Day One - Morning - Photos and Report
It definitely feels like the family has gathered in one, big living room to connect and celebrate what God is doing in the world. Em Flowers and the creative team have done an incredible job creating a space that feels like a friend’s living room.
Guest speaker, David Wraight (International President/CEO Youth for Christ, kicked off our teaching sessions with a Biblical perspective on one of the CS Big Ideas – Connecting. We were challenged to consider if those we connect with encounter the Kingdom through us. What happens – or should happen – when the Kingdom of God truly comes in us, in the church, in our local community and in the world? So often prescribed theology and behavioural expectations are put forward as prerequisites for community ‘belonging’.
David suggested that a Kingdom encounter is primarily about: Bless, belong, believe and become. People should be ‘blessed’ by their encounter with authentic Jesus followers. The truth that Jesus died for all reminds us that all ‘belong’. We want people to ‘believe’ in Jesus, not our way of doing Christianity. And our ultimate desire should be that all ‘become’ all God designed them to be. We need to steer away from the temptation to recreate people in our own image.
Having heard God’s words to us we ended the session with a time of reflection, asking the Spirit to show us what he knows about us and how we connect with others. A great morning and start to conference followed by fun little waves around the local beachbreaks.