It’s Harvest Time!

RON HAMILTON, CCCC CONFERENCE MINISTER

I am very encouraged as I reflect on the 2016 Annual Gathering held in Carlsbad, California last month. God blessed our time together and I believe that the development of the theme, It’s Harvest Time increased awareness of the needs and opportunities for the ministry of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in this generation. One of our member pastors shared this with me…

Well Ron, in combination with all the other speakers, workshops, etc, I have returned to the church I serve asking God to reveal Himself more to me than ever before. And I am asking for specific instructions of what I am to be doing next. Already the Lord has laid on my heart as a follow up about developing leaders and preparing the congregation for the coming harvest. Indeed, IT IS HARVEST TIME!

The opening communion service and message by President Todd Venman set the tone for the meetings. I appreciated the practical teaching by Dr. Bob Logan on engaging and raising up leaders from the harvest field. Dr. Walter Kim’s message on the theology of race was very challenging and thought provoking. He shared practical insights into things that the CCCC must consider as our membership becomes more diverse. And Rev. Lenn Zeller’s testimony of what God is doing through the ministry of St. Paul’s Church in Stowe, PA was very touching and inspiring. Carlsbad Community Church did a remarkable job in hosting the meetings. The worship was great and the workshops were very helpful.

I am so glad that we were able to return to California for this gathering. While our overall numbers were down, it was encouraging to see that nearly one-third of those attending were from California. This delegation included representatives from member churches, member pastors who have not attended an annual gathering for some time, church planters establishing new works in that region, and pastors and churches who came to learn more about our Conference. The Board of Directors determined that we will return to California on a more regular basis in the future, at least once every six years. I believe that all left the meetings with a deeper devotion to our Lord Jesus and a better understanding of God’s work in the CCCC.

These are exciting days in the life and ministry of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. The 2016 Annual Gathering was a four-day get-together that captured this spirit and spurred on our work together. A big thank you to all who worked to make this possible.