Registration is now open for the twenty-sixth annual session of the Dakotas Conference of The United Methodist Church. The three-day event will take place at the Bismarck Event Center, in North Dakota, June 6-8, 2019.

Come experience powerful worship, rich learning opportunities in workshops and plenary sessions, and fellowship with United Methodists across North and South Dakota. 

Drawing on John 4:1-26, the theme of this year's annual conference session is “Dare to Reach: Love Boldly!” We will explore ways in which Jesus calls us to step out of our comfort zone and reach those around of us with the love of God in ways beyond our imagination. We will tell our collective story of how God's love quenches our thirst and explore ways to invite everyone to drink from the well so that their thirst may be quenched—"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19).

 

Rev. Dr. Mark Teasdale. Photo courtesy of Garrett-Evangelical Seminary.

Rev. Dr. Mark R. Teasdale, E. Stanley Jones Associate Professor of Evangelism at Garrett-Evangelical Seminary will provide two teaching sessions focused on reaching the next person for Jesus. Dr. Teasdale shares that he loves teaching evangelism. Church leaders are often bombarded with material that hints it is only by human effort the church will be effective. The study of evangelism starts with the assumption that God is active, and that our efforts are only to participate in what God is already doing. Dr. Teasdale says, "Our job is not to generate a mission, but to look to God through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, expecting miraculous power to burst forth as God moves to accomplish God’s purpose—the redemption of all creation!"

As a practical theology, evangelism gets to the heart of what we believe who God is, what God does, and how God forms us to be part of God’s purposes. In his courses, Dr. Teasdale takes time to help students answer questions so they can express their faith in a clear, articulate, and authentic way in word and practice. "My greatest hope is that they will become public witnesses, inviting those who are not Christians to know God through Jesus Christ and strengthening the church by leading other Christians to articulate their faith," He states. View his full vita here.

The 26^th session will begin with pre-conference events and workshops on June 4-5. Take a look at the schedule here.