A new conference has recently been announced, which will take place in Auckland, NZ, April 16-18, hosted by and at the Howick Baptist Church.

Calvin Jonker, Conference Coordinator, has framed the context and purpose of this conference, this way…

The Gospel: the triumphant declaration that God, holy and righteous, is redeeming the world through Christ (Matt 1:21; Luke 1:68; Eph 1:7; Col 1:20), calling everyone everywhere to repent from sin and trust Jesus Christ for salvation (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38; 17:30).

Simple enough, right? Yet in our country today, the gospel of Jesus Christ is gradually being misrepresented, misunderstood, and marginalised in many churches and among those who proclaim the name of Christ.

In order to be credible and effective witnesses for Christ in New Zealand, we desperately need a reminder of why the centrality of the Gospel and Scripture itself is so important. As Christians today, we need toSTAND for the Gospel.

At STAND 2010, you will be exhorted to stand firm in the centrality and sufficiency of God’s Word. You will be tasked to stand firm in the centrality of the Gospel. You will be called to stand firm in a high view of God in evangelism, in worship and in personal discipline. Most importantly, you will be challenged to apply the Gospel to every facet of your Christian life: in work, in marriage, in parenting, in singleness, and in family.

Keynote Speaker is Conrad Mbewe…

Conrad Mbewe is the current pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia. Widely regarded as “the African Spurgeon”, Conrad is also the Principal of the Reformed Baptist Preachers College in Zambia, and together with KBC is presently overseeing the establishment of ten new Reformed churches in Zambia and Botswana.

Alongside his preaching and teaching ministry, Conrad is the editor of Reformation Zambia magazine, as well as a columnist for several Zambian newspapers. His most recent contribution to a book is found in Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry (2004, Founders Press). He has been married for over 20 years to Felistas. They have three children, two sons and a daughter, and raise a number of other nephews and nieces in their household.

You can visit the church website, Kabwata Baptist Church, for more details.

Workshop Speakers include the following…

Peter Somervell…

Peter Somervell serves as Senior Pastor of Howick Baptist Church in Auckland, New Zealand. Peter was trained at The Master’s Seminary in Los Angeles, CA and was appointed at HBC in July 2006 after serving for several years at Wanganui East Baptist Church. Peter and his wife, Francelle, have four children: Mark, Luke, Katherine and Emma.

Joe Fleener…

Joe Fleener is Library Director and Lecturer at The Shepherd’s Bible College in Hastings, New Zealand. Joe received his theological training at Calvary Baptist Seminary in Lansdale, PA and serves as the Gospel-Life Fellowship Group Leader at Riverbend Bible Church, Hastings. He is also the Regional Trainer for BibleWorks in New Zealand. Joe is a full-time husband to Mandy, and father to one son and two daughters.

You can visit Joe’s blog, EmethAletheia, for more information.

and, Paul Davison…

Paul Davison has served as Pastor of Hastings Baptist Church in Hastings, New Zealand since 1999. He studied at Spurgeon’s College (London, UK), Carey Baptist College (Auckland, NZ) and is an MTh student at Laidlaw College (Auckland, NZ). Before taking up full-time ministry, Paul worked in the corporate IT industry and spent time as a business analyst. He has been married to Joy for 23 years; together they have four daughters.

You can visit the church website, Hastings Baptist Church, for more details.

Conference Details are as follows…

Friday, 16th April

6:30p – 7:30p Registration

7:30p – 9:00p Session 1 – Standing Firm in the Sufficiency of Scripture

Saturday, 17th April

9:30a – 11:00a Session 2 – Standing Firm in the Centrality of the Gospel

11:00a – 11:30a Morning Tea

11:30a –12:30p Workshop 1 (3 concurrent sessions, registration required)

12:30p – 2:30p Lunch & Relax in Howick Village

2:30p – 3:30p Workshop 2 (3 concurrent sessions, registration required)

3:30p – 4:00p Afternoon Tea

4:00p – 5:00p Panel Q&A (Conrad Mbewe, Joe Fleener, Peter Somervell)

5:30p – 7:00p BBQ Dinner (hosted by HBC)

7:30p – 9:00p Session 3 – Standing Firm: A High View of God in Evangelism

Sunday, 18th April

9:30a – 11:30a Worship Service

Session 4 – Standing Firm: A High View of God in Worship

3:30p – 5:00p Session 5 – Standing Firm: Leading a Disciplined Life

5:00p – 5:30p Communion and Conference closure

Cost

Full conference rate $55 ($45 for HBC members)

Casual day rate $45

Youth rate (16 years and under) $30

Registrations must be received by March 31, 2010.

Registrations will not be processed without full payment and workshop selections.

Due to size constraints, the number of registrations will be capped at 300 individuals.

Cancellation policy: Full refunds will be granted for cancellations received in writing up to 7 days prior to the conference.

All fees are GST inclusive.

To Register, and for all other details, go…

HERE!

This conference looks well worth your time, effort, and the reasonably small amount of money that one has to shell out for conference costs!

Go on, visit the site, where you can register on-line, and mark it into your diary now!

Yes, the Gospel in a NZ context is well worth your time, your money, and your life.  This is an opportunity to let your actions speak as loud as your words!

Read these words again…

In order to be credible and effective witnesses for Christ in New Zealand, we desperately need a reminder of why the centrality of the Gospel and Scripture itself is so important. As Christians today, we need toSTAND for the Gospel.

At STAND 2010, you will be exhorted to stand firm in the centrality and sufficiency of God’s Word. You will be tasked to stand firm in the centrality of the Gospel. You will be called to stand firm in a high view of God in evangelism, in worship and in personal discipline. Most importantly, you will be challenged to apply the Gospel to every facet of your Christian life: in work, in marriage, in parenting, in singleness, and in family.

Might be a good place to blog as well!!!

Always Informing, For the Always Reforming, From the Land of the Long White Cloud

Man of Spin