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Make ECC Plans Today!
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Joe Wilson, Executive Director |
With the passing of my friend and our dear brother, Wayne Murphy, I was appointed as the new Executive Director of the Eastern Christian Conference in 2015. That appointment was confirmed at our 2016 Spring ECC planning meeting, and I hope to continue in a long line of good leaders in the East.
I want to take a moment to give you some insight to our emerging philosophy at the ECC – and perhaps some reasons why you should make the 2016 Eastern Christian Conference a part of your fall plan.
Friends, the Eastern Christian Conference is a unifying venue for Restoration Movement churches on the East Coast. There are lots of good conferences that you can attend in any given year. There may be higher profile conferences at more exotic destinations – but this conference belongs to our churches. It values a certain heritage and celebrates a future camaraderie as we labor together in a unique field. It provides partnership opportunities and promises a bigger vision than any of our own localities can emphasize. Your presence is an investment in our cooperative work moving forward.
It’s important for you to know that I see the Eastern Christian Conference as a changing conference. We’re not changing our name or even what we value. But we are changing our outlook of what must be done over a weekend together. Something of value that outlasts our gathering must be a continuing emphasis. Opportunities to help fund new churches and serve regional needs have to take a prominent place in our gatherings. Connecting para-church and local church in significant endeavors is our path to lasting impact. Over the next couple of years you will see us take greater steps toward significant kingdom impact that outlasts a weekend of worship.
Finally, it’s my hope that the Eastern Christian Conference will provide margin for important conversations among God’s people. Back in 2013 I took a sabbatical that provided ample margin for me to listen more closely to God’s direction for my life – and to seek guidance from trusted leaders. We acknowledge that some very important things that happen at the ECC take place outside of our worship sessions and workshops. We desire to be a gathering where the call of God can be heard, people can be inspired to consider greater steps of service, and the voice of friends can speak into our lives. We want to provide space for this to happen.
I invite you to join us as we shape a good conference with a rich heritage into a valued venue of kingdom collaboration which moves our churches into the future together.
Would you put the Fall 2016 Eastern Christian Conference on your calendar right now? We will be meeting November 11-13, 2016 in Hershey, PA. Better yet – reserve your housing right now by following the link provided below. This Fall will be the 49th gathering of the ECC. Join me as we launch ourselves into an even more productive future.
Blessings to all,
Joe Wilson
Eastern Christian Conference
Executive Director
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