The 2019 Annual Conference…by the numbers

Children’s activities. Photo by Laura Brown

2,155: Total registration number for the 2019 Annual Conference including 677 delegates and 1,478 nondelegates.

$50,928.49: Worship offerings. Each evening worship service and the Sunday morning service received an offering dedicated to a particular purpose. This total includes:

     — $13,212.01 for Brethren Disaster Ministries work in Puerto Rico

     — $11,383.41 for the Church of the Brethren core ministries

     — $11,152.16 for church rebuilding in Nigeria in a collaboration between the Church of the Brethren’s Global Mission and Service and Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria)

     — $8,171.35 for child care and age activities expenses at Annual Conference

     — $7,009.56 for Calling the Called workshops in the Church of the Brethren districts, sponsored by the Office of Ministry

$2,360: The online donations and offerings received via www.brethren.org related to the 2019 Annual Conference. The 30 online gifts included $900 in general donations for Annual Conference, $940 to support webcasts of the Conference, $150 for the Nigeria Crisis Response, $150 for Brethren Disaster Ministries work in Puerto Rico, $200 for Church of the Brethren core ministries, $100 for the work of Global Mission and Service, and $70 for the work of the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy in Washington, D.C.

$7, 595: Amount raised for hunger relief by the Association for the Arts Quilt Auction.

$1,312: Amount received in an offering for ministers’ assistance during the pre-Conference Minister’s Association event. At least 132 people participated in the event led by Dr. David Olson on the theme, “Saying No to Say Yes: Everyday Boundaries and Pastoral Excellence.”

$2,500: Donation from the conference center in Grand Rapids to purchase free ice cream bars for this year’s Conference goers, as a gesture of thanks to the Annual Conference for returning to their city again in 2020.

165: Pints collected by the Annual Conference Blood Drive in onsite donations.

35: Years of service by Joyce Person as teller coordinator and lead teller for Annual Conference, recognized during the first morning’s business session.

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