The Anabaptist Communicators met October 24-26, 2018 for their annual conference. The conference was held at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center in Mt. Pleasant, PA. The theme of the conference was Innovation: Past, Present, Future. The conference was open to all members of the Anabaptist Communicators as well as newly associated members of Anabaptist communities (such as Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Church Canada, LMC a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches, Mennonite Brethren, Church of the Brethren, Brethren in Christ, and Conservative Mennonite Conference, et al.), who are in the fields of media and communication.
The Anabaptist Communicators say on their website, “members include, but are not limited to: Artists & Photographers, Broadcasters, Editors & Publishers, Educators & Administrators, Event Planners, Freelancers & Consultants, Graphic Designers & Web Developers, Students in Communications, Videographers & Filmmakers, Social Media Specialists, Writers & Journalists, and “I do it all” Communications & Marketing Professionals.”
The conference setting at Laurelville was this wonderful retreat center with many buildings tucked into the woods, a place we arrived to in the dark but were able to see its beauty in the morning light. Our meals were in the large dining hall, and the meals prepared there were delicious. We lodged in the Guesthouse, a large old building with several rooms as well as a large gathering area in the front for all of us to spend some of our precious downtime.
This was my first time with the Anabaptist Communicators, so I didn’t know what to expect as we arrived, but upon entering the gathering space at the Guestroom, I was warmly greeted by some of those in the room. I felt as if I had been a part of the group for a much longer time. I was given my room and there I went to freshen up before continuing in conversation with those in the common area, meeting new friends from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and as far as Canada.
Later we had a brief meeting, introducing the leadership, sharing about the group’s finances and their exposure on Facebook. We introduced ourselves, sharing our names, where we had come from, and the work that we do. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were others from Harrisonburg, but that there were only two of us from the Church of the Brethren. The meeting concluded, and we enjoyed what must be an Anabaptist (and I know a Church of the Brethren) tradition; we had ice cream.
Most of our time was spent in the meeting room next door to the Guesthouse listening to our keynote speakers and times of conversation. The speakers were given two hours to share on a subject related to the theme, with some time available for questions and answers. (For more on these keynotes, I would suggest joining the Anabaptist Communicators, so that you can have access to these as they were videoed)
On Thursday morning, after breakfast meet for a time of devotion offered to us by Larry Guengerich. Following his devotion, we heard from our first keynote speaker, Melodie Davis, from MennoMedia in Harrisonburg, VA. Melodie shared about her years working with the organization and the many changes that it has gone through, including name changes and various ways of communicating the message of God and the church. Changes that evolved over the years as new technology and communication tools have developed.
After a break, we met in groups to talk about different areas of communication. When we returned from lunch, we heard from Jon Prater, of the Mt. Zion (Linville) Church of the Brethren near Harrisonburg, VA, as he shared with us about how to better communicate when in the midst of conflict. Using his experiences as the District Leadership chair of the Shenandoah District Church of the Brethren and sharing how he learned that while conflict is inevitable, it can be walked through with the right kind of communication tools.
Diana Williams later walked us through the group’s new membership model. The hope is to attract new persons to join the Anabaptist Communicators, as we go back to places of business and share with others in related fields. A lot of new members will come from word of mouth from those of us who attended the conference as well as those who might come across the website or the group’s Facebook page. If someone would like to join, the website is www.anabaptistcomm.org.
Following this, we met in what they called Affinity Groups. An opportunity to talk with others in related fields to discuss the good and the bad, the challenges and even share ideas. I was the only podcaster in the room, along with Jon, so we formed our own affinity group (I know, kind of sad). We would probably be considered the “I do it all” group. We spent most of the time in conversation with Lisa Williams, the current chair of the Anabaptist Communicators. I hope that podcasting will begin to have more representation in the future as it is a growing form of media.
On Thursday evening, we sat together for what was titled “AC Talks”. It was during this time that we first heard from Joel Nofzinger of the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. He shared the stories of historical persons in the field of communication: Dirk Willems, Hans Hut, Ivan Magal and Barbara Rebstock. Joel brought the first persons to life with excitement for history and a wonderful sense of humor.
Linda Espenshade, from MCC US, and a recent recipient of a master’s degree, talked with us about storytelling. She did so by reading a story she had written, asking us to open up our senses through the descriptions of objects on the page, not so much from needing to be told what was being seen or heard.
As the night concluded, many of us stayed up for a couple of hours laughing and talking. On Friday morning, after breakfast, we met for devotion from Judy Godshalk. We read her re-writing of the Sermon on the Mount.
Our final keynote speaker for the conference was Doug Sider, the Executive Director of the Be in Christ Church in Canada. Doug was not able to be with us in person but did join us via Zoom. He shared about the process of changing the name of the Brethren in Christ Church in Canada to the Be in Christ Church in Canada, and the various steps that they went through as they began to rebrand and rename who they are and will be known.
Doug’s conversation was followed up by Micah Brickner, who was one of the conference attendees but has worked with Doug in the past. Micah talked about organization’s and rebranding, taking it from the perspective of church organizations.
Following some conversation and then lunch, everyone headed back to their homes, taking with us the lessons learned, the friendships made, and the network of those in the field of communication. And all from the perspective of the Anabaptist community of believers.
I found that being a pastor among writers, editors and other communicators gave some opportunity to bring a different perspective to the discussions during the sessions and the conversations that we had with one another. I thought that my perspective was of some value to those not in that vocation.
I do hope to attend more conferences, as the themes are different each year and I might find the next one to have even greater value to me as a pastor and a podcaster. Interacting with those in a variety of communication-related positions was a very valuable experience. I thought it also a great way to expand the audience of those who would listen to the podcast. Overall, I really enjoyed my time at the conference.
Marty Doss is Pastor of the Mt. Bethel Church of the Brethren in Dayton, VA. He also serves as co-host, with frequent Brethren Life & Thought contributor Jon Prater, of the 2 Preachers Talking Podcast.