For the latest issue of Faith & Fellowship Magazine, we asked each of the speakers at the annual convention to write about their personal journey of preparing their sermon. We were delighted to have all of the speakers respond with a paragraph or two! Their journeys are incredibly moving and give even more depth to the already inspiring sermons. God was truly with us all during this annual convention and we are glad to be able to provide the mp3's for you to download and listen to online. The videos will be available online very soon.
The DVD of all six sermons is also available for purchase. Call 800-332-9232 to order your copy. $9.99(includes shipping)
President Joel Egge "We Look to the Lord"
Excerpt from Faith & Fellowship: "A powerful contrast in the text captured me; the disciples’ weakness contrasted with Jesus’ authority. Then the question dawned on me, How did/does the Holy Spirit lead the readers to this powerful finish? With that question in mind, I read the entire Gospel several times."
Missionary Paul Szobody "He Himself is the Resource"
Excerpt from Faith & Fellowship:
"More than once I had a keen sense (and I remarked so to my wife): this is from the Lord. I'm not sure I've ever ministered before where I had a deeper sense that I was touching the core of human existence as we know it to be, as well as the mystery of the faith in God incarnate among us."
Excerpt from Faith & Fellowship: "My thoughts were, 'If I really believe that Jesus is with me here and now, shouldn’t that change everything?' I should be less fearful. I should be more motivated. I should worship more and doubt less. I’m so much like the disciples…a worship-doubter. Yet it was to that band of worship-doubters that Jesus gave His promise 'I am with you.' Gospel."
Excerpt from Faith & Fellowship: "As I initially began my sermon preparation I was focusing on the 'you' of 'God is with you in mission.' Who is the you? Me? My church? My synod? And - who am I? Who are we?"
Excerpt from Faith & Fellowship: "By Monday night I still had only a few thoughts and fragmentary notes. (This is not my usual way of preparing sermons, but I was stuck!) I did not finish writing out my notes until 6pm the night of the service. By then we knew the results of the vote, and I kept asking the Lord to keep me from saying anything that would be more divisive. The Lord opened up the text beautifully."
Excerpt from Faith & Fellowship: "Having sat through only two messages, and both had touched on what I hoped to share, I just wanted to throw in the towel. On Tuesday evening I took all my notes and all my fears and laid them all before the Lord. I asked for wisdom and guidance as I made some revisions but most of all I asked for the ability to trust Him with what needed to be shared."
The Church of the Lutheran Brethren Annual Convention adopted the proposed constitutional amendment. Here is a copy of the constitution and by-laws with those changes.
Here are the seminars from the Pastors' In-Service which took place on the Saturday before the Annual Convention.
Greg Anderson's seminar The Timothy Project: Principles for Effective Youth Ministry is only meant as a taste of the full seminar which is available for your church through North American Mission (NAM). The NAM office will work with your church to make it affordable. It is important to NAM that you use the full seminar for training your staff, so if you are interested, please contact NAM to find out how you can get the full seminar for your church staff, and if you wish, for the surrounding churches in your community, as well. Ph# (218) 739-3336 / email: lbhm@clba.org
Missionary Paul Szobody's seminar focused on the importance of the Psalms and the impact that they have on our worship. The way we worship directly affects our faith. In turn, our faith is reflected in our worship. How do we worship? This seminar helps us understand that the Psalms are an important part of our worship.
Professor Mark Erickson's seminar enlightens us on the importance of textual criticism and how it can "build up our trust and increase our appreciation for God's work of preserving His Word" (from the handout). There are supporting documents that you can download as well that will be helpful as you listen to the seminar.
Greg Anderson, Executive Director of Inspiration Point The Timothy Project: Principles for Effective Youth Ministry Part One
Missionary Paul Szobody When David No Longer Comes to Church
Click to Download MP3 >>> From the handout What happens when David no longer comes to church? 1. You lose the shaping power of worship 2. You lose the pressure-relieving power of worship 3. You lose the enculturation power of worship
Professor Mark Erickson The Good News and "Bad" News in New Testament Textual Criticism
From the handout My Goals: 1. To inform ministers of the gospel what NT Textual Criticism is, and why and how it is done. 2. To inform ministers of the gospel about the Good News in NT Textual Criticism. 3. To inform ministers of the gospel about the "bad" news in NT Textual Criticism. 4. To help ministers of the gospel discuss these issues in and informed and reasonable way so that they will have the opportunity to understand them and respond appropriately. 5. To offer a selected bibliography for the continued study of NT Textual Criticism.
Council of Directors (one pastor and two laypersons from each region) Canadian Region: Pastor Harold Rust (term ends 2012) Laypersons: Larry Blades (2012), Gary Sollid (2010) Central Region: Pastor Nick Mundis (2012) Laypersons: Robert McElfatrick (2012), LaWayne Rogness (2010) Eastern Region: Pastor Rick Bridston (2010) Laypersons: Roy Heggland (2012), David Jacobsen (2010) Pacific Region: Pastor: James Erickson (2010) Laypersons: Mike Berry (2010), Larry Fransson (2012) Western Region: Pastor Ron Erickson (2012) Laypersons: Glenn Endrud (2012), Marvin Nelson (2010)
For an registration forms, links and travel/lodging information related to the Annual Convention check out Faith & Fellowship Magazine'sAnnual Convention page >>>
The 2009 CLB Annual Convention is almost here. We post updates as they come in. RSS feed this blog or revisit often to stay current on Annual Convention information.
Below is the convention program. (Click on the image for larger view) Download PDF version HERE >
The upcoming Biennial Convention is going to be held in Fergus Falls, MN on June 20-22, 2010. Some other events are also taking place on June 19th as well. Everyone is welcome! More information will be posted here on a regular basis. Keep checking this blog to stay updated on the latest news and information.