365 YOUTH CONVENTION

First of all, due to frugal planning, cuts, and a higher number of registrations, we were able to conclude 365-2019 in the BLACK! This is a huge praise and we thank all of those involved in lowering our costs. We also thank the churches and youth leaders who attended and supported our efforts. This means we are able to look forward to 2020 with a bit of breathing room as the team plans yet another fantastic convention for our students.  

The offering taken was for a church planting project in Amazonia (Brazil). It is a project through Global Strategy and 90% of the offering ($2585.54) will go directly to that cause. The remaining 10% ($287.29) went to the Spread the Word account through Church of God Ministries. We are thankful for the generosity of our students and leaders! 

In other GOOD NEWS, we have signed a contract for the 2020 convention and the dates are November 20-22, the weekend prior to Thanksgiving! Based on feedback, our hope is that this weekend will be a better fit for many more students’ schedules with football, band, etc.  In addition, we are VERY excited to announce a new hotel and conference location! As we conversed with many youth pastors and leaders during the 2019 convention, it was apparent that the safety of the students in downtown Indy was a concern. 

We have contracted with the Embassy Suites in Plainfield, IN for all of their meeting space and most of their hotel rooms. There are many benefits to this new location and to name a few: 

• FREE PARKING! Bus? No problem! 15 passenger van? No problem! 20 cars? No problem! Plenty of room, and it’s all FREE, and it’s all ON-SITE! 
• MORE PEOPLE CAN FIT INTO MOST OF THE ROOMS! Reservations will be first-come, first-served but there are many rooms that can fit 6-7 people. The rooms at the Embassy Suites will either have 2 double beds in a separate bedroom with a double pull-out couch OR a king bed in a separate bedroom with a double pull-out couch. There are 3 sinks in each room.  
• FREE DAILY BREAKFAST! Eggs, bacon or sausage, made-to-order omelets, oatmeal…LOTS of choices and all FREE! 
• FREE AFTERNOON SNACKS! Soft drinks and snacks in the lobby every afternoon!
• NO OTHER GROUPS SHARING MEETING SPACES! There will be other people with sleeping rooms, but we have ALL of the meeting space in the Conference Center. 
• IF NEEDED, OVERFLOW HOTELS NEARBY! The Homewood Suites and Hampton Inn are directly across the street and have offered additional space. Embassy Suites is our primary hotel and we must fulfill our contract with them. We encourage groups to reserve their rooms there first. 

We are not able to lower the registration fees due to the increased price of conference space. However, the cost to each student and leader will be reduced due to free parking, free breakfasts, and more people per room.  

We hope that you find this news as exciting as we do. As with any major change, we realize that we are stepping into the unknown. We are hoping and praying that each of you will support the move with your presence at the new location. We need your help to continue making 365 an awesome life-changing weekend for students!

Lastly, we have some scholarship funds available for students to attend 365 in 2020. We will be finalizing the details of how the dollars will be distributed soon. We will send an email to all youth pastors/leaders, put it on the IM webpage, and also on our social media platforms.  

THANK YOU for the support you give to Indiana Ministries, and THANK YOU for your investment in the students in your local church.  

I almost forgot…the same offer stands for all lead pastors and their spouse to attend the convention free of registration fees. We would love to see many of our lead pastors in attendance supporting their groups! 

Feel free to call the office anytime with any questions or concerns. I would be happy to talk with you!