Lake Region—The Lake Region Conference Church Ministries training conference was held November 19-21, 2004, at the South Bend (Ind.) Century Center. The vision for this event was cast two years prior in a conversation between Noelene Johnsson, North American Division (NAD) children's ministries director, and Phyllis Washington, Lake Region Conference children's ministries director.
Over 700 registered participants came from the five-state conference territory—Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. A nominal registration fee of $25 provided participants a selection of 105 workshops presented by experts in a variety of disciplines. Presenters from the General Conference, North American Division, Lake Union, and Review and Herald were well received. Participants continue to give positive feedback about the quality and quantity of information.
The keynote line-up was no less impressive. James Black, NAD youth ministries director, Walter Wright, Lake Union Conference president, Henry Wright, a Potomac Conference pastor, and Rosa Banks, an assistant secretary at the General Conference, provided a challenge for lay ministry in the 21st century. The Sabbath worship service brought an attendance of nearly 2,000 spread across three meeting areas that included special services for youth and hispanic ministries.
Quiet Moment Ministries of Ypsilanti, Mich., in cooperation with the Ypsilanti Church and the Lake Region Conference Communication department, streamed the general sessions and communication workshops live via the Internet. Josephine Taylor, an Ypsilanti church member, reported one of her friends discovered the service while surfing the Web on Saturday morning. He enjoyed it so much that he tuned in the entire day and asked Josephine about other programs carried on the church’s website.
The Lake Region Conference plans to follow up this training with specialized departmental training events during 2005 and will have their next large-scale training event in 2006.
Phyllis Washington, Lake Region Conference children's ministries director, and Ray Young, Lake Region Conference communication director
