Challenged to live their lives undivided for Christ, participants in the annual Driven Conference, the gathering of young adults in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, put feet to their commitments and set out to help a new church. On Saturday, June 28, participants were given $10 each, formed into teams of five, and challenged to use their collective $50 to make as many contacts as possible for ClearView Church, a new Grace Brethren church that is being planted in northeast Franklin County.
Some groups purchased bottled water or ice cream bars to distribute while others bought cleaning supplies and scrubbed windows at the YMCA where the church will meet.
“I’m so excited about what God will do through young people looking to serve Him and love people in creative, fun ways,” said church planter Andy Wirt as he watched the teams leave the campus of Otterbein College, where the conference was held.
“Our desire is that the Driven family will do two things,” added Wiley. “We want to make Jesus Christ exceedingly attractive to the unsaved world we encounter, that we would spread everywhere the fragrance of Christ, and practically, we want to make contacts to assist ClearView as they minister to bring people into a maturing relationship with Jesus.”
The funds for the Big Give are being provided by friends of the Driven conference. Participants will not be permitted to use their own money during this adventure.
The conference was held June 26 through 29 in Westerville, Ohio and featured speakers such as Jeff Bogue, the executive pastor of Grace Church North Campus, a Grace Brethren church in Akron, Ohio; Kary Oberbrunner, the founder of Redeem the Day ministries and author of The Journey Towards Relevance and Called; and Keith Minier, pastor of Grace Fellowship, a Grace Brethren church in Pickerington, Ohio.
Other speakers included Sarah Cunningham, author of Dear Church: Letters From A Disillusioned Generation, and Kondo Simfukwe, a pastor at Christ’s Covenant Church in Winona Lake, Ind.
The conference will be held next year June 25 to 28 at Otterbein College in central Ohio. For more information, watch driven.com.