SPRINGFIELD — The 2014 State Evangelism-Discipleship Conference will be held Jan. 27-28 here at Crossway Baptist Church.
Crossway’s Worship Center seats up to 1,500 people, with 1,000 on the main floor before an upward slanted area in the back which is not a balcony. The host pastor is Eddie Bumpers, who will also be giving the convention sermon this year for the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) annual meeting.
“We are extremely pleased with the facility,” said MBC Evangelism/Discipleship Strategist Mark Snowden. “It will provide exactly what we need, and the expanded space to meet the growing demand of leaders who want to be a part of it. We are grateful to Pastor Eddie for opening Crossway to us.”
Planning is underway to have an exhibit area, breakout sessions, a prayer garden, and live streaming on the Internet. The church is located near the Glenstone Ave. Exit off Interstate-44, which has a good variety of both hotels and restaurants.
A larger facility was sought for the State Evangelism-Discipleship Conference after the overwhelming response to the 2013 event which used the ReFRESH Conference in Branson. In that setting at First Baptist Church an overflow area had to be developed and registration had to be stopped one week before the anticipated stopping point
ReFRESH will be returning to Branson and will be a separate event with a cost. The MBC event at Crossway will be offered free of charge.
The State Evangelism-Discipleship Conference is the second largest annual gathering of Missouri Baptists, second only to the annual meeting.