re:FUEL Conference Summary

The first day of the Summit was intense. We went from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. NGA members from around the country gathered at our home church – Calvary Chapel of Southeastern Connecticut. Those represented traveled from across our state and other parts of the country including California, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Indiana. We had some great worship from Justin Kendrick’s team, Out of Hiding and some great talks from Dr. Tim Robnett, Jeff Pieper, Chris White and even our own, Joe Paskewich (Pastor of Calvary Chapel and Chairman of our Board of Directors).

I think the most exciting thing about our time with NGA is not just the great talks and worship, but the relationships that form at these functions. These relationships are formed through extended intentional breaks as well as conversation over great food. The Palau team has done a great job mentoring and encouraging those who express the call of evangelism and it’s exciting that they are willing to invest in the next generation to further the work.

We saw old friends as well as new ones. Representing hip-hop evangelism was Scott Free and Mike Foster. We had some pro-bmx guys here too (Mike Mancuso and Schwinny). Jerimae Yoder also joined us to lead worship on day 2. It was great seeing a few of our regional guys there too like Paul Fuller, our network Coordinator and Don Doré from Rock the Sound. Thank you NGA for putting Connecticut on the map!

Day two of the NGA re:FUEL Summit got started 9:30 Thursday morning. After a light breakfast Jeff Pieper got started with a brief overview of the Next Generation Alliance. He shared some of the resources and networking opportunities available such as Livin It Action Sports Ministries and how the NGA is using media and creative arts as evangelistic tools.

Next came worship artist and Jerimae Yoder who opened with simultaneous prayer and guitar loops ala Phil Keaggy. Jerimae was a one man band armed only with a Seagull acoustic electric guitar and various effects boxes that he creatively utilized with amazing results.He adeptly lead us in many fresh modern worship standards. Leading out from worship, we had an extended time of prayer lifting one another’s needs up before the Lord.

After this we heard some closing remarks and encouragement from Dr. Tim Robnett. Speaking to the young Evangelists and Ministers attending. He admonished us to not allow distractions to sidetrack.”Be yourself. Be who God made you to be… Cultivate real relationships in the digital age… Use technology as a tool, but don’t forget quality ‘face time’ with one another… Our mission is to open the eyes of blind, to turn from darkness to light, from Satan to God… It’s a Spiritual battle. Like Marines, we need to mobilize the troops.”

He advised us from the book of Luke. In the account of Mary & Martha, Jesus said, “Only one thing is needful, Mary has chosen which is better and it will not be taken from her.” We need to sit at Jesus’ feet and we also need community. To hear His voice and the counsel of others. He also quoted King David from the Psalms, “One thing I ask the Lord – this is what I seek, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

Dr. Tim stressed the importance of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide like GPS, to listen to His voice, to recalibrate or turn back if neccessary, allowing Him to provide clear vision. He spoke of leadership as often like herding cats, a difficult task at best. Encouraging us to, “focus and stay focused. Clarify your calling. Sharpen the saw. Spend time equipping yourself first. Then, you can share vision and lead, guide and direct others.”

Finally, he warned, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all. Weakness, weariness and depression can defeat us. Take time out. Make time to rest. Take longer periods of rest. For one day each week, let God save the world. Make plans to play.”

Those were just some highlights from Dr. Tim’s talk with us, as he had many words of wisdom from our Father’s heart. It’s now apparent to me why he is affectionately called “coach.” I found that Dr. Tim’s talk was the most impactful part of the summit. Second to that is all the networking that takes place. There were many intentional extended breaks that allowed us to connect with one another. I really enjoyed catching up with old friends like Don Doré from Rock the Sound. The entire summit was a huge success. The summit concluded with this same philosophy with some more great food and fellowship.