“Go to the sisters and brothers and tell them, ‘I’m ascending to my Abba and to your Abba, my God and your God!” (John 20:17, “The Inclusive Bible”).
Quotes of the day
“I hope you’re not the same as you were when you got here.”
— Christy Waltersdorff, NOAC 2019 coordinator, in her closing comments before the final worship service of the week.
“In the quietness listen anew for God’s promise of gracious love and care.”
— A call to prayer during the morning’s worship service.
“Can I speak to a people with a cup full of trial and tribulation? …Where is the body who should help us? …Somebody had better tell me where to find that body!”
— Dennis Webb, pastor of Naperville (Ill.) Church of the Brethren, preaching the closing sermon of the 2019 NOAC.
“Jesus was alive and present before her very eyes…. Mary was full of so much sorrow, and joy was right in front of her face…. We are never far from the resurrection…. God can bring dead things back to life. God’s joy can reach down into your deepest sadness.”
— Dennis Webb preaching on the story of Mary’s experience at the empty tomb in John 20.
NOAC 2019 by the numbers
675 or so participants were in attendance (final number TBA).
$26,702.19* was the total of offerings taken up during the five worship services, to benefit the work of the Church of the Brethren denomination:
$2,452 on Monday evening,
$4,113.25 on Tuesday evening,
$6,351.55 on Wednesday evening,
$8,736.39 on Thursday evening, and
$5,049 on Friday morning.
$5,960 was raised by the 120-some walkers and runners who participated in the early morning fundraising walk around Lake Junaluska to benefit Twa education in the Great Lakes region of central Africa. The walk was sponsored and organized by Brethren Benefit Trust. The Church of the Brethren Global Mission and Service office will distribute the funds.
1,000 hygiene kits were assembled for Church World Service (CWS) to be distributed via the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. Some 70 people put the kits together as one of the NOAC service projects. The Southern Ohio and Kentucky District disaster team organized the project.
1,719 children’s books were donated by NOACers to Junaluska Elementary School, and a busload of participants went to the school to read to children as one of the afternoon service projects. Libby Kinsey was a main leader for the effort. Some 30 or more people read to the school’s 465 children. “The great thing about your group is just the kindness that you had,” said principal Alex Moscarelli when the books were presented to him and his staff on Thursday afternoon.
*All dollar amounts are pre-audit.
Find the NOAC news index page at www.brethren.org/noac2019 . Contributors to this coverage include Frank Ramirez, writer; Jan Fischer Bachman and Russ Otto, the website staff; Walt Wiltschek, editor of the “Senior Moments” daily news sheet; and Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services (editor).