Great North Central Conference - BIG

The North Central Conference is a Great conference.

Great. There are multiple meanings of the word great, and to a great degree they all apply. Over the next several days, I'll blog a little about how the adjective "great" applies to the North Central Conference. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, Great is . . .

1. Very large in size.
2. Larger in size than others of the same kind.
3. Large in quantity or number: A great throng awaited us. See Synonyms at large.
4. Extensive in time or distance: a great delay.
5. Remarkable or outstanding in magnitude, degree, or extent: a great crisis.
6. Of outstanding significance or importance: a great work of art.
7. Superior in quality or character; noble: "For he was great, ere fortune made him so" (John Dryden).
8. Enthusiastic: a great lover of music.
9. Very skillful: great at algebra.
10. Very good; first-rate: We had a great time at the dance.
11. Being one generation removed from the relative specified. Often used in combination: a great-granddaughter.
12. Pregnant.

The NCC is GREAT BIG. Spanning seven states (portions of Missouri, Illinois and Montana - all of Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa). From the vast prairies to the fertile Mississippi valleys and dells, to forested north woods and great lakes, rugged badlands and jagged needles and mountains the terrain is greatly varied and wonderful. Many varied communities exist within the conference, ranging from those situated in hamlets and villages like Fillmore, MN and Mt. Ayr, IA to large towns like Chillicothe, MO and Jamestown, ND to medium sized cities like Rapid City, SD and Mason City, IA to metropolitan regions like Des Moines, IA, Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL.

To drive from one end of the conference to another is a 1300 mile, 18 hour trek and at 50 cents a mile is 650 bucks. A church that's alive is worth the drive!

Enjoy a peek at all of the Free Methodist conferences in the USA @: http://freemethodistchurch.org/sections/leadership/supts/home.shtml.

The great size of the conference creates great challenges as well. Please pray for creative ways to connect congregations and pastors who are separated by distance and often feeling isolated. Pray for creative ways for conference staff and committees to provide tangible support for spiritual and growth effectiveness for churches spread throughout so great a conference. Please pray for a movement of the Holy Spirit and dedicated women and men who will answer God's call to plant churches in many of the spaces between districts where no Free Methodist presence exists as of yet.

It's a great land with awe inspiring beauty everywhere you look. As you prayerfully drive through its highways and byways, may you, as our Free Methodist Christian Navajo leader T.H. Lee prays, "Drive in beauty."