The theme of the conference was The Beatitudes (Matthew 5). Pastor Ron Friedersdorf, of Victory Christian Center in Lockport New York, kicked off the weekend with a challenging talk on the Culturization of Salvation.
Then we dove into the Beatitudes, a different person preached on each Beatitude and we were all given a much broader scope on this very familiar passage. We learned that this chapter is the “recipe” for a Christian. We dissected what it means to be poor in spirit, one who mourns, meek, one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted. And we learned of the blessings that follow for these Christ look-a-likes. As these Beatitudes unfolded it was amazing to see just how intertwined they were to each other and how you can’t have one without the others cause they build upon each other. It was so interesting to see that this passage starts and ends with “theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”…it really is all about the Kingdom.
The weekend wrapped up with Gale Chapple, a Christian counselor from Clarence New York, teaching us about Boundaries. It was very interesting to learn how setting, and keeping boundaries are an essential part of life. We all related on a deep and relevant level with this talk.
