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FOCUS '05 Children's Ministry Conference a Success
5/12/05
The annual Children's Ministry Conference was
held in Greenville, SC
on April 28-30, 2005.
There were 362 participants in attendance this year from 22 states, plus Belgium,
Ireland,
and Jamaica.
Speakers for the weekend event included John
Tasch, Wayne
Tesch, Ken
Blount, Tommy
Toombs, and Michael
Knight. These special guests conducted a
total of 32 dynamic workshops dealing with a variety of children's ministry
topics. Praise and worship for the weekend was led by Jason
and Brandi Hunnicutt and their
children's ministry team from Restoration Church of God in Alpharetta,
GA.
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Annual Children's Ministry
Conference
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New leadership was elected during the annual National
Children's Leaders Association annual business meeting. Those elected for
the next one year term include: Cindy
Hunnicutt,
Chairperson; Phillip Harris,
Vice Chairperson; Lance Colkmire, Gary
Lewis, and Daniel
Bunce.
During the conference, the annual Shepherd's Cup Award was presented. The
Shepherd's Cup Award is presented annually at the annual Focus Children's
Ministry Conference. The award is given to individuals who have been
involved in ministry to children for at least 10 years and have made this
area of ministry a priority and lifetime commitment and whose ministry has
set high standards for others to follow. The following individuals were
nominated by their pastor and/or state leadership:
Danny Thornton,
Rose Heights
Church of God, Longview
Texas
Terry Kemp,
Penn Forest
Church of God, Roanoke,
Virginia
Jodi James,
Lakeside Church
of God, Ft.
Worth, Texas
Robert Crick,
Cooper City
Church of God, Cooper
City, Florida
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2005 Shepherd's Cup Winners
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Other awards were also given at the conference for excellence
in children's ministry. Garrett
Gardner from Praise Cathedral in Greer,
South Carolina received an award for
her "Above and Beyond" approach to children's ministry. Butch Condon
from Rivers of Living Water in Fayetteville,
North Carolina and Donnie Turner from Liberty Church of God
Worship Center in Lexington, Kentucky were both recognized with
the "Dare to Soar" award as up-and-coming children's ministry
leaders.
The annual conference is coordinated by the National Children's Leaders
Association Leadership Team, under the auspices of the Church of God
International Department of Youth and Christian Education.
The 2006 Focus Children's Ministry Conference will be held April 27-29
at the Greenville, South
Carolina Hyatt Regency Hotel. For additional information, go to
www.extremegen.org or call Tony Lane
at 423-478-7229.
To further the training of children's ministry workers nationally, the
NCLA team is coordinating Imagine One Day Children's Ministry Seminars to
be held in three locations this fall: August 27-Hurst, Texas; September
10-Bronx, New York; September 17-Ocala, Florida. The purpose of these
seminars will be to provide local church children's workers, teachers, and
leaders with quality training for more effective children's ministry.
Also planned for January 28-February
6, 2006 is an International Children's Ministry Training
Seminar to be held in two international locations, including the European
Theological Seminary in Stuttgart, Germany
and Brussels, Belgium.
Children's ministry workers who would like to be a part of this team should
contact Tony Lane at
423-478-7229 or visit www.extremegen.org.
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