Debbie Furphy tells us why she decided to quit her job after attending a 9:38 Conference and why she would recommend you attend a 9:38 Conference.
For the last 7 years I have been a history teacher in an Oxford school and, while I have very much enjoyed that experience (apart from marking), I have decided to return home and go to Belfast Bible College in September. There I will do a one year course comprising biblical studies and aspects relating to gospel ministry. Deciding to leave has been a gradual process over the last couple of years. I help lead one of the Bible study groups for the 20s and 30s in my church and have loved exploring God’s word during that time. It has been so exciting finding out how the Bible fits together and seeing how it truly is living, active and transforming. Looking at the Bible in that context made me think that I would like to take at least a year out to study it with the possibility of full-time gospel ministry afterwards.
To that end I went along to the 9:38 conference in November and it proved to be very helpful. All the talks and seminars were excellent and thought-provoking, one of the main highlights was simply being able to talk informally to such a variety of people who are involved in different ministries and get a real sense of what the job is actually like: both the positive and the difficult aspects. There were many challenges but possibly the main one was a reminder, based on the parable of the minas, that the most dangerous way to live is to play it safe. It’s so easy to forget that God is the Sovereign Lord, in full control of everything that happens in his world and is able to supply our every need. We should all be involved in telling others the gospel, our lives should be invested to his glory and we should be giving him our all, in whatever way he has called us to serve him. Fears inevitably loom large when you’re thinking of giving up a secure job and income but it was helpful to be reminded that our main focus should be on God and so put all our fears into order and perspective: God is the one who has given us life and he’s the one who will ultimately want to know what we have done with that life. We’re not losing anything by risking things for him and a further talk on Revelation was a timely reminder that the end of the story is not in doubt: the Lamb wins!
For anyone even vaguely considering gospel ministry I would definitely recommend going on one of these conferences. It was particularly good to have time away from the many distractions of a busy life and to concentrate solely on this issue. The seminars were especially helpful as they allowed me to explore a couple of areas of ministry in more detail: I went to seminars on Urban Ministry and Women’s Ministry. Also, being surrounded by people who are involved in word ministry means that all your main questions will be answered. It was lovely to have fellowship with so many other Christians and have a chance to pray through the issues raised at the weekend. All in all, a very worthwhile and valuable experience.