Annual Leadership Conference - May 15-16, 2008

“All Aboard!” That’s our loud and clear call as we set sail for this year’s Annual Leadership Conference! We are so excited to be hosting an extra special event for you, our conference pastors and leaders, this year.

Our kick-off will begin with a delectable dinner on board Cleveland’s Nautica Queen! We will board dockside at 6 PM from the West Bank Flats Nautica Entertainment Complex and enjoy a delicious full-course meal as we cruise the Cuyahoga River. We’ll have the upper deck completely to ourselves as we dine. And that is just a foretaste of what is to come.

Friday will be filled with quality opportunities to enhance your personal ministries at home. We are honored to have Bishop Joseph Garlington, Senior Pastor of Covenant Church in Pittsburgh, PA as our keynote speaker. Bishop Garlington also serves as Presiding Bishop for Reconciliation Ministries International, a network of churches and ministries that spans the globe as a model of reconciliation and racial healing.

He works in partnership with local and national financial institutions and foundations to see genuine fruit spring forth from President Bush’s faith-based initiatives, by providing home ownership for low and middle income families. In launching an outreach to recover an abandoned school in PA that is now known as Hosanna House Community Center, Bishop Garlington has helped establish a world-class model for creative partnerships with government, business, foundations and the church.

He is an accomplished musician, recording artist, author and scholar who is heard weekly through radio and TV addresses, and is internationally recognized in the religious community for his work in many churches in South Africa since 1979. Bishop Garlington will address us three times throughout the day on Friday, including during our evening dinner banquet. Known for his humor and insight, you will not want to miss his time with us!

You will have the chance to choose between quality leadership training tracks led by BGC keynotes throughout our district, as well as enjoy quality fellowship in song, to round out your time at this year’s conference. Watch for registration materials!