Family Encouragement Weekend, 2010
Visualize what it would be like to spend a day and a half with a few other families (seventeen other families to be exact) who had made it 
their goal to encourage one another in their walk with the Lord!
As Mr. Wilkes brought out in the opening session, encouragement is vital. As we serve the Lord in the battles of our day, few things can be as encouraging as finding a few other faithful families who have chosen to seek God for His very best with all their hearts.
Truly the way that leads to life is narrow and few there be that find it. Yet the narrower the way, the deeper our fellowship becomes with others who have chosen it. And as we encourage one another on the narrow way we find ourselves also always encouraged. So was our experience in 2008 and 2009 with the Family Encouragement Weekends. Then came 2010 and with it the excitement of bringing a FEW Conference to North 
Carolina! This was the vision of the Neely family. In a step of faith and with an even larger-than-normal portion of southern hospitality, the Neely family made possible North Carolina’s first ever Family Encouragement Weekend.
A few small miracles came about such as the timely provision of a church building and an unexpected meeting at the grocery store that resulted in one more family being able to come. The attendance grew from a few to one hundred and fifty—which was at right about our limit for getting to know each family. There were a few old friends and a few new acquaintances. 
It was a special joy to meet the Neelys’ friends from New Hampshire and hear their family sing a few songs. We also had a reunion with the Chavez family, on their way to becoming missionaries in Mexico.
What a full weekend. A few times during the conference we broke into prayer groups. Testimonies from the young people also played a key role, centering on the main topic: “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue …” (II Peter 1:5). You can find the messages and a few testimonies available for download at fewconference.com. For more pictures visit the Hynes family’s website or the next post here!
So be encouraged! Strive to enter the straight gate. You’ll find a few challenges, a few faith-builders and a few good reasons you chose that route.
You did a fantabulistic job at summarizing the weekend!
I appreciate the fact – which you so nicely put into words 🙂 – that the narrower the way, the deeper our fellowship is with those who have also chosen it. The fellowship we experienced at the FEW was surely a little taste of what Heaven will be like!
The article was encouraging. 🙂
I do hope all of you are still staying encouraged in the Lord.
Praise the Lord for the great things He hath done and shall do! What a blessing it is to know that the Lord desires to use simple, ‘imperfect’, every day families who are willing to take Christ at His Word and follow Him. There is a might remnant being raised across this land. I am thrilled to be alive at this time in history!