Unleash Conference

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Ryan and I were blown away by the Unleash Conference at Newspring Church yesterday. I was amazed at how they had enlisted a crew of about 400 enthusiastic volunteers -- who gave us the warmest greeting I've ever experienced ANYWHERE in my whole life.

We walked up to the building and some smiling lady asked us where we were from. "Wisconsin", I replied.
"OH WOW!! WISCONSIN!!!! HEY EVERYBODY. . . THESE GUYS ARE ALL THE WAY FROM WISCONSIN!!!!"

They cheered us into the church, as if we were Green Bay Packers, or the Pope, or somebody special like that!!

Perry Noble, a young, PASSIONATE, blunt and funny pastor with a.d.d., gave a couple of powerful talks. I didn't agree with everything he said -- but he sure made me want to go out and bring Jesus to every person in the entire northwoods of Wisconsin. He helped light a "mission fuse" in me -- reminding me that our own community is the mission field! Every penny that is given in the offering is spent on "missions."

I follow Perry's blog, and that's how I found out about the conference in the first place.

I met Tony Morgan, another blogger who is on staff at NewSpring. He posted outlines of Perry's messages here and here.

I also met Tommy Mitchell, who blogs over at Rurban Church -- and the Bret Favre of Christian Blogdom -- Todd Rhoades!!

It was fun to run into Eric Yoder, whose brothers, Ned, Jim and Nate go to my church. Eric is pastoring a wonderful new church in South Carolina.




Comments

  1. Anonymous4:24 PM

    Mark,
    I saw you yesterday - heard someone say that you were from Wisconsin. Now that i've found your blog I'm gonna be checkin' you out and see what's happenin' up in the land of the "cheeseheads". Win them all for JESUS, brother.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous7:04 PM

    This is the way that each indiviual that enters a church should be greeted!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Keetha Broyles8:16 PM

    You were having all that fun and I was having parent-teacher conferences!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous8:16 PM

    What I have seen in my past is the people who seem friendly are doing so because they think that the people they are befriending are important.

    The district supertendant gets a warm welcome before he even gets in the chrurch, but the poor man who ran out of gas gets a cold shoulder.

    ReplyDelete

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