PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (Feb. 21, 2018) --The 2018 Ministers Convocation concluded with 253 pastors in attendance at Music Road Convention Center.
The annual continuing education event for Holston clergy was held Feb. 19-21 on unseasonably warm days (highs in the 70s and 80s), providing opportunities for participants to balance learning with outdoor activities and shopping and dining with friends.
Videos of all sessions are posted at Convocation.Holston.org.
Hosted by the Wesley Leadership Institute, this year’s convocation was themed, “Culture Making: The Creative Work of Clergy & Congregations.”
Speakers included the Rev. Matt Miofsky, lead pastor of The Gathering UMC in St. Louis, Missouri; the Rev. Donna Claycomb Sokol, pastor of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C.; and Andy Crouch, author, musician, and former executive editor at "Christianity Today."
Worship music was led by the praise band from Keith Memorial United Methodist Church (Monday), Crouch (Tuesday), and the VW Boys (Wednesday.)
An offering of $1,153 was collected for Camp in the Community.
During closing worship, Bishop Dindy Taylor commissioned Mary Palmer, the first “circuit hiker” for the Appalachian Outreach Ministry. Palmer is a member at First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. (See video of commissioning.)
On Wednesday afternoon, 16 pastors took a three-mile hike, led by the Rev. Charles Maynard, to Baskins Creek Falls.
Visit Twitter and Instagram for tweets and images with the hashtag #holstonconvo18. Some images and videos are also provided at Facebook.Holston.org.
The Ministers Convocation Design Team includes Rev. Troy Forrester, Rev. Rachel Witt, Rev. Laura Blair Plaster, Rev. Will Shelton, Rev. Sarah Varnell, and Sue Weber.
See also:
Pastors gather at Convocation for worship, education, news (The Call, 2.22.16)
Six ministers review Convocation '07 (The Call, 2.23.07)