evolving church conference

I was fortunate to attend the 'evolving church conference' this past weekend at the Meeting House. Not only did I get to attend, but had the privilege to play bass for a couple of sessions.

The guys that put this together are so gifted. I'm always impressed with how they're able to put something this good together. The funny thing about the conference was that the speakers were all over 70 years of age. Walter Wink was the weakest (physically), but presented his material well (even with the neurological issues he deals with); Stanley Haerwas was probably the most boring, mainly because he read his lecture and spoke about 'WAR' which is perhaps more of an American dilemma than a Canadian one. Marva Dawn was perhaps the most refreshing. She was so deeply spiritual while keeping things simple. She also has many physical issues, but her energy level was high and her passion was rich.

I found myself in two workshops. The first was with David Fitch (who wrote the Great Give Away), who was quite engaging. He is much more sarcastic in person than on paper (which I liked of course). We discussed the inerrancy of Scripture and the problem surrounding the motivation for a Christian Nation by some Evangelical groups. I also sat in Sylvia Kleesmaat's session. This was a walk through Romans 12 & 13. In light of the day's theme (disarming the powers) Sylvia talked about how this Roman church dealt with the powers of Rome and Ceasar. I've only heard of Sylvia from her husband Brian, but never met her until Saturday. She's a true scholar and loves the scriptures and the church deeply, as does her husband.

The best part of the day was connecting with like-minded people. I saw old friends and made new ones. You could feel the deep desire of those who attended to truly make a difference in our world with the truth of the gospel message.

Let's hope we can continue, in small and large ways, to disarm powers of greed, violence, and overall evil, as we embody the message of Christ - his non-viloent/confrontational message of the Kingdom of God.