Beyond “Do Goodery”: SFC Western Conference 2023

At the end of October, SFCers from the Western U.S. gathered in Moab, UT, to adventure, encourage, and retreat together. It is always cool to see who God brings to conferences like this, people who have been connected with the movement for over 20 years, and people who are just discovering SFC. This community is good at encouraging each other, building each other up, and thinking creatively about their own communities.

The conference’s overarching theme was “Beyond Do-Goodery: Bringing Real Eternal Value to Our Communities”. Our evenings consisted of sitting around a campfire and hearing from our wonderful speaker, Nick Hart, but conversations around the topic didn’t stop there. One of the coolest aspects of this community is the ability to bring depth to any moment together, whether structured or not. A sure sign of a group of people that are Kingdom-minded, and eager to bring the hope of Jesus to their communities.
During one of the group’s mountain bike rides, a noteworthy story emerged. Mike Lange from Bozeman observed that everyone was in high spirits, and the pace felt naturally countercultural. In a typical biking scenario, where you might expect some to be left behind or forgotten, this community demonstrated a unique unity. Regardless of skill level, from expert riders to beginners, the emphasis was on staying together. We intuitively knew when to slow down, wait, and, most importantly, keep our focus on being together and fostering meaningful conversations, rather than a race against time.
These moments exemplify the SFC community—supportive, inclusive, and committed to a shared vision. We are so grateful for the experiences and connections forged during the conference and look forward to the continued impact that weekends like this will have.