Hello, Converge family. I’m Ken Nabi, the Regional President of Converge Great Lakes. This year, Converge is highlighting our core values, and one of those is being relationally devoted.

To me, that relational devotion and connection goes all the way back to Converge’s founding. In the 1850s, Swedish Baptists wanted to express their faith freely with their head, heart, and hands—grounded in deep theology, love for God, and passionate practices. The early Swedes were determined to read their Bibles and pray while gathered in one another’s homes, which was a radical practice back in the day. These Swedish Baptists made it a priority to tell others about Jesus and show God’s love through serving their neighbors near and far. To them, serious faith meant living in community.

In Converge today, even now, this is how we live out our faith. Its foundation was and still is relational: your relationship with God and your relationships with one another are vital to honest, genuine faith. We still value that kind of relational devotion. In Converge, we like to say that we’re better together, and that no one should go at ministry alone. It’s just too hard.

I want you to know that whatever your role, your region is here for you. In Converge Great Lakes, our resources include lead teams for pastors, support for church planting at every phase of formation, missions department development, and administrative support for your staff. Each region does things a little differently, but every region exists to support churches and leaders in their calling. It’s what we love to do.

You truly aren’t alone; your Converge family is here for you. To contact your region—or if you’re not even sure which region you’re in—you can find out at converge.org/regions. Check it out. The regional staff, we’re here for you.