Annual Conference, Student Conference, Apprentices Conference
9:38 Annual Conference, 8-10th December 2000
The 9:38 conference, what can I say?! Here are just some of the highlights and thoughts that came out of going on it. The main bible teaching focused around gospel ministry, the need for it and the point of it. These times were fantastic in reminding us of the fact that everything we do is ministry for God, whether working in an office, driving a bus, or working for a church. It was so good to be reminded of what is really important in life and of the importance of daily godly lives living out the fact that Christ is Lord and making him known. Sounds so simple and yet something I forget every day of the week and it was storming to be reminded of it again.
Rico Tice also reminded us of the brevity of life, the fact that we cannot sit back and live our comfortable lives, that we are all grass and wither away so quickly, and the fact that hell is real. Hard stuff to listen to but things that so needed to be said, heard and acted on. The challenge remains to wake up each day and remember this, to ask ourselves and each other are we living to build heaven here or in heaven. We live knowing that what we do here echoes into eternity. Something I also found so encouraging from the conference was the chance to chat to others in similar situations and to be given the chance to spur each other on to live more for God and remember what is really important.
So, I came away feeling challenged, refreshed and with an awareness of the need to get out into our world and start living out the gospel; of the immense need for people committed to the fact that Christ is Lord, people prepared to be committed to serving God in random places where there are Christians to encourage but where big churches and lots of workers don’t necessarily exist. So if you didn't go you missed out! Go next year and keep remembering what is really important in life and in whose strength we are doing everything. To me the work looks overwhelming, but we have a God who is faithful and who uses weak things like us for His purposes and it is in His strength that we go!
Kath Arnold (Guildford)
Annual Conference, Student Conference, Apprentices Conference, Top
9:38 Student Conference, 15-17th December 2000
I was invited to go to 9:38 Student Conference by the Staff Worker for UCCF at Lancaster University. I was expecting biblical teaching on the motivations and reasons we should be involved in full-time gospel work, in my case, missionary work. I got exactly what I expected and more! The teaching was so clear and coherent. We were reminded that we are all entrusted with the gospel as Christians, let alone those who wish to enter full time ministry. It is our responsibility to guard it and instruct others in it, to pass it on and we should unashamedly remain faithful to it. Challenging stuff!! We were encouraged that many decisions regarding the future are not right or wrong, but that we should simply make the decision which would best enable us to carry out our role in the furtherance of the gospel. All of this teaching was enhanced by opportunities to discuss and pray about it in small groups and also meet people with the same questions and frame of mind in free time and over the meal table.
Personally, I was challenged specifically about my role as a woman in gospel work. Surprisingly, having never considered it before, I had a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge that in God’s Word men and women and the roles that they take are created to be different yet complimentary. This was refreshing for me to hear and has opened my eyes to new approaches as I seek to serve God in the future.
This was a great weekend, which has set me in good stead for the short term mission I’m planning to go on next year and also for the rest of my life.
I think all Christians, not just students and those considering full-time gospel work, would have their attitudes and view of serving God transformed by the excellent teaching and instruction this conference gives.
Kristina Crawford (Lancaster University)
Annual Conference, Student Conference, Apprentices Conference, Top
9:38 Apprentices Conference, 3-5th January 2001
I might be quite alone in this, but for me, the 9:38 Apprentices’ Conference was summed up in the final song, a rousing, heartfelt rendition of “And Can It Be”. Just like Richard Coekin’s talks on Ephesians 1, Wesley’s great hymn is packed full of mind-blowing truth about God; the sound of others singing it so loudly was another reminder of the fellowship we all share in our Lord Jesus Christ. I work in Leipzig in what was East Germany for an English-speaking church, although much of our congregation is English. The loneliness of evangelicalism is particularly clear here in a country in which biblical Christianity is terrorised by liberal theological orthodoxy and growing secularism, the latter accentuated in its effects here in the east by Communism. So for me, the fellowship of the Apprentice’s Conference was vitally important – perhaps easily underestimated by those in bigger churches. One can feel so alone here – how wonderful to spend two days with like-minded people! The chance to have meaty, in-depth preaching on topics particularly relevant to the situations one finds oneself in was particularly exciting. How easy it is to feel oneself at least relatively strong in church work. How timely was Matthew Brailsford on Strength in Weakness! In the situation here, confidence in the Bible is under great attack. How comforting and encouraging was Richard Coekin on The Bible in Pastoral Ministry! After years of poor teaching, how few and far between are those who have got their heads round the basics of sound doctrine. What a joy to hear it affirmed in the five talks Richard gave on doctrine! If you haven’t been to a 9:38 conference, do please get on one; if you have, please keep going. Whatever our situations, the conferences have something useful to say to us. If you end up in a situation anything like mine, you’ll value it doubly so.
Stephen Mace (Leipzig, Germany)
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