It was a great gathering. The Dayton Convention was graced with God's presence and warmed by the greetings of friends. My family arrived with a huge degree of anticipation. We love all of it, well, most of it. Lugging enormous amounts of luggage to our room; combing, brushing, and spraying ourselves so we can make a presentable appearance; jostling through crowded doors with many an "Excuse me;" traipsing from one display to the next (remembering which tables have the best candy -- oh, come now, you do that too!; receiving ecstatic hugs and sincere handshakes from people on every side; basking in the joy of praising God as we listen to excellent music and stirring sermons. The Inter-Church Holiness Convention has to be experienced to be understood.
I didn't grow up in the convention crowd. My first time there was as a freshman at God's Bible School and College in Cincinnati. I was overwhelmed with the sights and sounds; I didn't know many people there. God has been gracious and allowed me to travel and minister with my husband in so many different places. Because of our college days and pastorates, we have gotten to know so many great folk. Every year it is our joy to strengthen those ties of friendship a little more at the Dayton Convention.
This event is more than a mecca for conservative holiness people. It is a microcosm of what we believe in -- faith (we come to worship), family (we love to find out who just got married and how many children we all have and compare stories), and ministry (we buy resources, we schedule revivals, we lean on each other's expertise and leave more resolved than ever to jump back into whatever God has called us to.)
To me, the Inter-Church Holiness Convention is a place to experience both the love of God and the love of others. And that's what the Christian life is supposed to be about.
Read some humorous and insightful comments about the convention from my friend, Sarah Fry:
http://www.davidandsarahfry.blogspot.com
I didn't grow up in the convention crowd. My first time there was as a freshman at God's Bible School and College in Cincinnati. I was overwhelmed with the sights and sounds; I didn't know many people there. God has been gracious and allowed me to travel and minister with my husband in so many different places. Because of our college days and pastorates, we have gotten to know so many great folk. Every year it is our joy to strengthen those ties of friendship a little more at the Dayton Convention.
This event is more than a mecca for conservative holiness people. It is a microcosm of what we believe in -- faith (we come to worship), family (we love to find out who just got married and how many children we all have and compare stories), and ministry (we buy resources, we schedule revivals, we lean on each other's expertise and leave more resolved than ever to jump back into whatever God has called us to.)
To me, the Inter-Church Holiness Convention is a place to experience both the love of God and the love of others. And that's what the Christian life is supposed to be about.
Read some humorous and insightful comments about the convention from my friend, Sarah Fry:
http://www.davidandsarahfry.blogspot.com
Watch archived convention services: http://www.ihconvention.com
The convention venue -- main entrance.
Ashley looking at the Dayton Daily, the convention paper.
Banner on the backside of the main bleacher section.
Women of Worth display table in the exhibitor's section.
Ashley, Autumn, Stewart, & Kaley with cousins Shannon and Meghan and a friend on the end.
Loved hearing your "reflections" on I.H.C.! Beautifully written...I have gone to I.H.C. since I was about 12 years old...It is a "must" for me! I love it! I enjoyed getting to chat with you! Hope that you are having a great day!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your memories. I enjoyed IHC through the internet this year. I hope that Duane is not offended that I was eating a grilled hamburger while he was preaching. By the way, I thought he did a great job. I know you must be proud of him.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Your husband DID do a wonderful job! I really enjoyed his message...(I wasn't eating a hamburger, though! Guess there are pros and cons to actually being there, huh?) ha!
ReplyDeleteIt was great to see you there even it was only for a couple minutes. :) I wasn't privileged to hear Duane speak, but Travis got to watch some of it and said he did awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt was great knowing about this convention. Keep sharing such details here. Anyways we also are going to host such an event for our business vendors in the next month. The preparations have already started. We have booked the most popular convention center for this special event.
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