Much prayer, fasting, and hard work went into the Save New England Conference by Pastor Chapman and the people of Curtis Corner Baptist Church! How I thank God for the labor of love of this great ministry!
There were many blessings about the meeting. The services were exciting. The special music honored God. The preaching was powerful. Perhaps the thing that stirred my heart more than anything was the great spirit among the preachers who attended. In particular, we saw a healthy, edifying spirit among three different groups of preachers that participated. Sometimes when people think of groups, they think of different types of preachers or camps or associations. That is not at all to what I am referring.
What We Saw
In a very wonderful way, we saw an older generation teaching and preaching, a middle-aged group of preachers that are building on a firm foundation, and a younger generation of preachers that are planting churches for the glory of God.
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges we face in our fundamental Baptist circles today is the younger generations honoring the older generation and conveying to them the desire to continue to learn from them. Maybe some ministerial adjustments need to be made in our churches today, but there still has to be a reaching out by my generation and the generations younger than I that say to the older generation, “We need you.” We must assure them that we are still listening to them. At the Save New England Conference, it thrilled my heart to see men the caliber of Pastor Townsley and Pastor Michael teaching and preaching to a younger generation with an incredibly receptive spirit.
Then, my heart was refreshed to see a strong representation of my generation. I believe we have preachers in New England that honor the older generation and reach out to the younger generation with a desire to love and serve them.
Finally, my heart was stirred to see a younger generation of preachers who are stepping out by faith to do the will of God. I see young preachers respecting and keeping the Biblical standards passed on from the older generation while welcoming the love and investment of the middle generation.
Yes, my heart was refreshed and my spirit revived to see that God can still Save New England! What a Conference – better than that, what a God!