Conference 2002
Held at Northern High School, Accident, Maryland
August 1-4, 2002
The following information was taken from the September 2002 issue of Brotherhood Beacon, pages 8-10:
» Ministers' Business Meeting
» Men's Meeting
» Women's Meeting
» Youth Sessions
» Children's Activities
Overview of the Event:
Conference and a Corn Maze
By Elmer Lehman, Hilliard, Ohio; RMM Communications staff; Agape Community Fellowship
Perhaps the best way to describe the conference sessions this year is the corn maze on the nearby Oren Bender farm. The 6th to 8th graders visited it Saturday afternoon. The youth went after dark, following the Saturday evening service. I asked a couple of them the next day what it was like. They said it was easy to find their way for two reasons-Scripture verses served as clues and they used flashlights.
The Conference theme was "The Word of God-Eternal, Written, Authoritative." True, the Word of God safely points the way through the maze of life, as we follow its directions. Our speakers made it clear through their teaching and by the examples they shared that the power of the Gospel transforms lives. And what about the flashlights? The church is called to take its light to the nations, pointing the way to Christ, the living way. The Conference began on Thursday evening and ended on Sunday afternoon with a focus on the church's mission to the nations. As is customary, the Conference sessions ended on a high note, when the sending church commissioned the sent church, those persons appointed by our missions agency to take the light to the nations.
There were other special features. Perhaps only a minority of persons know that some ten or eleven people spent five hours together on Thursday in intense prayer for the Conference, the hosting community, the committees, the speakers, and for the personnel of Rosedale Mennonite Missions. Later that afternoon, a couple ladies went from room to room, praying for all the activities of the Conference. A Prayer Room was set up throughout the weekend, with prayer stations and the opportunity to write encouraging notes to missionaries. Praise God for praying people!
It was the 92nd annual conference, the 11th time it was held in the Grantsville community, and the second time the conference met at the Northern High School. The host community worked hard to faithfully meet the needs of all who attended. However, our hosts could not control the unseasonably hot weather. This community, located in the mountains of western Maryland, usually has little need for air conditioning. This was not the case during the first days of August, but huge fans at least kept the air circulating in the gymnasium for the public sessions.
The people came from north and south, east and west. At least eighteen states were represented, as well as northern Ontario. A group of 19 Hispanics arrived from southern California. Their communication was limited due to the language barrier, but they so thoroughly enjoyed the conference that they are already making plans to attend next year. Why don't you make plans now to attend as well? The dates are July 24 to 27, 2003, and the place is Hartville, Ohio. Did you mark that on your calendar? Good!