Pastor's Conference
We started Monday evening, the 11th, with dinner and then our first gathering.
The meeting room was set up Soviet style- with a head table and seats for the most important people and the speaker. Instead we went with a big circle that gave everybody a chance to be on equal footing...
I had asked that we not do a big camp this year with all the pastors and wives but a different one with the key leaders in both regions here in Eastern Ukraine, so that we could talk about relationship, God's instructions for leaders, humility, serving one another, honoring family first in the pastor's home, integrity, the value of tradition but the necessity of choosing Scripture over tradition and culture when they are in conflict with what God says!
I went in with some anxiety because there are some major issues in these areas of ministry. But God's goodness and the faithful prayers of the saints had already gone on ahead of our gathering! From the first night there was openness and great freedom to interact with each other with a Berean spirit, Acts 17:11!
I spoke for an hour and a half to two hours each session and everyone stayed clued in throughout! My hope was to get the leaders and main pastors to look at what the Bible teaches without filtering it through traditions that are in contradiction with God's Word. They were tremendous, honest and ready to examine God's Word. It was amazing!
We took this picture at the end of the conference, unfortunately a few had to leave earlier. We finished with a testimony time that was really moving- Our great God was faithful to move through each of our hearts all three days and there was much to share! Finally we shared in the Lord's table and committed ourselves to step up the ministry God was doing through us in our own homes...I spent a fair amount of time on serving one another-. Romans 12:10, Phil. 2:3-6, Mark 10:42-45 etc. and talked about foot washing. This was a BIG stretch for many but they still allowed me to do it with several volunteers and one lead pastor asked to do mine. There is no way to describe what the Holy Spirit does when we follow Jesus' admonition to wash each other's feet (John 13:5-17)! It was palpable. Then at the end of the session, brothers who had never even seen this before were asking each other if they would come back and let them wash their feet. It was really sacred and moving. And the point of 'servant leadership' - instead of position for privilege and control, became very visible.
On a lighter note, you'll see a picture of one of our friends at the camp!
They gave a couple gifts to Max and I at the end of the conference. We changed the seating
format from an old Soviet style- head table with authorities on either side of the speaker to a big circle, with everyone, including myself and the leaders sitting together...