"Come Over Here, and Help Us"

Thy Kingdom Come

Travel, they say, broadens the mind.  Parochialism narrows it.  Thus far, the platitudes hold good. 

We have just returned from meeting with a group of teachers and pastors to discuss (and teach from) one of the great doctrinal statements of the Christian Church--the Westminster Confession of Faith.  Our destination and teaching campus were fairly isolated: the fellowship, however, was warm and inspiring.

The process has served to remind us of how much we (in the West) take for granted.  The participating audience consisted of twenty-three pastors and teachers involved in ministry in South East Asia.  Most got to the venue by means of a combination of buses and Shank's Pony.  Some had to travel whilst avoiding an area of armed conflict--so the distance for them was much greater than it otherwise would have been. 

The Westminster Confession  had been translated into the local language.
  The students aged from between early twenties through to men in their sixties.  The exposition of the various chapters of the Confession was also in the local language, having been translated from English.  Question and answer sessions were conducted in a mixture of the English and the local language. 

The conference concluded with attendees reflecting upon some of the things they had learnt and the difference they anticipated such things would bring to their ministry and the lives of their parishioners. 

Plans are already afoot to turn the proceedings into books and manuals so that instruction and teaching might be on-going.  What pastors and preachers have learned will now be passed on to congregations and other study groups. 

The thing which stands out most is the hunger for learning more about God and the Holy Bible.  There is a belief that the Bible contains vital truths, essential for making sense of life and death in this world.  The attendees wanted to be faithful to Scripture as they teach their congregants and flocks.