On Thursday evening, conference attendees enjoyed an ice cream social in the East Wing of the Greenville Convention Center. This year, we had four ice cream scoopers, which helped shorten the line. After getting a scoop of the flavor of their choice, adults, youth, and kids gathered in the Emerald Room to fellowship and connect with one another.

Several NC Conference authors sold and signed books they had recently authored at a book signing event in the Emerald Room. The authors greeted colleagues and shared about their books. The authors at the signing were:

• Jason Miller-Villegas, Conference Director of Youth Ministries, author of When Methods Die: The Writing on the Wall for a Fading Church
• Won S. Namkoong, former District Superintendent and retired clergy, author of Laugh and Lead with Your Congregation
• Robert Simpson, pastor of Bethlehem UMC, Red Oak UMC, and professor at NC Wesleyan University, author of Who Moved the Table: The Spiritual Formation of the Eucharist
• Francis Daniel, former District Superintendent and retired clergy, author of The Day The Feeder Went Empty
• Jerusha Neal, Duke Divinity professor and clergy spouse, author of Holy Ground: Climate Change, Preaching, and the Apocalypse of Place
• Jeff Jenkins, regular contributor to the Beacon District Newsletter and former Beacon District Lay Leader, author of A Carpenter’s Light: The Story of Jesus
• Arthur William Winstead, Jr., son of Arthur Winstead, Sr., pastor of several churches in our conference, authored My Father’s Path to God, a collection of his father’s writings.