Here’s a good example:

Good News for our friends at Stonefield. The Vicar has long been anxious to do something more for the spiritual needs of the increasing population of Stonefield. He has now finally decided to commence a Week-night Service, on Thursday evenings. It will commence on Thursday, February 5th, in the Stonefield Schoolroom, at 7.30 p.m.  The Service will last about an hour, and will be very simple, very plain, and very hearty.  It is intended especially for those in the neighbourhood who are not accustomed to bring to church. We trust it may prove an hour pleasantly and profitably spent. It will bring, we doubt not, a blessing to those who come, and to their homes. Books will be provided, and a hearty welcome given to any and all who come.

What more do you want?  It meets in a school, is aimed at the outsider, is plain and passionate, and even meets on a midweek evening.  You won’t get more freshness out of a tube of toothpaste!

This was announced January 1885 in the Christ Church Parish Magazine.

Ecclesiastes 1:9

Oh, here’s one: a video of a Q and A session at Adrian Warnock’s site.

Another conference I can’t go to is the Total Church conference in San Diego starting 12th August.  To see what sessions and seminars will be taking place, Drew Goodmanson has them here.  Looks brilliant, and I’m hoping this too will have media available for us who can’t attend.

Drew Goodmanson (church planter in San Diego) mentioned a course called “Sonship” and “Gospel Transformation” published by World Harvest Mission.  Go take a look at the material, or check out the comment by my friend Glen.  These courses look great because they realise that the gospel isn’t simply what we believe when we become Christians, it is what we go on believing to grow as Christians.  To anyone out there running courses, here’s one called “Gospel Centered Life” which is currently available as a free pdf download.  Actually, even if you’re not running courses go grab it.  I promise its contents wills be extremely helpful.

Contents:

Week 1 – The Gospel Grid
Leader’s Guide
Article: “The Gospel Grid”
Supplement: Six Ways of Minimizing Sin

Week 2 – Performance
Leader’s Guide
Article: “Shrinking the Cross Through Performance”
Exercise Handout: Orphans vs. Sons

Week 3 – Dishonesty
Leader’s Guide
Article: “Shrinking the Cross Through Dishonesty”
Exercise Handout: Right and Wrong

Week 4 – The Law Drives You to Christ
Leader’s Guide
Article: “The Law and the Gospel”
Exercise Handout: Tim Keller’s Gospel Grid

Week 5 – Lifestyle Repentance
Leader’s Guide
Article: “True Repentance vs. False Repentance”

Week 6 – Transformational Faith
Leader’s Guide
Article: “Heart Idolatry”

Week 7 – Mission
Leader’s Guide
Article: “The Gospel Propels Us Outward”
Exercise Handout: Getting to the Heart of Mission

Week 8 – Forgiveness
Leader’s Guide
Article: “The Gospel Empowers Us To Forgive”
Exercise Handout: Getting to the Heart of Forgiveness

Week 9 – Conflict
Leader’s Guide
Article: “The Gospel Helps Us Fight Fairly”
Exercise Handout: Gospel-Centered Conflict Resolution

Anyway, I discovered minutes ago that Mark Driscoll and Steve Timmis were doing a day conference (12th July) in this country!  Fantastic, I thought.  I had really wanted to go to New York in April for the joint conference between Acts 29 and Tim Keller’s Church Planting Centre, but finances prevented me.

Then I checked my diary.  I’m already booked, for a training day on “Priesthood and Presidency” in preparation for my ordination to the “priesthood” in October.  Gutted!!  I may repent of this statement after the day itself, but is this going to end up as a day on “how to limit church growth by limiting those who can preside at the Lord’s Supper to those who are episcopally ordained” vs. “how to grow your church with the gospel of grace”??

Anyway, anyone in or around London – you really really must go.  Here are the details. And a pdf is available here.  Don’t forget Mark Driscoll live at St James Clerkenwell on the night before.

But there’s more. An article here (at www.rts.edu/quarterly/fall01/james.html) describes Calvin’s love of mission and supporting missionaries / church planters around the world.

You can hear the original talk (1 hr 45min) at this site if you use iTunes. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to get iTunes working with Linux so if anyone downloads it will you e-mail it to me!!  (Update – thank you TS for doing this, and for not commenting on the [alleged] superiority of Mac to Linux…)

[HT: Between Two Worlds]