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| Lutheran Hour Ministries' ROC-Alexandria Empowers Participants to Cause Gospel Ripples |
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![]() Alexandria, Minn., Mar. 20, 2011 - Lutheran Hour Ministries' second Regional Outreach Conference, ROC—Alexandria, brought together more than 400 Christians for two days of worship, encouragement, and training in everyday outreach beginning Friday, March 18 in Alexandria, Minnesota.
Similar in format to LHM's February ROC—Phoenix event, the Alexandria conference continued the use of ROC/Rock metaphors in its theme. "Rocks beg to be thrown," devotion leader Rev. Peter Meier (Minnesota South District, LCMS) told the gathered participants. "And the Gospel begs to be shared. And just as a rock thrown into a calm lake causes ripples that keep going and going, when the Gospel is shared, it causes ripples, which spread—from person to person, generation to generation. I pray that this ROC provides you something that you can take, and cast, and cause ripples that spread and continue to spread."
Keynote speaker Rev. John Nunes, president of Lutheran World Relief, shared the Ethiopian Evangelical Mekane Yesus church's powerful four-part model for causing the kinds of "Gospel ripples" Meier spoke of: (1) ministry of the baptized: every Christian life is a witness; (2) ministry to the whole person: look to people's physical as well as spiritual needs; (3) spiritual revival: live every day as a renewed, regenerated child of God; (4) willingness to suffer for the faith: sharing the Gospel inevitably leads to suffering, but what God calls us to is worth every risk.
In a one-on-one question-answer session with Speaker Rev. Greg Seltz of The Lutheran Hour radio program, Nunes elaborated about why holistic approaches to ministry generate ripples for the Gospel. "People don't care what a friend they have in Jesus until they know what a friend they have in you," he explained. "Overseas the name 'Lutheran' means integrity, and it means compassion, so when we begin evangelistic work, we're not just starting with nothing; we go into communities that are ready for the churches, because people have positive affiliations with the word 'Lutheran.'"
Seltz closed the conference with a message based on 1 Corinthians 1:31, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord." "You can boast about God's great goodness because of what you are in Jesus Christ alone—even in your weakness!" said Seltz. "If struggles are going on in your heart, it means struggles are going on in somebody else's heart; but if redemption is going on in your heart, redemption can go on in his or her heart, too."
The next Regional Outreach Conference will be held at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel in Branson, Missouri, May 13-14.
The lineup of speakers for ROC—Branson includes Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing, Rev. Dr. Mark Larson, Rev. Dr. Douglas Rutt, Rev. Quentin Poulson, Kay Meyer, and more. Devotions will be led by These Guys, a trio of LCMS church workers who use improvisational comedy and drama to look at the Christian life from a slightly different perspective.
Like both ROC—Phoenix and ROC—Alexandria, ROC—Branson will also offer afive14 witnessing-training track for teens, an outreach-themed children's program and various recreational opportunities, including a Friday night concert by indie-jazz recording artist Erin Bode.
Registration fees for ROC—Branson are $69 for adults; $49 for teenagers (grades 8-12) participating in the five14 track; and $29 for children (K-7). A special family rate for two adults and all the children in the household is available for $175. There is no charge for children preschool age and younger. Visit www.lhm.org/roc to find more information about this conference as well as other ones Lutheran Hour Ministries will be hosting in the fall. |
| Lutheran Hour Ministries' ROC-Alexandria Empowers Participants to Cause Gospel Ripples |
|
![]() Alexandria, Minn., Mar. 20, 2011 - Lutheran Hour Ministries' second Regional Outreach Conference, ROC—Alexandria, brought together more than 400 Christians for two days of worship, encouragement, and training in everyday outreach beginning Friday, March 18 in Alexandria, Minnesota.
Similar in format to LHM's February ROC—Phoenix event, the Alexandria conference continued the use of ROC/Rock metaphors in its theme. "Rocks beg to be thrown," devotion leader Rev. Peter Meier (Minnesota South District, LCMS) told the gathered participants. "And the Gospel begs to be shared. And just as a rock thrown into a calm lake causes ripples that keep going and going, when the Gospel is shared, it causes ripples, which spread—from person to person, generation to generation. I pray that this ROC provides you something that you can take, and cast, and cause ripples that spread and continue to spread."
Keynote speaker Rev. John Nunes, president of Lutheran World Relief, shared the Ethiopian Evangelical Mekane Yesus church's powerful four-part model for causing the kinds of "Gospel ripples" Meier spoke of: (1) ministry of the baptized: every Christian life is a witness; (2) ministry to the whole person: look to people's physical as well as spiritual needs; (3) spiritual revival: live every day as a renewed, regenerated child of God; (4) willingness to suffer for the faith: sharing the Gospel inevitably leads to suffering, but what God calls us to is worth every risk.
In a one-on-one question-answer session with Speaker Rev. Greg Seltz of The Lutheran Hour radio program, Nunes elaborated about why holistic approaches to ministry generate ripples for the Gospel. "People don't care what a friend they have in Jesus until they know what a friend they have in you," he explained. "Overseas the name 'Lutheran' means integrity, and it means compassion, so when we begin evangelistic work, we're not just starting with nothing; we go into communities that are ready for the churches, because people have positive affiliations with the word 'Lutheran.'"
Seltz closed the conference with a message based on 1 Corinthians 1:31, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord." "You can boast about God's great goodness because of what you are in Jesus Christ alone—even in your weakness!" said Seltz. "If struggles are going on in your heart, it means struggles are going on in somebody else's heart; but if redemption is going on in your heart, redemption can go on in his or her heart, too."
The next Regional Outreach Conference will be held at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel in Branson, Missouri, May 13-14.
The lineup of speakers for ROC—Branson includes Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing, Rev. Dr. Mark Larson, Rev. Dr. Douglas Rutt, Rev. Quentin Poulson, Kay Meyer, and more. Devotions will be led by These Guys, a trio of LCMS church workers who use improvisational comedy and drama to look at the Christian life from a slightly different perspective.
Like both ROC—Phoenix and ROC—Alexandria, ROC—Branson will also offer afive14 witnessing-training track for teens, an outreach-themed children's program and various recreational opportunities, including a Friday night concert by indie-jazz recording artist Erin Bode.
Registration fees for ROC—Branson are $69 for adults; $49 for teenagers (grades 8-12) participating in the five14 track; and $29 for children (K-7). A special family rate for two adults and all the children in the household is available for $175. There is no charge for children preschool age and younger. Visit www.lhm.org/roc to find more information about this conference as well as other ones Lutheran Hour Ministries will be hosting in the fall. |
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