The third and final installment of the annual REAP evangelism conference gets underway on May 11 and 12, and will focus on “growing deeper” by examining the idea that evangelism and discipleship are inseparable, with each needing the other and thriving in one another's presence.
Promising to bring participants “Relevant, Effective, Accessible and Practical information on outreach and evangelism in today's world,” the conference is an initiative of the Presbytery of Hamilton, but it has grown beyond the presbytery's bounds. The past two conferences have reached more than 400 participants from 50 congregations and five denominations.
“It's been a blessing,” said Rev. Fred Stewart, one of the conference organizers and minister at the Carluke and Binbrook charge. “REAP is bigger than we are. It has a life of its own.”
Despite its success, some have said that REAP is too loud and too un-Presbyterian. “But we can see hope in the lives and hearts of the people who come to REAP, and they come away equipped,” said Rev. Garfield Havemann, another of the main organizers and minister at Chedoke, Hamilton.
The conference grew so large, in fact, that it moved from Chedoke after its first year to Redeemer University College in Hamilton.
“What REAP wanted to do was call individuals, churches, presbyteries — the denomination — to challenge the maintenance mindset, and move to a heart-set; to growth,” said Stewart. “The conversation is on-going, but the question is always, how do we do it?”
The idea for REAP was born during the FLAMES year of evangelism back in 2003, when presbyteries were encouraged to hold workshops on this topic. But Stewart had other ideas, and after sharing them with Havemann and others, they approached the presbytery and gained permission to form a study group on hosting a large-scale evangelism conference.
“REAP's first conference focused on the why,” said Havemann. “Why do this? Do we understand the call of God? Do we understand the work necessary to be an evangelizing people? The second was about practical outreach; we understand the call and heart of God, so now how do we do this? The third one is about discipleship. We learned the why and how, so where does this lead? When you get to the end of number three, it should bring you back to the first, and back to the whys of the gospel.”
To make the final conference as accessible as possible, admission for ministers is free if they bring along two guests, and students get in at a reduced rate. A huge worship event is planned for the Friday night, and the conference features four main sessions plus 16 practical and interactive workshops. Glen Soderholm along with The Witnesses (a praise band composed of young presbytery members) will lead worship during the conference.
“Taking on Jesus as Lord and Saviour is not the goal or the destination; it's a starting point. A step to create other followers,” said Stewart. “It's about being relational, and it's driven by that.
“We haven't changed the denomination or the presbytery,” he continued, “but in our churches, it has made a big difference. There's a sense of something significant happening. And I suspect I know whose spirit of grace is making this happen.”
Visit www.reapconference.org for more information.
