2009's 50th ocf convention was the first ever convy that i've attended, and a grand one it was. 50 years of the Lord's faithfulness to this ministry that has grown in His Word and in His Name.
it was indeed heartwarming, touching even, to witness God moving in the lives of students throughout the years. many alumni came back to testify how God has been good to them not only during their time in ocf, but the days that were to come after that. surely our God is a God whose faithfulness lasts for eternity. and so, it was a celebration. but it was also a clear reminder that our hope is in Him and not ourselves.
in this day and age, it's so easy to be complacent and forget that God is the giver of all things. it's so easy to forget that God is a God of love and acceptance, and it's so easy to depend on our own efforts to attempt to build this ministry up.
hearing stories from the other centres have certainly been encouraging, in the sense that i was able to hear how they have solely depended on God for growth, for strength, for everything they need. i was also reminded to love others in the same way that Christ first loved, regardless of age or nationality or language. it was honestly striking that we cannot become a group that only accepts people who speak the same language as us, or people who are around our age and we have common topics to talk about. God's love knew no bounds and in knowing & understanding that love, the least we can do is to show this same love to the people around us
