A Gospel Good Time in Atlanta!
It is hard to overestimate the spiritual and vocational impact of the 2013 National Festival of Young Preachers in Atlanta. One young preacher attending a Festival for the first time wrote: "I am amazed at how God was at work and in working in our lives....It has changed my life as I have realized that I am called to a preaching ministry. It is my passion, and I yearn to help others explore this area in their lives, too."
 This sentiment was echoed by many others, including this older man, a member of the founding Board of Directors: "The Festival was inspirational and transformational, and I left in a spirit I have not felt in a while."
And another new Director wrote: "Thank you for such a wonderful experience during the festival and board meeting last week. I was rejuvenated and blessed by the time in Atlanta, and I cannot express how much it meant to me."
One of our Founding Partners served in an important capacity during the Festival and wrote this three days later: "Congratulations on another absolutely fantastic Festival. Kudos to you and your entire team. Wow, I am still in the afterglow!"
 And finally, one of our plenary preachers, president of a church-related university, after preaching a fabulous, soul-stirring sermon himself, sent us this note: "Thanks for the opportunity to preach and teach at the conference. I was blown away by the 5 sermons I heard on Thursday morning."
In addition to receiving these private messages above, I have been reading and giving thanks for all of the comments posted on Facebook. These posts are a form of public testimony by Young Preachers bearing witness to t he powerful impact of our four National Festivals.
 And this Young Preacher movement is spreading. In the last two days, I have had phone conversations about Festivals in Boston, New York, North Carolin a, Dallas, and Quebec (yes, a French-speaking Festival in Montreal)! It is a river of life, overflowing its banks, and nourishing trees of life in all directions, whose leaves, the Gospel tells us, are for the healing of the nations. And God knows, the nations need a double dose of Gospel healing.
Thank you for your prayers, your financial support, your encouragement. NEXT YEAR IN INDIANAPOLIS: but between now and then, at least 20 Festivals!
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