The Easter period had some very changeable weather conditions. This was a feature of the two separate weeks of the Word Alive convention at Prestatyn Sands, N. Wales which ran from 28 March – 2 April and 2 – 6 April.
The main speaker for both weeks was David Cook, Principal of Sydney Missionary and Bible College, Australia. He took the gathered participants through sections of the book of Romans with great insight and encouragement. During Week 1 the main marquee was damaged by the wind and this led to one morning Bible Reading having to be received by everyone via TV in their chalets. The second week had mixed weather and a lot of sea mist, which was eerily beautiful and did not diminish the enjoyment of a great time.
Joyful and challenging
So much goes on at Word Alive for children, students and adults that it is difficult to cover everything. One outstanding feature of Week 2 were the sessions on understanding Isaiah given by Jack Collins, Professor of Old Testament from Covenant Theological Seminary, St Louis. His talks were very scholarly, following the themes of the promised child and of the servant which point to the Lord Jesus. There were helpful seminars on how to start evangelistic contacts, how to conquer obstacles in the church and training leadership in the local church.
The evening celebrations focused on the kingship of Christ and the session taken by James Poole on Revelation 5 was particularly joyful and worshipful. On Easter Saturday night veteran promoter of world mission, George Verwer, was expertly interviewed by Richard Cunningham of UCCF. Here challenging themes emerged of getting ready for the Lord’s return while at the same time the church suffers persecution. We need to love the suffering church, not ignore it.
The second week was smaller and in a sense more peaceful than usual and at The Hub there was less of an atmosphere of pressurised selling and more of a feeling of encouraging Christians to really get involved in the Lord’s work. The music led by Lewis Green was marvellous and focused on the Lord.
Next year Word Alive will be for one week only – so book early.
