Mountain View Conference Professionals’ Retreat Inspires and Motivates

Story by Liz Bailey

Recently, the Mountain View Conference (MVC) hosted a first-of-its-kind retreat for professionals.

“The purpose of this retreat,” states Tim Bailey, MVC president, “is to get input from leaders in our conference and to involve them in strategic plans for our future growth.”

Unlike other MVC retreats, attendees spent the weekend at the WISP Resort in McHenry, Md. Guest speaker Pavel Goia, former editor of Ministry magazine, who now works at Adventist World Radio, shared hope-filled messages.

The weekend opened with worship music by the group “Two Little Fish,” with singers Audrey Hunt and Stacy Blanzy, and the first message by Goia. Those in attendance were captivated by his messages, as he followed the example of Jesus using stories to illustrate the points he wanted to convey. Goia repeatedly emphasized the importance of knowing Jesus. “The problem is not that we don’t know His will,” stated Goia. “The problem is that we don’t know Him.” He went on to say, “When we know Him, we know what He wants.” Many stories of amazing answers to prayers inspired the listeners to have a closer connection with Jesus.

Among those in attendance were Sue Brady, Cheryl Nelson, Brenda Owens and Lauri Nichols (pictured) from the Cumberland (Md.) church who left the weekend excited to implement the things they had learned.

“We are dedicated to sharing what we’ve learned with our brothers and sisters at Cumberland,” states Nelson. “We’re eager to deepen our prayer life through weekly prayer meetings and devotions.”

Owens adds, “My biggest take-home from this weekend is how important it is to pray to God even with the simple things we do and ask for guidance in all things.”

The retreat ended on Sunday morning with a “Think Tank Session,” where professionals and MVC administrators discussed how to grow the conference. “There were many good ideas presented,” states Bailey, “with some that we are already planning on implementing.”

For more information about the next Professionals’ Retreat, October 23–25, 2026, contact MVC at (304) 422-4581.