ERC Church Planting Dinners: Annually our Eastern Region Conference (ERC) holds a series of dinners across the Conference to promote the establishment of New Churches and raise funds for Church Planting. This year they sponsored gatherings at Fayetteville, Mechanicsburg, and Manheim the third full week in January. Linda and I attended the one held at Norlo Park near Fayetteville on Monday evening. The Brownsville congregation under the leadership of Victor and Catherine Johnson hosted the event and did a superb job with the food and worship experience. The evening program consisted of a series of personal testimonies about what the Lord is doing around the ERC followed by an offering for new churches. All tallied the three nights raised $6,144 which has already been distributed to various planting projects around the Region. |
WTS Leadership Luncheon: The following Tuesday, January 27, Linda and I attended a luncheon sponsored by Winebrenner Theological Seminary (WTS). They serve as a host site for Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit held annually in August, and several times through the year they bring together local church leaders to discuss various topics. We watched a video from the 2014 Summit featuring Jeffrey Immelt, the President and CEO of General Electric who talked about “Positioning Your Organization for the Future.” He stressed the importance of simplification and recommended reducing management, being externally focused, putting things on the clock, and empowering people with information and opportunity. Not bad advice for the Church, I thought. We table talked his points for a while before a group panel of our own local “experts” addressed crucial leadership issues and responded to questions from the assembly. Jim Allen of WTS moderated. At the end Dave Draper, WTS president, pronounced the benediction and sent everyone on their way. |
General Conference 2016 Planning: The General Conference Planning Committee met January 26 and is beginning to work out details for the 2016 CGGC sessions. At this point most things are in the idea or developmental stages. The big certainty is that the sessions will be held in the ERC the last week of July, if possible on the Scotland Campus of Winebrenner Seminary. There’s talk of doing some historical site visitation and/or guest pulpit supply the weekend before considering all those coming east for the event. There are plenty of accommodations and restaurants in the greater Chambersburg area, but there should also be some rooms available on Scotland Campus for a more economical rate. Phil Scott and I met with David Newell, Scotland Campus President, on Groundhog Day for a tour of the dorm space and private rooms, as well as the assembly and meeting rooms. Scotland Campus looks good as the place to meet. However, Allegheny Phil, Dave and I all saw our shadows when we were together, so you know what that means. |
Ed
Soli Deo Gloria!
Winebrenner Theological Seminary Presidential Transition
Edward L. Rosenberry, Search Committee Chair
700 East Melrose Avenue
P.O. Box 926
Findlay, Ohio 45839
OR
[email protected]
Explore God's 4D Love at the Spring Women's Retreat
Register by March 1 to beat the price increase. Register online or print off a form at the CGWM website. A video is also available to share with the ladies in your congregation.