Linda Cotton hasn’t missed an annual conference of the Alabama Association of Baptist Secretaries (AABS) in the eight years she’s been employed at Coosa River Baptist Association.
"The first time I came, I had only been employed one month and the conference was very helpful," Cotton said. "I keep coming back because I always pick up something new."
This year, she was one of more than 200 secretaries who attended the March 10–12 conference, held for the first time at Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center in Talladega.
In all previous years, the meeting was held at Judson College in Marion.
"We moved this year because Judson’s spring break was different and didn’t fall at the time we needed to hold the conference," said Charleen Hobbs of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
While there will always be an emotional attachment to Judson, the AABS voted to continue holding the event at Shocco.
And the new location drew a large crowd. The total attendance — 204 — was a significant jump from last year’s approximately 120 and included 56 first-timers.
Lisa Galloway, a new ministry assistant at First Baptist Church, Pell City, in St. Clair Baptist Association, was one of those first-timers.
"[I]t’s been fantastic," Galloway said, noting many of the breakout sessions offered tips in computer programs she hadn’t used in previous jobs. "These classes will definitely help me be able to use the programs better."
Some of the breakout sessions gave tips on computer programs such as Microsoft Excel and Publisher. Others covered topics such as preparing for disasters, handling grief, becoming a professional and managing finances.
Billie Lewis, AABS president and ministry assistant to the coordinator of facility services for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, said she heard many of the conference participants say that the course offerings were helpful to them.
"It has far exceeded my expectations," Lewis said. "From all the comments I have heard, it’s been wonderful." (TAB)
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