God's Global Family Lahash Conference
When, as followers of Jesus, we pray the Lord's Prayer for God's Kingdom to come, we commit ourselves, with all of God's people, to participate in its coming!
The biennial Lahash conference is a powerful moment to live out that prayer and to taste the love of God as we love one another. This year's conference, held in Nairobi, Kenya, focuses on the theme "God's Global Family."
At this moment in time, there is intense division, racism, tribalism, xenophobia, nationalism, and other-izing happening around the entire globe.
"We want to joyfully focus on the beauty of the Gospel and how it redeems, transforms, and unites us and gives us a bond of peace," shared Dan Holcomb, Executive Director of Lahash. "We want to focus on our unifying bonds in Christ and how we are all made one in Christ."
"I don't think I've been this excited about any conference as much as I am right now," said Dan.
East Africa Director, Edwin Angote, and his wife, Christine, are also looking forward to this conference. "It doesn't matter the skin color, the region that we are in, the different cultures that we have, we just have to understand that we are one big family of Christ," shared Christine.
What does this week mean for the partners? "Rest," said Edwin. This week is a time for ministry partners to step out of their day-to-day ministry with the children and families and connect with similar ministries in neighboring countries.
Edwin is excited about seeing everyone sitting down to eat together, learning from each other, worshipping, telling their stories, and then listening to other people's stories. Edwin said, the partners find time to rest and rejuvenate, learn, and take what they have learned back to their ministries. "At the end of the day, growth."
To contribute to a week of learning and growth, Lahash is excited for the lineup of speakers and workshops.
This summer, Pastor CJ Coffee from The Well Church in Portland, Oregon, is traveling to teach about God's heart for the church as seen throughout the Scriptures and the history of the church.
This conference also has a strong theme of healing from trauma. "We realize regularly how each of our partners carry immense amounts of trauma in their lives," shared Dan.
The Clinical Director of Charis Counseling, Bart Fowler, and art-based therapist Michelle Andrews are serving the group by fostering healing and providing tools for men and women to better serve their families facing trauma.
We will have men and women from 6 countries represented at the conference! A few families are traveling together, along with students who are eager to serve, learn, and lean into God's heart.
"Every time we travel, we see God do amazing things in our family and in the lives of our kids," said Dan. "We're able, as a family, to understand and work together as a unit, to be more a part of what God is doing around the world—and especially to know and help carry the burden of many of our brothers and sisters in East Africa."
The group will have an opportunity to visit our local ministry partnership - Nipe Tumaini - located in the Great Rift Valley, allowing everyone time to visit with children in the sponsorship program and to see a ministry in action.
We also have a very special day set during the conference to involve everyone in a stone-laying ceremony for a new training institute in Kenya. The Blakeman Center will be a place for discipling and raising local leaders to care for their communities in the Name of Jesus.
As we prepare for travel, our prayers for the global church are for unity, healing, and peace. The Scriptures say that the world will know we are Christ's because of our love (John 13:35).
May our hearts be soft and repentant and outward focused, ever hungry and humble, ready and willing to be formed into people of love.
"It looks like it's going to be our best conference ever," said Dan.
Would you pray with us that this is so?
•Pray that God works in mighty ways in the global church.
•Pray for rest and growth for the safety and health of everyone traveling together.
And pray, along with all God's people,
"Our Father in heaven, blessed be your Name.
Let your Kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven..."
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