Delegate News – 7-14-23

Conference Minister Dick Barrett to retire in October Greetings Conference Pastors, Credential Ministers, Congregations and Delegates, It is with profound sadness that the Leadership Team of Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA received and accepted the official notification of retirement for Conference Minister Dick Barrett. Dick will officially retire from his Conference Minister role and all ministerial duties on Oct.…

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When will we act?

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By Dick Barrett Conference Minister Last night I watched the reports of the horrific shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that claimed the lives of at least 19 children and two adults. That comes less than two weeks after a shooting at a grocery store in my hometown of Buffalo, New York, claimed the lives of 10 people…

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Conference minister reappointed for another term

In January the Ohio Conference Leadership Team reappointed Conference Minister Dick Barrett to another three-year term as conference minister. Interim Conference Moderator Paula Snyder Belousek said that the Leadership Team expressed a strong affirmation of Dick’s ministry and the excellent work he has done to build relationships and to stabilize the Conference after several years without a permanent conference minister.

A conversation with Dick Barrett

In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast, hosts Thomas Dunn and Bill Seymour talk with Dick Barrett, the new conference minister for the Ohio Conference. Listen to this conversation to learn more about Dick’s background, his journey to becoming an Anabaptist, and his hopes for the Ohio Conference in the coming years. As a bonus, this episode also…

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Dick Barrett hired as conference minister

The Ohio Conference Leadership Team has hired Dick Barrett of West Liberty to serve as conference minister of the Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA. Dick comes to the conference minister position after serving Oak Grove Mennonite Church in West Liberty, Ohio, for 16 years, the first four as associate pastor and the last 12 as lead pastor. After being…

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Conference minister search re-opens

In February the Leadership Team made the decision to hire a full-time conference minister, rather than seek someone to fill this important role part-time. This is possible because Ralph Reinford, regional pastor, will be moving to part-time hours by Nov. 1, 2018. The previous search committee has been recalled and reorganized, and the members of that committee have again begun…

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Setting priorities for Ohio Conference

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‘Gathered and Sent’ is theme of  2018 Assembly What valuable services does Conference provide to your congregation and pastor? What are the activities of Conference that you could do without? Delegates to the 2018 Annual Conference Assembly (ACA) of the Ohio Conference discussed these questions when they met at Bluffton University March 9-10. Two hundred seven people participated in ACA,…

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Full-time conference minister sought

By Bob Sauder Ohio Conference Moderator After many hours spent discussing the conference minister position and a very comprehensive search process, the Search Committee and the Leadership Team are in agreement that hiring someone at a half-time capacity is not a healthy thing for any candidate or the Conference at this time. We apologize to the Conference staff and to…

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Leadership Team reports on search process

After many hours spent discussing the conference minister position and a very comprehensive search process, the Search Committee and the Leadership Team are in agreement that hiring someone at a half-time capacity is not a healthy thing for any candidate or the Conference at this time. We apologize to the Conference staff and to those of you who have counseled…

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Conference minister search enters new phase

The search for a new conference minister for Ohio Conference has entered a new phase. According to the search committee chair, John Rohrer, the committee has begun the process of interviewing candidates for this half-time position. A conference minister job description was publicized in the fall, and applications for the position were accepted through Nov. 30. The search committee is…

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Delegate News – Fall 2017

Fall meetings planned for delegates This fall Ohio Conference will hold four regional cluster meetings for delegates to Annual Conference Assembly (ACA). Each meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and last about an hour and a half. Meeting dates and locations are as follows: Oct. 17 – Lockport Mennonite Church in Stryker Oct. 24 – Oak Grove Mennonite Church in…

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Conference seeks half-time Conference Minister

Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA is seeking a part-time (50 percent) Conference Minister with a vision of the church in mission to lead a conference made up of 51 congregations spanning Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, primarily in small town and rural communities.  Accepting applications immediately with projected start date March 2018. For a full job description consult: http://bit.ly/OHConferenceMinister. Women and…

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