Conference 2018

Last week was the annual business conference of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection of Churches, held at the beautiful Stoneboro Camp Ground just outside of Stoneboro, PA.

175 years!

The theme for this years conference was’ Visions of God’s Manifest Glory.’

Each day, there are 2 sessions going on-the church, in the main tabernacle, and the Womens Missionary in the missionary/youth tabernacle.  Each church in the connection is represented by an elder as well as an elected delegate.  I am the Womens Missionary president of our local church, Cottage Hill, and so spend my days in the missionary sessions.

There is much that goes on during the sessions, but here are just a few pictures from them.

Nancy Troyer, our very able President, gave a wonderful devotional on Friday morning from Titus 2, verses 3-5….

3 The aged women likewise,

that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness,

not false accusers, not given to much wine,

teachers of good things;

4 That they may teach the young women to be sober,

to love their husbands,

to love their children,

5 To be discreet, chaste,

keepers at home, 

obedient to their own husbands,

that the word of God be not blasphemed.

How I love these verses from God’s Word!  How wonderful to have a book, our guide book, to instruct us how to live our lives!  How wonderful to have Godly women that live His admonition before us.

My daughter Maria was put in this year as the new YMWB (Young Missionary Workers Band) reading secretary.  Her job is to find good, holiness books for our young people.  She worked very hard at finding a number of good literature books, and presented them to the body of women.  She must have done a very good job of presenting a brief overview of each book as she sold out of most of them in just a day or two.  She will be ordering more for the Youth Convention and main Family Camp so all who desire them may purchase them.

The main focus of our sessions is, of course, our missionaries, and it always a pleasure to get to hear from any of our missionaries that are at conference.  The Gilbert and Jenna Camp family, along with their 6 children, missionaries to Northwest Indian Bible School in Montana, spoke to us.  One of the main jobs of the Womens Missionary Societies, is the financial support of each of our missionaries.

The missionaries from Northwest that were at conference this year-back, Rev. Dan Hardy, Jr., Rev.Gilbert Camp; front, Misty Taggert, our newest, and just commissioned missionary Abby Goodenow, and Jenna Camp.

During the main missionary service, the young people sang for us-they did an outstanding job!

The oldest attendee at the Missionary meetings- Mrs. Ruth Ewing-101 and 1/2 years old.  She wanted to come and be a part-blessings on her!- so her daughter, Beverly Johnson,  brought her.  Thankful for the dedicated elderly!

A very familiar sight,  and the place to be 3 times a day-the dining hall line.

And a few images from the evening services….

And impromptu and unpracticed men’s quartet.  They did a great job, as expected.

L to R;  Rev.Doug Strawn, Rev.Mark Deeter, Rev.Jonathan Troyer, Rev. Jonathan Bell.

Rev. Doug Strawn, the Sunday morning worship speaker.

Rev. Daniel Hardy, Sr, president of Allegheny Wesleyan College, asked a number of college students to speak during the Sunday afternoon service.

And as always, we were blessed with beautiful music!

Natatlie Crouch on the harp.  Just Beautiful!

The big change that was voted on and passed this year, was to shorten conference from Wednesday through Sunday to Wednesday through Friday.  So, no more Sundays at conference in the near future.

Till next year!  Keep working!  Keep faithful!

May God bless Allegheny!