Haystack Bicentennial Celebration
September 22, 23, 24, 2006
Williamstown, Massachusetts
We invite you to remember, to dream, to pray, to celebrate at the site of the haystack this September.
On an August afternoon in 1806, five Williams College students met in a field, as was their habit, to talk and pray and, like so many young people, to dream of a better world. When a sudden thunderstorm interrupted, they sought shelter under a haystack — and there resolved to offer their lives, in the name of Jesus Christ, to carry their faith into service “into all the world.” From such humble beginnings the American foreign missions movement was born.
This fall, Williams College and Williamstown’s First Congregational Church celebrate this important anniversary with a weekend-long celebration September 22 – 24, 2006 on the Williams College campus in northwestern, Massachusetts.
We hope you will join us for the Haystack Bicentennial celebration which includes worship, music, keynote speakers, panel discussions, workshops, meals and fellowship. Highlights include:
- Keynote address by Lamin Sanneh
- Panel with Dennis Dickerson, Ada-Maria Isasi-Diaz, Tim Tennent, and John Thomas
- Worship celebrations with Bart Campolo and more
- Vespers at the Haystack
- Global music by Michael Hawn and Patrick Evans
- More than 2 dozen workshops
- And more!
Complete information about the weekend and registration forms can be found online at http://haystack.williams.edu.
The Haystack Movement has changed the shape of lives and communities, brought cultures into dialogue and, sometimes, into conflict, and inspired generations of Christians to engage the wounds, needs, and hopes of the world. Now, as a new millennium begins, how will we live a third century of the Haystack legacy? What does Christian mission mean among us today?
We invite you to remember, to dream, to pray, to celebrate at the site of the haystack this September.
Why come to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Haystack prayer meeting?
Because we live in an ever-shrinking global village… Because it matters more than ever how we reach out in faith to the physical and spiritual needs of the world… Because young people bursting with idealism and hope still want desperately to make a difference… Because the Spirit which moved those five students continues to break open our hearts and minds… Because the inscription on the Haystack monument in Williamstown still inspires and beckons: the field is the world… Because we live in an ever-shrinking global village… Because it matters more than ever how we reach out in faith to the physical and spiritual needs of the world… Because young people bursting with idealism and hope still want desperately to make a difference… Because the Spirit which moved those five students continues to break open our hearts and minds… Because the inscription on the Haystack monument in Williamstown still inspires and beckons: … the field is the world…
Location of Event: First Congregational Church, UCC, 906 Main Street (Rt. 2),Williamstown, MA (413-458-4273).
Haystack Bicentennial Celebration brochure [PDF]
Haystack Bicentennial Celebration flyer [PDF]
For information and accommodations, visit http://haystack.williams.edu