By Dr. William David Woods
Lower Beech Fork United Methodist Church
I had such a wonderful experience at the Central Appalachian Missionary Conference’s Annual Conference this year. It was a joy to fellowship, worship, and participate in workshops with all those attending. Officially, the Annual Conference serves many essential functions for the Central Appalachian Missionary Conference. Personally, the Annual Conference allowed me to celebrate and grow my faith in real-time while bringing some important constructs home with me. The Annual Conference was indeed a great event!
Firstly, I left the Annual Conference feeling excited about the progress of the Conference in recent years and informed about its prospects for the future. It was refreshing to hear positive reports directly from leaders on the day-to-day operations of churches and organizations, recent victories and lessons learned, and well-planned strategies and tactics for solid performance in the future. I felt that the reports were well balanced and informative and gave me a better sense of how all the parts of the Conference come together—well Done!
Secondly, I exited the Annual Conference feeling joyous about the role of my Church in the Conference and the many benchmarks of performance of the Conference that my Church met during the past year. It was nice to hear that my Church delivered so well on the expectations set for it. We went home with pride to share our accolades and celebrate the good things said about our Church at the Annual Conference.
Thirdly, I left the Annual Conference feeling reinvigorated in my Christianity and what God has in the works in my life. Hearing from others as they share devotions, messages, and music is uplifting. Furthermore, the Annual Conference allowed me to benchmark the experiences of others in attendance, level-set my personal expectations compared to others, and benchmark personal goals for the future of my Christianity. Praise God for the fellowship, discipleship, and opportunities for personal innovation!
This year, I had a wonderful experience at the Central Appalachian Missionary Conference’s Annual Conference. That sentiment resounded with others in attendance, from within my Church and the broader Conference. Everyone was so pleased with the results of the Conference and the enjoyable time we had together in God. The fellowship, worship, and workshops are indeed something to look forward to, and I am eager to be there next year!