COMMITTEE ON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FEATURE

Urgency for gospel ministry can be heard in our Savior’s familiar words: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matt 9:37–38 NIV). Surely there is a sense of urgency that wells up from Jesus’ compassion for the harassed and helpless crowds that surrounded him as he preached the good news of the kingdom. We hear an echo of Isaiah 6:8: “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

As Orthodox Presbyterians, we must share in the compassion of Christ by praying that our God would continue to send new workers into his harvest fields. We do this when we pray that new home and foreign missionaries would arise, when we pray for summer and yearlong interns, and when we pray for men who have been licensed or are under care. We also do this by praying for the Lord’s blessing on past and future OPC Timothy Conferences.

It is our conviction that the OPC Timothy Conference is vitally connected to the urgent claims of the gospel ministry in our time. The conference, designed for OP men aged 16–21, will help a young man in your congregation who has been endorsed by his session to answer questions such as:

• What does it mean to be a minister of the gospel?
• How do I know if the Lord is calling me to be a teacher, a missionary, or a pastor?
• How do I prepare for the ministry in my personal life, my education, and my church?
• What is the process for becoming a minister in the OPC?

The 2013 OPC Timothy Conference will be held April 17–20 in the Chicago area, hosted by Covenant OPC in Orland Park, Illinois, and New Covenant Community Church in New Lenox, Illinois. Mid-America Reformed Seminary will also provide gracious assistance by opening its doors so that conference attendees are exposed to seminary classes. Three ministers from the Presbytery of the Midwest (Brian De Jong, John Hilbelink, and Bruce Hollister) will be conference speakers, joined by Danny Olinger and Dave VanDrunen of the CCE.

The conference is supported by offerings to Worldwide Outreach, so there is no cost to the young men who attend.

A full description and an application can be found at www.OPC.org, under the Christian Education page.