this day um as I said to the Brethren at our church if were up to me to promote it we'd have probably have three people we've got a very good team working behind the scenes to make this happen so I certainly want to extend thank you to them as well I want to welcome specifically uh doctors renan and barcelos it is a blessing for us to be able to have them with us in this sort of inaugural launch of uh what we hope to be an annual conference confessing the faith and Bic what that will be is taking a chapter of the second London Confession of 16771 1689 and doing a chapter per year around that chapter that particular docrine so Dr Jim renan Dr Richard barcel we extend a warm welcome to you as well to other second London Confession pastors that have been meeting at least via Zoom uh trying to have some discussion about potential Association of reform in western Canada so that's a another very encouraging thing if you're interested in finding out about that more please see meor Sheldon and oh he just went out so the guy comes back in in a few minutes you can ask him or me and we'll get you on an email email list and it's not for guys that are and this isn't just going to sound mean or vicious but if you're there and you embrace you entirety of our confession then certainly get on that list as we have discussions about these things and then a welcome to all other pastors now that you feel sufficiently excluded um if you're not a second London Confession pastor we still love you and we're thankful that you're here we obviously are in a very reformed community so one of the other intentions behind the conference was to try to try to Foster and increase relationships among us because for the most part we agree I've said we'll be dead by the time we get to the controversial stuff in our confession so our sons and our grandsons get to deal with all of that and then if you're not a pastor you're not a guest speaker and you're a brother or sister in Christ a member or an attender of a church uh very Hardy wel can you as well I think you're going to you're going to learn good stuff uh under you world-renowned Scholars that know their material and are committed ultimately to the authority of Jesus Christ inscripturated word and service of this church so welcome to everyone I have a few housekeeping announcements um so I'm just going to sort of read through these things only water is allowed in the sanctuary so please don't bring any food again we're guests here our our thanks to Pastor John cman and the church here the free reform church in chillak for allowing us to use the facility we want to leave it better than we found it so make sure no food in the sanctuary water bottles are available in the fo there's also there as well if you have your own with you and then please use the recycling bins for your empties there are two washrooms available uh one just outside here and it's a bigger one but then there's two in the midlevel floor uh on either side of the sanctuary or or just external to the sanctuary probably if you have to use the facility during a lecture it would create less disturbance to go out that back door versus coming this way so break time that facility is Optimum but during lecture time that facility is is best and then as well remember the gym is set up for a meal so when you go in there at snack time or break time rather there'll be snack fruit C uh cookies coffee and tea please don't loiter and chat there CU there's already a bunch of tables it's already somewhat full so go in grab your snack but don't bring your snack into the sanctuary you can bring it into the foyer or or outside and then please confirm on your lanyard when you're signed up or where you're signed up to be for dinner so we we got more registrants than we had anticipated so we can only do so many here and then the rest we'll go to our church building which is not far and and there you will have a meal so I think that the prevailing wisdom is is after the session the last session prior to the meal I'll come up and give thanks for the food um and then those who are eating here go there and those who are going to the free Grace Baptist church building may go then and then also if you were were one of the 50 recipients of the book uh and you already have a copy the One edited by Chad Van dixhorn uh you can give it back to whim whim raise your hand please and then Nathan and Carla raise your hands if you have questions about anything that I'm saying there they would be good ones to ask but you can give the book back to whim he'll make sure it gets to somebody that does not have it already when you hear the piano start playing it's your cue to head back into the sanctuary for the next season uh session and I will say that after Dr renahan lectures and then subsequently to that Dr barcelos after their lecture they will close in prayer that will be our CU to break I won't come back up we're going to try to keep it on schedule so after they pray that is then break time and then um remember on Saturday afternoon the Netherlands reform congregation in town has offered to open up their book store so if you're interested in attending that ask whim or Nathan and you can find out where that is in the hours of operation and then as far as the book is is the book that has been prepared goes there's a place in the very front you can put your name uh this is going to be a useful tool throughout the conference it's got all the hymns or Psalms that we we'll be singing it has the schedule so that we can try to be on on time as well there's a survey on the back page or a a QR link for a survey I know that the Brethren would like feedback in terms of how we could possibly make this better uh for for next time around and then there's a question page on page 35 so the the conference ends with a panel discussion tomorrow uh it'll be Dr renahan Dr barcelos I'm going to sit on that panel with them and then cam Porter from our church is going to ask questions cam has lots of experience on quieting Rebellion so uh we don't we don't we don't want to free-for-all when it comes to question time so please look at that acquaint yourself with it and I think you can submit questions online we're going to probably have an AI program Whittle it all down if I know our our guys here and then the uh uh the last thing that I wanted to say with reference to uh I think that's it that that's everything yeah okay okay all right so all questions if you have a question will go through the app so having done all that I would invite you now to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 133 Psalm 133 I'll read the psalm and then I'll pray and then we'll open or this is the official opening to the conference we'll sing glorious things of thee are spoken but Psalm 133 a song of asense of David behold how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity it is like the precious oil upon the head running down on the beard the beard of Aaron running down on the edge of his garments it is like the Dew of Hermon descending upon the mountains of Zion for there the Lord commanded the blessing life forever more amen well let us pray our gracious and our glorious God we come before you now and we acknowledge that you are the most high you are from Everlasting to Everlasting even father Son and Holy Spirit we bless you for the gospel of our Salvation we bless you for the Incarnation of the word the one who took on flesh the one who took the essential properties and common infirmities of of humanity and yet without sin we thank you for his life of obedience his death at the cross his resurrection again the third day we thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit effectually calling us and uniting us to the Lord Jesus Christ granting Graces of faith and repentance we give praise to you for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and it encourages our hearts as we look around as we see people eager to come early on a Friday to hear the the truth of God Almighty we thank you that doors renahan and barcelos can be with us in this glad hour we pray for your spirit to be upon them that they would speak clearly that they would speak uh uh encouragingly most of all truthfully that we may be edified that we may be built up that we may indeed be better churchmen with reference to our service to you as well God for the p pastors many of of whom are here perhaps in uh downcast or times of trial may this be a balm of Gilead to their souls may it be a time where they would be refreshed may it be a time where they would be helped and God may you bless the Fellowship of the Saints and may you indeed cause your Holy Name to be glorified do forgive us of all of our sin and unrighteousness cause us to constantly reflect upon the reality that we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous and God if many have come here and they are strangers to your grace those perhaps dead in trespasses and sins we pray that you would awaken them you would show them their sin and show them their need for the Lord Jesus Christ and may they by Grace believe on him and know the joy of being found in him thank you again for all the labor that has gone in to the to the putting on of this conference we pray that it would redown to the praise and honor and the glory of our great God and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well you can take your book and turn to the first hymn and stand with me we will stand as we sing and then we sing the amen as well so hopefully you'll catch on really quick with [Music] that glorious things of the are spoken city of our God he word can not be broken for his The Rock ofes [Music] sh his salv [Music] thile [Music] all of lival Love son and and all fear of [Music] who can Fain while such a river [Music] the cloud and fire for Glory and [Music] is and Sh [Music] my me [Music] [Music] City the world right I will [Music] in is [Music] the all his [Music] and children [Music] please be seated well you have a in your book as well brief biographies of both of our speakers Dr renahan and Dr barcelos uh that brief biography does not capture the men uh it's been a great privilege of mine to know Dr renahan for many years now if you're familiar with second London Confession churches and circles he is a a father in Israel he has written much and preached and taught much on our confession and just so everyone knows we don't look at it as the infallible inherent confession of Faith but we believe it to be a doc a document that accurately summarizes the chief doctrines of the scripture the Dr renan's contributions are are manifold most recently uh I think his Magnum is it magnum opus uh his work on or his Exposition on the second London Confession of Faith so uh there's a Founders press uh publishes that in the in the US and then over in the UK it's published by Broken Warf so I would encourage you if you're interested in the second London Confession to get that work it's most helpful and it's our privilege to have our brother with us this afternoon
