Financial responsibility and stewardship focus of annual AVDS weekend

Living More with More - AVDS 2020

Hesston College will partner with Everence Financial for a weekend conference focused on stewardship of finances, resources and hospitality. The annual Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series conference (AVDS) will be February 21 to 23 with the theme “Living More with More: Redefining the Good Life.”

The weekend’s content will have interest points for all life stages from high school-age youth to retirement, as well as group-focused content relatable to church congregations and other organizations. The cost to attend is $80 for adults with discounts available for groups and members of sponsoring congregations. Clergy can attend at no cost through an Everence grant. The student and youth rate is $30. Registration is available online.

“This year’s AVDS conference will help participants think about their financial resources and philanthropy in terms of personal goals and their faith,” said Dallas Stutzman, Hesston College director of church relations and event organizer. “We’ll grapple with defining ‘the good life’ and church in a way that everyone thrives.”

Seminars and keynote presentations throughout the weekend will focus on understanding one’s personal history with money and resources, careers, hospitality, finances, generosity, trauma and economic injustice, health and wellness, and more. Some seminar tracks are designed specifically for students, pastors, lay leaders and Spanish-speaking participants.

The conference keynote presenters are Leonard Dow and Colin Saxton, both of Everence Financial, and Michele Hershberger, Bible and ministry professor at Hesston College. In addition, other Everence Financial employees and local pastors will serve as seminar presenters.

Dow is a Stewardship and Development Specialist in Philadelphia where he helps individuals and communities in urban areas strengthen, sustain and build financial capacity.

Saxton is a Stewardship Consultant in Oregon, helping individuals, congregations and nonprofits integrate faith and finance through stewardship services and financial resources.

In addition to teaching at Hesston, Hershberger is the author or co-author of several resource books, including one of the conference texts, A Christian View of Hospitality: Expecting Surprises.

See the full weekend schedule and seminar descriptions.