{"id":14370,"date":"2019-09-02T18:38:49","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T18:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.brethren.org\/news\/?p=14370"},"modified":"2020-05-28T18:41:58","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T18:41:58","slug":"today-at-noac-monday-sept-2-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2019\/today-at-noac-monday-sept-2-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Today at NOAC – Monday, Sept. 2, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
NOAC arrivals are welcomed with a big hug. Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWelcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God\u201d (Romans 15:7).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Welcome to NOAC!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2019 National Older Adult Conference started off today with a welcome festival, fitting for the theme scripture text featured in the opening worship in the evening, Romans 15:7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the welcome festival, participants had time for fellowship and fun activities and enjoyed music by bluegrass trio the Banjocats, as they waited for their turn to register.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The welcome theme continued in worship where preacher Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm of the Bethany Seminary faculty preached on \u201cReaching for the Strange and the Beautiful,\u201d speaking about the \u201cstrange and beautiful\u201d welcome of Christ to us, and our calling to share that with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After worship, some 80 people gathered under a tent by the lakeside for a \u201cVigil for Holy Hospitality\u201d led by chaplains Kim and David Witkovsky. The vigil was offered as an opportunity for participants to express concern for the experience of migrants and refugees, for the sin of racism, and for the injustice of poverty, and recommit to live out the welcome of God for all people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Quotes of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Christy Waltersdorff and David Steele. Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought this was the National Older Youth Conference!\u201d<\/p>—\u00a0General secretary David Steele welcoming the crowd to NOAC, and commenting on his lack of a suit jacket. He noted that this is the 15th NOAC held by the Church of the Brethren.
<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are glad you\u2019re here!\u201d<\/p>—\u00a0Christy Waltersdorff, coordinator of the 2019 NOAC, in her welcome to the congregation at the start of evening worship.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm gives the benediction for the opening worship service of NOAC 2019 – outstretched arms expressing the welcome of God. Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe [Jesus] showed there is nothing God won\u2019t do to love us back to life…. How strange and beautiful is that!… Strange and beautiful is hte reach of God to us and that\u2019s why we can welcome one another.\u201d<\/p>—\u00a0Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm of the Bethany Seminary faculty, preaching for the opening worship service.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLoving God, remind us that all people and indeed all creation are yours and not ours…. As you have welcomed us and redeemed us…help us to open our hearts.\u201d<\/p>—\u00a0David Witkovsky, who with Kim Witkovsky led the evening\u2019s \u201cVigil for Holy Hospitality\u201d focused on concerns for immigration, racism, and poverty.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoing events like this is really special to us.\u201d<\/p>—\u00a0Michael McLain of Michael and Jennifer McLain and the Banjocats, who provided the music for the afternoon\u2019s welcome festival. He reported to Walt Wiltschek, editor of the \u201cSenior Moments\u201d NOAC daily news sheet, that the trio do a lot of visits to schools to do educational programs about the traditions of bluegrass and really like sharing their gifts. They are based in White Bluff, Tenn., just outside Nashville.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Vigil for Holy Hospitality. Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Find the NOAC news index page at\u00a0www.brethren.org\/noac2019<\/a>\u00a0. Contributors to this coverage include Walt Wiltschek, editor of the Senior Moments daily news sheet; Frank Ramirez, writer; Jan Fischer Bachman and Russ Otto, the website staff; and Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services (editor).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWelcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God\u201d (Romans 15:7). Welcome to NOAC! The 2019 National Older Adult Conference started off today with a welcome festival, fitting for the theme scripture text featured in the opening worship in the evening, Romans 15:7. At the welcome festival, participants had<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[300,1259,1585,1256],"wf_post_folders":[],"class_list":["post-14370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-national-older-adult-conference","tag-noac","tag-noac-2019","tag-older-adults"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14370"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14374,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14370\/revisions\/14374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14370"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=14370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}