Tony Wheeler | Superintendent of Pastoral and Church Health
Ministry Conference at Barclay College | July 26-28, 2024
I have had a few experiences in life when the words from the Psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God,” rang true to me. One of those times was recently at a service surrounded by hundreds of young adults. I sensed the Lord whisper to me, “Tony, can it just be you and me for a bit?” I said, absolutely! As soon as I responded to his request for me to be separate from the noise of the room and to give him my full attention, I could sense my countenance, my feelings, even my life perspective come into right alignment as I was still and experiencing him as God. At that moment He was sovereign and loving and powerful, and I was his son— safe, loved, valued.
Psalm 46:1-3, along with verse 10, remind us that “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’”
I’m not sure if I can guarantee these same experiences for you at this year’s ministry conference, but I can assure you that we will seek our King. You might recognize the theme for this year as being the same as the one last year. If that’s what you were thinking, you are correct! Last year we focused on Encountering Jesus, and this year we will emphasize Engaging the World. We will worship him together and listen and hopefully encounter Him in a way that moves us to be given to Him and his ways, to how He longs to move through us individually, as churches, as a movement to engage our world with the truth of His love. After we have encountered Jesus individually and as a group, we can then walk in unity to accept and obey the call on our lives to go into all the world and preach the gospel and engage with the world around us, bringing the light of Christ.
We are happy to welcome Alan Amavisca back to Barclay as he helps us to better understand how to encounter Jesus and engage the world around us with the love of Christ. Alan, for those of you who don’t know him, held the title of Pastor of Missions and Outreach at Friends Church Yorba Linda in California, a church with over 5,000 members, for over ten years. He oversaw their missions and local outreach and managed a budget of over 1,000,000 for 40 missionaries and approximately 300 short term workers and local ministries. For over 8 years he was also the Director of Multiplying Ministries for Evangelical Friends Church Southwest overseeing missionaries and church planters. He was a missionary himself in Guatemala and has a passion to make disciples in the Kingdom of God. He is currently the Director of the North County Project and specializes in church planting, recruiting and training people for ministry, and conflict resolution. Alan has a love for God and for scripture and will come with a message helping us to grasp how to take the light and love of God to a dark world.
Everyone is invited to ministry conference July 26-28 at Barclay College! Plan to come join us as we ENCOUNTER JESUS and hear His heart to ENGAGE THE WORLD in His name.
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