{"id":854,"date":"2016-05-04T20:50:41","date_gmt":"2016-05-04T20:50:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/?p=854"},"modified":"2016-05-04T20:50:41","modified_gmt":"2016-05-04T20:50:41","slug":"river-of-life-2016-conference-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/2016\/05\/04\/river-of-life-2016-conference-report\/","title":{"rendered":"River of Life 2016 Conference Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Bishop Talmadge Gardner<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I was honored to serve as the presiding officer for the annual RIVER OF LIFE MINISTRIES<\/strong> CONFERENCE <\/strong>on Saturday, April 23, 2016. \u00a0The conference was hosted on the campus of Bethel Life Worship Center in Greenville, Pennsylvania.\u00a0 Bethel Life is pastored by Rev. Kent and Denise Bell – two exceptionally remarkable and gifted servant leaders.<\/p>\n

On Friday afternoon, I was privileged to tour Bethel Life\u2019s Project Restore House<\/a>. \u201cProject Restore is a ministry offering hope and healing to women who have been victimized by slave and sex trafficking, through a long-term aftercare program called \u2019Lyndsey’s Place<\/em>.\u2019 Project Restore purposes to bring the light of God\u2019s love into the darkened lives of\u00a0trafficking victims. Evil exists not because of the evil people in the world\u2026but because the people of light sit back and\u00a0do nothing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

On Friday evening, I had the unique opportunity to see <\/strong>Loving HANDS<\/a> in action.\u00a0 \u201cLoving HANDS<\/strong> is a respite service provided once a month for three hours for families who have children with special physical, intellectual, behavioral or emotional needs.\u00a0 All ages are welcome, along with their siblings. Each guest is paired up with a buddy for the night and enjoys an evening of gluten-free, casein-free snacks, appropriate games, crafts and fun. Parents enjoy a night off and we get a chance to love on your child.\u201d<\/p>\n

While serving in the general Church Education and Discipleship Ministries Divisions, I was privileged to see the vision for Loving HANDS and the Project Restore House come to fruition.\u00a0 T<\/strong>hese are relevant ministries that are modeling ministry and impacting our IPHC faith family in a profound way.\u00a0 If you want to learn more about these ministries I encourage you to visit Bethel Life\u2019s website:\u00a0 www.blwc.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

My mother was a member of Bethel Life or \u2018Greenville PHC\u2019 as it was known then.\u00a0 This church \u2018raised\u2019 her and her four sisters after their father died when she was 13 months old and her mother died when she was twelve.\u00a0 So, it consequently holds a very special place in the lives and hearts of my younger brother, sister and myself.<\/p>\n

I had not had the privilege of serving this conference as its presiding officer since 2010.\u00a0 I was encouraged by what I experienced.\u00a0 Bishop Adams\u2019 leadership combined with that of the members of the Conference Executive Council has been transformational, to say the least. They model team ministry and their gifts serve as a complement to one another!<\/p>\n

Bishop Adams began his State of the Conference remarks by recalling his introduction to the conference through a mentor pastor and friend, Rev. Almon Birt [the father of Bishop Dayton Birt] some 13 years earlier.\u00a0 The number of churches had dramatically decreased and the future did not hold much promise.\u00a0 At the invitation of Rev. Birt, he attended the 25th<\/sup> General Conference that was hosted in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 2005. He describes this experience as follows:\u00a0 \u201c<\/em>But that year was the year of General Conference and I was privileged to go to Oklahoma and see the IPHC Church up close and personal AND I LIKED IT!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Bishop Adams also credited an \u2018Antioch Encounter\u2019 that the conference hosted in Pittsburgh in 2010 as being a significant turning point for the conference.\u00a0 He was also very complementary of the assistance that Bishop Thompson and Evangelism USA, as well as Bishop Dayton Birt and Redemption Ministries, have made to their turn-around\/rebirth!<\/p>\n

He concluded his remarks by saying: \u201cThere is a wind blowing across the River of Life Conference.<\/em> It is bringing LIFE to once dead people.\u00a0 Bringing life to a disjointed, dismembered conference that was almost dead.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

We rejoice with River of Life Ministries as they experience the \u2018new thing\u2019 that God is doing in their conference!<\/p>\n

Clergy Credentials Were Issued As Follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Minister\u2019s License (2) \u2013<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n