On the weekend of May 19-20, there was an international conference in Ternopil, Ukraine for the friends from Eastern Europe. The theme of this conference was, “What is the church?”
In addition to attendees from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Moldova, and Poland, people also came from Norway, Germany, and France to hear the word of God and be strengthened in their faith.
What is the church?
In the Bible, much is written about the church; the body of Christ is often used as an analogy. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,” Paul writes to the Corinthians. (1 Cor. 12:13) On this body, Christ is the Head, and each member has direct contact with Him.
“The church is everyone who overcomes sin, or who has faith and hope in complete victory!”
At the first meeting of the conference, Arild Tombre from France spoke about what the church actually is and how it reveals itself through the lives of believers. “The church is everyone who overcomes sin, or who has faith and hope in complete victory,” explained Tombre. “If we overcome sin, our lives will have a magnetic drawing effect on other people,” he continued enthusiastically. “On the other hand if we do not overcome, even the work we do for God won’t be of any real benefit.”
Fellowship and fun
As is typical at conferences like these, the breaks between meetings were alive with activity, and the friends really enjoyed each other’s company. The adults conversed and shared experiences, while the children played in the fresh air. The youth used the breaks to play soccer or volleyball.
The late evening hours after the youth meeting were the icing on the cake for the youth. There was a barbecue and a mini-concert outdoors, and trophies were awarded to the winning teams of the volleyball and soccer tournaments.
The preaching put into practice
After a weekend with such a clear and rich preaching, it was quite evident that many, both young and old, had made a decision to put into practice in their own lives what they heard. You could clearly hear it in the many enthusiastic testimonies during the last meeting. There is no doubt that the conference made a deep impression on every person who was there.