There’s a big conference nearby occuring over Labor Day weekend. This is not to be confused with a similarly titled conference with an entirely different purpose.

It appears that only about 20 are going from here. This means, of course, that we’ll have regular service over the holiday. I decided to ask why folks are not going. I also asked a few that are going the reasons they are attending.

The number one stated reason for not going was expense. Most of that expense being gasoline, but also eating out with the family for a few meals, and the conference fee. One person remarked how they could easily spend $500 for the entire weekend.

The second stated reason for not attending was that it was not a ‘kid-friendly’ experience. Husbands and wives do not get to attend much of the conference together and one of them is always with their children. One person expressed a desire to have conference organized more like this one in Dallas.

A friend and I talked for a bit about having our own conference and having it be kid-friendly. I think it would be great. Would anyone attend? It’s still expensive to travel for gasoline.

The number one reason that people expressed a desire to go was fellowship. This was either personal fellowship with folks they know, or fellowship for the sake of their children. Teen camp occurred recently and many teen parents are attending, in part, so that their teen children can see their friends.

The number two reason for attending was to find out about other ICoC churches. There was an expressed interest in how others handle specific issues.

Note
This is not a scientific survey. It is entirely possible that what me and others discussed is not reflective of the entire church I attend. I just thought it was interesting.