From the Manse July 2003

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Often in this bulletin we refer to conferences being held in various places.  What is a ‘conference’?  We use the word simply to mean a series of meetings, lasting perhaps a day, perhaps for several days.  A single church could organise a conference for its own members, or a larger conference might bring together Christians from many churches.  At some conferences, the meetings are devoted to Bible preaching.  Other conferences may give more time to discussion or to sharing news.  Some conferences have a single subject - I’ve attended home-schooling conferences, conferences on the charismatic movement, conferences on individual Bible doctrines such as the Image of God.  Other conferences may tackle a whole range of subjects and themes.  Some conferences are one-off events, others happen every year.

Some conferences are just for ministers, others for anyone involved in church leadership, others are for all Christians.  Some conferences are just for men, others for women. There are endless conferences.  You could spend all your time just attending Christian conferences.

There are lots of conferences I attend from time to time. Every January there’s a conference for church leaders at Swanwick, known as the Carey Conference.  I’ve sometimes managed to get to that.  The Banner of Truth organise a ministers’ conference in Leicester each spring.  I’ve been there occasionally.

But there are other conferences I try to get to each year without fail.  There are our own study-weeks in Llandudno - I suppose you could call them mini-conferences.  And there are two other conferences which I make a priority. 

First, there’s the God’s Glory, Our Joy conference which I help to organise.  I talked about it at our last members’ meeting.  It’s organised by five ministers: John Palmer (Parbold Evangelical Church); David White (North Preston Evangelical Church); Chris Rogers (who was till very recently at Calvary Baptist Church, Liverpool - he’s now moved to a church in South Wales); Walter Johnston (Chorlton Evangelical Church) and myself.

This is a conference ‘for all Christians’. It’s to be held on the premises of Milnrow Evangelical Church, in North Manchester.  The dates are Friday & Saturday, 18th & 19th October.  The first session of the conference on Friday afternoon is a seminar for ministers.  But all the other sessions of the conference are for everyone. There’s one meeting planned on the Friday evening, and then five main sessions on Saturday, between 10 am and 5.30 pm.  Each of the sessions should last 50 minutes, and there’ll be two twenty-minute question times.

The theme of the conference is Serving God.  On Friday evening,  Naphtally Ogallo from Trinity Baptist Church, Nairobi will speak on “Zealous in Spirit, Serving the Lord”.  Napthtally wants to encourage us to be zealous in our work for God - and he’ll show us how we can keep our zeal burning

On Saturday, Neil Richards will talk about true and false conversions.  Before we can serve God we need to be sure we are truly converted ourselves.  Daniel Webber (who leads the European Missionary Fellowship) will show us that all our work for God, and particularly missionary work, must start with a concern for God’s glory.  Wal Johnston will talk about guidance - how do we know what sort of service God wants us to be involved in?   Daniel Grimwade will speak on “Service through the local church”.  We serve God as members of local churches - it’s there we’re trained, guided and used.  And Naphtally will take the final session and preach to us again.

Do plan to be there.  You’ll hear some fine preachers speaking about important subjects.  And you’ll meet Christians from other churches.  We’re only a small church and often we feel very isolated.  At a conference like this, you get the opportunity to meet believers from many other churches.  You’ll come away encouraged and strengthened.

The second conference I try to get to each year is the Grace Baptist Assembly.  The GBA is an assembly of churches.  At least it’s supposed to be.  There are hundreds of churches round the UK which stand for the same things as we do.  They are reformed - in other words, they preach the doctrines of God’s sovereign grace.  And they are baptist - they teach that all believers should be baptised and that only baptised believers should be brought into church membership.

The GBA is intended to be a meeting-point for all such churches.  We encourage reformed baptist churches to send representatives to the Assembly,  so that we can discuss matters together, share news, listen to helpful speakers - and simply get to know one another.  Sadly, very few actually come.  Last year less than fifty churches sent representatives to the Assembly.  I’ve travelled down to London for the last twenty years or so to attend the Assembly, as a representative of our church..  Carl, Wendy, Anne, Joe, and others have been too.  And we’ve enjoyed it so much.  It’s just sad that there are so few others there.

The Assembly has usually met over Friday and Saturday  in a church-building.  People who come have had to find somewhere to stay overnight.  But next year is different!  The committee has decided that the time has come to book a conference centre where we can all stay overnight.  So the Assembly’s to be held at the Swanwick conference centre in Derbyshire.  And it will last for four days: starting at teatime on the 11th May, it will run to lunchtime on Friday 14th May.  That way, we’ll have much more time to meet folk from other churches and to get to know one another properly. 

We want as many people to come as possible!   The accommodation is comfortable - and the price is affordable.  It should work out at around £80 per person full board for the whole time.  (People who can’t make the whole time can come as day visitors and pay just for meals).

I’ve been asked to preach on the Wednesday and Thursday mornings.  Other main speakers are David Ellis (Stowmarket), Ray Evans (Bedford) and Stuart Olyott.  There’ll be interesting reports sessions with news from churches in the UK and missionaries abroad.  There’ll be seminars and discussion sessions.  And good meals.

Why not plan to come?  If you need to, book the time off work, and get the dates down in your diary.

Of course, it’s not going to work out for everyone.  For one thing, the conference falls within term-time, so sadly it may be awkward for some family people to come.  If you’re looking for a conference that can be combined with a family holiday, this probably isn’t the one for you.  Why not think instead about the Evangelical Movement of Wales conference held in Aberystwyth in August each year?  There are preaching meetings each morning and evening. But it’s all very flexible.  You can go to as many or as few meetings as you choose.  You can arrange your own accommodation or ask the organisers to do it for you.  I’ve been asked to preach there for the first time this year.  That apart, the line-up of preachers looks excellent.  www.evangelicalmvt-wales.org/ministries/conference

Such conferences provide wonderful opportunities for fellowship, teaching, encouragement (and incidentally it’s at such events that many Christian young people meet their future partners).  The Old Testament Israelites used to leave their homes three times a year to attend giant conferences in Jerusalem!  I’m glad that we have so many opportunities to gather with God’s people.  Let’s aim to make full use of them.        

Every blessing to you all, Stephen