FOM Annual CEO Retreat & Conference
Appalachian Bible College, Mt. Hope, WV – September 17-21, 2016
This year’s Annual Fellowship of Mission’s CEO Retreat and Conference was hosted by the Appalachian Bible College, Mt. Hope, WV, under the direction of President Dr. Dan Anderson. What a blessed time of fellowship, spiritual enrichment and learning by those agency members and guests who were in attendance.
A special blessing this year was enjoying the facilities of the Greenbrier Resort during our Retreat time together and participate in a personal tour of the Bunker, a historic sight created during the Cold War era as a refuge for Congress in case of an attack upon the Capitol. We were also the recipients of the excellent Bible teaching of Dr. John King, pastor of Johnston Chapel Baptist Church, Princeton, WV.
Our Annual Conference theme was Thriving in an Increasingly Hostile Environment. Our meetings were held on the beautiful campus of Appalachian Bible College, one of the FOM member agencies. Devotional messages were brought by ABC professors and our keynote facilitator was Attorney David Gibbs III, the President of the National Center for Life and Liberty, a ministry organization that defends life and liberty freedoms nationwide. The sessions were extremely helpful in navigating the turbulent waters of moral and ethical issues facing mission agencies today. Special highlights included an evening pizza party with students and participation in a chapel service challenging students to consider missions as a vocational ministry. This year we were happy to welcome the Gospel Fellowship Association, Executive Director Dr. Mark Batory, Greenville, SC, into our FOM membership.
The Fellowship of Missions consists of nearly 30 Mission Agencies representing more than 2,000 missionaries serving on all six continents of the world. Our purpose is to provide collaborative interaction among member mission agency leaders for mutual accountability, personal and ministry development and encouragement.
Next year’s FOM CEO Retreat and Annual Conference will be September 16-20, 2017, hosted by IBM Global, Nashua, NH, Director Larry Clouse. Our theme will be Recapturing God’s Mission, with guest facilitator, Dr. Rich VanHuekelum, Shawnee Baptist Church, Shamong, NJ. Forthcoming details will be posted on our website in the near future.
Thank you for your investment in reaching the world for Christ together!
-Maynard H. Belt