| FaithFest renews mind, body, spirit By Erik AlsgaardUMCONNECTION STAFF 
Calvin Williams, lay leader for the Baltimore-Washington Conference, took a deep breath and smiled a broad grin. The Feb. 20 opening worship service at FaithFest had just concluded, and he and more than 600 people were milling about, soaking in the preaching and music of the past three hours. I am here to be renewed and rejuvenated, just like everybody else here, he said. Im having a great time. We have really turned this place into holy, holy ground. Held at the Carousel Hotel in Ocean City, FaithFest gathered adults of all shapes, sizes, ages and colors for a time of reconnecting with God and each other. The composition of the crowd was not lost on Bishop Felton Edwin May, who during the closing worship Feb. 22, noted that this was perhaps the most diverse gathering held in the conference. Bishop May, the man behind the idea of FaithFest, envisioned it as a time for adults to reconnect with God. That was achieved through the preaching of the Rev. Tyrone Gordon, pastor of St. Lukes UMC in Dallas, Texas, the music and worship leadership of Salvador, spiritual exercise workshops, prayer and time spent alone or with others.  We are created for a purpose, we have a destiny in mind, not for our own glory but for Gods glory, Gordon told the assembly. We need to know that destiny, we need to pursue that destiny, to know that God has mapped out our life, mapped out the plans.
Gordons preaching Friday night and Saturday morning met with choruses of Amens and hallelujahs, encouraged people to focus on the plan God has for their life and to keep the dreams God implanted alive. Dont let those plans and that purpose be snuffed out by the various challenges, by church people, by the church itself, he warned. Fear has been an evil that has kept people from doing what God has called them to do. The spiritual experiences offered at FaithFest ranged from learning how to bake bread to walking a labyrinth on the beach. Bread is nourishing. Making it is a way that you can spiritually uplift not only yourself but your family, community and friends, said Cynthia Winkler, a member of Union Memorial UMC, who taught the class. Winkler bakes bread for shut-ins and visitors to her church as part of the churchs welcoming ministry.  Isaac Saavedra walked a labyrinth for the first time. He had a hard time putting the experience into words.
I guess I have reached the ultimate goal, he said, and that is to think about nothing. The type of mind that I have, it is hard to erase all thoughts, to let go of things and to reach that point where you can be molded or used by God. Saavedra, from Bethesda UMC, was also one of several people to share their faith stories Saturday night. Several people spoke of how their problems with drug or alcohol addiction were overcome with the help of Jesus. This was the first FaithFest, and thus, not without its problems. Lack of childcare was one. My husband had to stay home with my girls because we had to make a choice bring the children and let them run all over the stage, or one of us stays home, said Warkenda Williams-Casey of Epworth UMC in Cockeysville. My husband could have benefited from this weekend immensely, but he had to stay home. FaithFest planners will address this and other concerns when they begin planning the next event, which Bishop May said in his Sunday sermon he hoped would come sooner rather than later. If were serious, that we are called to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, we can not wait until next year to do this agai n, he said. Surely we can find the dollars, the people and the spirit that will give us the energy to do it again. Brenda Lewis, chair of the FaithFest committee, gave the inaugural event high marks. It was fantastic, she said, it was spirit-filled. Everyone has been blessed. Weve seen people just unfold and open up and receive the spirit of the Lord. The Sunday morning offering totaled $3,964, said conference Director of Finance and Administration Martha Knight. The money will be used to help children in Zimbabwe through United for Children, an Advance Special of the conference.  And already, people are looking forward to the next FaithFest.
It was awesome, said Jo Lynn Hendrickson of Messiah UMC in Glen Burnie. Im going home with a lot more than I came with. I have a list of people in my brain that Im bringing next year. | 
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