A renewed sense of mission and unity swept through the Atlantic Union Conference during the highly anticipated Festival of the Laity SEEDS Convention, held March 28–31. More than 400 attendees from across the union gathered for a weekend of spiritual empowerment, training, and fellowship—an event many described as deeply impactful and timely.
“I’ve gone to all the conferences—ASI, GYC, AYP—and usually you find this presentation was good, or that one was,” said Felecia Lee, Women’s Ministries director for the Northern New England Conference. “This is the first one where every single presentation I attended was like BOOM! I needed this. It’s been refilling for me. Each presentation has been a reminder to keep going.”
Participants representing diverse churches and ministries throughout the union engaged in interactive seminars, worship, and meaningful networking. From emerging evangelism tools to personal testimonies, the event offered something for everyone—with a strong focus on mission-driven, lay-led ministry.
Trevor Forbes, Personal Ministries (PM) director for the Atlantic Union Conference, collaborated with PM directors from the Bermuda, Greater New York, New York, Northeastern, Northern New England, and Southern New England conferences to organize the event. Forbes organized the first Atlantic Union Festival of the Laity convention in 2008 after being inspired by a SEEDS convention hosted by the North American Division Evangelism Institute (NADEI). This year’s gathering marked the third such convention in the Atlantic Union.
Forbes and his team carefully selected seminar topics that addressed real-world challenges and opportunities. Standout sessions explored how to use artificial intelligence for evangelism and how to effectively reach refugees and Muslim communities with the message of hope and wholeness in Jesus Christ. General session speakers—Tim Madding, NADEI director; Walton Rose, Northeastern Conference PM director; Greg Perry, ASI Atlantic Union president; and Abraham J. Jules, Atlantic Union Conference president—challenged the attendees to think outside of the box for ministry and push forward in the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Jesus is coming soon,” exclaimed John Bradshaw, It Is Written president, (pictured) during the Sabbath morning service. “This means we can aim higher, push further, plan bigger, expect greater, pray larger, [and] invest aggressively.”
“This year’s Festival was of great significance as we prepare for Pentecost 2025,” said Forbes. “We believe it stirred interest and equipped people to go out and be impactful. I’m expecting to see tremendous growth in baptisms during Pentecost 2025—and I believe this event will play a key role.”
George Gillespie, a member of the Huntington church in Long Island, New York, echoed that sentiment. “There have been some very good seminars with new insights. I’ve been in church a long time, and we get used to seeing things a certain way. I’m hearing about new things that I believe could really move the church forward.”
The Festival of the Laity SEEDS Convention reminded attendees of the power of a united, mission-focused church body. As churches and schools prepare for Pentecost 2025, the Atlantic Union Conference adds its prayers for the blessing of the Holy Spirit in each endeavor.
To view recordings from the general sessions and access resources, visit atlantic-union.org/festival.
