Comments and reflections from our delegates and others from First Church who attended this year’s Conference meeting!
from Maggie George:
I had so much fun doing the drumming workshop on Saturday and then being able to be part of the closing worship service by drumming for the dancers. It was so empowering to know that I could do it — keep a beat that is — as well as be a part of a celebrative closing worship in a way that really reflected the energy in the place.
I appreciated Wade Zick’s workshop on becoming a FAITH FORMING FIVE congregation. I see that Aaron and others are bringing much of this thinking to life within First Church and the workshop gave me a chance to appreciate the whys and hows of the effort. I look forward to seeing First Church grow more bold in this area of deliberately working toward greater faith formation for all of us.
Saying good bye to Karen Smith-Sellers as our Conference Minister was bitter sweet. She has made such a huge impact on the Minnesota Conference. Her vision and her leadership have set us on a strong path to flourish and grow. The leadership of the staff and the volunteers give me great hope for our future. Having said that, I also got the clear message that we can’t just sit around and expect everything to go well, rather we must be ready and willing and equipped to do bold new things. The Conference is there to help and provide ideas, materials and support but we must step up and make it happen within our own church.
from Bonnie Johnson:
I want to thank the members of First Church for electing me to be a delegate. It is enriching and inspiring to attend this annual gathering and it was great to have First Church so well represented! Because I have attended before what stood out for me this time was the mixed feelings everyone had because of the retirement of Karen Smith Sellars as our Conference Minister. The Conference has developed into a solid, well-organized, accountable, spiritual and forward looking entity. There is much thankfulness and appreciation for that. There’s confidence but some uneasiness in moving ahead now. However, the other dynamic I was aware of is how many new clergy and laity are visible and active, and as much as I missed many old familiar faces this is a good thing and in keeping with the theme of the annual meeting “Behold I Am Doing a New Thing.” I especially appreciated keynoter Felix Carrion’s address and Bible study and all the good singing during worship times.
From Sandy Johnson:
First, of course, it is always wonderful to see my friends from around Minnesota who I don’t get to see very often. This year, my dear friend Linda Crowe (and her husband Randy) are living in Brainerd where Linda is the Interim Minister — it was great to connect with them!
As chair of the Conference Professional Development Sub-committee I led a hearing on the 2014 Clergy Compensation Guidelines. It’s not a flashy or exciting topic, so I was especially pleased by the number of folks who came and were committed to putting together appropriate and just compensation packages for their ministers.