The Northwest District of Grace Brethren churches will holds its district conference Friday and Saturday, April 20 and 21 at the Grace Brethren Church of Sunnyside, Washington. In addition to conference business and fellowship, those in attendance will be able to select from 15 stimulating elective workshops, each taught by ministry leaders from the district.
For more information contact district moderator Dwight Cover at the Prosser church. Here is the schedule of classes being offered:
God’s Glory in His Word
· Getting a Grip on the Gist of Genesis Genesis, the beginning of a God-breathed, 66-book story-line of eternal redemption, is foundational to a coherent world view in a pluralistic culture. Get a grip on it. Taught by Dwight Cover, Pastor of Grace Fellowship, Prosser.
· Overcoming an Angry Spirit Ever have an angry spirit hinder your ability to enter the lives of lost people? Jonah did, too. Nathan Zakahi, Pastor of Sunnyside Grace Brethren, surveys the book of Jonah for lessons on overcoming an angry spirit for the progress of the gospel.
· Ancient Scrolls in Clay Pots: What the Dead Sea Scrolls Mean for us Today Taught by Peter Touhey, Pastor of Harrah Grace Brethren Church, this session moves past the fascinating story of the preservation and discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls to the great meaning they have for us today.
God’s Glory in Your Life
· Alva J. McClain: Life and Doctrine The Westminster Catechism affirms that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This session, taught by Ron Curfman, Elder at Sunnyside Grace Brethren, probes how God has been glorified through Alva J. McClain, who grew up in Sunnyside, and who became the founder and first president of Grace Theological Seminary after being dismissed from Ashland College for his views of the Doctrines of Grace in which we stand.
· Personal Suffering and the Sovereignty of God No stranger to suffering, Paul Guay, pastor of Mabton Grace Brethren Church, will teach this session on the relationship between suffering and God’s sovereign plan to reveal His glory through our lives.
· Marketplace Ministry: Using Your Strengths to Reach Lost People Marty Taylor, Associate Pastor of Grace Fellowship in Prosser and owner of Something Groovy, a record store, has seen the Lord change lives through “marketplace ministry.” In this session, he will seek to help others integrate their faith into business enterprise so that Christ’s kingdom is advanced.
God’s Glory in the Family
· God’s Principles of Parenting (and Grandparenting) God’s first command was to “be fruitful and multiply” as a means of extending His dominion on Earth. That command is the launching pad for parenting and grand-parenting in Scripture. Ray Feather, Pastor of Grace Community Chapel in Mukilteo, with his wife, Sharon, will share what God has taught them about extending the glory of Christ in future generations.
· The Power of Family to Influence a Community Someone said that the most powerful evangelistic tool on earth is a godly family. Is this true? Philip Bryant, church planter in Vancouver, B.C. will probe this question and share a biblically-based vision for integrating family life with Great Commission ministry.
· Discipling Children in the Home Various studies indicate that one out of every two professing Christian youth are renouncing their faith before graduating from college. Something is wrong with that picture. Is there a fix? Dwight Cover, Pastor of Grace Fellowship in Prosser, wrestles with these questions in this session on discipling children and grandchildren in the home.
God’s Glory in the Church
· A Voice from the Past: Clement of Rome on Vital Inter-Church Relations Is it true that a local church’s business is its own business, and is of no concern to another church? How should local church “autonomy” and inter-church “connectedness” work under Christ’s New Covenant? Greg Stamm, Pastor of Toppenish Grace Brethren Church, will reach back to the earliest Christian document outside of Scripture for some interesting insights from Clement of Rome’s widely-read-and-respected Epistle to the Corinthians.
· Women’s Ministry in the Local Church What do mugs and muffins have to do with ministry? Diane Touhey, from Harrah Grace Brethren Church, probes this question in a session designed to encourage the development of Women’s Ministry in the local church.
· How to Minister to People in Crisis Crises—in many forms—come to us and to those we love. How can we do better than Job’s “worthless physician” friends when these times come? Dale Hostetler, through his experience with chaplaincy ministry in Yakima, will lead this session on biblical principles of ministry when crisis comes to those we love.
God’s Glory in the World
· Passion for Lost Souls Ever struggle with lack of compassion for those who are “weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd?” This session is designed to help us develop the heart of Jesus as He interacted with lost people. The session will be taught by Shelton Sugg, Pastor of Grace Fellowship of Kent.
· How to Disciple People to Make a Difference in the Community Juan Marenco, Pastor of Iglesia de los Hermanos in Mabton, has a passion to see people discipled in a way that increases their “kingdom” influence in the community. In this session, Pastor Juan will share principles God has taught him about this vital topic.
* How to Advance the Truth in a “What is Truth?” Culture Truth has fallen on hard times, if we are to listen to the “postmodern, pluralistic culture” around us. Either truth flat doesn’t exist, or truth is reduced to “whatever” one wants it to be. But God will not be gagged, and He has chosen to use His people to advance His “exclusive” truth. In this session, Adam Copenhaver, who recently resigned as Pastor of Yakima Grace Brethren Church to pursue doctoral studies, will discuss ways Christians can, with the Holy Spirit’s help, talk with people in a way that the truth can be heard without being summarily dismissed.
