The House of Peace Worship Church International hosted a different congregation during the past two days as ministers, pastors and church members from several states gathered Friday and Saturday at the church for its third Pastors, Ministers and Leaders Conference.

“We have ministers and pastors here from nine or 10 states,” pastor Apostle Linda Sweezer said. “And many of them have brought members of their congregations.”

“This leadership conference is not just about churches; it’s about leadership for people outside the church,” said Ramona Latham, one of the church members who helped prepare for the event. “We have general topics that will not only affect churches, but also individuals in their jobs and personal lives.”

She said the conference was promoted in newspaper articles and on Facebook, radio and television.

“This is a regional conference,” she said. “We have people here form Louisiana, Illinois, Kentucky, New York and Georgia.”

The conference began Friday and ended Saturday about noon. Latham said 25 workshops were conducted during the conference, covering areas like church safety, the procedure to follow if someone is stopped by police, church administration, racial relationships, music, domestic violence and the need for prayer.

The conference also featured youth programs on sexuality, self-esteem, alcohol and drugs, and the importance of education.

“All of these are issues we face every day,” Latham said.

The church auditorium and its individual classrooms served as the settings for the different workshops.

People walking through the building’s hallway could find Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace speaking on church safety in one room, Vicksburg Police Chief Walter Armstrong discussing scams in another.

Mayor George Flaggs Jr. spoke at another workshop. Others classes were conducted by church members or visiting ministers.

“This has been great, outstanding,” said the Rev. Michael Vannoy, a pastor from Hollandale. “Very good.”

“It’s been very informative,” said the Rev. Frank Bailey, a fellow pastor from Hollandale.

Sweezer said the idea for the conference was the result of calls to her from other pastors looking for help dealing with issues at their respective churches.

“I had been a pastor for 10 years at the time, and I didn’t know if I could do something like put on a conference,” she said. “But God laid it on my heart to do something, so we had a regional conference, and we’ve had not just church leaders but business and community leaders involved.

“We’ve also had vendors and booths from people like the (Mississippi) Department of Health come here. We’re already planning for next year.”