Tri-District Conference Is Done

Wow.  After many, many months of prep and thinking and work, Tri-District is now a memory.  Amazing how so much work can go into something and just like that it’s over.  BUT, what an awesome experience.  Being on-site at Queen’s University was incredible and I am officially jealous of students who go there.  What a beautiful campus.
I waited a week before posting on TDC because I wanted to give myself the opportunity to relax a bit and process the whole experience a bit more.  Whenever family gets together it’s always interesting.  One thing I really appreciate about the Alliance is the way that independent churches can share a common heart and mind.  We don’t agree about everything but what family does?  But together we’re able to accomplish so much more.
One of the things I noticed about this conference was the way all three districts (ECD, CCD and SLD) were able to connect.  For me it was sweet because my first taste of the Alliance was in CCD, I’m now a part of ECD and I grew up in Quebec; what SLD calls home.  I felt incredibly connected to the story of what was happening in all three districts and genuinely excited about how God is at work.
TDC was my first real interaction with our new denominational president, David Hearn.  He’s a hugger.  Wow is he a hugger.  Unapologetically a hugger.  Like old-school hugger.  Lots of hugging.  But boy when he spoke, and talked about his vision for the Alliance in Canada and what we as church leaders were called to do, man it sent shivers up my spine.
I am really excited about what is happening and will happen in the Alliance over these next few years.  I met a lot of nice people, got to see some old friends and help create some sweet moments for the conference.  I’ll post them below so you can check them out.
One thing I wasn’t expecting was how I would react emotionally to seeing my former colleagues from Cedarview there.  It’s weird because it’s been a year now since I officially stopped going to work there every day.  I’ve seen them all from time-to-time at gatherings and for some reason there’s usually a bit of awkwardness.  How can there not be I suppose.  It’s weird for me though because I still feel a sort of obligation to them when I see them.  I think part of that is the fact that I didn’t leave Cedarview and go into a new ministry, I left and did something totally different.  Perhaps part of it is me wrestling with calling.  I think most of it is best compared to a breakup with a girlfriend and then not seeing them for a long time and then all of a sudden there they are and all those old feelings and emotions get stirred up again.  You don’t necessarily want to get back together, but you miss the good times you did have.
All in all Tri-District Conference was a great time of connecting, sharing, dreaming and learning.
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