The gathering opened to a joyful service of Holy Communion. Bishop Andrew Williams spoke of the fear of God. He emphasized that godly fear was about being overwhelmed by the love of God. That love cannot be contained, he said. "We are changed by that love. We are important to God however much we fail, and however often, God's mercy and love prevail. We are called to trust God to pour out that love. Even though we do not have all the answers, we have Jesus, we are forgiven."

The plenary speaker -- the Rev. Ethan Magness -- spoke on preaching. He was animated, enthusiastic and infectious. His key text was 1 Corinthians 15: 2-4.

"By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." The Gospel message is about salvation. It is about forgiveness granted through Jesus' death on the Cross and new life that is in the power of the resurrection. It was refreshing."

"There were twelve workshops on a variety of topics. We could choose two. Those I spoke with were blessed by the very practical teaching and interaction with the presenters."

"Let me share some of the feedback from this morning from four of our attendees."

Robin: "Beautiful to discover how many like-minded Christians there are in New England. It was good to be around other Christians as it can be lonely in a small rural church. I was so encouraged."

Justin: "The worship was great and engaging. I was encouraged. I especially loved the workshops on leading worship and on family devotions. I enjoyed meeting Bishop Drew who met with our group over lunch."

Molly: "It was a joy to hear a plenary speaker who is proud to be an Anglican; who delights to share the Gospel and who has an 'infectious faith!' I was refreshed to gather with the Anglican Saints and to be sent off renewed for ministry."

Russ: "I found the conference odd, in a delightful way. There was openness and transparency. It is peculiar to have a leadership conference that invites lay people to join in. It was like having a door opened as to what is going on and to be invited to contribute."

I spent a great deal of time renewing relationships with people who I had not seen and shared with for a very long time. I was thrilled by the way people entered into enthusiastic worship. There was singing, dancing and uninhibited joy. The community that gathered included many from our Kenyan community.

The ADNE witness has included the Kenyan Anglican community since its inception. They brought with them an intensity and fervor of devotion that is a beautiful contrast to some of our more sedate, if not stodgy, traditional Western ways. It was a conference filled with young people whose choice to follow Jesus was a perfect challenge to those whose faith is more inherited than the result of a decision to follow Jesus. It was life-giving.

The Very Rev. Ian Montgomery is an associate missionary in Peru with SAMS-USA. He is working with the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, Lima, Peru, and the Diocese of Peru. He has a passion for the Gospel.