MEN FOR MINISTRY CONFERENCE
SATURDAY, 28 FEBRUARY AT 10AM IN BAPTIST CENTRE, MOIRA

SPEAKERS: DR GARETH CROSSLEY + PASTOR DEREK HUTCHINSON

Dr Gareth Crossley has been a minister of the gospel for over 40 years, serving 24 years in the pastorate of West Park Church, Wolverhampton. Training men for church leadership (full-time gospel ministry, eldership etc.) has been a major part of his work. His most recent book "Growing Church Leaders" was published this year. He is currently involved in training church leaders in the UK, Kenya, India and the Middle East.

Pastor Derek Hutchinson is a native of Londonderry. He trained initially as an economist. However in 1976 he felt the call of God to the ministry and entered the Irish Baptist College where he completed a BD degree. Following this in 1979 he became assistant in the Hamilton Road church in Bangor before moving to become the first pastor of the newly formed Ballycrochan Baptist Church in 1983. Here he remianed until he felt the call of God to Letterkenny in 1993. It was in 2005 that he again moved to Larkhill, Scotland where he remains to this time.

The Primacy and Passion of Preaching

The following report is written by Pastor Kyle Warren of Lisnagleer Baptist Church, Co.Tyrone, who serves as a member of the Men for Ministry Committee:

On Saturday 3rd March over 50 men met in the Baptist Centre (Moira) for the inaugural Men for Ministry conference. The spectrum of those present ranged from those who have been involved in pastoral ministry for many years to those who were contemplating beginning to preach in their own local church.

After Pastor Jim Byers opened the meeting in prayer, Pastor Robert Murdock (Emmanuel) gave a very challenging address to those present on the topic of 'The Primacy of Preaching'. He spoke from 2Timothy 4:1-5 concerning Paul's charge to Timothy to recognize the importance and responsibility of preaching the Word of God. He reminded us that preachers today, just like Timothy, have been entrusted with a sacred duty. Preaching is the divinely ordained means of communicating God's message to the world and therefore preachers must acknowledge that they are spokesmen of the King of kings. Those who have the solemn but privileged responsibility of handling God's Word must never forget that it is the Saviour not the servant, the message not the messenger, that is important. Sadly today there is the tendency for some to waver in their worship from the preaching of God's Word and be influenced by modern trends, but all of us must grasp the need for the primacy of preaching in church life. Pastor Murdock spoke about the Scriptures and his own experiences with great passion, and all present were deeply enthused as we waited for Pastor David McMillan (Windsor) to then speak on the topic of 'The Passion for Preaching'.

We were not disappointed! He explained that a passion for preaching flows from a passion for the Word of God. Preachers also require a passion for people. Preaching is about reaching hearts and minds with the Word of God so that lives and actions conform to the will of God. Above all, a passion for preaching requires a passion to know Jesus Christ. Pastor McMillan ended by making reference to Ephesians 3:17 which tells us that Christ will make His home in our hearts as we trust Him more and more. A rich time of fellowship was had by all, and the men left instilled with a deeper hunger to know and proclaim the Word of God.

Another conference has been arranged for the autumn on Saturday 6th October 2007. It will be led by Pastor Edwin Ewart (Vice Principal, Irish Baptist College) and will take the form of an exegesis and exposition workshop. This may sound very complicated but is nothing to be scared of! Could I strongly encourage all those who have an interest in proclaming God's Word to make a note of this date in your diary. The training and fellowship are not to be missed!

Spring Conference Audio Resources

On Saturday 3rd March, Men for Ministry hosted their Spring conference at the Baptist Centre, Hillsborough Road, Moira. A hugely encouraging turnout was combined with some powerful ministry from Pastor Robert Murdock (Emmanuel Baptist Church, Lisburn) and Pastor David McMillan (Windsor Baptist, Belfast) on 'The Primacy of Preaching' and 'The Passion for Preaching' respectively. All in attendance were richly blessed and personally challenged by what they heard. These messages are now available online for immediate listening, or download (for use on portable devices etc). Please follow this link and click either of the large audio icons to access each of the messages. The host for audio is Twango, and it is listed as ABC Audio. To download the files to your computer for later playback or transfer to a portable device right click 'Podcast' at the bottom of the audio page, and click 'Copy Link Location' from the menu. Simply paste this link into your iTunes or other audio player's podcast subscription page and the files should automatically download.

For full instructions on how to get a free copy of iTunes, step by step details on how to subscribe to a Podcast, or to report any difficulties in accessing or downloading these files, do not hesitate to contact us on the technical support email address listed in the sidebar.

We trust that these files will be used of God for wider usefulness and blessing among those who have an interest, concern and passion for preaching.

Men for Ministry Conference

Last Saturday (3rd March) Men for Ministry hosted their first spring conference at the Baptist Centre in Moira. The event had been in planning for a considerable period, and much prayer had been offered that it might prove useful, edifying, and inspiring to those in attendance. These prayers were answered in a wonderful way, as almost fifty men attended to hear Pastor Robert Murdock (Emmanuel Baptist Church, Lisburn) address the topic of 'The Primacy of Preaching', and Pastor David McMillan (Windsor Baptist Church, Belfast) speak on 'The Passion for Preaching'. Both sessions were deeply appreciated by those in attendance, and will hopefully leave a lasting mark on many lives.

In the near future a full report on the day will be published here, along with MP3 files of both teaching sessions, which may be downloaded free of charge. Keep checking back as we are hoping to make these resources available soon.