Please join us at Camp Copass in Denton, TX for the 2023 GES National Conference on Vital Free Grace Issues!
New for this year:
- Lunches at Camp Copass are included in the price of paid registration!
- Lunch is included for kids attending VBS (ages 5-10 only)!
- Free Continental breakfast available in the Talley Center for guests staying at Camp Copass!
- Afternoon recreation time is now built into the schedule to allow for swimming and other activities at the camp!
- More evening fellowship opportunities!
Registration is now open! Click here to go to the registration page.
The National Conference is available to watch live! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notifications when we go live or you may watch the videos later! https://www.youtube.com/user/GESVids/videos
The Talley Retreat Center offers the most comfortable accommodations as well as the meeting rooms for Plenary and Workshop sessions.
Recreational opportunities include swimming during designated times, mini-golf, basketball, human foosball, a lake nearby for fishing and kayaking (bring your own gear), evening fire pit fellowship, women’s fellowship, teen and young adult fellowship, RV hook-ups, and more.
VBS for the kids will take place at the Angel Conference Center.
Accommodations:
Talley Retreat Center
- 2 Queen beds
- Sofa bed available in some rooms (request at registration)
Angel Motel
- 2 Full beds
RV Hook-ups
8 sites available with full hook-ups.
Schedule:
| Time | Location | Event | Details |
| Monday, May 22, 2023 | |||
| 11:00-12:45 | Foyer | Registration | |
| 12:00-12:30 | Dining Hall | Lunch | Free for Paid Conferees; $8 for children, $11 for unpaid. |
| 12:45-12:55 | Main Room | Overview/Disclaimer | Bob |
| 1:00-1:50 | Main Room | Plenary Session 1 | Ken Yates, Is Believing in Jesus for Forgiveness of Sins the Same as Believing in Him for Everlasting Life? |
| 2:05-2:55 | Main Room | Plenary Session 2 | J. B. Bond, Assurance by Faith, Proving Your Salvation to Others by Works |
| 3:10-4:00 | Main Room | Plenary Session 3 | Bob Vacendak, Is Assurance of the Essence of Saving Faith in the Gospel of John? |
| 4:00-5:15 | Various | Free time for swimming, putt-putt, basketball, etc. | |
| 5:30-6:00 | Dining Hall | Supper | Cost = $11 ($8 for children) |
| 7:00 | Various | Fellowship for young adults | |
| 9:00 | Fire pit area | Campfire fellowship | Campfire & S’mores |
| Tuesday, May 23, 2023 | |||
| 8:00-8:30 | Dining Hall | Breakfast | Free Continental for guests; $11 for others. |
| 8:35-8:45 | Main Room | Worship in Song | Bob Vacendak |
| 8:50-9:40 | Main Room | Plenary Session 4 | Bob Bryant, 2006 Revisited* |
| 10:00-10:50 | Main Room | Plenary Session 5 | John Claeys, Will Those Who Never Heard About Jesus Get a Second Chance? |
| 11:10-12:00 | Main Room | Plenary Session 6 | David Janssen, Why Faith without Works Is Still Faith |
| 12:00-1:30 | Dining Hall | Lunch | Free for Paid Conferees; $11 for others. |
| 1:30-2:10 | Various | Parallel Sessions 1* | Claeys, Bond, Wilkin (1) |
| 2:20-3:00 | Various | Parallel Sessions 2 | Bryant, Janssen, Sterling |
| 3:10-3:50 | Various | Parallel Sessions 3 | Vacendak, Millet, Kathryn Wright |
| 4:00-5:15 | Various | Free time for swimming and other activities | |
| 5:30-6:00 | Dining Hall | Supper | Cost = $11 ($8 for children) |
| 7:30 | Various | Women’s Fellowship & Men’s Fellowship | |
| 9:00 | Fire pit area | Campfire fellowship | Campfire & S’mores |
| Wednesday, May 24, 2023 | |||
| 8:00-8:30 | Dining Hall | Breakfast | Free continental for Guests; $11 for others. |
| 8:35-8:45 | Main Room | Worship in Song | Nicole Rossen |
| 8:50-9:40 | Main Room | Plenary Session 7 | John Niemelä, Do People Believe in Jesus for Nothing? |
| 10:00-10:50 | Main Room | Plenary Session 8 | Mike Lii, The Gift of Everlasting Life in Eclipse |
| 11:10-12:00 | Main Room | Plenary Session 9 | Dix Winston, The Promise of Life and the Controversy of the Cross |
| 12:00-1:30 | Dining Hall | Lunch | Free for Paid Conferees; $11 for others |
| 1:30-2:20 | Main Room | Plenary Session 10 | Steve Elkins, Is Assurance Certainty or Some Degree of Confidence? |
| 2:30-3:10 | Various | Parallel Sessions 4 | Lii, Winston, Niemelä |
| 3:20-4:00 | Various | Parallel Sessions 5 | Lewis, Zimmerman, Wilkin (2) |
| 4:00-5:15 | Various | Free time for swimming and other activities | |
| 5:30-6:30 | Angel Meeting room | Lord’s Supper (bring your meal) | Chip Brunott |
| 5:30-6:00 | Dining Hall | Supper | Cost = $11 ($8 for children) |
| 7:00 | Putt-Putt tourney, Volleyball, 3 on 3 basketball, frisbee golf tourney | ||
| 9:00 | Fire pit area | Campfire Fellowship | Campfire & S’mores |
| Thursday, May 25, 2023 | |||
| 8:00-8:30 | Dining Hall | Breakfast | Free continental for Guests; $11 for others. |
| 8:35-8:45 | Main Room | Worship in Song | Nicole Rossen |
| 8:50-9:40 | Various | Parallel Sessions 6 | Yates, Elkins, TBA |
| 10:00-10:40 | Various | Parallel Sessions 7 | TBA, TBA, TBA |
| 11:00-11:50 | Main Room | Plenary Session 11 | Bob Wilkin, The Inclusive Big Tent of Some “FG” contradicts Matt 7:13-14 |
| 11:55-12:00 | Main Room | Thanks for coming | Bob and Sharon |
| 12:00-12:30 | Dining Hall | Lunch | Cost = $11 ($8 for children) |
*At the 2006 national GES conference, a great controversy arose over assurance and regeneration.
Workshop Titles:
J. B. Bond, Grace and Works Together (Eph 2:8-10)
John Claeys, The Critical Importance of the Doctrine of Reward in Free Grace Theology
Steve Elkins, The Certainty of Belief
David Janssen, Stepping People Through James 2
Steve Lewis, Consensus Theology and Its Impact on Biblical Theology
Mike Lii, The Changing State of Free Grace Theology
Walt Millet, Disciples Are Made Not Born: A Free Grace Distinctive
John Niemela, Rewards in John (John 4:34-38 and other texts)
Philippe Sterling, Who Are the Overcomers and What Are the Promises Made to Them? (Revelation 2-3)
Steve Thurman, Grace (and More) to the Humble
Bob Vacendak,
Bob Wilkin (1), How the Idea of Final Salvation Is Blending Calvinism and Arminianism
Bob Wilkin (2), Why It’s Not Easy to Believe in Jesus for Everlasting Life
Dix Winston, The Declaration, Directives, and Dignity of Grace (Titus 2:11-14)
Kathryn Wright, Forgive and Forget? What Does Biblical Forgiveness Between Believers Mean?
Ken Yates, Basics of Free Grace Theology
Bruce Zimmerman, The Great Escape: How to Never Practice Church Discipline by Denying Believers Can Sin Badly