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The last couple years there has been interest on MD/MN in having a gathering where MN members would speak about various topics that interest them, and then we would discuss them. For now I am calling this a "seekers gathering" since most of us on MN are seekers, even if we were born Anabaptist.

It has been observed (I think correctly) that some of the emphases at Anabaptist Identity Conference and Kingdom Fellowship Weekend would have been foreign to early Anabaptists or even censured by them. It was thought that perhaps we need a gathering that more faithfully reflects early Anabaptist thought.

As a result of these discussions, I inquired with Penn Valley Christian Retreat in 2016 concerning openings in their schedule for such a gathering in 2017. Nothing was available in 2017 but I was put on the list for 2018. They have now contacted me and offered these dates (April 27-29) for 2018.

I have various friends (some not yet Christian) who are curious-to-seriously interested in conservative Anabaptist thought, and I would like a gathering of not more than 150 people, where I could bring such folks, and know that they would have a good introduction and be well accepted.

I would see this event as being a place where we would discuss common beliefs, values and practices of early Anabaptists and talk about how they could be applied in conservative Anabaptist and other Kingdom Christian (KC) communities today. (KC as defined by Bercot)
I would envision a relaxed schedule with plenty of time for visiting.

The benefit in using Penn Valley is that they take care of all the logistics, and the coordinators can just show up and enjoy the event.

Here are the approximate costs.

Meals average $7 per adult per meal.
Motel style lodging is $22.50/adult/night if there are at least two people per room. Linens and towels provided.
Children, 4-10 are half price – Children, 1-3 are free.
Campsites (tent or RV): $15/site/night
Donations would be collected for the reservation fee of $100, a small gift for the speakers, and possibly we could help a bit with travel expenses for those with limited income.
We could probably do a "finger food" potluck for one or two of the meals and save ourselves some money.

I'm envisioning a Friday evening - Sunday noon event.
I would see attendance at this event being by invitation only, since this is being announced on a public forum.
If I decide to reserve these dates, I will then let you know how to receive an invitation.

So...
I need to know how much interest there is in something like this to know if I should reserve these dates.
Please complete the poll if you would like to attend.

I would be very interested in attending in 2020 when we are on furlough in America.

I would be interested in coming and bringing a few people with me. One of my recently converted friends will probably be interested in bringing a half dozen or so.

I like the idea of Penn Valley since it keeps the costs low and doesn't rely on more expensive hotels.

Ernie,

If you do have the gathering this year, I would really appreciate it if you could record the sessions and make them available online somehow so I can at least listen.

I would very much like to attend - I feel more and more like a seeker even though I was born and have continued in a conservative Mennonite setting these many years. I would just have to prepare to end the tax season early.

I would love to, but if all goes well I would be in nursing school at that time. (I'd never be able to afford the trip anyway)

Please record! Thats the only way the poor can be involved other than begging outside the local Mennonite church (hasn't worked yet for a free vacation)

Ernie wrote:The last couple years there has been interest on MD/MN in having a gathering where MN members would speak about various topics that interest them, and then we would discuss them. For now I am calling this a "seekers gathering" since most of us on MN are seekers, even if we were born Anabaptist.

It has been observed (I think correctly) that some of the emphases at Anabaptist Identity Conference and Kingdom Fellowship Weekend would have been foreign to early Anabaptists or even censured by them. It was thought that perhaps we need a gathering that more faithfully reflects early Anabaptist thought.

On MN/MD, there has been more than one perspective on what early Anabaptist thought says, or pointing to a variety of thought streams among early Anabaptists. And more than one kind of seeker.

Do you see this more as a MN/MD get-together where people discuss these various perspectives, or an event to introduce people to on stream of conservative Anabaptists and David Bercot's perspective?

I would be interested in attending - with my wife.

Josh

This type of a gathering would very much interest me.

Sounds very interesting. I likely could and would attend.