Autumn England Conference
by Irene Gilsenan

The Peak District of England was once again the setting for our Autumn get–together in Castleton. It was my first time to Castleton and I thoroughly enjoyed the rustic charm of its stone houses and quaint craft shops. Many of us took advantage of the Saturday afternoon break to explore the streets and continue conversations in one of the many tea shops.

The focus of this conference was our being 100% available for Christ to live in us, as us. This involves facing up to and dealing with those areas of our lives where Satan has misused us, often for years, thus blocking the flow of Christ’s life through us.

Friday evening began with an update on what God’s been doing in our lives and an opportunity for newcomers to introduce themselves and say why they were there. It
was great to see in people’s faces, as well as to hear from their words, that God has indeed been at work. We went on to look at how our wrong believing can hinder us from being totally Christ to others, and to see that when our believing is right, all things are possible and there is no limit to what God may do through us. After the meeting, conversations continued in smaller groups, some drifting off to bed around
midnight, others continuing to the small hours. When God’s people get together, there is so much to be talked over and so much help to be gained by hearing what He has to say to us through one another.

On Saturday morning we each wrote down what we thought was blocking us from living 100% Christ lives. It emerged that the common theme here was self–absorption in its varied forms. Evidence of this was seen as individuals shared some specifics of what they had written down. Discussions of several individual issues developed and it was thrilling to see God break through areas of denial and sin in people’s lives and to see the change as they were set free to live from who they really are. As we press on in God, we are seeing that ours is a high calling and no unbelief, no matter how trivial or insignificant it may seem, is acceptable to God. Romans 14:23 tells us that "…everything that does not come from faith is sin."

In the midst of the many discussions, there was also opportunity for Sanda to do some teaching. We explored further the truth of seeing everything as Christ or Satan and realizing that there is no middle ground. This was taught in a very practical way, as we looked at how it applies to everyday situations (such as marital conflict, problems at work etc.).

This time it was great to have Jane Rogerson take over some of the responsibility for the youth program, thus releasing Sanda, who divided herself admirably between youth and adults. The young folk joined us for our final meeting and shared some of what they had been doing and learning over the weekend. We enjoyed their excellent drawings which express the truth they have come to understand.

We ended our conference by many people sharing what the weekend had meant to us and how we would apply what we’ve learned to daily life as we walk on in faith.