This summer, Wesleyan Church delegates came to Marion to do the work of the Church. They left having been served by its members.
IWU’s Marion campus welcomed The Wesleyan Church’s 15th General Conference , gathering church leaders and delegates from across North America for four days under the theme “Empowered” to elect leaders and weigh the denomination’s future.
Source: Auxiliary Services, August 2026
That was the agenda. Around its edges ran another kind of work. IWU’s High-Impact Hospitality was provided by faculty, staff, alumni, and volunteers, who greeted arrivals, drove shuttles, prepared meals, and solved problems before guests knew they had them. None of it appeared in the program agenda. All of it was felt.
“A service-with-excellence mentality.” is how The Wesleyan Church’s Janelle Vernon described what she encountered, along with a valued sense of togetherness.
“A service-with-excellence mentality.”
It was not a performance for campus guests. For four days, guests simply breathed the everyday air of a campus that believes greatness looks like a towel and a basin.
Generations ago, The Wesleyan Church founded this university to shape servants of Christ. This summer, the Church came home and recognized itself in the welcome. The minutes will record elections and resolutions. What permeated every detail of their stay went home with the guests, and IWU hopes it will linger.
The Wesleyan Church’s General Conference
May 2026
Source: Auxiliary Services, August 2026
