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District Conference Program Committee Report Program

Committee Members:
Chair Sara Haldeman-Scarr (San Diego)
Member Russ Matteson (Modesto)
Member Cathy Iacuelli (Circle of Peace)
Moderator Mary Kay Ogden (La Verne)
Moderator-Elect John Price (Empire)

Ex-Officio Members of the Committee:
Board Chair Jim Davis
District Executive Minister Bryan Boyer
Women's Fellowship Chair Lillian Hopson
Youth & Young Adult Ministries Coordinator Dena Gilbert

On-Site Coordinator: Michael Wolfsen

As we begin our report, we want to express our thanks to the Papago Buttes Church of the Brethren and to their planning committee in particular for hosting the 2006 District Conference. The hospitality they shared with all who attended was wonderful, and all enjoyed the opportunity to see and worship in their new building. Many thanks!

The Program Committee continues to be hard at work in planning for each year's conference, and continuing our work at strengthening the focus and vision for District Conference as we move into the future. Before providing additional detail on our work this year, we want to remind delegates of the vision statement that the Program Committee adopted in 2006 which continues to guide our work on your behalf:

Program Committee seeks to make District Conference into an event that more fully reflects the full call that District Conference be a place for business, worship, education, and fellowship. We envision District Conference being an event that equips attendees to return to their congregations with both renewed vision and skills for ministry.

In evaluating the 2006 Conference we should share a few items. Costs for the year exceeded income to conference by about $5,000. Of that, $2,100 was a one time expense for the purchase of language translation equipment for the use of District Conference, as well as at any other District events. Registrations were also lower than at California based conferences and that impacts the revenue from registrations and meal events. We continue to look at cost issues and how we as a committee may reduce these going into the future. A major area of expense is in printing and mailing, and we intend to explore using available technology to help reduce these expenses in the future. The Program Committee continue to work at these and other items, while trying to move towards fulfilling the vision for conference that was stated above.
We are excited to welcome Ken Medema and Annual Conference Moderator Jim Beckwith to the 2007 District Conference hosted at the La Verne Church of the Brethren. The presence of Ken Medema is an additional step towards making District Conference an event that will inspire and equip our congregations and individuals to return to their churches inspired for ministry. We will also incorporate the District celebration of our 300th anniversary as a denomination into District Conference. The La Verne On-Site Coordinator, Michael Wolfsen, has been hard at work helping her congregation to be ready to welcome and host us. We look forward to being in La Verne this October 12-14 for a time of business, worship, education, and fellowship.

As we look to the future, we are planning for a keynote speaker to be with us at the 2008 District Conference who will inspire us in ministry and provide for practical training that we can take back to our churches to strengthen our local ministries. The Community Brethren Church in Fresno has offered to host us for District Conference November 7-9, 2008.

As we move into the future we are also considering non-congregation based sites for the conference. We encourage all attendees to complete the evaluation forms which help us to improve the quality of conference and look for additional opportunities to make this event one that is most helpful to our congregations.

District Conference Program Committee

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