EVENT
Here for Good
Faithful Presence and Kingdom Witness in Rural Communities
Faithful Presence and Kingdom Witness in Rural Communities
Highlands Fellowship
Bristol, VA
October 8-9, 2026
"I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." — Psalm 27:13
What does it does it look like to bear witness to God’s goodness in rural communities today?
In many ways, it looks as it always has: walking alongside generations through births and funerals, celebrations and heartbreaks. Faithful presence has always been one of the rural church's greatest gifts.
Yet shrinking populations, changing communities, and a culture increasingly disconnected from church invite us to ask a new question: How might faithful presence and kingdom witness take shape in this moment?
Other gatherings celebrate stories of thriving ministries in places that bear little resemblance to Appalachia. But Here for Good is about exploring this question: What does faithful kingdom witness look like here? This is not a conference built around bigger churches or borrowed strategies. It is a gathering for people who love rural places and believe God does, too.
We're here. We are rooted in these places.
We're here for good. We seek the flourishing of our neighbors.
We're here because God is good. And through us, others are invited to encounter that goodness.
Together, we'll explore what it means to lead communities where God's goodness is visible—not through bigger programs or borrowed strategies, but through faithful presence, courageous imagination, and contagious goodness.
You'll hear honest stories from leaders serving in communities much like your own. You'll worship, pray, and discern alongside others who understand both the beauty and the challenges of rural ministry. You'll celebrate signs of hope, learn from thoughtful experiments, and discover that faithful innovation often begins with small acts of obedience, deep relationships, and a renewed confidence that God is still at work.
Come join the conversation.
Come rekindle a spirit of mission.
Come be encouraged by what God is already doing in places like yours.
And come explore what it means to be here for good.
Agenda
OCTOBER 8-9, 2026
THURSDAY
3:30–4:30 PM — Session 1 — Here for Good: The Gift of Faithful Presence
Rural churches have always offered something our hurried and fragmented world desperately needs: the steady witness of people who remain. We know the names, stories, celebrations, and sorrows of the places we inhabit. This session celebrates that remarkable gift while seeing it with fresh eyes. What if God actually loves our communities more than we do? What if presence is more than just staying put, but something more? And what if the incarnation of Jesus gives us hints for how kingdom witness and faithful presence intersect?
4:30-4:45--Break
4:45-5:30 PM — Session 2 (Panel Conversation) — Goodness Unleashed: Stories From the Field
The quiet, steady work of faithful presence bears fruit. Across rural communities, churches are discovering fresh ways to embody the love of Christ, build meaningful relationships, and cultivate spaces where hope, belonging, and faith can take root. Through stories from local practitioners, we'll celebrate how God is working through ordinary acts of faithfulness and how glimpses of the kingdom are showing up not just in our sanctuaries, but beyond.
5:30-6:30 PM — Dinner
6:30-7:45 PM — Evening Worship: The Unchanging Goodness of God
Ministry can easily draw our attention to what is difficult, uncertain, or unfinished. This evening of worship invites us to lift our eyes again to the goodness of the Lord—the unchanging source of our hope, joy, and calling. Through Scripture, song, testimony, prayer, and Communion, we'll remember God's faithfulness, celebrate the ways God’s goodness is already at work in our communities, and renew our confidence that the Lord is present with us in every season.
FRIDAY
9:00–9:15 AM — Welcome and Centering
9:15-10:10 AM — Session 3 — Good Gifts: More Than Enough for the Mission
When we focus on what we lack, it's easy to lose sight of what God has already placed in our hands. In the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand, the disciples saw scarcity, but Jesus saw abundance waiting to be blessed and shared. Together we'll explore how God continues to multiply ordinary gifts, faithful people, and simple acts of generosity for Kingdom purposes. As we shift from a mindset of scarcity to one of trust, we'll discover that God has already provided more than enough for the mission He is calling us to embrace.
10:10-10:30 AM — Break
10:30 AM — 12:00 PM — Session 4 (Panel Conversation) — Hungry for Goodness: Meeting Spiritual Longing with Faithful Presence
Across rural communities, many people carry deep spiritual longings even if they have little interest in traditional church life. They are searching for belonging, purpose, hope, healing, and authentic relationships. This conversation explores how faithful presence helps us recognize these longings and respond with curiosity, hospitality, and love. Through stories from rural leaders serving beyond the walls of the church, we'll discover how meaningful relationships, community partnerships, and fresh expressions of Christian community are creating natural pathways for people to encounter the love of Christ where they already live, gather, and belong.
12:00-12:50 PM — Lunch
12:50-1:45 PM — Session 5 (Panel Conversation) — A Conversation on Hope, Courage, and Faithful Presence
What story is shaping the way we lead? When anxiety about attendance, finances, or the future begins to define our decisions, it's easy to lose sight of the larger Kingdom God is bringing to life in our communities. But what changes when we truly believe our towns belong to Jesus, the harvest is His, and we are invited to join in His work? Listen in as several of our presenters return for an honest conversation about the fears they've had to surrender, the shifts in imagination that have reshaped their leadership, and the joys and challenges of guiding a congregation toward a more Kingdom-centered vision. Together we'll explore what it means to move from preserving what is ours to faithfully stewarding what belongs to God.
1:45-1:55 PM — Break
1:55-3:00 PM — Closing Worship — Sent As Witnesses to God’s Goodness
As our time together comes to a close, we enter a sacred space of response. We now open ourselves to the deeper work of the Spirit: the shaping of our hearts. Through prayer, Scripture, song, silence, and commissioning, we offer ourselves, our churches and our towns to Christ’s care. We invite the Lord to imprint our hearts with a burden and a burning for the places that are entrusted to us. And we join the Spirit in cultivating hope, healing, and flourishing wherever God has planted us.
HOSTS
Brian Clark
Brian is a pastor, church planter, and missional practitioner who has spent more than three decades helping congregations discover fresh ways to love their neighbors and embody the gospel in changing communities. His pastoral journey began by serving a rural church in Pennsylvania, where he worked alongside the congregation to reimagine its role in the community. The church became a trusted gathering place and a vibrant center for ministry with young people and families. After planting a church in suburban Virginia, Brian now leads the Missional Incubator, equipping churches to rethink mission for today's changing communities. Having helped churches across Appalachia launch creative initiatives—from Ninja fitness and board game gatherings to coffeehouse ministries—that connect with people traditional church programs often miss, Brian will be focusing his efforts over his next season of leadership on mission innovation with churches in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama.
David Blackwell
David is a pastor, rural ministry leader, and trusted coach who has spent his entire pastoral ministry serving churches in small towns and rural communities. Raised in West Virginia, David understands the unique opportunities and challenges of rural ministry because it has shaped both his life and his calling. He served seven years on staff at a church in Lewisburg, West Virginia, followed by 18 months equipping congregations throughout the Potomac Highlands before pastoring a church in Petersburg, West Virginia, for another seven years. He currently serves as senior pastor of Florence-Carlton Community Church in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, where he has helped cultivate a church deeply engaged in the life of its community. David is passionate about encouraging rural pastors and church leaders to embrace the strengths of their communities, lead with hope, and cultivate ministries that are authentic, relational, and built to flourish for the long haul.
Location
Highlands Fellowship
134 Commerce Ct.
Bristol, VA 24202
Meals
Two meals will be included.