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Print By Melissa Fross The fact is that Apostolics love to “conference.” This is an absolute truth about us. In fact, any casual observer of Apostolic culture might quickly come to this same conclusion merely by reading our many magazines and other websites like this one. As a group of people, we have more conferences per year than the St. Louis Cardinals have winning games (and that's a LOT). We host conferences for ladies, men, and children. We have conventions for youth, singles, and marrieds. We have gatherings that focus on prayer, fasting, and prayer and fasting. What we don't often see, however, are conferences aimed specifically at the College and Career life level—until now. Thrive 2004 took place the week after Christmas, Dec. 28-30, at the Gaylord Texan Resort in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. This was the first Thrive conference, but I know that it will not be the last. Designed especially for young adults in College and Career mode, this conference was, in a word, relevant, and for C&C groups across North America, relevant teaching is hard to find. There's not much out there in terms of curriculum or focus sessions, and it was so refreshing to experience a meeting where the instructors and preachers understood where we were coming from. Just where were we coming from? The registrants at this conference were decidedly different from those I've met at other meetings (both religious and secular) aimed at our age group. While there may have been some spouse hunting going on, it wasn't the main focus (as is so often the case at singles' meetings). And while we talked about careers in terms of the job market and resume building, it was clear that this wasn't ordinary “shop talk” among industry leaders. For example, during the Career Focus panel discussion, I was impressed by the resumes of the panel members. These were competent, high-ranking business-people, some of whom were still working for key firms in their industries, and some of whom had given up their corporate ladder-climbing to pursue full-time ministry. The wisdom doled out in that session will stick with me for some time. Questions were asked regarding finding a career that's in the will of God, and I found several answers to be similar. Bro. Charles Johnson phrased it best when he said, “The will of God is more about being the right person than being in the right position.” Like I said, we're talking about relevance. How often do you get to ask the computer programmer at IBM questions about the IT job market, and get direction about your walk with God at the same time? Likewise, Bro. Gene Holley's session on integrity in the workplace impacted me on a very real, personal level. As I was looking forward to a job transition from a Christian workplace to a secular office, a reminder of the importance of being the same person at work, at home, at church, etc., was just the refresher I needed. In this session Bro. Holley brought up a significant point: In referencing our necessary obedience of the laws of the land, he asked, “At what point does the speed limit become a helpful suggestion?” Integrity is a concept that seems to be losing ground with our generation. As Holley's outline pointedly noted, 91% of Americans surveyed lie regularly, and 50% admit that they call in sick when they are perfectly well. Without integrity, what is our witness really worth? It definitely gave me something to think about. The evening services were equally challenging. On Tuesday night Bro. Carl McLaughlin, a sponsoring pastor of the event, preached about the fire of the Lord versus the strange fire brought into the house of God by Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1. Bro. McLaughlin pointed out that our generation has been around the true fire of the Lord and it's up to us to choose strange fire (a way not ordained by God) or the fire our predecessors in the faith have borne up before us. The night ended in a time of consecration before the altar. We waited in anticipation for the next evening's service. Wednesday night the congregation was speechless when Bro. Greg Godwin announced the topic for his sermon: “God's Fire Will Not Go Out.” The anointing of the Lord was evident, and that evening again found us in the altar praying for one another and for ourselves. Consecration was a main theme throughout the services. There were times of fun interspersed with the more studious sessions. On Wednesday we were treated to a night of stand-up comedy and networking. We were encouraged to “meet and greet,” with like-minded individuals, and generally form a support system for the C&C lifestyle. Again, if I could sum up Thrive 2004 in one word, I would say it was relevant. Covering topics such as Finding the Will of God, Transitioning From Teen to Adult, Managing Finances, Beating Burnout, Attaining God's Grace in this “Perfect” World, and others, we heard from the hearts of men and women who cared about who we were and where we were in our lives. I'd definitely recommend this conference to anyone looking to expand his or her horizon in pursuit of a College and Career focused ministry.
ninetyandnine.com © 2005, Melissa Fross ----- Melissa Fross is in the middle of a job transition. When she's not going to, or commenting on, various conferences, she's desperately trying to stay sane amidst the chaos of change. |
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