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| Don Hamilton, pastor, Capital Area Christian Church & 2014 ECC President |
I remember it so well. I was in my early twenties and far from God. It had been years since I attended church, but there was a new congregation in town and my cousin and a couple of friends were determined that “Donnie Hamilton” was going to become part of it. They knew God had sent them to reach out to me.
So they invited me….and invited me….and invited me. Before long I accepted their invitation and the rest is history–I have served as the pastor of Capital Area Christian Church for 31 years because my cousin accepted his calling from God. He was sent to me and I couldn’t resist.
One day in eternity the calling went out from God to His Son. God loved the people of the world so much that He would send His own Son to invite His children into His Kingdom. Jesus accepted the call. He was sent and the rest is history. You are reading because Jesus obeyed. But the story does not end there, does it?
Jesus came to earth and gladly did His Father’s will. But part of Jesus’ purpose was to call His followers to the same mission. He put it this way: “As the Father has sent me, so send I you” (John 20:21). Jesus started a chain of individuals, and later local churches, that has not been broken to this day. We are all called and we are all sent to call others.
The word “sent” is used over 200 times in the New Testament, and Jesus used it more than any other person. He took His calling very seriously and so do we. That’s why we’re seeing older congregations coming back to life, and dozens of new churches being planted throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic. We’re seeing phenomenal growth in places that were traditionally very resistant to the Kingdom of God.
The Eastern Christian Conference is a celebration of God’s work among us. Each year we spend an uplifting weekend together in the sweetest place on earth–Hershey, Pennsylvania. We challenge each other about our calling. We encourage one another with awesome times of worship and warm fellowship. We learn from each other through great Bible teaching, preaching, and workshops.
The 2014 ECC is set to be a banner conference! Tim Harlow, pastor of Parkview Christian Church in the Chicagoland area, will lead both our preconference seminar and two of our main sessions. And who does not know and appreciate the wonderful ministry and presence of Leroy Lawson? We are delighted he’s agreed to speak at one of our main sessions and to lead three workshops for pastors. In addition, one of our shining young leaders in the northeast is Jonathan Williams from Forefront Christian Church in Brooklyn, NY. He was named one of Christian Standard magazine’s “40 Under 40;” the article said, “Jonathan is passionate about extending the kingdom of God to all people….The way Jonathan and his wife Jubi model hospitality makes Forefront Church open to a wide variety of people.”
In addition, comedian and musician Buddy Greene will be sharing during main sessions as well as presenting a full program at the Saturday luncheon, and David Roadcup and Jim Estep from the elder development ministry “E2” will share six workshops for elders, deacons, and church leaders.
“As God sent Me, so send I you.” Sent-ness is not optional, is it? But it’s also not easy, and that’s why the ECC exists. You’ll come away from this weekend uplifted, encouraged, and challenged. Don’t miss this time together, November 14-16! See you in Hershey!
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