The Hynes Convention Center became a center of religious worship this weekend when 10,000 evangelical Christians gathered for the 42nd annual convention of Congress, an event sponsored by a local association of churches and individuals.
Christians from over 35 different denominations and 28 different states assembled for three days to worship. The event was sponsored by Vision New England and brings many leading evangelical figures to speak, sing and sign autographs.
“Congress brings people together. We provide an opportunity to listen to 12-15 of the best [evangelical Christian] preachers at one time,” said Vision New England Communications Consultant Les Stobbe.
This year’s main speaker, Charles Colson, was an aide to former President Richard Nixon. Colson was the first member of the Nixon administration to be imprisoned for charges related to the Watergate scandal.
Colson spoke about his organization, Prison Fellowship Ministries, which has become the world’s largest outreach program for prisoners and their families. Prison Fellowship Ministries has created such ventures as the Angel Tree Project, in which prisoner’s children are given Christmas presents donated by outside civilians.
News of Colson’s conversion to Christianity prompted the Boston Globe’s assertion in 1973 that “if Mr. Colson can repent of his sins, there just has to be hope for everybody.”
Colson said that belief is the foundation of his organization, about which he has written several books.
Colson joked about his status as one of Nixon’s former aides.
“A lady came up to me and asked me to sign a book for her son,” Colson said. “Flattered, I asked which book of mine he was reading. She replied, ‘Oh no, you’re in his history book!'”
Boston University alumnus Adam Wittenberg, a 2000 graduate of the College of Communication, hasn’t read any of Colson’s books either but knew the event was popular.
“I was really impressed,” Wittenberg said. “I was blown away with his presentation and his vision.”
The depiction of the effects of incarceration on family life stood out to Christina Valenti, a senior at Fitchburg State College, who was returning to Congress for her third time. Valenti participated in the program and spoke to family members about what gifts to give their children.
“I actually called the family members and talked to them,” Valenti said of her participation with the Angel Tree Project. “You realize how much it means to them and how excited they are to have somebody care.”
Colson’s organization was one of hundreds represented by exhibitions and fliers throughout the weekend. Exhibitors ranged from The Salvation Army to the Boston University School of Theology and were there “to enrich peoples’ lives with the ministries they provide and the whole range of services available,” Stobbe said.
Though some exhibitors are financial supporters, “We still have to raise donations,” Stobbe said. “It’s quite a bit of money to be in the Hynes.”
A third of the money raised will go to expenses, according to Stobbe, while another third goes to organizations at Ground Zero and the remainder is sent to help people in Afghanistan.
While Sept. 11 may have caused the numbers to dwindle somewhat at Congress, the convention has grown since its birth over 40 years ago as a meeting of 100 ministers.
“The largest growth has been since 1990,” Stobbe said. “There were 4,000 people then, and each year since then more and more have been coming.”
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