Leadership Team
Ohio Conference offers Pastor Wellness Grants
Being a pastor in the 21st century is a very challenging calling. Being a pastor during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic has been even more challenging. Due to the many changes that have had to be made, many of our pastors have not taken a Sunday off since the pandemic began, many have cancelled or shortened their vacations, and…
Leadership is visioning for the future
The Ohio Conference Leadership Team and the Pastoral Team have begun meeting with consultants Howard and Cathy Wagler from South Hutchinson, Kansas. They are looking at our current mission and purpose statements (introduced in 2006) as we begin discerning together God’s vision for the future of the Conference over the next five to seven years. The Leadership Team and Pastoral…
Leadership Team makes statement on racial injustice
As the Leadership Team of Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA, we affirm the recent statement from Mennonite Church USA on racial injustice and Executive Director Glen Guyton’s open letter to the denomination. We lament the death of George Floyd, the latest death of an African-American person at the hands of a white police officer. We grieve the violence that has erupted…
Ohio Conference leaders share at Constituency Leaders Council
By Paula Snyder Belousek Assistant Moderator Conference Minister Dick Barrett, Moderator Lynn Miller and Assistant Moderator Paula Snyder Belousek presented information about the Ohio Conference during the Oct. 17-18 meeting of Mennonite Church USA’s Constituency Leaders Council in Glendale, Arizona. Each conference and constituency group gave 10-minute presentations over the two days of the Constituency Leaders Council (CLC). Each group answered…
Lynn Miller accepts moderator position
The Ohio Conference Leadership Team is pleased to announce that Lynn Miller of Tedrow Mennonite Church has agreed to serve as our Conference moderator. Lynn has been a part of Tedrow Mennonite Church all his life, and he has served as a delegate to Ohio Conference in the past both as a member of Tedrow and as a member of…
Volunteers accept Conference positions
Members of Ohio Conference congregations who volunteer their time play a vital role in Conference life. Without the help of numerous volunteers, many of the programs and functions of the Ohio Conference could not take place. Much of the work of Ohio Conference is done by the Leadership Team, the Ministry Development Team, the Credentialing Ministry, the Stewardship Ministry and…
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…
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…
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…
Delegate News – Summer 2017
Conference Leader Announcement At the 2017 Annual Conference Assembly, the Leadership Team was tasked with finding a Conference leader who is passionate about mission and who would encourage and lead us in our desire to become more missional as well as pick up the pieces that have over-burdened our staff for the past two years. As the Leadership Team began…
Leadership Team continues work on staffing
The Ohio Conference Leadership Team, with the help of Regional Pastor Cliff Brubaker, has been diligently working at finding leadership for the Conference to address several needs. We are looking for leadership to guide the missional movement that has become the desired focus of the Ohio Conference. In addition, the Leadership Team is seeking to ensure that executive functions are…
What does it mean for Ohio Conference to be Gathered and Sent?
In this episode of Ohio Conference Cast, hosts Thomas Dunn and Bill Seymour talk with Regional Pastor Cliff Brubaker about Gathered and Sent, a new focus which brings together the work of two previous initiatives, the Year of Mission and the Year of Covenant. Cliff describes what planners are envisioning for both the “Gathered” and “Sent” parts of this process. Hint:…
Direction statement affirmed
Delegates at the 2017 Annual Conference Assembly affirmed the following direction statement proposed by the Ohio Conference Leadership Team: Setting Direction for the Next Chapter of the Ohio Conference As we prayerfully consider God’s leading into the future, we commit ourselves to the following: We will continue our affiliation with Mennonite Church USA. Three changes would trigger a review of…
ACA wrap-up – Hope for the future
“We have a lot of work ahead of us, but it’s exciting work.” So says co-host Thomas Dunn in this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast. Thomas and his co-host, Bill Seymour, take a few minutes to reflect on happenings at the 2017 Ohio Conference Annual Conference Assembly (ACA). They talk about ACA with someone fairly new to Ohio…
Where are we going next?
In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, hosts Thomas Dunn and Bill Seymour discuss the Leadership Team’s proposed direction for Ohio Conference, which includes a strong focus on mission. Delegates will be learning about this statement at regional meetings. Joining Thomas and Bill for this discussion are members of the Ohio Conference Leadership Team and Stewardship Ministry. https://ohiomennoniteconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017-02-15-13.34-Stewardship-Ministry-Team-meeting_01.mp3Podcast: Play…
Leadership Team works on next steps
On Sept. 23, 2015, the Ohio Conference Leadership Team met with a full agenda. The Leadership Team discussed the Sept. 2 All-Ohio Conference Pastors’ Meeting which was held in Bellville, Ohio, and the review of the Five-Year Plan which had been submitted by Myron Weaver, Paula Snyder Belousek, Wes Graber and Doug Zehr. At the Sept. 2 All-Ohio Conference Pastors’ Meeting,…