To open a Christian Education Commission meeting a few weeks ago, I shared a passage from a book I’m currently reading called The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress. Throughout the book, Dress looks at various spiritual practices and offers caregivers ideas about what it might mean to reimagine them through a lens of “hopeful parenting.”  Rather than trying to “get it right” the goal is to offer children the tools they need to navigate life, practices that anchor them when life is hard, and a love of exploring and questioning that will enable them to search for God in their own unique ways.  The passage I shared with the CE team was from a chapter on Sacred Reading. Dress writes, “The best advice I have for helping children love the Bible is to love it with them. Remember that for children and for

Yesterday I attended the monthly Interfaith Justice Table that brings Central Ohio clergy and nonprofit and community leaders together around pertinent issues and excellent breakfast casserole.  I’ve written about this gathering before.  It’s usually an eclectic agenda and this was no exception. Rev. Dan Clark discussed the One Person One Vote campaign against Issue 1, and Rev. Dr. Susan Smith invited everyone to register to serve as an Election Peacekeeper, which includes training in de-escalation tactics. We heard about an upcoming interfaith road trip led by Imran Malik of the Noor Islamic Cultural Center, headed down to Cincinnati to see the Holocaust and Humanity Center.  Shaun Tucker presented about efforts to extend broadband access across rural Ohio. Paisha Thomas spoke about her new nonprofit, Land of the Freed.  She is a descendant of one of the 383 enslaved folks freed in Virginian John Randolph’s will.   He had purchased land for

Churches and clergy aren’t allowed to endorse political candidates but we can advocate for issues.  Last week the CMC Leadership Team affirmed Columbus Mennonite Church joining a sign-on campaign of organizations opposed to Issue 1.     Ohio is terribly gerrymandered, giving the slight majority of Republicans across the state a supermajority in the House and Senate.  One of the important powers Ohio voters have held since 1912 is the ability to propose constitutional amendments that become law if supported by the majority.  It’s not a great way to make laws, and it’s pretty challenging to accomplish even with a simple majority (only 19 of 71 citizen proposed amendments have ever passed), but it is an essential power to keep a non-representative Statehouse in check.  Simply put, Issue 1 would end majority rule in Ohio.  By requiring a 60% vote to pass amendments, and inserting other sneaky things like making it

The MCUSA Convention last week was full of lots of different experiences: worship services, keynote speakers, reunions, seminars, panels, group discussion and yes, some good barbecue and fellowship. There was too much to give a full account here, though we invite you to join us in worship on August 13 where multiple participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their experiences.  For this blog, I wanted to focus on one of the keynote speakers that most grabbed my attention.  The final full day of the convention included a Youth and Young Adult Climate Summit, which aimed to give space to young people to process, reflect, and conspire together about the climate crisis we are facing.  The keynote speaker for the day was Talitha Amadea Aho, author of the book In Deep Waters: Spiritual Care for Young People in a Climate Crisis.  A former youth pastor now serving as a

It’s church conference season.  This past weekend six of us headed up to Goshen, Indiana to represent CMC at the Central District Conference Annual Meeting.  This coming Monday five adults and five youth will head out to Kansas City for the biennial Mennonite Church USA Convention (during which delegates will be voting on whether to meet every three years rather than two).  One of the threads connecting denominational, conference, and congregational priorities these days has to do with accessibility.  Last summer national delegates unanimously passed a resolution calling for an increased focus on removing barriers that may hinder anyone from being agents of God’s grace, joy, and peace.  Elevators and ramps are important, but it’s about a lot more than that.    Our CDC annual meeting included a time to reflect on accessibility.  One person shared about multiple health conditions that affect their daily life.  Another spoke about how her