Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,baptizing them in the name
of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world.
Amen.
- Matthew 28:19-20
Known to Christians as the last command from the Saviour in Matthew's gospel account, these verses have become the call for believers to dedicate their lives to missions.
Every year, the Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake NY hosts a missions conference in early January for the BI campuses in Ontario, Quebec and New York. The conference is not only attended by students and staff, but many others as well come for the weekend from across the continent.
The students were very excited to attend the conference which took place January 6-8. They arrived in Schroon Lake on the fifth and were able to attend some of the second year classes the next morning. Friday evening the Missions conference began and so did the conviction of the Word of God in the lives of those attending.
The theme for the weekend was Momentum: the Gospel in Motion. The students had the priviledge of hearing from some inspiring individuals including Dr. Chris Gnanakan, Dmin., PhD., Director of Training for Outreach to Asia Nationals, Mr. Nardi Pugyao, Mr. Harry Bollback, Co-founder of Word of Life and Mr. Don Lough, Executive Director of Word of Life. These speakers preached the Word of God over five sessions, teaching on how the gospel has potential, but it needs to ignite and accelerate (John 13:17, Luke 24:32, Mark 6:34) . However, it cannot do that unless it breaks through opposition at which point it will become unstoppable (1 Cor. 16:9, 2 Cor. 5:9-11). Yet, it cannot be the gospel doing this work, although it is powerful (Romans 1:16). Mr. Lough said the following statement: "It is not God who does not call, it is man who does not respond." The momentum of the gospel can only be fully tapped if the believer is fully sold out for God. On Sunday night, Mr. Lough petitioned those gathered to completely dedicate their lives to Christ. Many came forward in answer to God's calling in their lives.
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The conference impacted the lives of many people. Here are just a few thoughts about the weekend:
"At Missions Conference it was cool to see the passions for missions. Each meeting challenged me to think more about how I could reach others for Christ."
- Sarah, Alberta
"Missions Conference was an incredible time to understand what it takes to follow Christ."
- Ryan, Wyoming
"C`était une incroyable experience qui m`a vraiment poussé à réviser ma vue sur la mission en général. J`ai réaliser qu`entant que chrétien nous devons agir activement pour répondre le message du salut dans le monde entier."
"It was an incredible experience that really pushed me to review my way of thinking about missions in general. I realize that as Christians we need to be actively acting for the propagation of the gospel in the entire world."
- Micael, New Brunswick
"It was awesome to hear from missionaries from all over the world and in different lines of work. It was really encouraging to hear the stories and see how they are all regular people... just like me."
- Cameron, Mount Forest
The Missions Conference is a highlight of the year at the BI. It gives students the opportunity to investigate different missions organizations and to contemplate whether they would be willing to be a part of missions work globally. Actually, the whole year at the BI gives a multitude of opportunities to explore different ministry options and how each person can be involved in the work of God. WOLBI wants to give you those same opportunities.
Imagine one year at the Word of Life Bible Institute!
Why not check out campus days? Click here for more information.
Also, if you need to find out if WOLBI is right for you,
you can always email our admissions coordinator, Cassandra, at cassandrao@wol.ca.
