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Inspiration 2017: NOAC by the numbers

Church of the Brethren Newsline
September 21, 2017

An “all NOAC” photo by Eddie Edmonds.

Inspiration 2017: National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) brought older adults from across the denomination and across the country together for a week of worship, fellowship, laughter, and learning in early September. From Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 4, through Friday, Sept. 8, the conference was hosted at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center in western North Carolina, in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. Find the onsite coverage of Inspiration 2017  including photo albums, webcasts, daily news sheets, a form to order the NOAC 2017 DVD, and more at www.brethren.org/news/2017/noac2017 .

Here is a glimpse of NOAC, by the numbers:

14: number of National Older Adult Conferences held by the Church of the Brethren over 25 years, from the first NOAC held in 1992 to Inspiration 2017

855: number of people registered

17: number of people who have attended all 14 NOACs

99 years and 9 months: age of the oldest participant, Virginia Crim

237: total who signed up for afternoon bus trips to Junaluska Elementary, Smoky Mtn. National Park, Asheville’s African-American history tour, Biltmore House and Gardens, Hendersonville, and Oconaluftee Indian Village

734: number of Church World Service “Gift of the Heart” kits assembled and/or donated. This included 432 school kits, 301 health kits, and 1 clean-up bucket. Additionally, more than $900 was donated to the CWS kit collection.

1,268: number of books donated for Junaluska Elementary. The books will stock small libraries in each classroom.

more than $5,100: raised for the church’s work in South Sudan. About 170 people registered for the fundraiser walk around Lake Junaluska.

$21,445: received in offerings during the worship. Offerings supported the ministries of the Church of the Brethren, including older adult ministries.

School principal and staff (at right) and NOAC volunteers and staff (at left) pose with hundreds of the books that were collected at NOAC for Junaluska Elementary School. Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford.
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