News & Stories
West Clinton welcomes Flat Menno
Flat Menno’s first stop at West Clinton was the Monday night Ladies’ Bible Study. Clockwise from upper left are Darlene Rufenacht, Deb Short, Naomi Engle, Joyclyn Nafziger, Terri Rufenacht, Flat Menno and Lori King. Photo by Pam Graber. Reported by Pam Graber Flat Menno arrived at West Clinton on a snowy, blustery weekend and spent the weekend trying to keep…
2014 Special Delegate Session
Information and documents from the 2014 Special Delegate Session.
Words from Tom 1-5-15
The Gospel accounts provide us with four distinctly varied recollections of Jesus’ life and ministry. All of them include many elements of similarity, yet each one has its distinctive aspects. The infancy narratives of Jesus are only included in two of the gospels — Matthew and Luke. And only Matthew records the visit of the Magi, which wraps up the…
Words from Tom 12-2-15
Advent is the season of waiting. When our children were young, we often bought an Advent calendar that had a small door to open for each day of the week. The anticipation would grow as we got closer to Christmas Day. Opening a door each day was one way of measuring the waiting that had to occur. It was almost…
Words from Tom 11-4-14
“Holy Spirit, power of God, transform me, your new creation.” This sentence completes my Trinitarian Prayer that has been a constant companion for me since my sabbatical of 2006. As I have reflected in the previous two Grapevines, each one of these phrases has been significant to me. “Abba, God, Creator, I bow down and worship you” begins with an…
Words from Tom 10-6-14
“Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” This sentence, or a variation of it, represents the “Jesus Prayer” that has a long history as a meditative prayer within the Christian tradition. It finds its roots in the parable Jesus tells in Luke 18:9-14 of the contrasting prayers of the Pharisee and tax collector. As I wrote…
Words from Tom 9-5-14
Abba, God, Creator, I bow down and worship you. That is the first line of a “Trinitarian Prayer” that I have prayed for several years, since studying the Trinity during my sabbatical time that the Conference so generously offered me in 2006. In the December 2006 issue of Ohio Evangel I used my “Musings” column to briefly describe the genesis…
Flat Menno helps at Crown Hill food pantry
We haven’t seen much of Flat Menno in a long time, but recently, he stopped in at Crown Hill Mennonite Church in Rittman. He spent some time at the food pantry at Crown Hill, seeing how the congregation is meeting needs of people in the community.
Words from Tom 8-1-14
One of the most fascinating courses I took while in seminary was a study of Jesus’ understanding of the Kingdom of God. We spent time studying the apocalyptic literature of the day and how Jesus’ teaching and ministry either connected with it or departed from the conventional wisdom of apocalyptic thinking. For the Jews of Jesus’ day there was much…
Words from Tom 7-1-14
Exekiel 36:22 — “…It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations.” Romans 5:8 — “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” Our youngest grandchild is preparing…
Words from Tom 6-4-14
I’ve often thought that Saul got a bum rap in 1 Samuel 13. You know the story: Samuel has reluctantly installed Saul as king. Jonathan, Saul’s son, engages the Philistines in battle and routs them. Saul is mustering an army to defeat them and rid Israel of this constant thorn in their flesh. Samuel had told Saul he would come…
Words from Tom 5-3-14
Our oldest son’s family has recently purchased a new home. Well, it is a home that is new to them. It is a foreclosed home that needs extensive remodeling. It needs a new well, septic system, furnace, and many other features. But so did the first house they purchased since they moved to Michigan. With three children, they are looking…
Words from Tom 4-2-14
After 40 years of service to the faith community, Alban Institute is closing its doors. Various aspects of its work (consulting, publishing, educational, etc.) are being spun off to differing entities. Alban itself will no longer exist. In their announcement they recognize that the religious landscape has dramatically changed in the past 40 years. Much of the work they have…
Words from Tom 3-1-14
“Be present, O merciful God, and protect us during the silent hours of this night, so that we who are weary of the work and changes of this fleeting planet may cast ourselves upon your everlasting constancy. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, AMEN.” Several persons have commented on my last month’s Grapevine that, while they understand change…
Words from Tom 2-3-14
“We see the water of a river flowing uninterruptedly and passing away, (and all that floats on its surface, rubbish or beams of trees, all pass by). Christian! So does our life…I was an infant, and that time has gone. I was an adolescent, and that too has passed. I was a young man, and that too is far behind…
Words from Tom 1-3-14
My most recent two-week sabbatical study focused on the re-emergence of Christian universalism. No, I didn’t read Rob Bell’s book Love Wins. Instead, I read two books by Philip Gulley and James Mulholland titled If Grace Is True and If God is Love, as well as The Evangelical Universalist by Gregory MacDonald. The first two volumes are more accessible to…
Words from Tom 12-3-13
Advent is about waiting. When we are young it is about waiting for Christmas Day to come so that we can open the presents that have been tempting us under the decorated Christmas tree. As we are older it is about waiting for school to dismiss for Christmas vacation. As we grow to appreciate the Christmas story in all its…
Flat Menno visits Pennsylvania
Flat Menno’s travels took him to western Pennsylvania, where he was able to meet the members of Maple Grove Mennonite Church. The Maple Grove congregation is active in the local community. During the first weekend in September, New Wilmington held a 150th year celebration, and several people from Maple Grove helped with the Saturday afternoon games for the children. Several…
Words from Tom 11-2-13
On Oct. 14-16 Ohio Conference representatives once again attended the twice-yearly Constituency Leaders Council (CLC) meetings. Sherah-Leigh Gerber is part of the worship team this biennium that helps to lead these meetings of the 21 area conferences, agencies of Mennonite Church USA and the constituency groups of Mennonite Church USA. Here you see her as the worship team leads the…
Flat Menno visits the Plain City Free Clinic
When Flat Menno visited Cornerstone Mennonite Fellowship in Plain City, he went to the Plain City Free Clinic. The clinic was started by retired pharmacist Charles Holcombe, a member of Cornerstone, and a local doctor, Dr. John Adams. Flat Menno also spent some time at a community outreach event called Be the Church Sunday which members of Cornerstone participates in.…
Words from Tom 10-5-13
Nine years ago I was asked to share some thoughts about what it meant to be a conference minister with my peers. What follows is a portion of what I shared. As all of us walk the spiritual journey that goes [from orientation] through disorientation, no matter how effective our spiritual gyroscopes have been, we come through those experiences changed…
Words from Tom 8-31-13
Mid-States conference ministers and conference moderators met together in August. Pictured from left to right are Lois Johns Kaufmann, conference minister for Central District; Matthew Hickman, vice moderator for Illinois Conference; Emma Hartman, administrator for Central District (and secretary for the group); Ron Guengerich, president of Central District; Jane Stoltzfus Buller, moderator for Indiana-Michigan Conference; Tom Kauffman, conference minister for…
Wooster Mennonite enjoys hosting Flat Menno
Wooster Mennonite has been so blessed by the presence of Flat Menno these past few weeks. He attended the congregation’s outdoor worship service at Kidron Park on Aug. 11 and joined them in receiving four new members. He also visited the women’s sewing group where he learned about their quilting and service projects. In addition, he attended an elder leadership team meeting where he entered…
Flat Menno visits Orrville Mennonite
When Flat Menno visited Orrville Mennonite Church this summer, he went to Camp Luz, participated in Bible School, went on a mission trip, and was able to meet lots of people. WINGS (Walking in God’s Strength), an elementary age outreach ministry has a yearly retreat at Camp Luz. On the Sunday morning of the retreat, Orrville Mennonite holds its…
Words from Tom 8-3-13
As I near the conclusion of my second two-week sabbatical experience, I am beginning to see a common thread in the subject matter I’ve selected to study. In focusing on the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (the first two-week session), I was unaware that he was trained as a paleontologist as well as a Jesuit priest. He brought those…
Flat Menno visits Peace Mennonite
Flat Menno visited Peace Mennonite Church in Elyria during June and the beginning of July. While at Peace Mennonite, he was even able to do some gardening! Flat Menno took part in the church’s worship planning committee meeting with Mae Logan, Edna Troyer, Pastor Adam Houser and Patty Thompson. Flat Menno enjoys leading from Hymnal: A Worship Book. …
Words from Tom 6-29-13
As we get ready to go to Phoenix for this year’s national convention, or as we abstain from going but perhaps follow its deliberations on the Web, it gives us opportunity to once more think about the importance of the institutional church. How important are these meetings and their discussions? There is considerable conversation about whether or not Christ established…
Flat Menno travels to Pennsylvania, visits Beaverdam Mennonite
Flat Menno decided it was time to travel to Pennsylvania. He went to Corry, Pa., to visit the congregation at Beaverdam Mennonite Church. While there, he spent time with a variety of people and even helped with some of the renovations going on at the parsonage in preparation for the new pastor and his family, who will be coming to…
Flat Menno witnesses baptisms, attends Bible School at Beech
Flat Menno came to Beech Mennonite Church in Louisville just in time to witness baptisms on Sunday, May 26. He spent time with the congregation for the next few weeks, and was able to attend Vacation Bible School June 10-13 as well. Flat Menno checks out the baptismal font. During the children’s time in the worship service, Flat…
Words from Tom 6-1-13
When I was in seminary we studied the traditional understandings of prophet, priest, and king that were part of the Old Testament story of God’s chosen leaders. Part of what we were invited to do was to think about pastoral ministry in those categories, understanding that some of the time it was important to speak and act prophetically in our…