Erie Conference, December 1969, Part B

On the third day of the conference, things went as previously described up until noon.  At that point I was more tired than hungry, so skipped lunch and headed for a nap at the bunkhouse.  As it turned out, I missed a critical impromptu meeting.  Sometime before the afternoon meeting, Bernie came into the bunkhouse with an expression on his face "like death warmed over".  I do not recall our conversation, but it was obvious something was up.

Going in for the afternoon meeting, the atmosphere was totally changed, perhaps you could say "electric".  There were testimonies of saints getting ready to sell their houses, quit their jobs, and move to Akron, Ohio for a strong testimony of the Lord.  Sisters would get up, sometimes weeping, yet with strong determination, giving their testimony totally for the Lord's move.  It appeared that most of the saints that were scattered over the northeastern U.S. were all going to move to Akron.  It certainly was more than exciting.

The evening meeting was the last meeting of the conference.  Sometime during the conference, at least once, maybe twice, we sang "We Have a most Glorious King", and changing the word "work" to "church".  This hymn, which I had never before heard, stayed with me.

In any event, towards the close of the last meeting, those representing different churches were asked to rise, including the church in Los Angeles, the church in Houston, the church in Toronto and finally, "the church in Akron".  I was sitting next to Bill Barker, and at the call for Akron, he got up!  I was totally taken by surprise.  How did I feel?  I felt the same as if there had been an altar call, and I, unsaved, remained seated.

Note: I'm only relating what I remember of events over 40 years ago, and I cannot vouch for precise times, dates, and sequences.  I have a feeling some are not quite accurate in that regard.

When it was time to go home, we gave a ride to a Chinese couple who were students at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.  They had taken, as I recall, 24 hours to get to Erie via bus to NYC and Pittsburgh.  So driving home via Amherst took us a little longer, but essentially we were all on "cloud nine", and enjoying the Lord and rich fellowship with one another.  We stopped somewhere for a quick bite to eat, and there on the counter was a Christmas tree with its decorating lights.  It seemed so out of place, and seemed to belong to another world.  I think we all had forgotten it was Christmastime.

After dropping off the saints in Amherst, finally Bill dropped me off at my place in East Hartland, CT.  It was about midnight, and near the end of the year.  As I crossed the threshold of my front door, I knew my life would never be the same again, but I just couldn't say what would happen next.  For one thing, there was within me a very strong desire to meet with those saints in Akron.