Pastors Conference 2008

Submitted by lightsky on Tue, 03/24/2009 - 1:45pm

On Saturday, September 20th, a small but energetic group gathered for this year's Pastor's Conference, The Bible in the Air by Heart, on the ESR campus.  The day started with a wonderful breakfast and worship, followed by keynote speaker Tom Boomershine's energetic and interactive presentation. Boomershine is a well-known biblical storyteller and brought much enthusiasm to the conference.

Joining Boomershine as workshop presenters were Tom Mullen, former Dean of ESR, Amelia Boomershine, wife of Tom, and Dan LeMonnier, accomplished musician and biblical storyteller. A great variety of workshops were presented, including the topics of humor, children's sermons and music, all of which related to biblical storytelling. A small group also returned on Saturday night for an evening of storytelling. Everyone was encouraged to contribute and share their own stories with the group.

Tom Boomershine telling the stories Amelia Boomershine teaching

"I found the 2008 ESR Pastor's Conference exceeded my expectations regarding content and accessibility of the main speaker and workshop leaders," stated Phil Baisley, ESR Assistant Professor of Pastoral Studies. "I was also delighted with the 'hands on' approach Tom Boomershine took with his lecture and Common Meal presentations. I learned some new things about storytelling and memory, and I had a great time doing it. The Saturday evening event was a highlight for me because it gave me a chance to tell a Bible story I had only ever heard my father tell before and to weave into it a very personal story from my childhood. I also got to hear one of the attendees tell a masterful, almost word-for-word version of the book of Philemon. I was disappointed in the low attendance but very glad for our choice of speaker(s)."

Conference attendee and ESR graduate Kim Pratt stated, "Scripture memorization is foundational to spiritual formation. I've struggled so long to memorize the Bible, but this group made it easy. We memorized three Bible stories in one day. The next week I easily memorized Psalm 16 using their method. What a blessing. Bring these people back!"

We are thankful to Tom Boomershine and our workshop presenters for the great care they took in providing a wonderful conference experience for all who attended.