For the past two years, most of our regional conference meetings have either been cancelled/postponed or held entirely online. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to travel to Doubling Gap Center near Newville, PA to participate in the Eastern Regional Conference sessions. It was the first in-person gathering of the entire conference in session since 2019.
It was so good to be back on the mountain at Doubling Gap Center (https://campyolijwa.org/). The conference sessions were held on Monday and Tuesday. There were rich times of worship and prayer, the business meeting, times of fellowship and mealtimes as well. It was such a blessing to be able to see and talk with so many brothers and sisters after such a long time of separation.
A major focus of the conference was an introduction to the Exchange Gathering, an initiative of the multiplication commission. The sessions on Monday and Tuesday morning included teaching and small group processing around the multiplication commission’s focus upon developing a lifestyle of discipleship. The three sessions utilized pre-recorded videos followed by group processing time with a facilitator in order to help folks assess their present practices of discovering, developing and deploying disciple makers as Jesus has commanded. These sessions were designed to help those present explore the six values of a lifestyle of discipleship.
Discover - Hear and See the potential God sees
(Matt 6:5-18; 13:16-23, Romans 8:6, I Peter 1:10-12, James 1:5, Luke 11:28, Romans 2:12-13, James 1:19-22, Ephs 2:10)
- I will listen to the voice of God.
- I will adjust to what God has revealed.
Develop - Engage and Cultivate toward whole life maturity in Christ.
(Col 1:9-29; 3:23, Acts 1:8; 2:42-47, I Thes 1:4-10, Phil 3:17, John 14:6, Rom 12:2, I Cor (all), 2 Cor 3:18, Ephs 4:1-16, Phil 2:13; 3:21; 4:13, 2 Tim 3:16-17, Hebrews (all), James 1:4, 1 John)
- I will model Jesus through life on life relationships.
- I will prepare them to follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and love like Jesus.
Deploy - Send and Resource the mission God prepared
(Luke 10, Mark 9, John 4:1-42, Luke 8:26-39; 9:1-17; 10, Acts (all); Rom 12-15, Ephs 2:10, Phil 1:3-6, Col 4:2-6, 1 Tim 1, 2 Tim 1; 2:2, Titus, Philemon, 1-2 Peter, Jude)
- I will release disciple-makers to God’s calling in EVERY domain of culture.
- I will invest in their kingdom impact that God designed.
There was a lot of energy and engagement in the room over the course of the two days and I’m looking forward to watching how the Holy Spirit is going to continue to work through the lives of those who were present. I’m grateful for the great work by our brothers and sisters in the Eastern Regional Conference. The two days were certainly a time of equipping, encouragement and refreshing. I’m looking forward to the rest of our regional conference that will be held over the course of the next month or two.
Christ’s Peace,
Lance
CGGC eNews—Vol. 16, No. 17
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