Conference Wrap-Up
Written by Benjamin Diffenderfer   
Monday, 18 August 2008

This year's conference was truly an amazing time of fellowship, teaching, worship, and celebrating as we came together to honor the I AM. I am so glad to have been able to share time with many of you over that weekend and I wanted to take a few minutes to write a few notes to close this year's event.

First, thank you to the MIA Shepherd's Council and the MIA Founders. Much of what happened this weekend is a direct result of the work you began so many years ago. Thank you especially to my parents. My mom saved me so many times that weekend and she rarely gets the thanks she deserves for everything that she does. My dad always does an amazing job as an emcee, which helps out in more ways that I can honestly count.

Our office manager, Cathy Wright, and her husband Herman both did an incredible job running so much of the conference, and in particular the registration and marketplace that everything worked together so smoothly. Thank you to Chris Franke, John Diffenderfer, and David Sturlin for your help putting together everything that went into the ballroom. Many thanks go out to Wayne Clemons for recording and producing the conference teaching CDs (which you can pick up from our online marketplace!) and to Robert Crouch for leading our security team to help keep our conference a safe and positive place.

At every major conference, the musicians and dance leaders do an excellent job helping lead us into worship. Thank you to Lenny & Varda for being so faithful and dedicated to what God has called you to do with your lives (hey, they also have a new CD available The Hope of All Israel from their web site www.lennyandvarda.com). Thank you to Steve Manning & Jimmie Black for leading worship.

Every dancer came with a spirit of worship and each dance was so very anointed this year. Thank you to Chester Anderson & Simchat Adonai, Lisa Rubel & Chayah Praise, LeAnne Workman & Mayim Hayim, and Chavah Harris for leading presentation dance teams. Daniel & Sylvia Calderon once again did a phenomenal job leading congregational dance. Make sure to take their congregational dance class next year if you missed out!

Photos and videos from the event will be available on our web site very soon, but you can already read articles about the event online. Charisma had a brief article about the March Through the Arch and Kelly Ferrari of DoorKeeper Ministries (online at www.doorkeeperministries.com) has written a blog about her experience, which you can read by clicking [Here].

But now is not yet time to rest! We already have several conferences planned for this next year. Up next is our Hanukkah Regional Conference, December 26-28 in Nashville. You'll be able to register for that event soon!

I hope to see all of you in Nashville, or at least next Labor Day weekend in Orlando for our 2009 National Conference!

Shalom,
Benjamin Diffenderfer

PS - Due to a minor technical difficulty, we were not able to correctly play a video from a great ministry, Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, during our Friday evening service. If you'd like to see the full video, you can view it online at www.revver.com/video/597504/the-forgotten-people/ or you can visit www.pjtn.org for more information about their organization.
 
Conference Update
Written by Scott Diffenderfer   
Thursday, 14 August 2008

Wow, what an awesome time we had in St. Louis. On behalf of the MIA leadership team, I want to thank all who came and participated in I Am Israel! Your faithfulness to come and join His people (over 1100 were present) during difficult economic times, was a testimony of your generosity and concern for all of Israel. I pray that you were as blessed as I was during our time together.

We marched through the arch and convened the first Congress of B’nai Ephraim! What a sight it was to see over a thousand people come over through the arch and down the steps together. When I walked out of the hotel and looked down the road I could not see the end of the line as it crossed over into the park. Then to see two mothers of Israel, Batya Wootten and Rimona Frank, crying together at the sight of the gathering was a beautiful moment. B’nai Ephraim is alive!

In coming days we will have pictures on this site from the march and the conference. You will also have an opportunity to join your name to B’nai Ephraim. For now, unpack, relax, and pray that the God of Israel will lead our next steps as surely as He led us to St. Louis.

Shalom,
Scott Diffenderfer
 
"March Through the Arch" Covered by Charisma
Written by Benjamin Diffenderfer   
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
This past weekend, the Messianic Israel Alliance's outreach program, One With Israel, hosted its "March Through the Arch" in St. Louis, Missouri.
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