The Opening Session: Sunday Evening

Kevin Lawson, Conference Co-Director and  Director of the Ph.D. and Ed.D. Programs in Educational Studies at Talbot School of Theology   and Shirley Morgenthaler, Concordia University Professor, welcome conference attenders

The Community School of the Arts String Ensemble

Holly Allen, Conference Co-Director and Professor at John Brown University, comments on "Defining Children's Spirituality from a Christian Perspective"

First Plenary Session: John Westerhoff, Author of Will Our Children Have Faith?  and Bringing Up Children in the Christian Faith spoke on the topic "The Church's Contemporary Challenge: To Help Adults to Grow Up Spiritually WITH Their Children"

Monday Highlights

Paul Woodburn, Ministry Arts Director at Bethany College, Hepburn, Canada, leading worship

Conference participants welcome the new day

Second Plenary Session: Terry Fretheim Old Testament Professor at Luther Seminary Author of God and World in the Old Testament and The Suffering of God spoke on the topic "God and Children in the Old Testament Through the Lens of Genesis"

Ministry Models Poster Session

Monday Evening

Saint Sabina's Drill Team and Dancers performed Monday evening

Third Plenary Session: Judy Gundry-Volf Senior Research Scholar and Associate Professor of New Testament, Yale University Divinity School Author of A Spacious Heart and Paul and Perseverance spoke on "New Testament Insights on the Spiritual Life of Children"

Tuesday Highlights

Fourth Plenary Session: Keith White, Child Theology Movement Lecturer at Spurgeon's College, U.K. and Malasia Baptist Theological Seminary Author of Caring for Deprived Children and In His Image spoke on the topic "Renewing Our Vision of Jesus, Children, and the Kingdom of God"

The Blanchard Road Alliance Church Children' s Choir began the evening with a demonstration of the beauty of words set to music

Tuesday Evening

Fifth Plenary Session: Patrick McDonald, International Director and Founder of the Viva Network, U.K. Author of Reaching Children in Need and Children at Risk spoke on the topic "Children: The Great Omission in the Great Commission"

Authors Scottie May and Beth Posterski (right) were available to sign copies of their books after the plenary session

Wednesday Highlights

The Daystar School Drum Choir stunned the conference with their proficiency

Sixth Plenary Session: Catherine Stonehouse, Dean and Professor of Christian Discipleship, Asbury Theological Seminary and Scottie May, Professor of Christian Formation and Ministry, Wheaton College and Graduate School spoke on the topic "So, How Do We Nurture Children's Spirituality?"

The conference concluded with a song by Olivia Doig and collective prayer for children

Wednesday afternoon the planning team met to evaluate the conference

Many thanks to Richard G. Richter for taking the photographs on these pages. 

If you have additional pictures, video, or audio recordings of the conference, we would appreciate your sharing them with us for possible addition to the web page.

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Web page updated January 6, 2010