Monday September 25, 2006

 

 

TFC Staff Conference

Final Entry

Since Thursday was a busy day for me, along with the closing activities, I did not take time to make an entry for Wednesday.

Wednesday at our conference is always a free day.  We have opportunity to relax at the conference center, travel to the dunes and ride dune buggies, visit, go shopping, etc.  Cerwin and I did several interviews for future newsletters.

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In the evening we had fun night.

This year we celebrated TFC’s fifty-five years of ministry.

 

Each person was asked to bring a picture of himself/herself from the early fifties, or a baby picture if you were born after that.  We tried to put a name with each picture.

 

During the week the men had “drag races” (using straws and miniature cars), continually eliminating contestants.  The above racers are Mike Foisy (Lead Chaplain, Chilliwack, BC) and Murray Scott (Director of Overseas Ministry, Hamilton, ON).

 

 

The final race was Wednesday night.

Chaplain Peter Vaprov (Russia) competing against the eventual winner, Chaplain Mike Hayden (Greensboro, NC).

 

The decorations were amazing.  In this photo Inge Koenig, Assistant to the President, shows off the painting of a 1959 Cadillac.

 

Several came dressed in ’50s style clothing.  Left to Right:  Carolyn and Chaplain Rallyn Van Beek (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) and TFC President Scott Weidner and his wife Karen (Hershey, PA)

 

The Fonz!  Chaplain Jason Nussbaun and his wife, Shannon (Lodi, OH)

 

Chaplain Hank Rader and his wife Gloria (Knoxville, TN)

 

Cerwin and I, and Scott and Karen Weidner were chosen to try hoola hoops.  I used to be good with a hoola hoop, but couldn’t keep it going around my waist, so tried it around my neck, where I got it going quite well!

 

Ellen Kraus and Gloria Rader manned the soda fountain.

 

We were even “honored” to have Elvis (Bunny O’Hare, Director of Chaplain Care) make an appearance!

 

He asked his backup singers Chaplain Paul Leger (Salisbury, NB, Canada), Chaplain Rick Campbell (Grand Rapids, MI), Chaplain Jim Harkless, (Greensboro, NC), and Cerwin (my sweetheart) to join him in a gospel song.

It was amazing how young it made us feel to hear music, be reminded of events, and see clothing styles of the ’50s.

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Wednesday was the day the weather turned cold and rainy so I was glad I had time to walk to the beach earlier in the week.

 

 

One benefit of the rain was a beautiful rainbow!

 

 A rainbow seems like a fitting way to close our Staff Conference pictures.