Two church leaders tell us about why they make it a priority
Over the Easter holidays next year thousands of Christians will gather at two Word Alive events in North Wales.
We asked a couple of churches why they come as a group to Word Alive.
Coming from Speke Baptist
Here is Steve Casey from Speke Baptist Church. ‘To get to Word Alive is a real effort. It’s a real effort personally. Everyone’s budget is tight at the moment, the tap is leaking, the car is bust and my kids constantly need new trainers. We have limited holiday leave, and “sunny” North Wales in April isn’t a great prospect.
‘It’s a real effort to go as part of a group, particularly if you are the group co-ordinator. Chasing people for commitments to come, having to listen to excuses when they choose to drop out. Setting up payment schemes to spread the load, and having people avoid you when they have forgotten to bring the money. Then trying to keep everyone happy when you do the room allocations!
‘Over the last five years our little church has taken large groups to the event. So I asked them whether there was any lasting impact that made it worth the effort. Here is what they said.
• Spiritual Refreshment ‘One said: “Great teaching, great fellowship, but above all time to spend with our great God”. Another: “It’s a haven of refreshment for me”. The event proved to be a spark for a number of men in our church taking the time more regularly to meet together to pray and support one another in their personal walks with the Lord.
• Encouraged by large gathering ‘“Coming from a small church it’s really encouraging to meet with so many Christians from different backgrounds and countries.” “It’s so amazing to see so many Christians worshipping – it’s powerful and helps us keep going with our faith.” “We’re not alone!” “We have particularly appreciated the opportunity for new believers to realise that thousands of other people believe the same things that they do.”
• Stronger family discipleship ‘“Word Alive is like an injection of spiritual help for my kids.” “The children’s teaching is so sound and solid. It encourages, empowers and strengthens my kids in their faith in Jesus, and they have great fun too!” “My daughter seems to have grasped what Jesus has done for her.”
• Deepening church fellowship ‘“This event is great for building strong relationships and spiritual friendships with people you go with from church.” “The joy of processing gospel fellowship together is something I’ll never forget.”
• Equipping for mission and service ‘“Being on team at Word Alive has given me opportunity to gain skills in teaching young people that I have been able to use more and more.” “I’ve been equipped as an elder to better teach the Bible and serve the church.” “It helped me to communicate to non-believers what it means to turn to Christ.”
‘So it is a real effort, but most things that have a lasting impact are. That is why a significant group from our church is looking forward to another week of inclement weather and spiritual encouragement at this coming year’s Word Alive.’
Coming from Christ Church
Secondly, here are reflections from Christ Church, Liverpool.
‘We took time as an eldership to plan and think about what we would do for Easter 2014 and in this process considered the demographic of those in our church family and their friends. The conclusion that came out from this discussion was that for many in our congregation and their friends, Easter is when many visit family and are thus away. We have also noticed that, for a city centre church like ours, reaching out evangelistically isn’t based on set events but rather on a string of interlinking personal interactions that brings individuals to hear the good news and experience it in the context of a Christ-centred family.
• Excellent alternative ‘So when we saw we could be at Word Alive over the Easter weekend we were convinced that this was an excellent alternative to our traditional model of set events.
‘Over the years Word Alive has been a real blessing to our church family. It has always dependably provided excellent biblical teaching alongside time to enjoy catching up with old friends and getting to know new ones away from day-to-day business.
‘From the evening celebrations to the topical seminars, we have always really appreciated the range and quality of speakers. The variety of topics over the years has meant that folks from all stages of life have found sessions that have been relevant and thought-provoking for their Christian walk.
‘For our families, Word Alive provides a welcome opportunity to a have family time together to enjoy brilliant faithful teaching for all ages. The quality of the children’s groups are a real blessing both for kids, who love the fun and insightful programme, and for the parents to be able to attend sessions as a couple and know their kids are being lovingly looked after.
• Uniting students ‘Our students are from four universities across the city, so it’s one the few times of the year where they can go away together. The shared experience built up over the time at Word Alive has proven to be a terrific foundation on which our student ministry can build. We have found that over the few days away, our students noticeably grow in their enthusiasm and knowledge of the Lord. Word Alive also provides a valuable opportunity for our international students to meet faithful believers from their home countries.
‘So we have decided to make Word Alive our plan for Easter. We’ve invited everyone, newcomer and regular, to join us over the Easter weekend. For those who aren’t able to attend the whole time, we are inviting them to join us for Easter Sunday. We hope and pray that, by going to Word Alive as a whole church, we will see God use this time together to strengthen and unite us for the work of his kingdom.’
