A Big Family Reunion: My First Time at Annual Conference

This year was my first time going to Annual Conference.  I was so excited to go that I was on the computer to register as soon as I was able.  I had been doing research for probably a month before that to figure out what hotel I wanted and what I could possibly do while in Cincinnati.  I had everything planned.  I was going to stay at the Hyatt since it was closest and I wasn’t sure if I could walk a long distance, especially if it was hot out.  Plus, it didn’t hurt that the Hyatt had a pool.  I asked my niece, who is 12 years old, if she would like to go with me.  She was thrilled to be able to go with me.  

So, after I registered, I started planning.  I looked up restaurants and other things around the hotel.    I planned what I was taking and what I needed to get for Emily.  Emily would need clothes that would be appropriate for Annual Conference (she tended to wear clothes with holes in it like all teens and like all teenagers, she has outgrown a lot of her clothes/shoes).  I bought her a whole new wardrobe that would not only work for Annual Conference but for camp also.  The poor girl was going to camp the Sunday after Annual Conference.  I told her she would be very busy.  She said that was fine.  She was so excited that she was going to conference and then camp.  About a week before conference, I was doing laundry and packing her bags and mine.  I had the car loaded the night before and was on my way to her house to pick her up.  I had to travel from Marion to Huntington and then to Cincinnati.  On the way, my phone died, and Emily was no help with navigation.  I was worried I would miss our turn but luckily, my Apple Watch told me where to turn.  We got to the hotel safely.  

I was so worried about what I was going to do at conference.  Was I going to do everything alone?  I knew Laura was there but she was going to be busy.  I saw many others that I knew from Women’s Camp and other district events I had attended.  I was so relieved to see people I knew.  When the business meeting started, I met others at my table.  I had a great group that encouraged everyone to participate and they answered any questions I had.  It was wonderful that we had someone that had gone to Annual Conference for many years at our table.  He was also part of the 2 Preachers Talking podcast.  We had great discussions during the table talk.  It was nice because even if we didn’t agree, we were all respectful of each other and allowed everyone to participate in the discussions.  It was nice that if we didn’t understand, someone would explain it to us.  I know there were a lot of things I didn’t understand and when it was explained, I didn’t feel stupid for not understanding.  I was relieved because this was something I feared the most.  I try to keep up with church business but with work and everything else, it was hard to read everything and research it.  

During breaks, I would go to the exhibit hall and eat lunch.  I had it all planned. I would go to the sessions in the afternoon and evening.  I was going to make the most of Annual Conference.  However, those plans fell through.  I would get my lunch and sit at a random table.  Soon people would sit with me, and we would start talking about different things.  Somehow, when people found out where I worked, it tended to steer towards work or even insurance.  I don’t know how that happened, but it usually did.  I spoke with nurses and other social workers which was very interesting to compare work stories.  We would discuss what we experienced during Covid.  It was like I had known these people for years, not just minutes. 

One thing I read about Annual Conference was that it was like a big family reunion.  I have to agree.  These people didn’t know me at all but they treated me like family.  I met people from the coast to coast.  I met people from EYN.  It was wonderful.  I felt so welcome there.  When people saw that this was my first Annual Conference, they stopped me to ask me how I liked it.  That is something I can say about all of the Brethren events that I go to.  Everyone has been so welcoming, and I enjoy that because at home, I’m a loner.  When I grew up, I was the kid that had a table to themselves at lunch and was reading while eating my lunch.  I thought when I was at the conference this would happen once again.  I was wrong.  I was never allowed to eat alone.  When I went to booths, people engaged me in conversation.  It was something I never expected.  So instead of going to all those programs that I had highlighted in my book, I socialized with everyone.  Kind of upset me when I found out I missed one of the programs, but I gained more by meeting people from other congregations.  I learned so much about other churches and districts.  

I asked Emily what she enjoyed the most and she said she had a great time meeting other kids.  She made friends so fast.  Emily was homeschooled and didn’t have much socialization, one of the reasons I wanted her to go with me.  I figured it was a safe environment for her to meet other kids her age.  Most of the kids around her apartment building were younger and she was always tasked with watching them.  I wanted Emily to be able to be a kid for a change.  So, she came with me.  I signed her up for everything.   I was surprised the first night that she wanted to go with a bunch of kids to go see the fireworks.  I was nervous at first.  I didn’t know these kids.  I didn’t know Cincinnati very well.  I couldn’t just walk to the park with her unfortunately.  So, I said yes.  My reasoning was, if I can’t trust my church family, who can I trust.  That night I watched my clock.  The later it became, the more I worried.  She didn’t get home until 11:30 that night.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  I was happy she met some new friends so I encouraged her. 

One day, she lost her phone and she started to have a panic attack.  When I got there, her friends had her surrounded and they were praying with her.  One mother was there, and she was leading the group.  I was emotional to see these people supporting her in what I thought was something silly.  My thought was, it’s a phone.  I can easily replace it.  But I later found out, its not just a phone.  The phone was a way for her to communicate with her half siblings.  It was the only way she could.  We later found her phone on her bed.  It had fallen out of her bag.  That night they all wanted to go swimming.  I asked who was going with them and she told me Val.  I felt relief then because I knew Val so I had no problem letting her go.  I went along to see if she needed help and we started to catch up.  I surprised the kids when I said I knew Val.  I said “Of course I know Val.  I have known her for years from camp.” 

At the end of the week, Emily was trading Facebook info with the other kids and their parents.  I even received some friend invites from parents.  I know Emily had a very eventful week and enjoyed every moment (except when she got hurt when the younger kids jumped on her).  She had so much fun, she fell asleep on the way home.  I learned she makes a horrible navigator.

By Samantha Griffin, lay leader at Marion Church of the Brethren
Central Section representative of district board.