YOUNGSTOWN Religious conference draws crowd

The conference is expected to attract about 3,000 daily through Friday.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Virtually every seat inside Stambaugh Auditorium's 2,600-plus main auditorium was filled from early morning to late evening Wednesday, with music and voices bouncing off the walls.
These people weren't assembled to see a rap, R & amp;B or country music performance. The music is gospel, the voices are of praise and the mood could set the most sinful of hearts to prayer.
The 18th annual Pentecost in Perspective 2003 is what drew the crowd, an annual conference sponsored by Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church that teaches leadership skills and apostolic principles.
The conference will continue today and Friday.
Debra Benton, Mount Calvary director of media relations, explained that apostolic principles in this context are not tied to any set denomination but to the teachings of the apostles in the Bible.
What it involves
Besides praise and worship, the conference entails seminars on ministry, leadership, music and administration. She said many use the seminars as ammunition when they return to do work in various communities.
"These seminars are purposely designed so that whether you are in a church setting or a secular corporation setting, you can use these same principles," Benton said.
Praise and worship, however, are still high on the agenda.
Children, some barely out of diapers, clap, sing and listen to the teachings of various ministers alongside their parents and grandparents. Many have made the conference a yearly event.
Some, according to Benton, come in search of blessings and answers from God, and often find what they are looking for. She recalls a woman at a previous conference who was in prayer for a missing family member. By the end of the conference, Benton said, a phone call verified the family member had been found.
Coincidence? Many here would say not so.
How it began
Benton said the conference started in 1985 at Mount Calvary Church on Oak Hill Avenue. As the conference grew, it was moved to Stambaugh Auditorium then to Beeghly Stadium at Youngstown State University. For the past three years the event had been moved to Dallas, Atlanta and Detroit respectively.
Benton said the conference returned to Youngstown "by popular demand." Youngstown-area residents and those up to five hours away by car made it clear that the event should be brought back to the city.
Bringing the conference back to the city is not only good for the church, said Benton, but is also good for the local economy. More than 3,000 people will attend the conference daily, many of whom will be coming from out of state and out of the country.
"This is wonderful for the local economy. These people are staying in hotels and eating at restaurants," she said. "Most people also like souvenirs so many people attending the conference are also doing their fair share of shopping."
Size was a concern in bringing the conference back to the city, but that problem was solved by using two buildings. Several seminars are being held at the Fifth Avenue Community Church on Fifth Avenue.
jgoodwin@vindy.com