Saturday

Pastor Paul Schmidlin and Tracy Schmidlin demonstrated a meaningful tool for team training which is in the form of a large rainbow-themed puzzle.  The pieces of the puzzle represent the activities throughout a VDC weekend (e.g., sendoff, reception, meditations, rollos, etc.) with each day having a unique color of the rainbow.  A training session begins with the “Come Holy Spirit” prayer followed by a short devotional message.  Then the puzzle pieces are attached to the...

Following the conclusion of the business meeting, NLS President Brian Comeno addressed the VDC community, expressing his love of our movement and thanking people for their support.  He called for the movement to be innovative and think “outside the box” to reach people today.  The VDC can learn from the example of the Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) movement where Truth and Authenticity help build relationships and draw each other closer to Christ.  These young people...

NLS President Brian Comeno called the meeting back to order and Pastor Karl Gaston began with a prayer asking for God’s help and guidance.  Treasurer Jerry Gray resumed his presentation of the proposed 2026 budget and other financial statements.  There were two minor budget amendments approved to add an expense line item for the scholarship payment and a $1000 increase in the Annual Gathering expense line based on recent experience with the 2025 AG.  The...

The Ways to Pray session was less an “exchange of ideas” and more of an experiential opportunity. Lissa Roseman and Karen Weires led the group through some prayerful exercises. Participants were encouraged to first prayerfully “empty” themselves of anything that would impede their getting close to God. They were given the opportunity to write down anything weighing on them – sins, hurts, worries – on rice paper, which was then dissolved in water, freeing them...

Pastor Scott ElliottSpirit of Joy, Weddington, NC Pastor of Family and Youth The young people in our culture are still out there. To reach them, we need to transform the way we think about ministry. NOT the message. The Gospel does not need to be updated or repackaged. We need to think outside the box. Just like Jesus did, we need to meet people where they are.  This starts earlier than some students. It starts with...

Carolyn Witham VP of Administration led an exchange of ideas (EOI) discussion for those interested in, discerning, or making plans for hosting a future Annual Gathering.  Carolyn emphasized that hosting a meeting is an Honorable SERVICE.  It is a lot of work, but it will also be a blessing to the host community.  Randy Poisel agreed commenting that from hosting 2 years ago that it “helped INKY regain momentum” in their VDC community. Carolyn shared...