You are qualified!
Wouter Vertegaal explains why this year’s GLO conference is for you…
When I think back about the people who have been most instrumental in my Christian walk, I am surprised. They’re not the guest speakers at events I attended; they’re not the high-profile leaders whose books I’ve read. They were ordinary people, people like you and me: my parents who prayed with me each day and read a devotion at meal times; a Sunday school teacher who involved me in a project to recreate a miniature temple; a youth leader who opened his home on Friday nights and showed himself faithful when a crisis hit his family; the group of friends I played in a band with during my teenage years; an older man from church who became a spiritual father to me; a young leader who helped me ground my faith with reasoning; a teacher who took a genuine interest in me; my wife, who seems to be miles ahead of me spiritually most days. These are the people who were consistently present and, through everyday opportunities, brought shape to my life.
Deuteronomy 6 tells us to talk with the young people around us about God’s word “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up”.
There’s nothing very extraordinary required. These verses don’t mention events, budgets or specialists. God intended his words not just to be captured in books and conveyed in lessons, but to be lived out, to inspire the next generation, by each of us! When it comes to raising faith in a new generation, we are all qualified! God has positioned ordinary people like you and me in the lives of those who form the new generation to make a difference.
Yet when I talk to the members of our church – to parents, grandparents, children’s workers, youth workers, educators and healthcare workers – many of them feel ill-equipped to share their faith and inspire the young people around them. Often they feel isolated, discouraged, confused or overwhelmed. It’s the people that could make the biggest difference who seem to feel the least equipped! We’re determined to help change this by encouraging and pointing those working with the next generation to inspiring examples, helpful resources and organisations that can help.
GLO Conference 2019
On Saturday 21 September in Peterborough, the GLO Conference will be bringing together many helpful people and resources that will inspire you to make a difference.
In whichever way you may have influence with under 18s, come and join us, and be inspired and encouraged to light up the next generation with the good news of the gospel.
We’ve got an excellent line up of speakers, including Andy Frost (Care for the Family), Rachel Turner (Parenting for Faith), Liz Fordham (Mind Map), Sharon Partridge-Underwood (Home for Good) and Esther Cummins (lecturer at Leeds Beckett University) to name a few.
New this year, we will have special Interest Groups to help us digest the day’s content together, so parents, carers, children’s workers, youth workers, church leaders, educators and healthcare workers can tease out the gems for their own areas of influence. And in addition we’re introducing Network Zones: a zone for those working in education, led by Sam Betts (primary head teacher) and Ben Williams (secondary head teacher), and a networking lunch for pastors, elders and ministry leaders, hosted by Care for the Family.
So, be the early bird and book in by 31 July to catch your ticket for just £20, with pastries and lunch included. Find more information and our exciting line up of speakers click the big button: