Today at NOAC – Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011

Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
C. Michael Hawn leads a session on hymns for NOAC. He was the keynote speaker for Thursday, and also helped lead singing for the evening hymn sing.

Quotes of the day

“…Therefore is it appropriate for Brethren to have fun while doing nothing at NOAC?” — Annual Conference secretary Fred Swartz during a NOAC News video clip, in a spoof of Annual Conference and its focus on church business. Swartz presented a couple of faux queries on NOAC to the news team, because he could find no business session to present them to here at NOAC.

“Unfortunately I was raised Baptist. My parents didn’t realize I should have been Anabaptist.” — C. Michael Hawn, who led the keynote session for Thursday morning, speaking about his love for singing hymns. For the first hymn he asked NOAC to sing, he requested the crowd to sing acapella and in harmony the refrain to “My Life Flows On,” and then said, “Okay, it was all worth the trip.”

“What is it that when we sing together, binds us together in Christ?” — C. Michael Hawn, who led the keynote session on “Singing with the Saints: Songs of the World Christian Church.”

 

Main events of the day

Thursday started with a “Step Up and Step Out–for Ministry Summer Service” fundraising walk around Lake Junaluska, starting at 7 a.m. The morning Bible study was led by Lani Wright, followed by a keynote session on “Singing with the Saints: Songs of the World Christian Church” led by C. Michael Hawn. In the afternoon field trips were available to the Biltmore mansion, the Oconaluftee Cherokee Village, and hiking in Smoky Mountain National Park. The afternoon entertainment was brought by Freeman Owle, speaking on “The Cherokee of Yesterday and Today.” A memorial tribute to the pastors and spouses and other church leaders who have died since the last NOAC opened the evening session, which continued with a hymn sing titled “Singing Our Faith,” led by Jonathan Shively and C. Michael Hawn. Three Brethren colleges invited alumni to ice cream social to round out the evening: Bridgewater, Elizabethtown, and Juniata. Bethany Seminary class of 1961 held its 50 year reunion, and an informal gathering of former mission workers in Nigeria got together as well.

 

NOAC weather report

The morning walk around the lake was held in grey cloudy weather, with the rest of the day being mostly cloudy as well. Some light showers fell on Lake Junaluska during the day, and a slight chill was in the air. Receiving news of heavy rainfall and flooding in parts of Pennsylvania, especially along the Susquehanna River, and some areas of Virginia, a few NOACers left early to head back home.

 

Photo by Perry McCabe
The Step Up and Step Out for Ministry Summer Service walk around Lake Junaluska raised $2,000 for Ministry Summer Service. Some 135 walkers took part.

NOAC by the numbers

Step Up and Step Out for Ministry Summer Service: 135 people made the walk around Lake Junaluska, raising $2,000 for the Church of the Brethren’s Ministry Summer Service program

Bags of candy eaten up by visitors to the exhibit hall: 48.6 pounds, including 32 pounds at the Palms of Sebring booth and 16.6 pounds at the Brethren Benefit Trust booth

Nicknames for the bus that brought folks to NOAC from several Midwestern districts: 18. The busload held a contest for the winning name: “Midwest Jolly Trolley to NOAC.” Other entries included “The Cozy Dozy Bus,” “Derelict Dunkard Taxi,” “Heartland COBS (Church of the Brethren Sages) Bus,” and “MIIOW” (pronounced meow) standing for Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Esther Rupel submitted a poem based on the post office renderings of  the state names (WI IL OH MI NA):

Will Oh Mi Na
My true love
Rolling southward
With all us aboard
Crossing rivers
And mountain streams
Through the Smokies
For larger dreams

 

Question of the day:
If you could be any member of the NOAC News Team, who would it be?

By Frank Ramirez
 
Chris Stover-Brown
Larry, because it looked like his tub was nicer than mine.
 
Larry Glick
Chris, because it looked like his tub was nicer than mine.
 
Dave Sollenberger
Eddie, because he gets to drive a cool golf cart.

A. Mack
I tink (think) Bruder (brother) Chris, because he maintains such yoy (joy) in the face of persecution. (English translation)
 
Ms. Inglenook
Dave, because he reminds me of a big cherry tart.

 

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