Jul 06, 2011
What do these numbers have in common:
500 - 270 - 85 - 60 - 34 - 32 - 9 - 3 ?
Before you get too excited, I have to tell you it has nothing to do with our bank account or the combination to our safety deposit box! But they do all represent something valuable in our opinion. They are all related to the recent IFCA convention that we attended from Monday noon until Friday noon of last week. Here’s what they mean...
There were approximately 500 delegates present at the convention, most of whom were pastors of IFCA churches (Independent Fundamental Churches of America). Previous to the conference we knew only one IFCA pastor, David Broersma. David shepherds Faith Bible Church (FBC) in Albuquerque, NM. FBC supported us on the mission field and is where we attended while on furlough in Albuquerque.
During the course of the week we commuted 270 miles to the convention site in Northern Kentucky. That translates into 9 hours on the road last week.
We prepared a special booklet to give away during the conference: What Pastors Need to Know About Caring for Missionaries. (You can download a free copy from our home page http://paracletos.org/.) Of the 100 booklets we printed, 85 were taken. Those plus countless brochures, free pens, and business cards found their way into dozens of hands.
We were one of 60 exhibitors, and we all had a steady stream of traffic. We enjoyed meeting and chatting with more than a hundred visitors at our table during the 34 hours of our presence.
We held drawings for a free 3-day/2-night personal retreat at Baan Sabai. We were encouraged that 32 people entered, even from such far away places as California and Colorado. There were 3 lucky winners.
Many pastors instantly realized the nature of our ministry and were appreciative. Others were more aloof. One key contact was with the Director of Church Relations for NTM (someone w knew but didn’t realize was functioning in that capacity). Overall we were encouraged by the response and are strongly considering exhibiting at the 2012 Convention in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
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