A Meeting of the Faithful

By Holly Meriweather

Meetings get a bad rap. Consider advertisements, for example, that characterize them as  conference rooms full of bored people yawning as they listen to a leader drone on and on.  

This scenario causes us to assume the worst about meetings, particularly the kind described above. However, in the most recent meeting I attended, there were exciting and encouraging reports, tears, laughter, music, prayer and praise . . .    

It was anything but a boring meeting.

The 2024 BMA National Meeting held at Chateau on the Lake in Branson, Missouri, was more like a family reunion. And just like any gathering of that sort, it included disagreements. But mostly it was and always has been about our people, how we can better serve them and what their needs are, plus answering questions, and building relationships. 

It’s what your Lifeword and BMA Global personnel do at both the Global Ministry Center in Conway, Arkansas, and at National Meetings and conferences.

For Lifeword and BMA Global personnel, we pinch ourselves that we have the honor to serve in that way. (And – fun fact for your information – although both ministries share a building, we have few opportunities to hang out! So the National Meeting is a chance to do so.) 

But the most important aspect of the National Meeting is how God is glorified through and because of it. He is a missional God who clearly tells us in Scripture that we are not to keep our Christianity and salvation to ourselves. We all have that mandate: Go into the entire world and share the transformational power of the gospel. 

We’re ALL called to do just that, and the missionaries, church planters, and leaders who attended the meeting are the heart and soul of our association. What a blessing to see and visit with those who left their fields of service and traveled from all over the world to the National Meeting. Those bi- and tri-lingual (or more) missionaries enjoyed the fellowship and had an opportunity to visit with their brothers. Hearing other languages than English, which most of them can also speak, was a beautiful sound. And it is to those pastors and missionaries, that we offer our prayers and blessings.

The Legacy Missionary honoree ceremony was definitely the highlight of the meeting. Full disclosure here . . . Margaret Anderson and I were involved in planning and implementing the service, so maybe I’m biased. But seeing the Gibson family, especially the widow of Bill Gibson, in addition to David and Shelley Dickson receiving their legacy awards was particularly memorable. And certainly it’s the least we can do for those who served for decades both at home and abroad.

God is further glorified through those missionaries who obeyed the call to serve. In my interviews with them and their families, there is one common remark:  When they say, “We’re going home,” they are referring to their mission fields. And it wasn’t long after I began my job – first at Lifeword, now at BMA Global – that I understood that I wasn’t “working.” I was serving. It was a radical change and gave me a whole new mindset.

For me, the National Meeting is a family reunion, not the boring meeting scenario I led with. I have long since gotten over my shyness about approaching missionaries, church planters, or leaders and asking questions about how they serve. So at the next National Meeting, thank one of them then ask about their field and how they serve. Here’s a suggestion: Many of our BMA people have intentionally “adopted” missionaries they have heard about. Just a thought for those of you who desire the blessing of knowing these servants.

See you at the 2025 National Meeting in Waxahachie, Texas!

(Please don’t hesitate to contact me at holly@bmaamerica.org with any questions or concerns. If I can’t help you for some reason, I promise I will put you in touch with someone who can.)