Flames of Fire Conference
31st July - 6th August 2004
"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path"
(Psalm 119 v 105)
This year we look forward to welcoming back to the
conference Ron & Carolyn Allen from Heartland Community Church, Fort Wayne,
Indiana. Ron is the
senior pastor of the church and has spoken at the conference on two previous
occasions. After Ron’s last
visit here, Andy Booth was invited to Fort Wayne where he has since married and
started a family. Andy will
be accompanying Ron & Carolyn on their visit this summer and we look forward
to his participation in the conference.
Amongst other speakers we also welcome back Stuart Bell from Aberystwyth,
Nigel James from “Big Ideas” and Bruce Collins who will be leading the
morning Bible Study this year. A
new speaker for this year will be Kenny Borthwick, who is a minister from the
Church of Scotland, who also heads up New Wine Scotland with the “Clan
Gathering” conference. Having heard him speak at the New Wine leaders conference I
am very much looking forward to hearing him speak at Flames of Fire.
The
conference will again offer ministry for all age groups with the crèche,
Messengers and Ignite as in previous years.
During the conference in 2003, a group for the 18 – 30’s (Timothy)
began to meet and we anticipate an exciting programme, which is being
prepared by the young people themselves.
Since
the conference was first held at the Royal Welsh Showground in 1996, the Lord
has led us through many challenges and through facing them we have grown.
Not just in numbers but also spiritually.
Recognising and giving glory to God for what He has done is important. Whilst the conference began as the Anglican Renewal
Ministries (Wales) conference, many of those who have come are from other
denominations. I believe this is
God’s working and welcome what He has done.
Bearing this in mind we have taken steps to cooperate with what we feel
God has done, and opened the door further by leaving ARM out of the title.
The form of the conference, being acceptable by all, will not have
changed significantly; it is just made more accessible to all Christians in
Wales.
As
the leadership has changed, particularly in the last year, those who are, like
myself, replacing others, have found working at the conference a process of
development and growth. This is
again something that God has been working through the conference.
If, as it seems, God is doing this, how can we cooperate with His work?
One of the areas we would like to develop is to allow the opportunity for
more speakers from the Welsh church to share through the seminars and main
stage, where applicable, examples of good practice and encouragement.
This we hope would encourage both those who share and those who listen.
Whilst it is always good to have high quality speakers from outside of
Wales to encourage us, it would also be good to allow people from within Wales
to develop and grow in this area. I
believe that God will have gifted people within His Church here; let’s give
them opportunity to grow in that gifting.
Through
the conference we shall seek to continue to give priority to worship of God, to
offer ministry in the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, and to encourage
through teaching and example rooted in the Word of God.
People come to the conference to find refreshing from God.
It is hoped that we can through the conference, also equip and enable the
people of God in the local church, to work for and to build the Kingdom of God
in their community. As a conference
team we are committed to strive for excellence in all that we do, seeing it as
an offering for the glory of God; to model ways of being church and good
practice in ministry in the power of the Spirit; to see an imparting of
spiritual gifts and ministries and to release God’s people to be the Body of
Christ.
We look forward to welcoming you to the conference, and in sharing God’s ministry among us.
Nick Jones