Time to register for the 2017 Disciple-Making Church Conference

Registration for the January 16–19 event closes December 19

by Emily Enders Odom | Presbyterian News Service

Steve Ebling, speaker at the 2017 Disciple-Making Church Conference. (Photo provided)

LOUISVILLE – There is still time to register for the 2017 Disciple-Making Church Conference, “Abide in Me… A Spiritual Purging,” to be held January 16–19, 2017, at the TradeWinds Island Grand Resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

The 2017 annual conference, based on John 15:4, is designed to introduce participants to a variety of spiritual practices to help them live fuller mental and spiritual lives in order to bear more fruit for Jesus Christ and Christ’s church.

“We will examine the need for practices and people in our lives to remind us that we are loved,” says the Rev. Ray G. Jones III, associate director of Evangelism for the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Theology, Formation and Evangelism ministry area and a conference speaker. “It is in the journey of knowing we are loved that we begin to desire the practices that connect us more deeply to God’s love and purpose. Often practices start off as something we feel we need in our lives. But it is in community, with the reminder that we are God’s beloved people, that we go deeper into the practices that cause us to bear fruit and live life to its fullest.”

In addition to Jones, plenary speakers for “Abide in Me” will be the Rev. Jeff Eddings, co-founder of the Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community in Pittsburgh; the Rev. Sharon Stewart, part-time pastor at the Homestead (Pa.) United Presbyterian Church and part-time pastoral associate for Southminster Presbyterian Church; and the Rev. Steve Ebling, pastor, New Hope Presbyterian Church in Fishers, Indiana. The Revs. Aaron and Ayana Teter, pastor of the United Presbyterian Church, Ingram, Pa., and associate minister of Pittsburgh Presbytery respectively, will serve as the conference’s music leaders.

Ebling, who has attended the event twice previously, was delighted to join the leadership and planning team. “This conference has been a time of spiritual refreshment for me,” he says. “It offers a healthy mix of teaching, spiritual practice, conversation and rest. The rest part is a welcome gift! This is not a conference that has you in seminars all day long. Instead, there is plenty of time to walk the beach, meet up with old and new friends, and even take a nap if that what’s most needed.”

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For complete conference information and to register online by the December 19 deadline, visit the conference website.