View images from the Monday session of the 2017 Iowa Annual Conference.
The Diakonos for this year’s Iowan Annual Conference Session were acknowledged during the Monday session.
“These young people are not your church children,” Diakonos Coordinator Steve Braudt told the Conference Session. “They are children of God and your brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Rev. Braudt, associate pastor for Asbury United Methodist Church in Bettendorf, listed some of the numerous service tasks the Diakonos performed during the Annual Conference Session, such as putting chair pads on the countless chairs in the event hall to assist in keeping chair movement from disturbing the proceedings.
The Diakonos also helped serve communion, assisted in collecting the offerings, greeted Conference Session attendees throughout the event and distributed reports to attendees.
“They have worshiped with you and prayed for you,” Rev. Braudt told those gathered at the Session.
The Diakonos youth delegates come across the Conference, he said, recommended by their pastors, and they serve on committees, boards, agencies locally and Conference-wide.
Rev. Braudt shared various accomplishments on the part of previous Diakonos, including three attending seminaries, one interning for the European Union in Belgium, and another studying in Panama.
The Diakonos presented a skit based upon the Family Feud game show. Contestants were questioned things such as the most important thing to Annual Conference, most common reason for writing a note at Annual Conference Session, most loved food at Annual Conference, most common reason for someone leaving in the middle of the Conference Session and the oddest place a Diakonos has fallen asleep at Annual Conference Session.
The skit included commercial message from a show sponsor – a video produced by the Diakonos. The skit received abundant laughs and applause.