The first SOWERS came to the Montrose Bible Conference in 1997.  I keep a file of the SOWER skill sheets from each project month and I have well over 100 sheets in that file.  As I looked through the file it is a great reminder of all the friends that we have met along the way and the wonderful memories that result when we serve the Lord together. 

                Montrose Bible Conference was started in 1908 by world renowned evangelist Dr. R.A. Torrey.  What began as a ten day summer adult conference has turned into a year-round conference, camp and retreat center.  We serve thousands of people each year through a variety of programs that minister to people of all ages.

                The reality is that a ministry cannot be around for 106 years without a lot of help from friends like the Sowers.  The SOWERS ministry has helped us make many new friends, complete dozens of projects and be better stewards of thousands of dollars.  For instance, in just doing a conservative estimate including the SOAs we have had here, we have had well over 6500 hours of donated labor!  That means we have a saved a good chunk of change on labor costs that we've been able to redirect into other areas of ministry.

SOWERS have helped us to do so much more than we could have ever done by ourselves.   We have 20 buildings on our grounds.  The two oldest were built in the mid-1800s and the rest were built over the years.  SOWERS have helped us with a variety of projects, but some of the projects are very memorable - including the restoring of our founder's home.  Torrey Home (built in 1855) now reflects its original grandeur and beauty as we approach the conclusion of a decade of work to completely remodel it inside and out.  Last year we completed a massive project to put air-conditioning in our main lodge and its 27 guest rooms.  This project alone saved us over $50,000 in labor costs. 

The most memorable project, however, was our chapel expansion when we added a full basement and a 27' by 40' addition to our chapel.  With the exception of the excavating and the basement foundation and walls for which we hired contractors, the entire project was done with volunteers.  The ground was broken and three weeks later we had the chapel addition in use!  (The basement took a few more weeks to complete.)  The building project was completed by a small work team from a church and five SOWER couples who served in July and four more couples who came that August.  People from the community stopped to tell us how they thought we were having an Amish barn raising because our building went up so fast. 

Have you stopped by lately? Make sure you've "checked" the box to receive notifications, and PLEASE post pictures and stories from YOUR projects!

Jerry McGhee #2554
Jenny Rasmussen # 2824
Dave Neitzel #2251

Thank you to ALL who ran and also to those who voted! We're already looking forward to our September 2014 meeting in Lindale!