Eastern Christian Conference – September 27 2016 – The Power of A Retreat

	Elijah in the Desert, Washington Allston

   Elijah was depressed. Even after a great victory against the priests of Baal, he became despondent. He retreated to the desert, not so much to be recharged as to get away. But God used that time in the desert of Beersheba (the same place Abraham exiled Hagar) to minister to his soul. There in the desert, God encouraged him to sleep…to rest. And then Elijah heard the voice of God in a new and quiet way. That voice of God reminded him of a purpose larger than himself…and God even provided Elijah with a new partner in ministry.
   The story of Elijah in the desert reminds me of something important: sometimes we can be more encouraged from a few days away in a row than 10 weeks of one-day-a-week meetings. God can sometimes help us to have rest and hear his voice in a new and compelling way. 
   Our hope at this year’s ECC is for you to have an opportunity for this very thing. Perhaps you’ll arrive riding high on a string of successes, or perhaps you’ll feel like Elijah in a low moment. We hope that you’ll hear encouragement from God, find rest from your normal responsibilities, and perhaps you’ll even meet a new ministry partner. There’s work to be done to advance the kingdom in the East, and we believe that the ECC will be a worthwhile investment of your time to help that advance take place. You’ll be glad you came.  

   Time is ticking away. November 11-13 will be here before you know it. Be sure to reserve your housing today! If you’d like to make your housing reservation it’s possible to do that now. Visit our website at http://easterncc.com/housing  and follow the link there for reservations. Also, be sure to register for the conference and other ECC events while you’re on the website. You can do that by clicking here.