Conference 2027 June 30th-July 5th

Laurelville Church Center

Mount Pleasant, PA

FEAR: A fountain of Life

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life . . .”

Proverbs 14:27a

PRESIDENT’S CORNER – PASTOR TERRY REESE

National Conference 2026: “How Sweet it Was!”

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1, LSB) Welcome to our first post-National Conference edition of The Voice! Since 1742, when our Dunker forebears held their first Annual Conference at Conestoga, PA (in Lancaster County), the Brethren have placed a high priority upon the “Big Meeting,” where we reconnect with people of like-faith upon an annual basis to reaffirm our distinct and unique identity as a spiritual community, and to discuss those pertinent and vital issues that perpetually arise concerning our Faith. Though the original Brethren Community historically divided into many divergent denominational offshoots over the past several centuries, it is noteworthy that each of the varying successor bodies have continued to treasure and observe the venerable institution of Annual Meeting.

What a blessing it was to see that many of you were able to be with us for our annual “family reunion” at tranquil Laurelville for what turned out to be a truly GREAT Conference! For those of you who were unable to attend, we trust that some benefit of what transpired at Conference will ultimately be of great profit and advantage to you as well, through the active participation of your local church in the life of our national fellowship. Ideally, our successive National Conference themes should build upon one other, and then find fertile soil within the hearts of all our people. With that in mind, we are thankful for the richness and endless utility of President Ike Graham’s chosen theme based upon Rev. 2-3 (“Jesus and the CGBCI”), and for our fantastic Conference speaker, Dr. Kevin Zuber. I am pleased to report, incidentally, that ALL Conference messages are now available online at the official CGBCI website, including the Foreign Missions presentations, either in downloadable audio mp3 or in video/YouTube format (https://www.cgbci.org/conference-archive). In addition to recorded Conference Messages, it is our hope that additional instruction provided at Laurelville (e.g., YCON, COP meetings, Ladies’ Meeting) would tangibly bear fruit within the life of our local assemblies.

There are many, many moving parts that must come together to ensure the success of a complex effort such as National Conference—which serves as a great model and example of the Headship of Christ, who is in living-union with the diverse members of his Body (1 Cor. 12). Jesus has raised up many different varieties of saints—from tiny children to “seasoned citizens”—and He has carefully endowed each of these with their own unique background-experiences and varied abilities. Each of these, in turn, operate under the guidance and Personal direction of our Living Head, unto the eternal glory of God the Father. This is supernatural—and AMAZING! And it is also His amazing plan that each of our local churches accordingly operate in harmony with that same supernatural direction, unto the Father’s glory.

Next year, National Conference will be returning to Laurelville, where our theme will focus upon a central and predominating Biblical theme: The Fear of the Lord. Beginning with the next issue, we will be sharing with you some of our thoughts and goals regarding this subject. Until then, let us begin to reflect upon our key verse for 2027: “The fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life… (Prov.14:27a, LSB).

May the Lord be with you all!