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WEBINAR SERIES 2020
Explore our series of topical webinars discussing living out a Christian faith while facing the uncertainty and novel challenges of everyday life during a global pandemic. It is our hope that these events provide encouragement and help to equip all believers.
THURSDAY, JUNE 25
This week we welcome Dr. Richard Oster from the Harding School of Theology in Memphis, TN to speak on the theme of discipleship as it is presented in the seven letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation.
Dr. Oster teaches New Testament at Harding Graduate School, with particular emphasis on Acts, the writings of Paul, and the book of Revelation.
THURSDAY, JUNE 18
It's no surprise that our current climate has contributed to an increase in the stress and anxiety of our daily lives. With many seeking how to manage startling emotions and unexpected situations, we sit down with speaker, Josh Freeman, who will guide our time with advice for ministering and counseling well during a pandemic.
Josh Freeman is a licensed counselor and the preacher for the Lakewood Church of Christ in Baytown, TX.
THURSDAY, MAY 14, MAY 21 and MAY 28
We begin a 3-part series with speaker Ray Young, who will discuss the aspects and components of courageous church leadership.
Ray Young is a high energy, high octane, inspiring speaker, teacher and coach. For over 30 years Ray has been blessed to work with groups and individuals all over the world, including Mexico, Belize, Honduras, South Africa, Bolivia, Russia, Singapore, Thailand and all over the United States. Ray specializes in Leadership Development and Personal Development. Ray is a proud member of the John Maxwell Leadership Team.
Ray and Sonya have been married 32 years. They have two daughters. Katelynn is training as a Physical Therapy Assistant and Raegan is a High School Spanish teacher in Denver City, TX. Raegan’s husband, Christian Garcia, is a student at Sunset International Bible Institute and preaches at the Spanish congregation in Big Spring.
Ray graduated from Sunset School of Preaching in 1991 and received a Bachelor and Master’s Degree from Lubbock Christian in 1994 and 2002 respectively. He has worked with churches in Colleyville, Plains, Denver City and Seminole, Texas and Carlsbad, New Mexico. Ray was an instructor at SIBI for 14 years and at Lubbock Christian University for 3 years. Ray continues to work with DiscipleTrips, a ministry of SIBI that leads short-term mission trips.
TUESDAY, MAY 12
The day will come when restrictions on gatherings will ease, people will emerge from their homes, and life will lurch back to normal once more. That means congregations can start to assemble again. Now is the time for church leaders to start thinking about what those first meetings look like, how to manage them, what you hope they accomplish, the logistics involved, etc..
Join us for an important webinar with Tim Woodroof to discuss a number of factors that need to be considered before we begin gathering as congregations again.
Tim Woodroof has been in ministry for 35 years. He led congregations in Lincoln, NE; Beaverton, OR; and—most recently—Nashville, TN. In 2008, he made a transition away from local church work to pursue writing, speaking, consulting, and interim ministry in a more focused way.
Writing has been a particular calling for Tim. Among his books are Walk This Way (a study of the Beatitudes), A Church that Flies (a thought piece on the future of churches of Christ), and A Distant Presence (an historical novel of Paul and the Philippian church). His most recent book (A Spirit for the Rest of Us) looks at the role of the Holy Spirit in contemporary Christian living.
THURSDAY, MAY 7
This week's session will focus on the book of Job. Our speaker Lance Hawley will delve into the often challenging question of God's relationship to human suffering and how reading Job can help us make sense of tumultuous emotions, distress, and even injustice during crisis.
Lance served in church planting in Madison, Wisconsin, for 10 years. He is Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Hebrew at Harding School of Theology, in Memphis, TN. His research focuses on Job and Hebrew poetry.
THURSDAY, APRIL 30
Our second webinar will be with speaker Jim Dale. Jim will be sharing what he knows of government support programs for congregations, including what might be available and qualifications. We will also explore financial tools for simplified cloud-based bookkeeping to make it easier for congregations to record their financial activities.
Jim Dale is a co-owner of Waterloo-based Your Financial Piece Inc, which provides CFO and bookkeeping services to a range of small business and non-profit organizations. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Jim has closely studied the plethora of government support programs in an effort to help his clients understand how these programs can help them with their business and workforce strategies during this difficult time.
Jim and his wife reside in Waterloo, Ontario where Jim is an elder (and former treasurer) with the Waterloo church of Christ. He has been active with Great Lakes Bible College and Great Lakes Christian High School throughout his life as teacher’s-kid, student, board member and CFO.
THURSDAY, APRIL 23
Our first webinar will explore God's goodness, especially in troubling times. Speaker Leslie Williams will walk us through lessons learned from the Prophets of the Bible as they experienced hardships and uncertainty in situations not unlike the global pandemic we are currently facing.
Leslie Williams (DMin) is an Elder with the Northwest Regina church of Christ in Saskatchewan and was a missionary in Papua New Guinea for almost 20 years.