THIRD PRES HOLDS FIRST ANNUAL "VISION CONFERENCE"

Why did 1300 people gather together at Third Presbyterian, Richmond to talk vision?  In Senior Pastor Steve Hartman’s words, “Without a vision, the people perish.”   So Third Presbyterian held their first annual “Inside-Out Vision Conference” January 11-13, 2008. Dr. Mark Labberton, pastor of First Presbyterian in Berkley, California, was their conference speaker. The inspiration was attending the 2006 PGF conference in Atlanta. They set in motion the goal to bring the message of simultaneous inward and outward focus back to their own church in Richmond.  They set out to reframe their church structure, basing it on the “inside out” model, and to put together a new mission statement centered on that concept.  From this reframing process came the idea to hold an annual conference to calibrate and recalibrate Third Presbyterian to their mission statement as well as involve lay people in an excellent, congregation-wide experience.

 

Vision was the order of the day.  Pastor Steve Hartman says, “We need vision. We need to see our world through the lens of God’s eyes. Our culture shapes us. TV seeks to mold our thinking and seeing of the world. Information and interaction on the Internet further forms us. Is our vision going forward coming from God or all these other sources? It’s a life or death question. Our vision conference aims to recalibrate us with God’s vision for our lives—God’s vision for Third Church—God’s vision for the city and the world. We need that recalibration. We need God-given focus. I am praying that God will give us new vision as we enter a new year. That’s a big prayer, but we’re talking about something big—a life that matters for God—a life that is being transformed by God.”

Local artists in the congregation developed an “image theme” with a Mobius, which served as the conference logo.  Several large, fabric versions were hung in the sanctuary during the conference.  Dr. Mark Labberton focused on the theme from Daniel: “Strangers in a Strange Land.”  The conference began Friday night with Dr. Labberton’s talk followed by music by the Alex Mejias Band.  Saturday morning, Dr. Labberton spoke again and then the congregation broke into smaller workshops led by lay people, based on the three-fold missional focus of local neighborhoods, metro-Richmond, and the global community. The conference concluded with a Sunday morning worship service at a local high school where Dr. Labberton preached to over 1300 people. As a means to expand and elaborate the vision of the conference, Pastor Steve Hartman began a six-week sermon series the following week, dedicated to participation in God’s mission from the individual home to the global community.

 

Corey Widmer, an associate pastor at Third Presbyterian, said the conference was “very successful and a wonderful way to come together as a congregation and begin the year.” He advised that other churches interested in hosting a similar event begin planning early and get as many lay people involved as possible from the beginning to ignite enthusiasm.  Third Presbyterian has already began planning their conference for next year themed “Culture Shaping” and scheduled for January 9-11, 2009 with Andy Crouch as their conference speaker.

Mark Labberton will join PGF in its national Inside Out Conference this year: August 14-16 in Long Beach, California.  Registration is open now at www.pgfconference.org.  Don’t miss this opportunity to spark a missonal fire in your own congregation.  Join us!