Register for the Mid-Michigan Reformation Conference

We're about half-way through summer and before we know it, fall will be upon us. That means it's time to register for the 10th annual Mid-Michigan Reformation Conference to be held on Saturday, October 26th from 10:00 am to 4:30 at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Flint.

Keep your eyes open for more detailed information that will be released soon, but as I have mentioned here before, the theme of this year's conference is "The Glory of Christ" and our speakers will be:

• David Crabb of First Baptist Church in Lapeer
• Jason Helopoulos of University Reformed Church in East Lansing
• Chuck Jacob of Knox Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor
• Don Galardi of Community EPC in Owosso

The entire event (including a hot lunch) is free of charge, but we do need to have an idea of how many will be attending, so we ask that you click here and fill out the quick and easy online registration form.

Feel free to shoot me an email with any questions.

Registration Open for Mid-Michigan Reformation Conference

Even though it's not yet June, you can already register for the 10th annual Mid-Michigan Reformation Conference to be held on Saturday, October 26th from 10:00 am to 4:30.

As I have mentioned here before, the theme of this year's conference is "The Glory of Christ" and our speakers will be:

• David Crabb of First Baptist Church in Lapeer
• Jason Helopoulos of University Reformed Church in East Lansing
• Chuck Jacob of Knox Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor
• Don Galardi of Community EPC in Owosso

The entire event (including a hot lunch) is free of charge, but we do need to have an idea of how many will be attending, so we ask that you click here and fill out the quick and easy online registration form.

Feel free to shoot me an email with any questions.

TGC Conference Audio Available

Last month around 5,000 people gathered in Orlando for The Gospel Coalition's national conference.  As TGC's founding documents state, their desire is "to serve the church we love . . . in an effort to renew the contemporary church in the ancient gospel of Christ." As such, they have made all of the TGC13 conference media (78 talks) available online for free. What a blessing to have all of this great teaching at our fingertips!

Mid-Michigan Reformation Conference...Save the Date

On Saturday, October 26th our church will be hosting the Mid-Michigan Reformation Conference. This will be our tenth year hosting the conference and we are very excited about it!

This year's theme will be "The Glory of Christ" and as has become our custom, we will once again have four gifted pastors from our region coming to speak to us. Our guest speakers will be:

• David Crabb of First Baptist Church in Lapeer
• Jason Helopoulos of University Reformed Church in East Lansing
• Chuck Jacob of Knox Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor
• Don Galardi of Community EPC in Owosso

One big change that we hope you will be excited about is the fact that THIS YEAR'S CONFERENCE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY FREE! We will gladly accept donations to help support the conference and enable us to continue to provide it, but we wanted to remove the possible obstacle of cost so that as many people as possible could be a part of this thoroughly enjoyable and edifying experience. 

So make sure you mark October 26th on your calendars now. In the meantime, feel free to email any questions to me at Pete@CalvaryFlint.com, and keep your eyes open for further information.

Hope to see you there!

Sola Conference

The five "Solas" stand at the heart of Reformation Christianity and they will be the theme of a conference in Michigan this December. I look forward to attending the Sola Conference in Lansing on December 6th and 7th, and sitting under the teaching of a great group of speakers.

Heikkinen and DeYoung (the conference's organizers) speak about it in the video below:



Check it out here, register by July 31 for only $45, and I'll see you there! The schedule is as follows:

Friday, December 6, 2013 

9:00 – 1:00: Preconference Track for Pastors & Church Planters

2:30 – 4:00: Session 1 – Sola (Noel Heikkinen)
4:30 – 5:30: Session 2 – Ad Fontes: Why Going Backward Is the Best Way to Go Forward (Kevin DeYoung)
7:30 – 9:00: Session 3 – Sola Fide (Matt Chandler)

Saturday, December 7, 2013

8:30 – 9:30: Session 4 – Sola Gratia (Leonce Crump)
10:00 – 11:00: Session 5 – Solus Christus (Stephen Um)
11:30 – 12:30: Session 6 – Panel Discussion
3:00 – 4:00: Session 7 – Sola Scriptura (Albert Mohler)
4:30 – 5:30: Session 8 – Soli Deo Gloria (John Piper)

Exciting Conference News!

On October 26th we at Calvary Presbyterian Church will be hosting our conference for the 10th time and we have a number of developments to share:

1) The conference's name is changing. To this point, it has been called the Mid-Michigan Conference on Reformed Theology. Beginning this year it will simply be called the Mid-Michigan Reformation Conference. The name change reflects a number of things. While we are still unquestionably Reformed in our theology, our intention is to have a Gospel-centered conference instead of having a Reformed Theology-centered conference. The teaching will still be from a Reformed perspective, but we hope this change will reflect our realization that we are not saved by having really sound theology, but by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

The reality also is that, perhaps since we have always held the conference on Reformation Weekend, many (most?) of the people we spoke with already referred to it as our "Reformation Conference." Perhaps this was also because of the fact that it's less wordy, which is another benefit of the new name.

2) This year's theme will be "The Glory of Christ" and we will once again have four gifted pastors from our region coming to speak to us. David Crabb of First Baptist Church in Lapeer, Jason Helopoulos of University Reformed Church in East Lansing and Don Galardi of Community EPC in Owosso have already agreed to speak. We are still waiting on confirmation from our fourth speaker and will pass along word as soon as we have it.

3) And the biggest news is...THIS YEAR'S CONFERENCE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY FREE! We will gladly accept donations to help support the conference and enable us to continue to provide it, but we wanted to remove the possible obstacle of cost so that as many people as possible could be a part of this thoroughly enjoyable and edifying experience. 

So make sure you mark October 26th on your calendars now. There will be more information coming out soon. In the meantime, feel free to email me with any questions at Pete@CalvaryFlint.com.

2013 Magnify Conference with Alistair Begg

If you plan on being anywhere near Mid-Michigan on April 5th and 6th, please allow me to heartily recommend that you attend the Magnify Conference, hosted by a quintet of churches from the Lansing area. Alistair Begg will be the featured speaker and will be examining the priority of God in a world that is eminently consumed with self.

The conference is very affordable ($20 for an individual, $10 for each additional family member) and you can register by clicking here.

If you're interested the schedule will be as follows:

Friday
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm...Plenary Session #1

Saturday 
8:00 am – 9:00 am...Musician & Pastor Breakfast Seminar (RSVP only)
9:15 am – 10:45am ...Plenary Session #2
11:00 am – Noon...Q & A
Noon – 1:30 pm...Lunch on your own
1:30pm – 3:00 pm...Plenary Session #3

Fellowship in the Gospel

For those of you who (like me) are in eastern Michigan and love to fellowship with brothers in Christ as we bask in the glow of the Gospel, let me alert you to what is sure to be a great event May 3rd and 4th. Fellowship in the Gospel is a two day conference hosted by Berean Baptist Church in Livonia, Michigan, and it is dedicated to the idea that the Gospel is the key to preaching and teaching, the key to relationships, and the key to an ongoing life of transformation.

This year's keynote speaker will be Dr. Bryan Chapell of Covenant Theological Seminary. During my time at Covenant, Dr. Chapell did as much as anyone to increase my understanding of and appreciation for the grace of God and the good news of the Gospel.

The schedule includes three plenary messages from Dr. Chapell, as well as three elective sessions. For those interested, there is also a pre-conference workshop by Brian Vickers focusing on Abraham's Sanctification by Faith.

Click here for information regarding registration.

Conference Reminder

Don't forget! The 9th annual Mid-Michigan Conference on Reformed Theology is coming up in just over three weeks. Make sure you take advantage of this great time of fellowship and teaching on October 27th.

The conference this year will focus on the theme of Genesis: Five Testimonies to Grace. The speakers (all pastors from throughout the region) are:

• Doug Graham (Knox Presbyterian Church) speaking on Adam
• Robert Dickie (Berean Baptist Church) speaking on Enoch
• Jason Roddy (Pilgrim Presbyterian Church) speaking on Abraham
• Mark Hudson (Tyrone Covenant Presbyterian Church) speaking on Jacob
• Hal Polk (Calvary Presbyterian Church) speaking on Joseph

If you would like more information (or would like to access audio from past years' messages), you can access the conference page on Calvary's website by clicking here.

2012 Puritan Reformed Conference

Last week I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend the 2012 Puritan Reformed Conference in Grand Rapids. It was the fourth annual conference put on by Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, and (as has been the case with their past conferences) it was wonderfully conducted.

Throughout the conference, I tweeted highlights from the various messages. In lieu of a full detailed review of the conference, I thought it might help give you a feel for the conference if I were to share with you what I tweeted.

There's probably an easy way to re-order your tweets so that they read top to bottom as opposed to bottom to top. Alas, if this is the case, I am not smart enough to figure it out. So if you'd like to read the tweets in the order they were tweeted, go to the bottom of this post and start there.

Puritan Reformed Conference

There is still time to register for the fourth annual Puritan Reformed Conference, held August 23-25 in Grand Rapids. Joel Beeke, David Murray, Burk Parsons and Derek Thomas will be among the great lineup of speakers at the conference, which this year follows the theme of "The Beauty and Glory of the Father."

Click here to register online. The schedule for the conference is as follows:

August 23 (Thursday evening)

6:00 – 7:00pm
Registration

7:00 – 8:00pm
Welcome, Prayer, & Singing
Opening Message – Jerry Bilkes, Father and Son in the Exodus (Hos.11:1, etc.)

8:15 – 9:15pm
Plenary Session #1 – Derek Thomas, The Holiness of the Father in the Old Testament

9:15 – 10:15pm
Exhibits Open – 10:15pm, Day One ends


August 24 (Friday)

8:30 – 9:00am
Registration

9:00 – 10:30am
Welcome, Prayer, & Singing
Plenary Session #2 – Bart Elshout, The Father’s Love for His Son (Jn.3:35)

11:00am – 12:00pm
Plenary Session #3 – Burk Parsons, The Father’s Beautiful Hand of Blessed Chastisement (Heb.12:4-13)

12:00 – 1:45pm
Lunch Break

2:00 – 315pm
Plenary Session #4 – Ryan McGraw – The Need for a Trinitarian Piety

3:30 – 4:30pm
Breakout Sessions:

David Murray, Counseling and the Fatherhood of God
Burk Parsons, The Glory of the Father in the High-Priestly Prayer of Christ (Jn.17)
Paul Smalley, Richard Sibbes on the Mercy and Faithfulness of the Father
William VanDoodewaard, Your Father in Heaven (Mt.5-7)

4:30 – 6:30pm
Dinner Break

6:30 – 7:00pm
Special Music – TBD

7:00 – 8:15pm
Plenary Session #5 – Joel Beeke, The Apostle John and the Puritans on the Father’s Adopting, Transforming Love

8:30 – 9:15pm
Q&A Session (moderated by David Murray)

Joel Beeke
Derek Thomas
Burk Parsons
Bart Elshout

9:15 – 10pm
Exhibits open – 10:00–10:45pm, Day two ends


August 25 (Saturday)

9:00 – 10:30am
Welcome, Prayer & Singing
Plenary Session #6 – William VanDoodewaard, The Father’s Mercy (1Pet.1:3-5)

10:45 – 11:45am
Plenary Session #7 – Derek Thomas, Seeing the Father in the Face of Jesus (Jn.14:9)

11:45am – 12:00pm
Closing Song & Prayer – 12:00pm, Day three ends

Pastors' Conference

Back in June I mentioned the pastors' seminar and Bible conference put on annually by West Cannon Baptist Church near Grand Rapids. This conference (to be held September 24 & 25) features Michael Horton and Kevin DeYoung, and registration opens today (only $35 if you register by August 31, $45 afterward). Check out the schedule below and for more information or to register, click here or call 616-874-6740.

West Cannon Pastors' Seminar

Each year, West Cannon Baptist Church near Grand Rapids hosts a wonderful conference for pastors. It is very inexpensive and the teaching is always top notch, including in past years such speakers as D.A. Carson, Joel Beeke, Voddie Baucham, Steven Lawson and Jerry Bridges. This year's conference will occur on September 24th & 25th and will feature speakers Mike Horton and Kevin DeYoung.

For those who register before August 31, the cost for the seminar is just $35 per person, which includes both a continental breakfast and lunch on Tuesday. If you can't make the whole conference, the Monday evening session is open to the public at no charge.

More details will be forthcoming, but pencil this event in on your calendar and plan on attending!

PRTS Conference: The Glory of the Father

Joel Beeke, Burk Parsons and Derek Thomas will be among the great lineup of speakers at the fourth annual Puritan Reformed Conference, held August 23-25 in Grand Rapids. I attended the last two years when the conference themes were The Beauty and Glory of the Holy Spirit and The Beauty and Glory of the Son. This year's theme is (not  surprisingly) "The Beauty and Glory of the Father." Each of the conferences I have been to has been a blessing to my soul, and I have every confidence that this one will be no different.

Space is limited and they are almost certain to end up having to turn people away for this conference, so don't hesitate; click here to register online before July 22 and receive the early registration rate of just $65. I am steadfastly convinced that there is not a better value available anywhere for this type of conference. There are even great deals available for hotel rooms in connection with the conference.

The schedule for the conference is as follows:

August 23 (Thursday evening)

6:00 – 7:00pm
Registration

7:00 – 8:00pm
Welcome, Prayer, & Singing
Opening Message – Jerry Bilkes, Father and Son in the Exodus (Hos.11:1, etc.)

8:15 – 9:15pm
Plenary Session #1 – Derek Thomas, The Holiness of the Father in the Old Testament

9:15 – 10:15pm
Exhibits Open – 10:15pm, Day One ends


August 24 (Friday)

8:30 – 9:00am
Registration

9:00 – 10:30am
Welcome, Prayer, & Singing
Plenary Session #2 – Bart Elshout, The Father’s Love for His Son (Jn.3:35)

11:00am – 12:00pm
Plenary Session #3 – Burk Parsons, The Father’s Beautiful Hand of Blessed Chastisement (Heb.12:4-13)

12:00 – 1:45pm
Lunch Break

2:00 – 315pm
Plenary Session #4 – Ryan McGraw – The Need for a Trinitarian Piety

3:30 – 4:30pm
Breakout Sessions:

David Murray, Counseling and the Fatherhood of God
Burk Parsons, The Glory of the Father in the High-Priestly Prayer of Christ (Jn.17)
Paul Smalley, Richard Sibbes on the Mercy and Faithfulness of the Father
William VanDoodewaard, Your Father in Heaven (Mt.5-7)

4:30 – 6:30pm
Dinner Break

6:30 – 7:00pm
Special Music – TBD

7:00 – 8:15pm
Plenary Session #5 – Joel Beeke, The Apostle John and the Puritans on the Father’s Adopting, Transforming Love

8:30 – 9:15pm
Q&A Session (moderated by David Murray)

Joel Beeke
Derek Thomas
Burk Parsons
Bart Elshout

9:15 – 10pm
Exhibits open – 10:00–10:45pm, Day two ends


August 25 (Saturday)

9:00 – 10:30am
Welcome, Prayer & Singing
Plenary Session #6 – William VanDoodewaard, The Father’s Mercy (1Pet.1:3-5)

10:45 – 11:45am
Plenary Session #7 – Derek Thomas, Seeing the Father in the Face of Jesus (Jn.14:9)

11:45am – 12:00pm
Closing Song & Prayer – 12:00pm, Day three ends

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom...David Platt on the Motive for Missions

"If we believe Revelation 5:9, if we believe that Jesus died to purchase people from every tribe and tongue and nation, then we will go to every tribe and tongue and nation. We will go and make disciples of all people groups.

"Why? Think about it. Because we feel guilty that we’re reached? Because we feel guilty because of all the resources that we have? People say, 'Aren’t we just guilting people into going overseas, guilting people into going to unreached peoples?'

"No! What drives passion for unreached peoples is not guilt: we feel bad so we go. No! What drives passion for unreached peoples is not guilt, it’s glory—it's glory for a King. It's people who believe that our king deserves the praise of every single people group on the planet, not just select ones here and here and here and here."
David Platt
Together for the Gospel, 2012

Valentine's Day and the Song of Solomon

At Valentine's Day, I've noticed a number of bloggers have turned their attention to the Song of Solomon. I suppose this is to be expected. Whatever exactly this book of the Bible talks about, it clearly does so using terms of romantic love.

Throughout history, Christians have had many reactions to the Song. One is to completely ignore it out of discomfort with the subject matter. It goes without saying that with any part of Scripture, this is an unacceptable attitude.

For those who do look to the Song, there are various ways it has been interpreted. Some within the Church have allegorized it, contending that it is solely about God and his relationship with the church, and it has nothing to say about romantic love between individuals.Yet another way that some have dealt with it is by turning it into nothing more than a marriage manual, neglecting altogether what it might have to say to us about God, and specifically Jesus Christ. To apply either of these approaches, in my opinion, is to fall terribly short of understanding what God is telling us in this book.

A couple years ago at the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary Conference, Dr. Iain Campbell preached what was not only the best sermon I've ever heard on the Song, but was (especially in its second half) one of my favorite sermons ever on any text. Click on the player below to listen to it.

Philadelphia Conference...The Gospel: What? Why? How?

Each year the Alliance for Confessing Evangelicals hosts the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology in multiple locations. This year the conference will be held March 23-25 in Grand Rapids and April 20-22 in Philadelphia, and it promises to be a wonderful time of instruction and fellowship.

The theme of the conference is The Gospel: What? Why? How? and speakers will include Sinclair Ferguson, Richard Phillips, Ligon Duncan and others. You can click here to register for the Grand Rapids event, or can click here to register for Philadelphia.

Below is the schedule for this year's conferences:

Friday

Preconference:
8:00 a.m. Pre-Conference Registration
9:15 a.m. Devotional: A Minister of the Gospel Eph. 3:7-9, Richard Phillips
9:45 a.m. The Necessity of Gospel Preaching – Romans 10:13-17, Harry Reeder
10:45 a.m. Coffee Break
11:00 a.m. The Profile of Gospel Preaching – I Cor. 2: 1-5, Harry Reeder
12:00 p.m. Lunch (at local restaurants)
1:30 p.m. The Man, The Message & The Method of Gospel Preaching – II Tim 2:14-4:8, Harry Reeder
2:30 p.m. Question & Answer: Harry Reeder and Richard Phillips
3:15 p.m. End of Pre-Conference

Conference:
7:00 pm The Gospel of Great Joy - Luke 2:10-12, Sinclair Ferguson

Saturday

8:00 a.m. Late Registration
9:00 a.m. The Gospel Remedy for Bad News – Romans 3:21-26, Harry Reeder
10:00 a.m. The Gospel Power of God – Romans 1:16, Sinclair Ferguson
11:00 a.m. Question and Answer Session
12:00 p.m. Lunch (at local restaurants)
2:00 p.m. The Gospel Preaching of the Cross – 1 Corinthians 1:17, Ligon Duncan
3:15-4:30 p.m. Seminars - Please choose one

1. The Gospel in the Contemporary Evangelical Churches, Ligon Duncan
2. A Gospel Reformation: Then and Now, Robert Godfrey (MI)
3. Getting the Gospel Out, Liam Goligher (PA)
4. The Full Gospel: Justification and Sanctification, Richard Phillips

4:30 p.m. Dinner (at local restaurants)
6:30 p.m. Sacred Concert
7:00 p.m. The Gospel Message of Christ – Mark 1:14-15, Robert Godfrey (MI); Liam Goligher (PA)

Sunday

AM Worship - The Gospel Ministry of Reconciliation – 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Ligon Duncan

Worship Conference: Magnify 2012

If you are in Michigan, I wanted to let you know about what looks like it will be a great conference next month.  Magnify 2012 is coming up on February 10-11 in East Lansing, and will feature Bob Kauflin, Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries.

Pastors, worship leaders, and church members will all benefit from this conference, which is for all those who want to grow in biblical understanding and in a theologically-grounded experience of worship. The conference is very reasonably priced ($20 in advance, $25 at the door) and is being held at University Reformed Church.

Click here to register for the conference, click here for a brochure, or if you would like more information you can click here.

8th Annual Mid-Michigan Conference on Reformed Theology

This weekend, in honor of Reformation Sunday, our church hosted the 8th annual Mid-Michigan Conference on Reformed Theology.  Our speakers were five pastors from throughout the region and this year's conference dealt with the Reformed doctrines of the TULIP:

• Total Depravity
• Unconditional Election
• Limited Atonement
• Irresistible Grace
• Perseverance of the Saints

I'm pleased to let you know that the conference was a rousing success.  Click here to listen to any of the messages from the conference, and please send me an email (Pete@CalvaryFlint.com) if you would like to receive information about future conferences.

You're Invited!

If you're in Michigan and are looking for a great way to spend your day this Saturday, let me invite you to consider attending the Mid-Michigan Conference on Reformed Theology.  This is the eighth year our church has hosted the conference, and our focus this year will be on the Reformed doctrines of the TULIP:

• Total Depravity
• Unconditional Election
• Limited Atonement
• Irresistible Grace
• Perseverance of the Saints

Our speakers will be pastors from various churches throughout the region, and we anticipate a wonderful time of learning and fellowship as we gather together.  Click here to see a bulletin, and feel free to sign up at the door.  We hope to see you there!