Write About Now

I remember growing up and attending the “Impact Brass” concerts at the convention each year. Remember that group from Ozark? They were the coolest of all the college groups because not only did they have contemporary music but also three screens with video images that accompanied each song.

I especially remember a singer named Rachel; I’m not sure why she had an “impact” on me but I looked for her at each concert during those years. I envied her pretty blond hair and her poise on stage. I later learned she was one of the Melton Family Singers, a southern gospel group that always showed up for the convention.

This week, one of my assignments during the evening services was to keep things on schedule by alerting the speakers and worship leaders as they neared the end of their allotted time. I accomplished this via a very high-tech method of holding up a certain number of fingers to a teammate on the front row who watched for that signal and then flashed a large posterboard sign displaying the number of remaining minutes to the person on stage.

And my tech crew partner in timekeeping was none other than Rachel. Like me, she volunteered to help backstage this year and we worked together to keep things on track. And as I stood there Wednesday night with my headphones on I had to smile: at the memory of myself as an impressionable grade-schooler, at the twists life can take, and at the fun of being part of our movement. I love the NACC because of moments like this.

For those of us who have been part of the independent Christian churches for any length of time, the convention really is a family reunion of sorts. Like all families, we have our dysfunctions and disagreements, yet we keep gathering each summer because—as much as we value that independence—we want to experience the fellowship of our fellowship.

But fewer gather each year. The convention consistently trends downward in attendance and financial support, and it worries me because, as Ben Cachiaras said this week, “The NACC isn’t nice, folks. It’s necessary. We need this.” We need to be reminded that we belong to a tribe, with all the messiness and joy that entails.

This year marked the 80th anniversary of the first convention. I hope the NACC leadership finds the secret to reinventing things so it continues for another 80—not for the sake of tradition, but so future generations can continue working together, learning from each other, and experiencing small Wednesday night serendipities of reconnection.