Conference
Topics
Friday Intensive
“Christ: the Center of Reality”
For many, Christ is the figure that enters and dies on the cross. But Christ is the King of our world, the center of history, by whom the world was made at the beginning—and in whom our redeemed lives have meaning forever. The Wilberforce Weekend Intensive is traditionally our time to dive deep on a crucial topic—and this year, its goal is to expand your vision of who Christ is, so that you can understand His true place in the life redeemed.
Friday Evening
Session 1: A Redemptive Vision
If redemption were only about you being saved from destruction for a personal relationship with Jesus, it would be the best thing in the world. The good news? It’s even more than that. This evening, we will unpack Scripture’s vision of redemption, and how it has meaning for the entire world.
Saturday Morning
Session 2: What are we saved from?
We’re saved from damnation later—but a life redeemed also offers freedom now from the fallen world’s most insidious effects; like bitterness, hate, confusion, and fear. This module will explore the deep truths of what we’re saved from—and stories of people for whom those truths have meant everything.
Session 3: What are we saved to?
Redemption has a purpose—and so do you. A life redeemed is marked by a clarity of purpose, identity, and meaning. Not without doubts, of course—but never without recourse. This module shows how redemption paves the way for what God intended for us from the beginning.
Saturday Afternoon
Session 4: What are we saved for?
In the final teaching module of the weekend, we will explore numerous ways in which our redeemed lives can have transformational impact on the people, cultures, and institutions around us—and how we can be the Body of Christ in bringing life redeemed to the world.
Saturday Evening
Wilberforce Award Dinner
Faithful Christians face great difficulty in today’s culture. That’s why the body of Christ ought to recognize, encourage, and emulate those with uncompromising courage and conviction. Chuck Colson established the William Wilberforce Award in 1988 to annually recognize a Christian leader who exemplifies the principles and commitment of William Wilberforce, the great English statesman who waged a forty-year campaign to end the slave trade in Britain and to reform a broken society. We wish to honor Christian leaders who, by their example, encourage all Christians to make a difference in the face of tough societal problems and injustices. That is the purpose of the Wilberforce Award. This year, we will honor the unwavering Christian faith of Barronelle Stutzman and Jack Phillips!
Sunday Morning
Worship & Colson Fellows Commissioning
At the pinnacle of the weekend, we will come together for a deeply moving time of singing and corporate worship, including a stirring sermon from Dr. Bill Brown that will tie together the themes of the weekend into a personal calling for you. Following that, we will commission a new class of Colson Fellows as they take their next step in joining the work of Christ as He restores all things.
