“Called to Transformation” at the 121st General Conference

On July 9, more than 700 pastors, lay leaders, church board members, quizzers, missionaries, youth, children, and others descended on the campus of Messiah College (Grantham, Pa.) for the 121st General Conference of the Brethren in Christ Church. The four-day gathering included business sessions, workshops on a variety of ministry-related topics, evening worship services, a seminar on forgiveness with Messiah College professor David Weaver-Zercher, the 2010 championship Bible quizzing tournament, programs for children (led by Dawn Groff of Manor Church) and youth (led by the YouthQuest team), and plenty of time for fellowship. Once again, those who could not make the trek to Conference were able to participate via online video streaming.

Focusing on the Conference theme “Called to Transformation,” evening speakers called the church to a renewed commitment to mission. On Friday, Paul Morris—lead pastor at The Meeting House (Oakville, ON)—joined with Ron Bowell of CrossRoads Church (Salina, Kans.) and Carlos Alfaro of Cristo Fiel y Verdadero (Miami, Fla.), to encourage listeners to “step outside the box” and consider a variety of perspectives on church growth. On Saturday, Layne Lebo—senior pastor at Mechancisburg (Pa.) BIC Church—reminded his audience of Christ’s call to discipleship, and how effective equipping of leaders within the church will multiply efforts in outreach. On Sunday, Harrisburg (Pa.) BIC’s senior pastor Woody Dalton offered a prophetic word about “realizing the Kingdom of God here and now” by nurturing multicultural, multiethnic, and multiracial congregations. And on Monday evening, Joy J. Moore—associate dean for black studies and church relations at Duke Divinity School (Durham, N.C.)—closed Conference will a rallying call to “embrace transformation as individuals, as congregations, as Conferences, and as a diverse community across North America.”

In addition to these nightly worship services, a major draw of Conference was the Monday afternoon workshops. More than 30 presenters representing numerous Brethren in Christ congregations, ministries, and affiliate groups offered presentations on topics ranging from immigration and AIDS in Zambia to church planting and ministry to postmoderns.

If you missed out on this year’s gathering, be sure to check out the General Conference website. There, you’ll find video of the evening sermons. You can also visit the General Conference blog for a day-by-day review and photos from various Conference events (like the Celebrating Brethren in Christ Authors reception and the Bible quizzing finals).

A special word of appreciation goes out to Lois Mason, assistant to the general secretary, and to Pam Arnold, assistant to the moderator, for their many hours of hard work and dedication. Thanks also to Jeremy Denlinger and his behind-the-scenes crew, who capably worked to make sure that the technological side of Conference ran smoothly. Others who deserve our thanks include Amy Zook, director of the nursery program; Dawn Groff, director of the children’s program; Mike Wright and the coordinators of YouthQuest, who directed the youth program; and Dave Hershberger, who coordinated musical worship. To the many outstanding volunteers who helped with registration, answered questions at the Information Booth, and ran errands all over Messiah College’s campus: Thank you! Without your assistance, Conference simply could not have happened.

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