The first North Central Region gathering was held Saturday, October 1, at Smoky Row Brethren Church in Columbus, Ohio. There were 37 adults and several children from 13 congregations who attended.

Kyle Wardlaw, pastor of The Brethren Church in New Lebanon, was the speaker. He shared how the New Lebanon congregation has embraced change since he became pastor. He and the church have used Karl Vaters’ book,

Small Church Essentials

, and Vaters’ teaching at the 2019 General Conference to guide their transformation and outreach to the community.

Following his presentation, participants broke into small groups to discuss Wardlaw’s ideas and to share how the ideas might be applied in their own congregations.

During lunch provided by Everence, participants heard updates on national and regional ministries, including a report on Camp Bethany’s summer activities.