Beamvsille? Yes, I had never heard of it either! Yet here I sit, in Beamsville for the AGC East Conference. Peoples Church is an AGC church, meaning we are affiliated with other fellowships in the Association of Gospel Churches in Canada. Every year, delegates representing the wider family of the AGC meet to fellowship, study the Word of God, and seek the Lord for the direction of the Association. Considering I am new to both Peoples Church and to the Association, I thought I would blog my way through the conference, sharing the good, the challenging, and the thought-provoking aspects of my time here.

So, from the lobby of my hotel (which is the perfect blend of comfortable chair, good music, and fast WIFI), here are my thoughts on the first day of AGC East Conference.

The Conference theme is “Grace Upon Grace,” considering how believers receive grace from God and then in turn send that grace out to others. The keynote speaker is Norm Millar, Lead Pastor of Redemption Bible Chapel – more on Norm in a moment!

For those who know me, you know I am an extrovert of extroverts. So, we arrived early to meet and mingle amongst fellow AGC leaders – a pastor from Toronto, AGC East Leadership, a few pastors who sat on my ordination council, the lady who gave me the WIFI details… and many more! A benefit of the conference is that meals are provided, so off we went to the gym to share in a meal – is there anything better than sitting with like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ? Eating, chatting, fellowshipping, laughing, and praising God for tasty food!

Well, we come to the main event… session 1… and wow was Norm Miller excellent. Here is his outline:

Grace Received: Believing the Incarnate Grace (John 1:14-18)

1. Indwelling Grace – the Word became flesh.
2. Visible Grace – in the life of Jesus
3. Abundant Grace – it is more than we can ever hope for or need
4. Hidden Grace – it is not for the world, but for the believer

One element I really appreciated was Norm’s reminder that we must know the depravity of our sin and our deserving of hell to truly grasp how beautiful the grace of God is in sending Jesus to be our propitiation for that depraved sin! A greater understanding of God’s grace will lead to a greater ability to give God’s grace to others!

After the session concluded, it was a joy to sit with my fellow elders and talk “shop.” Which brings me back to being in the lobby of this hotel and the end of day one. Is it worth being here? Is it worth taking time away from church duties, family, and doctoral studies? Absolutely, even if it were only to hear from Norm Miller how God’s grace is like the sea – wave upon wave, never ceasing, always consistent, overwhelmingly powerful, and a beauty to behold.

Till day 2… back to the comfortable chair, good music, and strong WIFI.