In 2006 a need was felt by the elders of the South West region of U.S. churches to meet together for training and fellowship for elders and their wives. As a result we began what we called the “South West Elder’s Retreat.” Through these annual retreats we realized more and more the importance of being together with other men and women who share the same role and felt the same weight of responsibilities given to the eldership. The encouragement and confidence gained by those who attended these gatherings has been profound and the relationships that were established through being together has proven to be a powerful tool in strengthening the bonds of unity between the churches. What began as a small group has grown to over forty elders and their wives and has included participation from churches in Hawaii, California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Canada. As a result of the scope of participation we have changed the name from “South West Elder’s Retreat” to “Western Elder’s Conference.”
If you serve as an elder and have never been to a conference like this I encourage you to make plans to attend, for I am confident you will not be disappointed that you did.
There will be relevant classes for men and women as well as time for building relationships that we believe are of great and ever increasing value to the Lord and his people as his church reaches more and more souls.
The theme of the 2015 conference is “Spirit of Unity.”
We encourage all attendees to read through the book of Ephesians prior to arrival.
This year’s conference will be held at the Elms Hotel and Spa in Excelsior Springs, Missouri just outside of Kansas City. The conference begins Thursday evening, March 26 and concludes after church on Sunday, March 29.
For more information and registration, visit www.kcchurchofchrist.org and click on “Western Elder’s Conference” under Events.
We hope to see many of you there.
Your brother in Christ,
John Mannel
