A Run-away Boat and Partnership in the Gospel
123 church leaders from 26 congregations of the International Churches of Christ met in North Carolina recently. Sam Laing commented, "We are in the best place in our Southeast unity that I have seen in my lifetime." Paul Ramsey noted this year's retreat was attended by 50% more people than last year.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. -Philippians 1:3-6
When evangelist Rick Overturf watched helplessly as his fishing boat floated out into the St. John’s River near Jacksonville, Florida last winter, it seemed his dream of a great day fishing with his nephew was floating away with it. Little did he know God was about to give him a great illustration and metaphor for the price we have to pay for partnership in the gospel. Using this story, which ended with a great victory, Rick’s message on the “Price of Partnership” and the journey of the Triangle Church back to unity was perhaps the emotional high point of the Southeast Leaders Retreat.
Held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina on June 5-7 with the theme “Partners in the Gospel,” the retreat brought together 123 church leaders representing 26 churches to reflect on what God had done and to dream together of how he will bring his work to completion.
Sam Laing and Damian Jean-Baptiste joined Rick Overturf in stirring the hearts of the disciples with messages on The Plan, The Power, and The Price of Partnership. Sheila Jones, Kelly Brown, Sara Alawaye and Geri Laing spoke to the women. Scott Kirkpatrick and Tom Brown looked back at what God has done in our past and put before the disciples a stirring 20/20 vision for our future. Three younger evangelists, Jarrod Robinson, Damien Charley and David Laing closed the retreat speaking on the “The Promise of Partnership.”
Our time together also brought about the decision to have six brothers work together as the Southeast Partnership Team. The brothers that were selected to lead the way in planning events and developing the unity of the region were:
Sam Laing (Athens, GA)
Rick Overturf (Raleigh, NC)
Scott Kirkpatrick (Greenville, SC)
Sergio Arguello (Chattanooga, TN)
Jeff Hickman (Atlanta, GA)
Damien Charley (Nashville, TN)
There is a great spirit of unity in the Southeast Region that is continuing to grow to strengthen our brotherhood across the world. It is the belief among many of us, including those who have long history in our region, that we have never been more committed to and organized for regional partnership than we are today. Let us continue to pray for unity as we strive to bring God glory in the Southeast!