By Judaea Ingram
Special To The Carolinian
The Paneh Conference concluded its three-day gathering on Saturday, April 25, at Union Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, closing out a weekend shaped by worship, movement, and testimony under the theme “Legacy Ignited.”
Now in its 21st year, the conference carried a strong emphasis on legacy across generations. Leaders pointed repeatedly to the presence of children, youth, and young adults not only as participants, but as the continuation of a ministry many of them were once raised in themselves.
Paneh, which means “in His presence” or “at the face of God,” framed the entire weekend. That meaning was not only explained, but embodied throughout the conference, as worship, teaching, and movement all centered on the idea of living and ministering from that place of presence.
Led by Pastors Timothy and Chandra Midgette, the conference brought together youth, young adults, and adults for three days of prayer, breakout sessions, testimony, and expressive worship. From the opening sessions, the atmosphere carried a sense of expectation, with worship expressed through dance, mime, flag ministry, and Krump.
“We are a family doing ministry together,” Pastor Timothy shared, emphasizing the relational foundation behind the programming.
That sense of family was visible in the way participants interacted throughout the weekend. Moments of instruction often flowed directly into moments of prayer, laughter, and emotional release. Leaders encouraged attendees to “love on each other, cry a little, then do ministry,” reflecting a rhythm of worship that blended vulnerability with expression.
Worship sessions incorporated multiple forms of ministry, including dance, mime, flag ministry, and Krump. Each expression carried its own emphasis, from storytelling and symbolism in mime and flags, to physical intensity and emotional release in dance and Krump. Together, they created an environment where movement functioned as both worship and communication.
Throughout the conference, each group was not only learning but being actively equipped. Sessions included teaching new songs and movements, and by Saturday night those same groups stepped forward to minister what they had been given. Youth, young adults, and adults all participated, each using their own expression whether through dance, mime, flags, or spoken worship. The emphasis remained on participation rather than performance, with every talent welcomed and used.
That openness reflected a larger truth echoed throughout the weekend. Many of the current leaders of Paneh once stood in the very same place as the youth now filling the sanctuary. What was visible across the conference was not only instruction, but inheritance. Leaders often reflected on how they had grown up in this same environment, now returning to pour into the next generation.
That investment was evident in the energy of the young people. The youth and young adults were fully engaged throughout the weekend, not simply attending sessions, but actively wanting to be present, to worship, and to be poured into. Their passion shaped the tone of the conference, creating a shared momentum between generations.
Leaders described Paneh not as an event, but as a culture of worship. That culture was built on expression, discipline, and encounter, but also on something deeper: transformation.
That thread of transformation surfaced again and again through testimony. One testimony recalled by Pastor Timothy centered on a young girl who had not spoken for seven years and communicated only through written notes. He described how she participated in mime during a previous gathering and was later given the opportunity to lead in mime. In the months that followed, he said he would return to the church and find the young girl now ministering through spoken word.
“That testimony is the foundation of what Paneh is about,” he shared, connecting it to the broader mission of the conference as a place where encounter leads to change.
Prayer remained a steady rhythm throughout the weekend, beginning each morning and flowing into breakout sessions where participants learned choreography, movement, and worship expression. Those sessions consistently fed into evening ministry, where learning turned into worship and instruction became experience.
By Saturday, the intensity of the weekend was unmistakable. Leaders, worship leaders, and participants alike were visibly affected, with many leaders losing their voices from continuous praise, shouting, and leading worship across sessions. Even in exhaustion, the momentum did not slow.
One of the most defining moments of the conference was the final day, during the concert came a prolonged praise break led largely by teens and youth. What began as a transition became an extended outpouring of worship, stretching close to 30 minutes. The sanctuary filled with freestyle dance, Krump, prayer, chanting, and spontaneous praise, as young people took ownership of the space in a way leaders described as the essence of Paneh itself.
It was in these moments that the meaning of the conference became most visible. Movement and worship were not separate expressions, but intertwined, reflecting a shared language across generations.
Accessibility also remained central to the vision. Leaders emphasized that costs were kept low so that participation could remain open, allowing youth and families from different backgrounds to be involved without barriers.
The closing reflections of the conference returned again and again to the idea of legacy. Leaders framed the work of Paneh not only as present worship, but as preparation for the future, where today’s youth would become tomorrow’s leaders.
In its 21st year, the Paneh Conference concluded not as an ending, but as a continuation of something already in motion. What remained was a culture of worship shaped by movement, carried by testimony, and sustained by generations learning, together, what it means to live in His presence, at the face of God.
