Ten Reasons AT1 Will Not Be Your Average Adventist Camp Meeting
The inaugural AT1 gathering will take place in Portland over the weekend of October 4-6 this year. AT1 will be a camp meeting-style gathering but it will be unlike any Adventist camp meeting you’ve gone to in the past. Here are some reasons AT1 will be different:
Our theme is Christ Challenging Culture – that includes the status quo in Adventist culture. Jesus doesn’t just challenge today’s mainstream culture. He is actively asking us to rethink Adventist culture. Our speakers will remind us that Christ is at the center of our story as a community. Camp meetings in the past may have reinforced the Adventist status quo. AT1 will help us reinvent it.
It’s organized by Adventist Today. You know what to expect from Adventist Today, the publication: We care about facts, not bureaucratic spin. We pride ourselves on providing authentic, accessible journalism about events and issues in the Adventist community. AT1 will be the same: honest, hard-hitting and real about the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Christ-centered, progressive speakers. Our speakers have well-deserved reputations as strong, progressive leaders in the Adventist community that fearlessly lift up Jesus as the center of our faith. They will challenge us to keep our eyes on Jesus as we help write the next progressive chapter in the Adventist story. Click here for a list of our speakers.
We do not report to the church bureaucracy. This allows AT1 to stand as a refreshing counterpoint to the endless squabbles about policy and compliance. We are all about charting a fresh, optimistic, Christ-centered and hope-filled course for Adventist community. That will never require GC approval.
Half our speakers are female. We won’t just talk about gender equality when we get together in Portland. The AT1 event has been especially designed to make sure that our talented, brave, female pastors and leaders are heard. We want to learn from them and see the wonderful things that God has in store for our community as we work together.
Click here to register for AT1
Open to all. AT1 is open and welcoming of everyone. We are serious when we say that this will be an intergenerational celebration of grace in Jesus, inclusive and accepting of all, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, income, gender, sexuality, background or persuasion.
We aren’t playing it safe with our topics. Enemies, motives, lust, the rich, false testimony, the homeless, anger, grief and complacency are some of the topics we will wrestle with in Portland. This isn’t a sanitized list. We are getting real because Christ’s challenge to culture is urgent and hard-hitting. It is time we take it seriously.
Not a guilt trip. We won’t try to guilt you by majoring in the minors of some of the cultural norms that have plagued the Adventist past. AT1 is centered in Christ, not cultural baggage or legalistic precedent. You have heard it said that Adventist gatherings are a certain way. Get ready to be surprised!
Focused on grace. We as Adventists can never be reminded enough of the grace of Jesus. Adventist gatherings of the past focused on many things but most of us would likely agree that you didn’t always leave an Adventist camp meeting feeling reassured of God’s grace in every area of life. That is about to change.
No compliance police. AT1 is a gathering where you can let your hair down. You can be yourself and still find acceptance and community. We are not here to police you, report you or try to dictate your faith journey with Christ. Expect to feel appreciated, encouraged and inspired.
