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2020
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The Kerusso – August | 2020 Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
Looking Ahead to Better Days Won’t it be great when the day comes that we can listen to the evening news, or scroll through the top 10 stories of our news feed and not see the words “Covid-19?” We cannot wait for a reprieve from the dark and gloomy forecasts of businesses closing, stock markets tumbling, and some schools not convening face-to-face in the fall. Now it’s fair to say that we never know what lies ahead … only God knows. Maybe these kinds of happenings will be routine for longer than we’d like, but I’m going to stick my neck out and say that one day soon they will be in the rear-view mirror. But throughout 2020 the EMC needed to set aside our share of events for the sake of the greater good, to “slow the spread” and “flatten the curve” of this virus. We’ve postponed our March preaching institute, “AMP2020” to a future, yet-to-be-determined date. We’ve suspended our summer camps in most places around the country. We have cancelled our face-to-face Journey meetings in California, Oregon, Texas, and North Carolina. And many of our local churches have ceased meeting in large gatherings for a time, though most have begun to reassemble again. Well, here’s a suggestion … let’s think about 2022 and our upcoming 33rd General Conference, when folks from around the country and around the world will get to gather for worship, inspiration, fellowship, decision-making, and yes, even a little fun. We could use a good dose of that right about now! We surveyed EMC folks across the country last year, asking questions about what kind of property they would prefer to meet in, and where (geographically) they thought it best to gather. Using that information and loads of other research, General Council has selected Ridgecrest Christian Conference Center near Black Mountain, NC. And based on feedback we’ve heard over the last many years, Council has also decided to abbreviate the event by one day, so we will begin on Tuesday afternoon, July 26th, and finish by Friday noon on the 29th. Please mark the date now, and begin making a plan to bring your family and several delegates from your church. Ridgecrest is near many popular vacation destinations such as The Biltmore Estate, Maggie Valley, Pigeon Forge, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, to mention just a few. You may wish to plan a family vacation to begin immediately after Conference concludes on Friday. Or, for those of you who need to return to your pulpits or places of ministry before Sunday, this schedule will afford you that ability as well. We are going to work hard to provide appropriate child-care options for several of the sessions and services, and exciting activities for children and teens so that it can truly be a family event. Ridgecrest is a thoroughly Christian environment, and has an excellent cafeteria and catering staff so that we can enjoy all of our meals together at an affordable price which will be included in the registration fee. Look for more information in the future, but please, please plan now to join EMC’ers from across the US and the world for this incredible event.