We've changed the name of our annual gathering--but not the purpose!
For years, the Colson Center's annual conference has been called Wilberforce Weekend. In 2022, we changed the name to simply the Colson Center National Conference.
We may have changed the event name, but the purpose of the event remains unchanged. Together, we will continue to explore stories, experience theology, and envision the fully redeemed Christian life.
At the Colson Center, we believe every Christian can live like one. The Colson Center National Conference continues a rich tradition of equipping Christians to live with clarity, confidence, and courage in our cultural moment.
So why the change?
Clarity! We want to continue to grow and improve the event, and we found that there were many different understandings of what the event was. A study of the year's theme? An expo of famous worldview speakers? A Colson Fellows reunion? (What is a wilberforce anyway? And does this have anything to do with Breakpoint?) That's a lot to juggle even with our closest friends, and we found it made the event hard to explain to new ones.
So we took out the middleman. We are the Colson Center, and this is our national conference. The purpose of the conference is to:
- Offer Christianity's explanation of all reality, to help you gain clarity about the confusing and sometimes discouraging world you live in, and
- Empower you to live with confidence in light of that knowledge, through teaching and connections with others.
What about the Wilberforce Award and dinner?
Chuck Colson established the William Wilberforce Award in 1988 to annually recognize a Christian leader who exemplifies the principles and commitment of William Wilberforce, the great English statesman who waged a forty-year campaign to end the slave trade in Britain and to reform a broken society. We wish to honor Christian leaders who, by their example, encourage all Christians to make a difference in the face of tough societal problems and injustices. That is the purpose of the Wilberforce Award.
Nothing about that is changing; the tradition, the award, the name, and the dinner honoring the award recipient will continue as they have in years past.
What about Colson Fellows?
Fear not! If you're a Colson Fellow and look forward to the "family reunion" aspect of the gathering, you can keep looking forward to it--in fact, each year we continue to look for new and better ways to help refresh you and connect you with other Fellows, both through the main event and Fellows-specific programming. You can always contact the Colson Fellows team if you have questions about a given year's plans.