I was able to attend six district meetings this year, and the most often stated benefit of the meetings has been the fellowship and encouragement. Unity grows through genuine fellowship, and the opportunity for fellowship tends to be greater on the District level. Training is another goal within the redistricting plan. This includes the National Convention, Regional Training Conferences and District Meetings. The Regional Conferences are geared toward the training needs of mission department heads and executive management.
Communication is vital within any organization.
Our overall goal for Regional Conferences is to create a quality and affordable training opportunity for Missions. The response to last year's Regional conferences was both encouraging and challenging. Over 600 people, many who had never attended an IUGM training meeting, took advantage of one of the four conferences in 1999. We are attempting to respond to those areas as much as possible as we look at future meetings. One challenge that we believe would be helpful in coming years is to establish sites for the conference as much as two years in advance.