The Board of Directors of The Way International welcomed guests from around the world to gather together around the truth of God’s Word at International Headquarters and celebrate the seventy-seventh anniversary of The Way International on October 6, 2019.
The weekend began with the arrival of the Way Disciples of Outreach Group XXVI to begin their training before they were sent forth to speak God’s Word to others.
The training included teachings from God’s Word and time for the participants to meet together in their teams.
There was also a tour of the Biblical Research Center, given by the in-residence Way Corps.
In Piqua, Ohio, young adults from across the United States gathered for a Young Adult Fellowship in conjunction with The Way International’s seventy-seventh anniversary celebration.
Rev. Vern Edwards, the Midwest Region coordinator, opened the meeting on Saturday, October 5. Rev. Rosalie F. Rivenbark, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Vice President of The Way International, and Rev. Jean-Yves De Lisle, Director and President of The Way International, welcomed participants and made available service opportunities in which young people can give of their long-suit abilities.
The theme of the weekend was Be Who God Has Called You to Be.
God’s Word was taught on how each participant is a son of God, can grow to spiritual maturity, can help others, and can be the man or woman God has called them to be.
Throughout the weekend participants enjoyed fellowshipping with like-minded peers.
Some young adults also served behind the scenes to prepare for the event.
From skits to songs, young adults manifested God’s love as they performed at the coffeehouse Saturday night.
There was even an original song performed that was written at the Adventures in Songwriting Youth Camp at Camp Gunnison—The Way Household Ranch.
The in-residence Way Corps also participated in the coffeehouse.
The next day, after being taught God’s Word, participants formed into groups to share what blessed them from the weekend and what they were going to do with the Word they learned. Afterwards, one representative from each group summarized their group’s learning and action plan for the rest of the young adults. Following the event, the young adults closed out their weekend by attending the Sunday Teaching Service at Headquarters.
At Camp Gunnison—The Way Household Ranch, the camp Staff and believers from the Rocky Mountain Region celebrated the seventy-seventh anniversary weekend right along with their brothers and sisters at Headquarters.
The official weekend activities began on Saturday, October 5, with a chuckwagon noon meal, available to the guests and Camp Gunnison Staff. Meals were prepared for the guests each day, providing many opportunities for them to break bread and fellowship together.
There were many activities for the believers to participate in, including a historical hayride tour.
Participants could also hike up the “water tank hill” behind the camp, where they could get a beautiful elevated perspective of the grounds and surrounding area.
Saturday concluded with an evening fellowship. Guests enjoyed a variety of Way Productions songs, as well as teachings from God’s Word by Mr. John Dungey and Rev. Tom Horrocks.
The weekend culminated with the Sunday Teaching Service and the commissioning of the Way Disciples of Outreach Group XXVI at The Way International Headquarters. Camp Gunnison joined the Sunday Teaching Service on the phone lines, along with celebrants from twenty-seven other countries. The weekend certainly was a momentous occasion for believers around the world.
The 2019-2020 ministry theme, Walking Worthy as Sons of God, was introduced, and theme items, as well as other new releases, were unveiled.
Disciples who have fellowshipped with The Way International for twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, and sixty years were recognized for their faithful stand with the ministry.
Mr. David Sewell held forth the greatness of God’s Word.
After Mr. Sewell’s teaching, Way Productions presented a new song, “Walk Worthy as Sons of God.” The excitement in the auditorium was palpable as people looked forward to the year ahead.
There was also a historical display and a display of rare Bible pages. Both provided time to reflect on those who came before us and dedicated their lives to making God’s Word known.
And of course, there was sweet fellowship at the anniversary reception.
On Monday morning, the Way Disciples set out for their assigned cities, and followers of The Way returned home, filled with God’s Word and excited for the new ministry year.
For more details on the seventy-seventh anniversary weekend, enjoy The Prevailing Word Report in the November/December 2019 issue of The Way Magazine.
For more photos from the weekend, view our Flickr albums:
77th Anniversary Weekend at The Way International
77th Anniversary Weekend at Camp Gunnison
77th Anniversary Young Adult Fellowship