The Church of the Brethren Annual Conference Office has announced speakers and other worship leadership for the 2019 Annual Conference, which will take place July 3-7 in Greensboro, North Carolina, with the theme “Proclaim Christ: Reclaim Passion.”
With the unique format of this year’s Conference, in which most business will be suspended so that delegates and others can engage in the “Compelling Vision” process, the worship schedule will differ from its typical format. Evening worship will be similar to previous years, but each day will also feature a morning worship service, with an abbreviated singing time and a shorter sermon, for a total service length of about half an hour.
Donita Keister, moderator of the 2019 Conference and associate pastor of Buffalo ValleyChurch of the Brethren in Mifflinburg, Pa., will speak at the opening worship service on Wednesday evening. Other evening worship speakers include Jonathan Prater of Rockingham, Va., on Thursday; Tim and Audrey Hollenberg-Duffey of Hagerstown, Md., on Friday; and Jeremy Ashworth of Peoria, Ariz., on Saturday.
Morning speakers include Brethren Press publisher Wendy McFadden of Elgin, Ill., on Thursday; Joel Peña of Lancaster, Pa., on Friday; and LaDonna Sanders Nkosi of Chicago on Saturday. Tim Harvey, of Roanoke, Va., will speak at the traditional closing worship on Sunday morning.
Members of this year’s worship planning team are Joel Gibbel of York, Pa.; Erin Matteson of Modesto, Calif.; and Cesia Morrison of Christiansburg, Va. Danielle Sommers of Lewisburg, Pa., will serve as music coordinator; Geneva Price of New Madison, Ohio, as choir director; Jonathan Emmons of Greensboro, N.C., as organist; Lucas Finet of Nokesville, Va., as pianist; and Karen Stutzman of Winston-Salem, N.C., as children’s choir director. Bethany Theological Seminary faculty member Dan Ulrich of Greenville, Ohio, will be the Bible study leader.
For more information on Annual Conference, visit www.brethren.org/ac.