03/28/2021
I woke up on this beautiful Palm Sunday morning thanking God for sending His Son to live on this earth, go to the cross, and rise from the dead to reconcile us with Him. But I must admit, my heart was also heavy with sorrow and grief over not being able to celebrate this holy day at my beloved Mount Hermon. Sitting in that beautiful sanctuary singing hymns with my wonderful writer friends. Then wandering among the redwoods, listening to God’s voice, fellowshipping with old friends and new, and making the connections God had preordained so I could take the next step in the journey He has planned for me.
Last February, when COVID-19 first hit, I received the heart-wrenching news that the Mount Hermon Association had decided to no longer sponsor the writers’ conference—not just until after the pandemic but indefinitely. Skipping 2020 was a necessity. This year, with restrictions on group gatherings still in place in California, I’m glad we didn’t try to schedule something for 2021. But with the end of the pandemic finally in sight, the thought of not planning a Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference for next year—or ever again—seems beyond tragic.
I know many others feel the same way.
I don’t know whether there’s a chance that the Mount Hermon Association might reconsider. But I would like to let them know how much this writers’ conference means to those of us who have come to cherish it. If you’d like to join in this effort, please email me at [email protected] with whatever you’d like to say to the decision-makers about what this conference means to you, what it has done for you, how you believe it has affected the family of God, and why you long for it to return. Your response can be short or long, observations or anecdotes, a prayer … whatever you feel led to share. I will combine all the responses I get and then forward them to the people I worked with at Mount Hermon when I was directing the conference.
The reason I was given for cancelling our event was that Mount Hermon wanted to focus on their core ministry: families. The writers’ conference was viewed as a professional event, and there are many similar conferences across the country. So while what you might value most is that you found your agent there, you may want to include in your comments something about the uniqueness of the Mount Hermon conference and how the connections you made there can greatly impact God’s kingdom.
Please send me your thoughts on what the Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference means to you, what’s so special about it, and why you want it to return no later than April 10. I’d like to compile the responses and send them to the folks at Mount Hermon by April 15. If they decide to bring the conference back in spring of 2021, we’ll need to start planning right away.
Please pass this on to anyone you know who has been impacted by the Mount Hermon writers’ conference and may want to add their comments. Share about it on your social media, in your newsletter, however you think it will reach the most people. The more we can show the eternal value of this special event, the greater an influence we might have on changing this decision.
Above all, please pray for the future of the Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference. God can work a miracle to bring it back if it is His will.
