2016 Conference
‘A confident identity’
The second Equipped317 conference, on 9 July, was a great success, attended by 164 people with two sessions from Glen Scrivener and one from John Benton. The children enjoyed the activities run by DayOne Youth Ministries and musicians from Caterham Baptist Church supported the singing. The Eastgate Centre again proved a superb venue with all its facilities and easy access. See below for some quotes from the day (from the feedback forms), details of the speakers and their talks, and a photo gallery. Follow this link for a brief article about Equipped317 in August 2016 Evangelicals Now (but note the date of the conference is incorrectly stated as 10 July).
On the right, under ‘Download Talks’ the three talks and the question sessions can be downloaded or streamed as mp3 files for playing on your computer or mp3 player. Because of the different ways different browsers respond to audio files, the method to download or stream (playing through your browser or audio player) may be different for your system, but if you click on the link, it will hopefully play through the browser or audio player or if you right-click and choose ‘save linked file as’, it will hopefully download the mp3 file.
‘Really enjoyed the conference, it was my first one; shall come again.’
‘Most thought-provoking.’
‘The preaching of the two speakers both tough on crucial matters to believers.’
‘Positive, realistic & reflective (but encouraging)’
‘Teaching was excellent & practical. Thank you. Enjoyed the music ministry with their sensitivity.’
‘The venue and facilities are great. Very accessible to all kinds of believers – children’s work, lifts, outdoor areas, excellent teaching.’
‘Great admin, making it a stress-free experience and therefore easier to relax and enjoy and learn.’
‘I would recommend more of these events and hopefully invite friends and families.’
‘Great and helpfully practical, good reminder of big picture, a big issue.’
Glen Scrivener
Glen is an ordained minister and the director of ‘Speak Life’, an evangelistic charity based in Eastbourne. He is the author of 321: The Story of God, the World and You and is passionate about Christ-centred evangelism that is both faithful and engaging. He belongs to All Souls Church, Eastbourne along with his wife, Emma, and daughter, Ruby.
Sometimes the most fundamental realities are the most overlooked. We take them for granted and move on to other issues. This can be especially true when it comes to our faith. We concern ourselves with the "what" questions: "What is the gospel?" "What did Jesus' death achieve?" "What is a Christian response to X, Y and Z." The "what"s are hugely important, but all the while the "who" questions demand an answer. In particular we need to know Who is God? and Who are we? Until we figure out God's identity and ours, all our other concerns are liable to go wrong.
In these two talks we are going back to basics, but they are basics that are rarely explored. By viewing both God and ourselves in Christ we will see how radical and transformative the Christian doctrines of God and man really are. From these foundations we will establish a truly Christ-centred, grace-filled, mission-oriented theology that will equip us for life, worship and witness.
Dr John Benton
Dr John Benton is part of the leadership team at Chertsey Street Baptist Church, Guildford and the editor of the monthly newspaper Evangelicals Now.
Our society has mistrusted authority and authority figures for a long time. And in more recent years, especially with the background of various scandals within the wider church, ordinary people are suspicious about how churches handle power. In this context, in which we feel our weakness, it is a challenge for Christians to remain confident in our distinctive identity and in communicating the gospel. To help us do this we will look at what the Bible teaches about the counter-intuitive power of weakness.
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