First ACN Good News Training Conference with Rev. Dr. Michael Green May 17–20 in El Paso
The first ACN Good News evangelism training conference, called “Sharing Your Faith,” is being hosted by the Southwest Deanery of the Network Diocese of Rio Grande at St. Clement Pro Cathedral in El Paso, Texas, May 17–20. The conference is free and open to all. The Good News Initiative of the Anglican Communion Network (ACN) is sponsoring a number of evangelistic training events for lay and clergy over the course of the next 12 months across the United States.
The Rev. Cn. Dr. Michael Green, evangelist and author of more than 50 books on evangelism and discipleship, will be the main speaker at the El Paso event which begins with an Ascension Day evening service on May 17. Green will be joined by the Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman of the Diocese of Quincy who will preside, present and preach as well throughout the four day event. Other members of the ACN’s Good News core team who will lead training workshops are Carrie Boren, Missioner of Evangelism for the Diocese of Dallas, Jenny Noyes, ACN Good News Initiative and Communications Coordinator, and Rosemary Green, Dr. Green’s wife and partner in ministry for almost 50 years.
Chief organizer for the El Paso conference is the Rev. Dr. Felix Orji, associate rector at St. Francis on the Hill in El Paso. Orji and his colleagues in the Southwest Deanery were the first to volunteer to host a Good News conference when the initiative was announced by the Network less than two months ago.
When asked why he was so motivated to hold a conference as soon as possible, Orji replied, “The passion for me for ministry in the Anglican/Episcopal Church is to lead people to Christ. If there was no opportunity to lead people to Christ, I would not have been ordained. I want to reach the people in the pews, then equip them to reach others. Evangelism is what ministry is about and all the rest follows from that.”
Friday, May 18 will include a clergy luncheon followed by an afternoon of teaching by Green and Ackerman. Friday evening’s service and message entitled “The Church God Uses” by Green will kick off the weekend’s events. Saturday, May 19 will be a full day of evangelism training for lay and clergy concluding with an evening rally to which participants are encouraged to invite friends to hear the Gospel message. Sunday, the team will spread out to teach and preach at several churches in the El Paso area.
The Network’s Good News conferences will all be tailored to meet the specific needs of people in the regions in which they are held. For example, workshops at the El Paso conference will include topics such as “Reaching Hispanics for Christ” and “Evangelism in a Catholic Context.”
All Good News conferences will include teachings on the biblical mandate for Christians to spread the Gospel, as well as many practical workshops like “Evangelistic preaching,” “Finding your evangelistic style,” “Introducing Jesus in today’s spiritual landscape” and “But I’m not an evangelist!” Individuals will be equipped to share their faith in a variety of settings in their everyday lives and parishes will be equipped to develop and sustain on-going evangelism ministries to reach their communities.
“There has never been a greater need in the Anglican/Episcopal Church to re-focus our lives and our churches on the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Green. “These evangelism training conferences are designed not to just talk about evangelism, but to actually awaken and equip the Church to fulfill its purpose in bringing in a harvest for the Lord.”
To register for the “Sharing Your Faith” conference in El Paso, email the Rev. Dr. Felix Orji at felixcorji@yahoo.ca or call St. Clement’s Pro Cathedral office at 915–533–4915. For hotel information, go to www.stclements.com.
Other Good News conferences are tentatively planned for June 8–10 – Moline, IL, August 24–26 – N. Florida, Sept. 14–16 – Bluffton, SC, Sept. 28–30 – Cleveland, OH, Oct. 5–7 – Savannah, GA, Oct. 24–28 – New England, and Nov. 8–11 – San Jose, CA. Contact Jenny Noyes at jnoyes@acn-us.org for more information on the Good News Initiative.
Posted 4/19/07