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An Amish Welcome at the Going On Faith Conference

Sponsor Presentations

Organizations that are sponsoring the Going On Faith Conference bring great travel information to delegates. The 2017 show presented several sponsors that invited planners to partner with them.

Diane Wilhelm of Globus Family of Brands in Littleton, Colorado, said Globus and Cosmos are two brands her company uses for faith-based tours.

“They’re very carefully planned,” she said. “You get hassle-free journeys to the most holy and treasured places on earth. Next year, we will be celebrating our 90th year.”

Wayne Peyreau of MSC Cruises out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, told delegates about his company’s aggressive shipbuilding program.

“Normally, a cruise company builds each ship as a copy of what was last delivered,” he said. “With us, that’s not so. We have three different classes of vessels, and one thing I can tell you is that they keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger.”

Scott Goss of Experience Park Tours in Reno, Nevada, represents a niche tour company.

“We’re a small-group luxury tour company specializing in U.S. national parks,” he said. “Our motto is ‘A Better Way to Travel.’ That means because we’re small, we’re flexible, control the experience and allow you to do what you want.”

Religious attractions were show sponsors as well. Paul Anderson from the Shrine of Christ’s Passion in St. John, Indiana, described the site as depicting “the pain and suffering that our Lord endured to save us.”

“That’s what it’s all about,” he said. “It’s truly a one-of-a-kind destination. They built a place that lets people of all faiths get closer to the Lord.”

Eddie Lutz of the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, described his site as “a full-scale reproduction of Noah’s Ark and built to biblical specifications.”

“It’s 510 feet long, almost two football fields in length and uses 3.3 million board feet of wood, which could stretch from Kentucky to Philadelphia,” he said.

Inspirational Speakers

Rob Quillin was a featured speaker. He told delegates about his chance meeting with a man on an airline flight in September 2001 and how he offered to help the man fulfill a special wish for his son. It turned out that Quillin’s seat companion was a pilot on one of the doomed jetliners that crashed the next day, September 11. That prompted Quillin to write a book about the encounter and to create a foundation to help fulfill the dreams of others. “Some of you will make the decision to go home and buy the book, ‘Why Wait?’ And when you do, all of that money goes to the foundation. I have never received a penny from that book. When you buy it, you will be helping someone else’s dream come true.”

Greg Nahmens of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) preached “Look Before You Book.” He urged travel planners to go to the FMCSA website to investigate motorcoach operators they plan to hire to make sure they are properly certified, safe and insured.

Tours and More

Sightseeing, mealtimes and special presentations are always a pleasant sideline during the Going On Faith Conference. The first afternoon featured an ice cream social outside Grace Mennonite Church. The ice cream was churned by an elderly Amish couple using a gas-powered churn to create the frosty treat. That evening delegates went to the Amish Door for a delectable meat-and-potatoes dinner cooked and served by Amish staff. A stage play with a deep spiritual message followed.

On day two of the conference, delegates traveled around the county to see one of the many Amish furniture-making companies, various country stores, a cheesemaking factory and more. That evening, dinner was served at the Amish Country Theater, followed by a hilarious stage performance appropriate for families that featured a country bumpkin named Leonard; a remarkable ventriloquist, Ken Groves; backup singers and dancers; and a live, toe-tappin’ bluegrass band.

Little Rock, Arkansas, looks forward to hosting the 2018 Going On Faith Conference.

“We’ve noticed that many people don’t have an opinion of Little Rock, either good or bad,” said Amanda Glover of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. “But when they come and see all the great things we offer, it changes their minds. We’re a hidden gem. When planners see us, then there will be word of mouth, and they’ll all want to book us.”

For more information on the Going On Faith conference go to www.gofconference.com.

Dan Dickson

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