Dear Members and Friends, We’ve chosen the one­word theme of “Exodus” for our 2019 event. There are so many parallels between Moses’ efforts in trying to lead the Israelites out of slavery and the work that life­ transformation ministry leaders do in trying to lead people out of bondage—be it poverty, addiction, mental illness, destructive behavior, and more. Just like Moses, we deal with griping, complaining, our people wanting to go back to the old life, and even idol making. And just like Moses, we have those burning bush moments, Red Sea moments, manna from heaven moments, and times when we want to strike the rock rather than speak to it. Indeed, we have a lot in common with Moses. On another level, our association has made an exodus—which literally means “departure”—from one identity to another. The conference will focus on our destination and how we are following God’s leading to new strategies and methods and greater opportunities than we had before we left where we were. I look forward to seeing you in the desert! John Ashmen President Citygate Network OUR THEME