that each person in the immigration detention centers in Eloy and Florence, Arizona, receives…
Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday is Jan. 19
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) invites all Anabaptist congregations to celebrate Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday on Jan. 19, 2020. Each year MWC provides worship planning resources for use on Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday. The theme for 2020 is “Jesus Christ: Our Hope.” This year the worship resources were prepared by MWC member churches in Canada and the United States. To download…
Deficit increases during October
Ohio Conference’s deficit increased during the month of October, according to figures provided by Ohio Conference Financial Coordinator Stan Helmuth. Receipts for the month totaled $27,274, including $26,274 in giving from congregations. Expenses in October totaled $30,795, resulting in an operating balance of -$3,521 for the month. As of Oct. 31, the Conference’s operating balance is -$26,479 for the 2019-20…
Pastor-Spouse Retreat offers rest, renewal
Twenty-eight couples participated in the Ohio Conference Pastor-Spouse Retreat Nov. 15-17 at the Mills Park Hotel in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The weekend was a time for pastors and their spouses to rest, rejuvenate, and reconnect. Retreat planners included Sue Short, Bill Seymour, Jamie Rye and Coordinator of Volunteers Alysa Short. Photos by Sue Short and Tony Doehrmann
Hesston College alumni and friends event planned in Kidron
Hesston College alumni and friends across Ohio are invited to an event at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, at Salem Mennonite Church in Kidron. The church and college will host an evening of fellowship featuring a mini-concert by internationally acclaimed baritone Tony Brown, who is a Central Christian and Hesston College alumnus. A reception will follow the performance, along…
MC USA Executive Director is coming to Ohio
Come and meet Glen Guyton, executive director of Mennonite Church USA! On Nov. 24 Glen will visit First Mennonite Church in Bluffton and offer the sermon based on John 17:20-23. Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. Later that day, at 6:30 p.m., Glen will share his vision for the denomination at a reception in First Mennonite’s fellowship hall. All are invited…
Register now for spiritual direction event
On Feb. 4 Ohio Conference will be offering a day-long event at Camp Luz in Kidron to introduce the concept of spiritual direction to pastors. Spiritual direction is an opportunity to pay attention to God’s movement and stirring in one’s life. Led by Janice Hershberger, Randy Murray, and Christine Nafziger, attendees will learn about spiritual direction while also experiencing how…
Engaging Mission 2020 is for all ages
Please note: Due to the uncertainty about when restrictions will be lifted for public gatherings, the Ohio Conference Leadership Team has decided to cancel this event. Save the date: Ohio Conference will hold a missional festival, Engaging Mission 2020, at Bluffton University June 26-28, 2020. Featured presenters will be Seth and Theresa Crissman of Virginia Mennonite Missions. (See http://bit.ly/VMMCrissmans…
Interested in developing leaders? Ohio Conference could use your help
How can Ohio Conference best develop pastoral leaders for today and for the future? The Ohio Conference Ministry Development Team (MDT) is forming a resource team to promote leadership development in our congregations. The MDT is seeking individuals, male and female, credentialed and lay leaders, who are interested in working at leadership development to serve on the team. If you…
Immigration Resource Team seeks your stories
From the Immigration Resource Team: It has been eight months since Annual Conference Assembly, when delegates overwhelmingly passed a resolution on immigration. That resolution contained both individual and congregational components, along with suggestions for contacting elected representatives on state and national levels. Delegates agreed to “encourage our churches….to pray for the Spirit’s leading in seeking to minister to the needs…
MennoCon21 and MWC Assembly to meet at same time
MennoCon21 and Mennonite World Conference Assembly scheduling conflict: MennoCon21, the upcoming Mennonite Church USA convention, will take place July 6-10, 2021, at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. This schedule overlaps with the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) assembly in Semarang, Indonesia, on July 6-11. Read more: http://bit.ly/MennoCon21andMWC.
Thankful for the incarnation!
By Dick Barrett Conference Minister We are entering into the special time of year when we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksgiving was originally a religious holiday in which people paused to give thanks to God for the blessings of the harvest. Thanksgiving is followed by the beginning of Advent as Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately,…
Wind of the Spirit enlivens MDI
Small groups begin to multiply By Laurie Oswald Robinson Mennonite Mission Network NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — After coming up empty-handed on volunteers for disciple groups within his congregation last fall, Pastor Robert Esh at Valley View Mennonite Church in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania, couldn’t help but feel downhearted about his vision-casting. No matter how hard he campaigned, no one wanted…
Local congregations pack 175 immigrant detainee care kits
By Jennifer Steiner MCC Great Lakes On Oct. 2, area congregations gathered at Orrville Mennonite Church to learn about the current situation for border detainees and to work together on a tangible response. In a little over an hour, volunteers had packed 175 immigration detainee care kits to provide much-needed supplies for those being released from border detention. Volunteers assembled…
Border learning tour highlights immigration struggles
By Paula Snyder Belousek Ohio Conference Assistant Moderator At our last Annual Conference Assembly, Ohio Conference delegates passed an Immigration Resolution, and one of the components challenges members of the Conference to become better informed about the issues surrounding immigration. In response, I took the opportunity to travel to Tucson, Arizona, with other Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) leaders following the…
Church planting conversation begins
On Oct. 15 interested persons gathered at the Ohio Conference office for a conversation about planting new Visible Kingdom Communities. This meeting was an initial conversation about what the process of starting new church communities may look like in Ohio. Several people who could not attend in person took part in the conversation via a video conference. The conversation included…