{"id":14393,"date":"2019-09-04T19:03:58","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T19:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.brethren.org\/news\/?p=14393"},"modified":"2020-05-28T19:05:39","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T19:05:39","slug":"today-at-noac-wednesday-sept-4-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2019\/today-at-noac-wednesday-sept-4-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Today at NOAC – Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Drew Hart gives the Wednesday keynote address. Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGod has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean\u201d (Acts 10:28).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\u201cWe as Christians have an opportunity to follow Jesus through our racialized society…the Jesus who identifies with the least, the last, the lost…and see the world around from the vantage point of below…. Follow Jesus and embrace a new belonging to other people\u2019s suffering because shared suffering is…where we live out our anti-racist discipleship in the way of Jesus.\u201d<\/p>—\u00a0Drew Hart, keynote speaker for the day. He is assistant professor of theology at Messiah College, holds a doctorate from Lutheran Theological Seminary, and is the author of \u201cTrouble I\u2019ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism.\u201d He opened his talk by sharing \u201cgreetings from Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren, that\u2019s my new congregation!\u201d<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery time we invite someone new to the table we are changed…. We are all invited to be part of this diversely-abled gathering…because we all have special needs and we all have special gifts. But we don\u2019t have to wait until the end of time. Let\u2019s get this party started!\u201d<\/p>—\u00a0Jeanne Davies, pastor of the Parables congregation now meeting in two locations in Lombard and West Dundee, Ill., preaching the evening\u2019s sermon on the theme, \u201cThe Welcome Table.\u201d<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Jeanne Davies preaching for NOAC 2019. Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGod of all creation, open our eyes and our hearts to your presence in one another.\u201d<\/p>—\u00a0A prayer from this evening\u2019s worship service.<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

More important than the program are the people<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Virginia Crim. Photo by Frank Ramirez<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Virginia Crim, 101 years old, of Greenville, Ohio, has attended every NOAC. This is her 15th. She attended the first one with her husband because \u201cwe thought it would be an interesting project,\u201d she said. In addition, \u201cwe knew a lot of people going at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her husband passed away after they had attended the first three NOACS. \u201cI kept coming,\u201d Crim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She continues to come to NOAC because she\u2019s brought by her daughter. \u201cI would be able to come by myself,\u201d she admitted. Crim was a schoolteacher for 20 years. She has 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked which NOAC she enjoyed the best, she replied, \u201cEach one was different.\u201d More important than the program are the people. \u201cThere were certain people we would meet at NOAC year after year. Many of them are gone now,\u201d she sighed. \u201cWe had friends from all over the United States. This was the one place we could get together.\u201d\u00a0— Frank Ramirez<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find the NOAC news index page at\u00a0www.brethren.org\/noac2019<\/a>\u00a0. 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).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n