Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
ing Ministry chair and associ-
ate pastor of West Clinton
Mennonite Church; Bill Sey-
mour, pastor of Orrville
Mennonite Church; and Matt
Hamsher, pastor of Long-
enecker Mennonite Church.
They met with the leadership
of Mountain States Mennonite
Conference and attended a
Faith and Life Forum at Mt.
Community Church, as well
The Ohio Conference Lead-
ership Team appointed a
three-person delegation to
travel to Colorado to meet
with representatives of
Mountain States Mennonite
Conference May 16-19. Previ-
ously the Leadership Team
had sent a letter requesting
conversation to leaders of
Mountain States Mennonite
Conference in January after
learning of that conference’s
decision to license a pastor in
a committed same-sex rela-
tionship.
At the Ohio Conference An-
nual Conference Assembly in
March, numerous delegates
affirmed the idea of sending a
group to meet with repre-
sentatives of Mountain States
and talk with them about this
decision.
The three-person team which
traveled to Colorado includ-
ed Naomi Engle, Credential-
OC delegation visits Mountain States
During the 2014-15 academic
year, Randy Keeler, associate
professor of religion at Bluff-
ton University, will be spend-
ing his sabbatical serving as a
youth ministry resource to
the Ohio Conference.
Over the course of the year,
Keeler plans to connect with
each Ohio Conference con-
gregation to explore the form
of the congregation’s youth
ministry and offer himself as a
youth ministry resource.
Keeler also plans to explore
the strategy of joint youth
groups in which youth of two
or more congregations come
together for activities.
At the end of the academic
year, Keeler plans to hold
regional workshops for con-
gregational youth workers,
focusing on the theme of An-
abaptist Youth Ministry.
A four-person resource
group has agreed to provide
feedback and counsel to
Keeler during his work with
Ohio Conference. Resource
group members include Alex
Dye, associate pastor at Oak
Grove Mennonite Church in
West Liberty; Craig Stras-
baugh, youth pastor at Kidron
Mennonite Church; Andrew
Michaels, executive director
of Camp Luz; and Heather
Miller, youth pastor at Orr-
ville Mennonite Church. The
resource group has met once
and plans to meet two more
times over the course of the
year.
Congregations interested in
working with Randy Keeler
may contact him at
[email protected], (419)
302-4666 (cell) or (419) 358-
1932 (home).
Keeler to serve as youth ministry resource
JUL/AUG 2014
2 Editorial
Special delegate
session
3 Legacy fund bene-
fits ministries
4 Conference
minister musings
5 OMW Retreat
6 Encounter of
Latino Families
Day of Inspiration
7 Faith and Sexuality
Conference
Resource Corner
8 Day of Prayer
Leadership and Anxiety in the
Church
9 About people
11 Sister-Link
ministry
12 Back page
Briefings
INSIDE
THIS
ISSUE:
Randy Keeler
Continued on page 3
VOL. LXVII1, NO. 4
JUL/AUG 2014
Editor: Ann H. Leaman
Ohio Mennonite Evangel
(USPS 404-500) is pub-
lished six times per year
by the Ohio Confer-
ence of Mennonite
Church USA, Box 210,
Kidron OH 44636,
telephone (330) 857-
5421.
All material for publication
should be submitted to the
editor at 5854 Sunland St.
NE, Louisville OH 44641, or
via telephone:
(330) 453-0150, or e-mail:
one month prior to desired
publication date.
Ohio Mennonite Evangel is
distributed to all households
of Ohio Conference congre-
gations, other interested
individuals and church agen-
cies.
Ohio Mennonite Evangel is
printed at Carlisle Printing,
2673 TR 421 Sugarcreek OH
44681.
Send subscription information
and address changes to the
editor at 5854 Sunland St.
NE, Louisville OH 44641.
Periodical postage paid at
Sugarcreek OH 44681.
Conference delegates to meet Aug. 9
Making the effort to meet together In reporting on their trip to
visit Mountain States Men-
nonite Conference leaders,
the three-person delegation
from Ohio Conference
noted, “We all appreciated
the chance to meet face-to-
face and take some time to
really listen and hear one
another rather than com-
municate only through
press releases, letters and
position statements.”
It’s undeniable that meeting
in person takes a lot more
effort, and yet such meet-
ings have benefits that can’t
be found in other forms of
communication. Sometimes
the conversations are not
comfortable, but they still
can be very valuable.
Accordingly, I am glad that
Mennonite Church USA
Executive Director Ervin
Stutzman chose to visit
Ohio in June for a series of
three “town hall” meetings
in Kidron, Bluffton and
Wauseon with interested
individuals.
I did not attend all three
meetings, but I was encour-
aged by the meeting I at-
tended in Kidron on June
17. Especially notable to me
was the fact that Stutzman
told questioners that they
had permission to say,
“Hold it — that wasn’t my
question,” if they thought
he was missing the point or
evading the question asked.
Meeting together can be
really hard work, and yet I
still believe that it’s worth
the effort. May we be will-
ing to make the effort in
the days ahead.
— ahl
Personnel of the Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA
Moderator: Dean Beck — [email protected]
Assistant Moderator: Rachel Kauffman — [email protected] Conference Minister: Tom Kauffman — [email protected] Credentialing Ministry Chair: Naomi Engle — [email protected]
Gifts Discernment Ministry Chair: Delmar Hostetler — [email protected] Stewardship Minstry Chair: Darrel Schweitzer — [email protected] Regional Pastor: Ralph Reinford — [email protected]
Regional Pastor: Wanda Stopher — [email protected] Administrative Secretary: Judy King — [email protected] Finance Coordinator: Stan Helmuth — [email protected]
Conference Editor: Ann Leaman — [email protected]
garding Mountain States
Mennonite Conference
which was tabled at Annual
Conference Assembly in
March. A copy of the pro-
posed resolution can be
found on the Ohio Confer-
ence website
(www.ohiomennoniteconfe
rence.org) on the “Special
Delegate Session” page.
Registration information for
this special delegate session
has been sent to all Ohio
Conference congregations.
The registration deadline is
July 25.
Ohio Conference of Men-
nonite Church USA will
hold a special delegate ses-
sion Aug. 9, 2014, at Mar-
tins Creek Mennonite
Church in Millersburg. At
this special delegate ses-
sion, delegates will consider
a proposed resolution re-
Jul/Aug 2014 | Page 2
MC USA Executive Director talks to the group assembled at Kidron Mennonite Church June 17.
tions and its members on behalf
of Ohio Conference in spite of
our differences. We also heard
from Mountain States leaders
and members their appreciation
for and desire to remain con-
nected and in relationship with
both Ohio Conference and
Mennonite Church USA as a
whole. We all appreciated the
chance to meet face-to-face and
take some time to really listen
and hear one another rather
than communicate only through
as worshipping with First Men-
nonite Church in Denver and
being hosted by members of
First Mennonite Church.
The three members of the dele-
gation have written reports of
their experience. In the initial
summary section of their re-
ports, the team members not-
ed, “All three of us from Ohio
attempted to bring a word of
blessing and loving concern for
the well-being and ministry of
Mountain States, its congrega-
press releases, letters and posi-
tion statements.”
All three members of the Ohio
Conference delegation noted
areas of agreement with and
difference from Mountain States
Mennonite Conference. To see
their reports, go to
www.ohiomennoniteconference
.org, click on “Special Delegate
Session” and then click on
“Delegate News.”
Visit to Mountain States
Jul/Aug 2014 | Page 3
Stoner Heights Mennonite
Church in Louisville may have
officially closed in 2013, but the
congregation’s support of mis-
sions is continuing through the
Stoner Heights Legacy Fund.
The Stoner Heights Legacy
Fund, which is administered by
Mennonite Foundation, was
created after the closing of the
congregation. Following the sale
of the church property, the
Ohio Conference received
$64,000 from Stoner Heights to
be used for new church growth.
An additional $75,000 from the
sale of assets was used to cre-
ate the Legacy Fund, which was
designed to financially support
three missions which were im-
portant to the Stoner Heights
congregation: Lighthouse Minis-
tries in Canton, Camp Luz in
Orrville and Central Christian
School in Kidron.
The Stoner Heights congrega-
tion was especially interested in
supporting ministry to young
people, and so the Legacy Fund
provides funding for children
and youth to participate in pro-
gramming designed for them.
Fifty percent of the Legacy
Fund’s disbursements will be
given to Central Christian
School for tuition assistance, 25
percent will go to Camp Luz for
summer camp scholarships and
25 percent will go to Light-
house Ministries for summer
camp scholarships.
“The church’s $75,000 gift
should fund these three minis-
tries for more than 10 years.
That’s another Stoner Heights
legacy,” said David A Miller of
Mennonite Foundation, who
worked with representatives
from Stoner Heights and the
Ohio Conference Stewardship
Ministry to set up the Legacy
Fund. Funds will be distributed
each June. This June Central
Christian School received
$4,000, and Camp Luz and
Lighthouse Ministries each re-
ceived $2,000.
If other individuals or congrega-
tions would like to contribute
to the Stoner Heights Legacy
Fund, they may make contribu-
tions through the Ohio Confer-
ence.
Stoner Heights Legacy Fund benefits Central Christian, Camp Luz and the Lighthouse
David A Miller (at left) of Mennonite Foundation looks on as Vern and Kay Reinford present Darin Nissley, exec-utive director of Lighthouse Minis-tries, with a check from the Stoner Heights Legacy Fund. In the back-ground is part of Lighthouse Minis-tries’ garden area which is part of the summer program for children at the Lighthouse.
Continued from page 1
age Christian. This is a time
when we search the scriptures
for what it means to receive
the Kingdom of God into our
lives, what it means to live our
daily lives as followers of
Christ. As such, we reflect on
Jesus’ words encouraging us as
to how we should live. We
read about the life of God’s
people in both testaments to
understand and learn how they
sought to be faithful in their
own day and with the circum-
stances they faced.
Ordinary time may not have as
many celebratory moments in
it, but that doesn’t mean it is
unimportant when compared to
the holiday/holy days of Advent,
Christmas, Easter and Pente-
cost. Ordinary time is a season
when we can reflect on why we
are following Jesus. It is an oc-
casion to consider how we are
following Jesus. We can look to
the stories of those who have
gone before us if we need
something to give us (or renew
our) motivation for being faith-
ful. We can remember that we
are not the only believers to
grow weary, to be perplexed or
vexed by our circumstances —
or by our Christian brothers
and sisters! We can gather en-
couragement from that great
“cloud of witnesses” that has
gone before us (Hebrews 11-
12) when we get discouraged
by our “ordinary” life.
Whether it be the tedium of
“ordinary time,” an apparent
lack of progress as we work
mightily for God’s Kingdom,
what appears to be unfair cir-
cumstances or conditions that
we encounter, a realization that
we must deal with problems
not of our own doing, or simply
the feeling that “I didn’t sign up
for this!” — whatever it might
be during ordinary time that
challenges us or discourages us,
this is the time to remember
whose we are as well as who
we are.
I find the apostle Paul express-
ing it well in the second letter
to the Corinthians that we have
in our New Testament. He be-
gins chapter 4 by writing,
“…since it is by God’s mercy
that we are engaged in this min-
istry, we do not lose heart.”
We have been called by God to
engage in this wonderful re-
sponsibility. Further, in verse 7
Paul goes on to say, “But we
“We can
remember
that we are
not the only
believers to
grow weary,
to be
perplexed or
vexed by our
circum-
stances.”
Jul/Aug 2014 | Page 4
Ordinary time gives us the chance to consider how we follow Jesus
C O N F E R E N C E M I N I S T E R M U S I N G S
By Tom Kauffman Conference Minister
With the arrival of sum-
mer, our lives often reflect
a different schedule. For
those who live according to
a school calendar, this sea-
son signifies a change in
routine if not a complete
vacation from the usual
schedule. Even for those
who no longer live accord-
ing to a school calendar,
summer signifies a time for
departing from the regular
routine, engaging in differ-
ent or more relaxing activi-
ties — unless, of course,
you are engaged in agricul-
ture in some way. Then the
summer can be a challeng-
ing work time!
As the Christian church calen-
dar is organized, summer usual-
ly coincides with what is often
called “ordinary time.” This
follows the specific seasons of
Advent, Christmas and Epipha-
ny which are followed by Lent,
Easter and then Pentecost. Vir-
tually one-half of the church
year is then comprised of
“ordinary time.”
This time is less structured than
the specific seasons just men-
tioned. But it is no less im-
portant for the life of the aver-
Continued on page 5
Musings have this treasure in clay jars,
so that it may be made clear
that this extraordinary power
belongs to God and does not
come from us.” God believes in
us by giving us this holy respon-
sibility. And God empowers us
to accomplish what God has for
us to do. Paul goes on to speak
about the incredible challenges
that he faced, yet he did not
lose heart, because he knew
that God was with him and
that God would enable him to
continue for as long as God
willed. May we draw strength
from this same God who has
called us to be part of the holy
work of the redemption of the
world. And there is certainly
nothing “ordinary” about that,
no matter what season it is!
“To catch the
reader's
attention,
place an
interesting
sentence or
quote from the
story here.”
Jul/Aug 2014 | Page 5
Name
Address
City/State/Zip
Phone
I want lodging at Camp Luz.
I will be at Camp Luz for all meals.
My special needs are Registration Fee: $80 Full registration (Friday-Sunday)
$20 Friday only
$50 Saturday only
$20 Sunday only
Workshops: Session 1 (2-3:15p.m.) Praying with Women in the Bible — Laura Amstutz Massage — Stephanie Moyer Session 2 (3:30-4:45 p.m.) Self-care — Lydia Brenneman Puppetry — Nan Leesburg Massage — Stephanie Moyer Mail registration form and $25 by Sept. 5 to: Treasurer: Edna Troyer 230 Montrose Way Wellington OH 44090 You may contact Edna at (440) 647-2320 or [email protected].
OMW Retreat registration forms due Sept. 5 Ohio Mennonite Women
(OMW) invites all women to
attend the annual fall OMW
Retreat Sept. 19-21 at Camp
Luz in Kidron, Ohio.
Vicki Conn, who is part-time
minister of congregational care
at Martins Creek Mennonite
Church in Millersburg, will be
the featured speaker. Her
theme for the retreat will be
“Confidently Growing Closer
to Christ.” The cost for the
retreat is $80 for those staying
the entire weekend, $20 for
Friday only, $50 For Saturday
only and $20 for Sunday only.
Registration brochures are be-
ing mailed to all Ohio Confer-
ence congregations in July. Be-
low is an abbreviated registra-
tion form for the retreat. All
registrations are due Sept. 5.
For more information, contact
LouAnn Kanagy at (419) 445-
1856 or e-mail
[email protected]. Vicki Conn
Continued from page 4
Jul/Aug 2014 | Page 6
happenings. We had a report
from Adriel and Sunshine Inc.,
and Jean Emery shared about
the “Wall of Comfort.”
A women’s choir sang before
Larissa Moore, pastor of Victo-
ry Community Church, spoke.
She told her story of growing
up in the Lee Heights congrega-
tion and working with her mom
at the hunger center. Her path
with God’s help led her to
where she is now.
A delicious meal was served
before our two workshops,
which were “Come Live in your
Season,” led by Nan Kanagy;
and “Crocheting,” led by Shana
Sims.
We heard more special music,
and Larissa spoke to us from
her heart for evangelization,
focusing on the theme “Behold,
All Things Become New.” She
had examples from her church,
and she showed us how our
hearts can be changed by Jesus,
referencing II Corinthians 5:17,
Luke 2:36-38 and Isaiah 58:6.
We were dismissed with a part-
ing prayer around 3 p.m., and
we all left with full heart for our
Lord and many challenges. Next
year the Day of Inspiration will
be in Archbold.
By Myrna Ramseyer and Ruth Short
Women from across the Con-
ference spent a wonderful sun-
ny day at Lee Heights Commu-
nity Church in Cleveland on
Saturday, April 5, at the Ohio
Mennonite Women (OMW)
Spring Day of Inspiration. We
were all welcomed by the gen-
erous ladies from the church
with breakfast items and coffee.
Sixty-five women were present,
and our offering was divided
between Ohio Mennonite
Women Ministries and Lee/
Miles Hunger Center, which is
an outreach of the Lee Heights
congregation. Each received
$443.50.
To open our service we were
blessed with worship in song by
a mother-daughter pair. Hannah
Gehman reported on OMW
Lee Heights hosts Day of Inspiration
Larissa Moore
Latino Encounter is blessing for couple
On the weekend of May 16-18
the 11th Encounter of Latino
Families was held at Camp Luz.
Latinos attend from Columbus,
Lima and Wayne County Men-
nonite churches. English is used
for children and youth, while
Spanish is preferred by the
adults for singing and preaching.
The topic this year was
“Preparing for the Coming of
Christ.” About 140 persons
were registered.
People often make decisions for
the Lord during this weekend.
Here is one story told to Raul
Tadeo by Awilda Ortiz:
It has been a year since we
moved from Puerto Rico to
Ohio. The move to Lima, Ohio,
has turned out to be an unex-
pected blessing for our family.
Paul and Ann Conrad of Brazo
En Brazo made contact with us
some months back. We have
attended their church services.
The Holy Spirit has been work-
ing in our lives since we made
contact with the Mennonite
church of Lima. The Hispanic
Encounter at Camp Luz was a
first-time experience for us.
This was a good opportunity to
feed our hearts. During that
weekend something special
happened to me and my hus-
band, Joel. We confessed Jesus
as our Lord and Savior, and He
forgave us our sins so that we
could be saved. At the Encoun-
ter, we committed ourselves to
be disciples of Christ. Since
then we have felt much peace in
our hearts. Our new desire is
to share the Gospel with the
entire world. We were blessed
to meet other Hispanic families
that are working for the Lord,
as we wish to do.
Awilda and Joel Ortiz, pic-tured here with some of the younger retreat partici-pants, took part in the 11th Encoun-ter of Latino Families at Camp Luz.
North Clinton Mennonite to host Conference on Faith and Sexuality Homosexuality is one of the
most relevant issues of our day.
How should Christians respond
to homosexuality and the LGBT
community? How do we minis-
ter to those affected by homo-
sexuality?
North Clinton Mennonite
Church, 831 W. Linfoot Street,
Wauseon, will host Dr. Chris-
topher Yuan and his parents,
Leon and Angela, for a Confer-
ence on Faith and Sexuality July
25-27. “The desire for this con-
ference,” shares Lead Pastor
Glenn Coblentz, “is to help us
have a biblical understanding of
a Christian response to sexuali-
ty. We want to understand how
to reach out from our own
brokenness and hurting to be
who God desires us to be as
we minister to a broken
world.”
Christopher lived promiscuous-
ly, experimented with illicit
drugs, was expelled from dental
school, was imprisoned for drug
dealing, and later discovered he
was HIV positive. But God
turned his nightmare into an
exciting and inspiring story of
redemption, grace and transfor-
mation. Dr. Christopher Yuan
now teaches the Bible at
Moody Bible Institute, and his
speaking ministry on faith and
sexuality has reached four con-
tinents. Christopher graduated
from Moody Bible Institute in
2005, Wheaton College Gradu-
ate School in 2007 with a Mas-
ter of Arts in Biblical Exegesis
and received his doctorate of
ministry in 2014 from Bethel
Seminary.
For more information, email
[email protected]. If you
plan to bring a group of more
than 10 from your congrega-
tion, please notify
glenn.coblentz@northclinton.
org.
Inside Story Headline
Jul/Aug 2014 | Page 7
Christopher, Angela and Leon Yuan (pictured left to right) will be presenters at a Conference on Faith and Sexuali-ty at North Clin-ton Mennonite Church in Wauseon July 25-27.
The Resource Advocate train-
ing session for Shine: Living in
God’s Light was also the scene of
a professional quality taping of
the presentations made by the
creators of the curriculum.
Those videos have been in edit-
ing since that time and will soon
be available at https://
shinecurriculum.com/for-
teachers/shine-training/. Visit
the site often to catch when
they are posted. There are also
many other materials available
at shinecurriculum.com to help
prepare teachers for their new
teaching experience.
If you have questions about what
resources are available from Men-
nonite agencies, please contact
Ohio Conference Resource Advo-
cate Kris Nussbaum at
By Kris Nussbaum Ohio Conference Resource Advocate
I have had numerous requests
for a western Ohio training
session for the new children’s
Sunday school curriculum that
will debut on Sept. 1. As I am a
volunteer with job and family
responsibilities, I am unable to
make this work, but fear not!
There is another option!
Shine training videos to be online R E S O U R C E C O R N E R
By Pam Graber
The sound of gurgling fountains
filled the fellowship hall as West
Clinton Mennonite hosted the
annual World Day of Prayer
event March 6-8 for the com-
munities of Archbold, Wauseon
and Pettisville. With a theme of
“Streams in the Desert,” the
prayer team set up stations
throughout the church fellow-
ship hall pertaining to the im-
portance of water and its im-
agery in the Bible.
This was the second year West
Clinton has hosted this event.
Thirty-six people entered the
church quietly and followed
footprints placed on the floor
from location to location to
reflect on needs both locally
and throughout the world. The
self-guided prayer walk encour-
aged participants to take their
time at each station for reflec-
tion on the scripture and
thoughts provided based on the
theme “Streams In the Desert.”
As the guide booklet said, “This
reflection time is to help you to
worship and pray. It is also to
help you learn more about the
many ways that God speaks
about water in the Bible….The
need for water is like the need
for God. It is vital and life-
giving.”
The prayer path began with
praise, went to confession, and
encouraged participants to feel
God’s presence walking with
them through the various sta-
tions. Prayer walkers prayed for
places throughout the world
where water is a scarce com-
modity. They also prayed for all
of the places that need to feel
the water of God’s healing
grace. The walk ended in cele-
bration of God’s well-watered
creation.
Reactions to the prayer walk
included comments such as
“Beautiful — very meaningful —
very moving — Be still and
know that I am God — very
inspirational — just what I
needed — peaceful — feeling
God's presence in prayer —
felt God near.” It was a peace-
ful, meaningful time of drawing
from God’s well of love while
praying for the world He creat-
ed.
Jul/Aug 2014 | Page 8
World Day of Prayer observance includes prayer stations at West Clinton
well as the role that self-
differentiated leadership can
play in calming this anxiety. Staff
from the Lombard Mennonite
Peace Center will facilitate this
seminar.
Registration cost for
“Leadership and Anxiety in the
Church” is $80 per person.
Ohio Conference is teaming
with Lombard Mennonite Peace
Center to offer the seminar
“Leadership and Anxiety in the
Church” Sept. 13, 2014, at Cen-
tral Mennonite Church in Arch-
bold. This seminar will look at
the challenge presented by the
rising level of anxiety being ex-
perienced in churches today, as
Groups of three or more from
the same congregation will re-
ceive a discount of $10 per
person. For more information
or to register, visit the Ohio
Conference website at
www.ohiomennoniteconference
.org and click on “Register.”
The registration deadline is
Friday, Aug. 29.
Leadership seminar coming to Archbold
Left photo:
“Empty and Bro-
ken” was the
theme for this
station in the
World Day of
Prayer self-
guided prayer
walk. Partici-
pants were en-
couraged to
realize that sin
causes our bro-
kenness and
only God can
give us Living
Water to mend
our broken ves-
sels.
Right photo:
This table wel-
comed prayer
walkers to the
World Day of
Prayer event at
North Clinton
Mennonite
Church. Each
person picked
up a booklet
which was then
used to guide
their thinking
and praying at
each prayer
station.
Pastoral notes
Timothy Singenstreu was or-
dained for pastoral ministry
during a special service on June
15 at Salem Mennonite Church
in Wooster.
Tim's wife, Loretta, sang "By
Our Love" for special mu-
sic. Larry Augsburger, his men-
tor, preached the sermon.
Regional Pastor Ralph
Reinford officiated the ordina-
tion ceremony.
A pastor friend of Tim's, John
Garland, anointed Tim and had
a prayer of blessing. Haroldo Nunes led the prayer of ordina-
tion, and Stan Ross presented
Tim with a study Bible as a gift
from the congregation.
preaching minister, and for the
past 11 years he has been on
the pastoral team, where his
role included preaching, provid-
ing pastoral care, and adminis-
trative leadership. Bob was or-
dained at Salem on April 25,
2004. He looks forward to
spending time with his wife, Em,
and their children and grand-
children.
Bob Stuckey completed his min-
istry at Salem Mennonite
Church in Waldron, Mich., on
May 26, 2014. He served for
approximately 10 years as
Jul/Aug 2014 | Page 9
Four students from Ohio Con-
ference congregations are par-
ticipating in Goshen College’s
Study-Service Term (SST) dur-
ing the summer semester.
Two Ohio Conference stu-
dents, Alisa Murray and Jacob
Roth, are members of the SST
unit in Nicaragua. They are
spending 13 weeks studying,
serving and living with host fam-
ilies in Nicaragua.
Alisa Murray of Orrville is a
junior music major at Goshen
College. Her home congrega-
tion is Martins Mennonite
Church in Orrville.
Jacob Roth of Archbold is a
freshman molecular biology/
biochemistry major at Goshen
College. His home congregation
is West Clinton Mennonite
Church in Wauseon.
Andrew Leaman of Louisville is
a member of the SST unit in
Peru during the summer semes-
ter. Andrew, a junior physics
major at Goshen College, is
spending 13 weeks studying,
serving and living with host fam-
ilies in Peru. His home congre-
gation is Beech Mennonite
Church in Louisville.
Clayton Lehman of Archbold is
a member of the SST unit in
Senegal during the summer se-
mester. Clayton, a sophomore
nursing major at Goshen Col-
lege, is spending 13 weeks stud-
ying, serving and living with host
families in Senegal. Clayton at-
tends West Clinton Mennonite
Church in Wauseon.
SST is a 13-week program that
is divided into two distinct
parts. During the first half of
the journey, students dive head-
first into the local culture —
usually in the country's capital
city — with intensive study and
language instruction alongside
other Goshen College students.
For the second leg of the jour-
ney, students begin work on a
volunteer service project, often
in a more remote part of the
country.
Web updates and photos from
the groups are available from
Goshen College’s SST website
at www.goshen.edu/sst.
Goshen College
A B O U T P E O P L E
Continued on page 10
Timothy Singenstreu (center) was or-dained June 15 at Salem Mennonite Church in Wooster. Also pictured are Loretta Singenstreu and Regional Pastor Ralph Reinford.
“To catch
the reader's
attention,
place an
interesting
sentence or
quote from
the story
here.”
Jul/Aug 2014 | Page 10
Short, her husband, have three
sons, eight grandchildren and
one great-grandchild. She at-
tends Zion Mennonite Church
in Archbold.
The AMBS commencement
service at College Mennonite
Church, Goshen, Ind., marked
the graduation for 35 students.
Elkhart, Ind. (AMBS) — Two
members of Ohio Conference
congregations graduated from
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical
Seminary (AMBS) May 24.
Jeffrey Hochstetler earned a
Master of Divinity degree from
AMBS. He is pursuing a pastoral
ministry assignment. He is mar-
ried to Kelsey Hochstetler and
is the son of Harold and the
late Lois Hochstetler of Orr-
ville. He is a member of Oak
Grove Mennonite Church in
Smithville and is an associate
member of East Goshen Men-
nonite Church. Previously he
earned a B.A. from Goshen
College with majors in business
and history.
Linda Short earned a Master of
Divinity degree with a concen-
tration in pastoral care and
counseling from AMBS. She is
pursuing a pastoral ministry
assignment. She and LaVon
The commencement address
was presented by James Logan,
Ph.D., associate professor of
religion and associate professor
and director of African and
African American studies at
Earlham College, Richmond,
Ind.
AMBS
Jeffrey Hochstetler Linda Short
Continued from page 9 A B O U T P E O P L E
ter of Ray and Jerelyn Hofstet-
ter.
Nicholas Ladd of Waldron,
Mich., earned an associate of
applied arts and sciences degree
in pastoral ministries. He at-
tends Salem Mennonite Church
in Waldron, Mich.
Frederick "Fritz" Lehman of
Kidron earned an associate of
applied arts and sciences degree
in aviation-professional pilot.
He attends Kidron Mennonite
Church and is the son of Ethan
Lehman.
HESSTON, Kan. — Seven stu-
dents from Ohio Conference
congregations were awarded
degrees at Hesston College’s
commencement May 11.
Denver Coblentz of Hartville
earned an associate of applied
arts and sciences degree in avia-
tion-professional pilot. He at-
tends Hartville Mennonite
Church and is the son of Ran-
dall and Diane Coblentz.
Savanah Hofstetter of Kidron
earned an associate of arts de-
gree. She attends Kidron Men-
nonite Church and is the daugh-
Elsa Miller of Millersburg earned
an associate of arts degree. She
attends Walnut Creek Mennon-
ite Church and is the daughter
of Ben and Elaine Miller.
Chris Thuma of Archbold
earned an associate of arts de-
gree. He attends North Clinton
Mennonite Church and is the
son of Maria Thuma.
Carley Wyse of Archbold
earned an associate of arts de-
gree. She attends Central Men-
nonite Church and is the daugh-
ter of Mike and Julia Wyse.
Hesston College
Continued on page 11
BLUFFTON, Ohio —Three
students from Ohio Confer-
ence congregations graduated
from Bluffton University on May
4.
Andrea Allan of Archbold
earned a bachelor’s degree in
child development. Her home
congregation is North Clinton
Mennonite in Wauseon.
Derrik Long of Elida earned a
bachelor’s degree in business
administration. His home con-
gregation is Salem Mennonite in
Elida,
Devin Newman of Archbold
earned a bachelor’s degree in
early childhood education. His
home congregation is Central
Mennonite in Archbold,
Students, alumni and friends
gathered for the university’s
annual May Day and com-
mencement festivities, May 3
and 4. The institution’s 114th
commencement ceremony, held
on May 4, recognized 260 grad-
uates. Commencement speaker
David J. Berger, mayor of Lima,
spoke on the topic “Valuing
Education.”
Bluffton University
Jul/Aug 2014 | Page 11
Continued from page 9 A B O U T P E O P L E
By Ruth Lapp Guengerich Co-director, Mennonite Women USA
Mennonite Women USA (MW
USA) has been participating in a
partnership with Mennonite
Disaster Service (MDS) since
2003, providing pieced and
quilted wall hangings for home-
owners whose homes have
been destroyed by natural dis-
asters. The original works of art
are presented to homeowners
during a house blessing follow-
ing the completion of their
home rebuild.
The Wall-Hanging Sister-Link
with MDS has captured the
hearts and creativity of women
across the church as they cre-
ate and donate wall hangings.
Many completed wall hangings
are sent directly to MDS. Of
those we are aware of, approxi-
mately 200 wall hangings have
been donated over these 10
plus years. Amish women and
Mennonite women in Canada,
intrigued by this ministry, have
started their own wall hanging
projects.
Elaine Good of Lancaster, Pa.,
began coordinating this creative
ministry in 2003 before it be-
came formalized in 2004. In
2008 Eloise Yoder of Archbold,
Ohio, took over the coordina-
tion of the ministry from Good,
and in 2011 she turned over the
collection of completed wall
hangings to Rebecca Sommers
of Goshen, Ind. Sommers has
now completed her term.
In May 2014, Nancy Roynon of
Archbold, a member of Central
Mennonite Church, assumed
the volunteer position of coor-
dinator of this Mennonite
Women Sister-Link program.
Roynon will continue this minis-
try from her home in Archbold.
“Coordinating the Sister-Link
wall-hanging project will be a
good way for me to stay con-
nected to Mennonite Women
and to ‘meet’ women from
around the country,” Roynon
said. “I have been wanting to
reconnect with the broader
Mennonite Women organiza-
tion, but am unable to make a
large time commitment, so this
is a good fit.”
Roynon’s excitement for this
opportunity and about this Sis-
ter-Link project bubbles forth:
“I look forward to hearing peo-
ple’s stories and linking the giv-
ers and receivers in a mutual
blessing. God has given many
women the ability to produce
beautiful fabric creations and
has placed in them a generous
spirit to share their creations. I
once heard Lynn Miller say it
was great fun to give away oth-
ers’ money. I think it will be
great fun to link the wall hang-
ing maker with the new home
owner in a way that is sure to
make our Creator smile. May
God bless the work of our
hands.”
Nancy Roynon is new coordinator of Sister-Link wall hanging ministry
Rebecca Sommers (left) shows Nancy Roynon some of the wall hang-ings waiting to be distributed to owners of home rebuilds.
Back Page Briefings...
For more Ohio Conference
news, visit the Ohio
Conference website:
ohiomennoniteconference.org
has $36,414 available for
grants. Please note that this
is a one-time grant, and
grant monies are not in-
tended to be used for staff-
ing. Applications must be
submitted to the Confer-
ence Office by Aug. 8,
2014. You may either sub-
mit an online application or
mail a printed application
form to Ohio Conference,
Box 210, Kidron OH
44636. To apply online or
to learn more about the
grant process, including
expectations for recipients,
go to
www.ohiomennoniteconfer
ence.org and click on
“Grants.”
The annual Girls’ Jam-
boree will take place Aug.
8-10 at Camp Luz in Ki-
dron. Nan Kanagy, co-
pastor of Friendship Men-
nonite Church, will be the
resource speaker this year,
focusing on the theme “The
Ultimate Care Package.”
Girls entering third grade
through those who have
completed eighth grade are
invited to attend this inspi-
rational and fun-filled event.
For more information,
please contact Rhonda
Conrad at (330) 234-3978.
Planning is well under-
way for the next Mennon-
ite Church USA biennial
convention, June 30-July 5,
2015, in Kansas City,
Mo. Information about the
convention can be found on
the Mennonite Church USA
website at http://
conven-
tion.mennoniteusa.org.
The Ohio Conference
Ministry Development
Team (MDT) is accepting
grant proposals from Con-
ference congregations and
related organizations for
projects and mission initia-
tives. This year the MDT
Conference Calendar J U L
17 “How Can We Keep from Singing...and Eating?,” Leetonia Mennonite
A U G
1-2 Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale, Buckeye Event Center, Dalton
8-10 Girls’ Jamboree, Camp Luz
9 Special Delegate Session, Martins Creek Mennonite, Millersburg
15-16 Youth Leadership Project Retreat, Camp Luz
S E P T
13 Leadership and Anxiety in the Church Seminar, Central Mennonite, Archbold
19-21 Ohio Mennonite Women’s Retreat, Camp Luz
26 Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity Workshop, Jubilee Mennonite,
Bellefontaine
O C T
18 Adriel Benefit Auction, 500 N. Detroit St., West Liberty
31 Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity Workshop, Jubilee Mennonite,
Bellefontaine
N O V
21-23 Retreat for Pastors’ Wives, St. Francis Spirituality Center, Tiffin, Ohio
F E B 2 0 1 5
13-14 Youth Leadership Project Retreat, Camp Luz
