Greetings from 36,000 feet in the air! I’m currently in route from Boston to Los Angeles to meet Leslie and attend the STEAM conference on Catalina Island. It feels like just yesterday that I was making the same trip—only then I was traveling to attend the annual meeting at Azusa Pacific University (APU). Much activity has taken place on the ASA front since then, and I want to share with you some exciting and important developments.

1.  75th Anniversary Annual Meeting- We have just wrapped up a spectacular annual meeting at APU with a record attendance of 290, including 22 VIPs (40+ year members) and 57 students. We have received a lot of encouraging feedback, including “It was the best conference ever!” In addition to celebrating 75 years of God’s faithfulness, it was a special time of connecting and networking with fellow Christians in the sciences. If you have not yet done so, please check out the audio/video recordings of the excellent plenaries and break-out sessions here.

2.  STEAM Grant Award - Thanks to a STEAM (Science & Theology for Emerging Adult Ministries) grant from the John Templeton Foundation and Fuller Theological Seminary, Leslie and I are traveling around the country as part of our “local chapters campaign” to provide encouragement to existing chapters and to help launch new ones to further extend the work and mission of the ASA. If you are interested in partnering with us to start a new chapter in your area, please contact us directly. We look forward to seeing many of you in our travels.

3.  Two New ASA Local Chapters - We have just returned from a fabulous trip to Phoenix, Arizona, to help launch two new local chapters. With the leadership of ASA members, Ben Sanders and Daisy Savarirajan, we now have a local chapter at Arizona State University and one at Grand Canyon University. We are thrilled with this new development!

4.  75th Anniversary Dinner at Wheaton College - As we continue to celebrate ASA’s 75th anniversary in 2016, ASA is hosting another 75th anniversary dinner onTuesday, October 11, at Wheaton College under the leadership of Stephen Moshier and Ray Lewis. We are looking forward to a wonderful evening of highlighting ASA’s past, present, and future. If you live in the Chicago vicinity or plan to be in the area, we’d love to have you as our guests for this special, complimentary evening. We are also envisioning the event as a way to introduce and engage new people in the ASA, so please feel free to invite your friends, family, colleagues, pastors. Hereis a link to the invitation and registration form. 

5.  NorCal Events in November- Leslie and I plan to be in the Bay Area of Northern California during the week of November 14 and have several special events in process. Please stay tuned for specific dates and details in the coming days. If you live in that area, we'd be delighted to connect with you then and hope that you can attend one or more of these meetings.

6.  Capital Campaign Update-  It was two years ago that ASA took a bold and strategic step by purchasing two office condominiums—picking up stakes after 33 years in Ipswich and making the move to neighboring Topsfield. This investment positions the organization for long-term financial stability by significantly reducing annual occupancy costs (by 75%) and building equity for the future. Simultaneously, we publicly launched a $150,000 capital campaign. To date, we have received $120,000 in gifts (leaving only $30,000 left to fundraise), and for that, we are most grateful. If you are interested in helping us reach our goal, you can make a gift here.

7.  ASA 2017: Annual Meeting in Colorado- Plans are already in full swing for our next annual meeting at Colorado School of Mines in beautiful Golden, Colorado. Please save the dates of July 28-31, 2017, and check out all the action-packed, important details here.

I believe these are exciting days for the ASA! God's hand of provision and blessing is clearly at work on many levels. We are so grateful for all of you partnering with us; giving of your time, talents and treasure on a regular basis.

We always enjoy hearing from you so please feel free to drop us a line at any time.

Until next time,

Vicki L. Best
Director of Operations and Development
American Scientific Affiliation
218 Boston Street
Suite 208
Topsfield, MA  01983
978.807.5189