The day began with a run in the rain at 6:00 am. It was warm enough outside that a little water wouldn't hurt us, and we were shortly going to be soaked anyway. Four of us, including a pastor who grew up in Millersport (his dad was pastor there for 17 years) ran a couple of laps around Lakeside. Then I walked another lap with our lay delegate.
As we were finishing up our walk, it started raining again just a little, then a huge rainbow filled the western sky. It looked like its end was right in the lake. It was beautiful!
The morning worship featured Pastor Rudy Rasmus, pastor of St. John's in Houston, TX. He was awesome. I have never experienced his truthful, in-your-face, honest, authentic, prophetic preaching at Annual Conference (or maybe anywhere else). It's no wonder "his" church has grown.
Some choice quotes from Pastor Rudy:
- Birthdays are the best thing since pimping. Free money at somebody else's expense.
- Bishop, you a gangsta!
I never expected to hear either one of those phrases... not at Annual Conference, especially from the stage!
Some evangelism awards were given, including to Neil Whitney, and I couldn't agree more with that award. He has patterned his life, church, and ministry around giving the Good News. Way to go, Neil.
I left session early in order to help set up the Nets games (for the Nothing But Nets campaign). My soccer kick game didn't take much set-up, so I helped some others and played some "volleyball" with some kids. The soccer kick was kind of off-the-beaten-path, but after a while, kids found it. It was basically a free "ticket" for anyone who played (the tickets could be turned in for prizes). A nice thing was that kids of any age could be successful at this game.
The cabinet had challenged the youth to a game of volleyball, and it ended up being played with a water balloon! It was hysterical! The DS from my former district took a spill, and seeing that was worth the price of admission.
The Nets games were a huge hit, especially for the kids (but just as successful for the adults), and this was one of the better days of AC I've had yet.
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