By Allan Dunbar
It is a thrill to see how God uses a variety of logistical impossibilities to put property, people, and programs together to allow those who attend an NACC to be in the center of his blessings. I saw it happen again in Cincinnati this summer””and so did many others.
In a quick review of comments from the feedback sheets, I read:
“¢ “My husband and I were reluctant to come: short notice, money, children, etc. Couldn”t figure out WHY God wanted us to come. Well, we know now””to transform and look at our ministry from a different perspective! We want to live dangerously.”
“¢ “One often questions the cost of attending. When we added airfare to the cost, it was very expensive. This was the first time my wife could attend. After two main sessions, she leaned over and said, “˜I understand now why you said it was worth it to come.””
“¢ “I am still in the ministry because of the success stories of the NACC. Two or three times I have come to the NACC ready to give up. But then I saw others are making an impact, and it encouraged me to continue on in the ministry.”
“By Thursday morning we had already seen 87 people we”ve known from past ministries””the NACC truly is a connecting place.”
“¢ “The NACC reminds me that I”m a part of a large group of Christians around the world””I and my church are not alone. Seeing my heroes of the faith each time I come gives me a legacy””maybe someday younger people will be encouraged by my faith and dedication too.”
These written comments matched so many I heard throughout the week. The preconvention events (tours, golfing, concerts, and training) helped us start the week with a spirit of excitement and expectation. The theme, “Living Dangerously,” truly matched our daily needs with the striking challenge of being sold out for Christ. The worship and prayer time during our main sessions prepared hearts for strong, challenging preaching and testimony. The exhibit area was a great place for learning about a host of ministries and, because of its location, a great gathering place for visiting and connecting.
Since each year”s program is planned by a different president and executive committee, each NACC is different. I see this uniqueness as one of our greatest assets. A Russian proverb states, “If I try to be like him, who will be like me?” Each year a new president suggests new ideas and then counts on our NACC staff to create ways to fit them to the different facilities we use.
I think our biggest difficulty this year was the early start of the morning programming. Our 8:00 am Bible studies were not as well attended as in recent years when the starting time was later. We will think about this for the future.
I”m regularly brought into discussions about the future of the NACC. Added to the usual list of concerns this year was the rising cost of travel and the impact this had on attendance. While I”m never satisfied with our numbers (we estimate about 7,200 folk participated during the week), I am convinced those who attend are amazingly blessed. I am pleased that the decision to locate upcoming conventions in cities like Cincinnati, Louisville, and Indianapolis will help address this cost of travel issue for so many in our movement. We need to keep working on getting those closest to the actual event to make a concerted effort to get their folk there, even if only for one day or service.
We need to remain focused on people! Each individual comes away from the NACC with the unique blessing God has provided through some specific situation or event. Future planning involves evaluating and meeting real personal needs. In the evaluation sheets it really jumps out at us: people find direction and hope for their ministries at the NACC.
“¢ “The NACC is a wonderful way for my minister husband and myself to refuel for another year in ministry.”
“¢ “We had 16 people from our church of 80 attend the NACC. It was a great time to get to know each other better and to learn from the speakers.”
“¢ “The prayer time on Wednesday night was amazing. The elders from my church and I bonded like never before. We needed that prayer time away from the church walls.”
“¢ “Our boys are with my in-laws, so my husband and I were able to really relax, listen, and apply messages. We reconnected and celebrated our common godly goals. We have prayed together for the time line and place God wants us to serve as full-time foreign missionaries.”
“¢ “Someday I hope to be a preacher. Most of my incentive comes from the association and contacts I have made over the years at the NACC.”
The NACC is filled with the value and purpose an independent fellowship like ours demands. Let”s rejoice in these blessings instead of magnifying the negatives. Let”s heed Leo Tolstoy”s warning in War and Peace, “We lost because we told ourselves we lost.”
_______________
Allan Dunbar is executive director of the North American Christian Convention.
0 Comments