All tied up

The 133rd session of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference is now in session.

Well here we are at Annual Conference. This is a special year from me as it is the 20th anniversary of my first conference. I was a page at conference in 1986 when it met at Whitman College in Walla Walla. This year we are meeting at UPS where the majority of our conference sessions are held.

Many things about the life of the Annual Conference are the same as they were 20 years ago. The committees are largely the same, we even have the same colors for nametags and printed paper for each of those committees. The controversial social issues are virtually the same.

Nineteen yeas ago when I attended my first conference at UPS one of the PK's (Preacher's Kid) taught me how to tie a tie for the evening worship service. I didn't wear a tie all the time but for the evening worship services we were encouraged to wear our best clothes, and it was fun. That not to say that I always wore my best clothes during conference, I distinctly remember as a college student wearing shorts, Birkenstocks, and a Bart Simpson T-Shirt. But now I like to wear slacks, shirt and tie, 20 years ago that was the norm, now I am in the minority. I have learned to laugh at the comments and the looks. I suppose some see my wearing a tie as "sucking up." I find it ammusing that when everyone was wearing ties I was wearing sandals and t-shirts and now that everyone is wearing sandals and t-shirts I am wearing a tie. Whatever.

Primarly I wear a tie because I believe the work of the Annual Conference and our worship together is important and wearing a tie reminds me of that. It also helps me to remember all those other years at annual conference and that PK who 19 years ago taught me to tie a tie.