As I write this, I have just returned from a regional GES conference held at Schomburg Road Baptist Church in Columbus, GA. An old friend, Buddy Lamb, is the pastor.
The conference focused on Bob Wilkin’s book The Ten Most Misunderstood Words in the Bible. Kathryn Wright and I covered repentance, faith, heaven, salvation, and other words that are often used incorrectly among Christians.
These regional conferences are more laid back than the national GES conference in May. They are usually held in the more intimate setting of a local church, and most of the attendees are members of that church. The church invites people in the area who may not be familiar with Free Grace theology. These invitees might be local pastors or friends of the hosting church who have heard discussions of the issues and want to know more. As you can see, these conferences are a great opportunity to get the message of grace out to friends and neighbors.
To describe the benefits of having a regional conference in your church, we can look at what just happened in Georgia. The sessions were held on Friday and Saturday. There were seven sessions, each followed by a time for questions and answers. This conference opened with thirty-five people attending.
GES had a book table offering Free Grace material at a discount. We also had a stack of Grace in Focus magazines to hand out for free and a sign-up sheet for those who don’t get the magazine but would like to in the future.
In keeping with the casual and intimate setting, the church provided lunch on Saturday. Kathryn and I got to eat dinner with some old friends. It was a blessing to spend time with some folks I’ve known for over thirty years.
Often, one of the conference speakers will stay over to speak at the hosting church’s Sunday worship service. However, we weren’t able to do that in Georgia because of other engagements.
If you want the people in your church, or people with whom you have discussions about the Bible, to have a deeper understanding of Free Grace theology, these regional events are a perfect way to make that happen. Some people might not get online and order books from GES. Many might not be able to attend the week-long national conference in Texas. But in an event at a local church, the books come to them. It’s a lot more convenient to drive a few miles to get Free Grace teaching for an evening or two. And it’s a lot more comfortable, being around friends and neighbors.
Buddy Lamb commented that the conference was a great thing for Schomburg Road Baptist Church. If you are involved in a local church and think this sounds like something that would be good in your area, let us know. GES will work with you to do everything we can to make it a reality. We’re flexible and will work with individual churches to make sure we meet your specific needs and schedule. I think you’ll find that it’s easier than you might think.
