IT’S NOT ABOUT ME proved to be a theme taken to heart by 1,820 students and 2,138 adults who registered for the National Youth Conference. In three days, over 350 individuals logged 2,763 hours of community service in the Charleston area and gave 86 units of blood to the Red Cross through Reach That Guy projects. Students contributed a record $9,109.19 to support global missions through the Buck-A-Week offering. Nearly 100 adults served as judges, MCs, and quizmasters for the 908 entries.

This year marked the 25th year of the Truth & Peace Leadership Conference. Today, conference alumni hold positions of leadership across the denomination and around the world. It is hard to measure the profound impact of the program on the denomination.

Former leaders and conference alumni met to celebrate the milestone on Wednesday afternoon of the 2008 convention. During the reunion, the Truth & Peace Alumni association was established. The organization, which will fund a scholarship to help international students attend Truth & Peace elected Michael Waddell, president; Jerrod Pilgrim, vice-president; and Laura McGee, secretary-treasurer.

The National Youth Conference also exists to help youth workers become more effective. The great numbers at our seminars this year illustrates how eager these men and women are for more training. The seminars have been recorded and will be made available via podcast. Check back later.