Why do so many Ohioans have difficulty getting food that is affordable, nutritious, culturally acceptable, and accessible? The newest Ohio Conference Cast podcast explores this topic with Dr. Brandy Phipps, associate professor at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. Dr. Phipps works with others throughout Ohio and the Midwest to create new options for people to grow and access food in ways that support community and self-reliance. In this episode, she converses with Greg Battle and Gregory Bowman regarding hunger issues in Ohio. She defines new terms related to the issue of food justice and offers resources to help people support work that is already happening to feed the hungry in particular regions of Ohio.

This episode is the second in a series of podcasts created by Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team. This series is designed to spark deeper conversations about issues of social righteousness and shalom.

You can find a list of resources of Ohio projects modeling food and justice and food sovereignty from the episode here.

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“What would it take for us, for our churches to get on board with what the Spirit is doing and making possible in this period of turmoil and change?” — Meghan Larissa Good

In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, host Alex Dye talks with Meghan Larissa Good, who will be the featured speaker at the 2024 Annual Conference Assembly (ACA) at Sharon Mennonite Church in Plain City on March 1-2. They discuss her plans for her presentations at ACA, as well as talking about the larger Christian movement that recognizes Jesus as the center of our faith.

Meghan Larissa Good is a pastor and the author of Divine Gravity: Sparking a Movement to Recover a Better Christian Story and The Bible Unwrapped: Making Sense of Scripture Today.

The post ACA Preview – Talking with Meghan Larissa Good appeared first on Ohio Mennonite Conference.

What is life like for refugees who come to Ohio? The latest episode of the Ohio Conference Cast podcast tells the story of one immigrant family that has ended up in Kidron, Ohio, after fleeing the war in Ukraine. Listen to this episode to hear the conversation between host Kevin Himes and his two guests, Alex Murza and Terry Shue. Alex and his family are building a new life in Ohio after leaving Ukraine, and Terry and many others in the local community have played a part in the Murza family’s resettlement in Kidron.

This episode is one in a series of podcasts created by Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team. These podcasts are designed to spark deeper conversations about issues of social righteousness and shalom. To learn more about Grace & Groundings, see https://bit.ly/RacialReconciliationResources.

The post Building a new life in Ohio appeared first on Ohio Mennonite Conference.

In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, hosts Jacob Dodson and Paula Snyder Belousek talk with Ohio Conference’s newest staff members, Interim Conference Minister Dan Miller and Interim Regional Pastor Larry Rohrer, who serves the eastern part of the Conference.

Listen to this episode to hear Dan and Larry’s hopes for the Ohio Conference in the coming years. You’ll also learn a bit more about their interests, as they answer Paula’s question, “What do you get up to when you’re not doing Ohio Conference work?” You’ll learn which of these two you might be able to get to accompany you on the piano if needed, and which of them enjoys reading science fiction.

The post Getting to know Ohio Conference’s newest staff members appeared first on Ohio Mennonite Conference.

How can we build bridges between people, working toward social righteousness and shalom? In a new episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, Doug Zehr introduces a series of podcasts from Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team. Listen to this episode to learn more about this five-part podcast series and to hear Doug discuss five common misconceptions about racism.

Doug Zehr is a member of Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s resource team focused on racial reconciliation. To learn more about Grace & Groundings, see the Ohio Conference website: https://bit.ly/RacialReconciliationResources.

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In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, host Jacob Dodson, pastor of Wooster Mennonite Church, talks with Conference Minister Dick Barrett about the upcoming Annual Conference Assembly (ACA), which will take place March 3-4 at Central Christian School in Kidron. In the course of their conversation, Dick reflects on what he has learned during this time of discernment for the Ohio Conference, as well as reviewing the two options for affiliation that delegates will be considering at ACA. He also shares his hopes for the Ohio Conference in the upcoming years.

For more information about the discernment process, see the Feb. 4 issue of Delegate News.

The 2023 Missional Workshop mentioned in this podcast will take place April 15 at the St. Francis Spirituality Center in Tiffin. More information is available on the Ohio Conference website: 2023 Missional Workshop.

For a review of the concept of Holy Indifference, which is mentioned in this podcast, see Dick Barrett’s column from November: Holy Indifference.

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International service can have long-term effects on those serving. In the case of Bill Schumacher, his voluntary service term in Bangladesh in the 1980s left him with an enduring interest in the welfare of the people there.

In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, hosts Jared Chase and Jacob Dodson talk with Bill and Carole Schumacher of Sharon Mennonite Church in Plain City about the crisis of arsenic in drinking water in southern Bangladesh.

Bill served with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Bangladesh from 1982 to 1985. Listen to this episode of Ohio Conference Cast to hear about Bill’s more recent visit to Bangladesh and to learn more about the problem of high levels of arsenic in many water wells in the southern part of the county. The Schumachers are seeking to work with partners in Bangladesh to address this problem.

For more information about arsenic in the water supply of Bangladesh, please see Bill’s website: https://www.arsenicbangladesh.com.

If you have questions about this project, feel free to contact Bill and Carole Schumacher for more information.

Email: [email protected]

You may send donations toward this water project to Sharon Mennonite Church, 7675 Amity Pike, Plain City OH 43064.

The post Bangladesh — Seeing a Need and Responding appeared first on Ohio Mennonite Conference.

In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, Assistant Moderator Paula Snyder Belousek and Regional Pastor Sherah-Leigh Gerber introduce listeners to the Conference-wide prayer times planned for this fall.

All are invited to take part in these prayer times, which will be held on Zoom on Wednesdays at noon, starting Sept. 14. We will be using Take Our Moments and Our Days: An Anabaptist Prayer Book during these prayer times. To participate, you can either use the prayer book or the app of the same name. (To download this free app, go to http://bit.ly/AnabaptistPrayerApp.) Even if you cannot participate during the scheduled prayer time, you are invited to use this prayer resource at a different time during your day.

If you would be willing to lead one of these prayer times, please contact Judy King at the Ohio Conference office at (330) 857-5421 or [email protected].

The post Praying Together as a Conference appeared first on Ohio Mennonite Conference.

In this episode of the Ohio Conference Cast, Jacob Dodson and Bill Seymour talk with Conference Minister Dick Barrett about the current season of review and discernment taking place in the Ohio Conference. Listen to the episode to hear Dick Barrett discuss how the Holy Spirit is at work during this time and to hear his reflections on how the Holy Spirit can form us through spiritual disciplines, such as scripture reading and prayer.

Also mentioned in this podcast is the Ohio Conference initiative to read through the New Testament together. For more information, including a scripture reading schedule, see Dwelling in the Word.

Bonus content: If you’ve ever wondered how to correctly pronounce the last name of Ohio Conference’s consultant, Jeanne Zimmerly Jantzi, Bill provides the answer in this episode.

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