Missing the Westminster Conference
by Andy Young
As December 2020 looms large, and the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic rumbles on, I am missing a lot of things:
Meeting with family and friends.
In person worship.
Congregational singing.
The Lord’s Supper.
A semblance of normality - whatever that is!
Believe it or not I am also going to miss the Westminster Conference.
I am going to miss having to get up very early to fight with London-bound crowds at the train station.
I am going to miss the frenetic bustle of Oxford Street, London (the busiest shopping street in the world).
I am going to miss the thrill of seeing old friends – some of whom I have hardly ever spoken to, but after a few years at the same conference there is that knowing glint of recognition as you smile at them and say hello.
I am going to miss the lunchtime trips to Pret a Manger, just round the corner from Regents Hall, where the conference takes place.
I am going to miss the 6 conference papers aimed at ‘theological and historical study, with special reference to the Puritans’.
And I am going to really miss the almost hour of discussion and debate following each paper involving all those who attend.
It is fair to say that some years have seen the discussion become somewhat bedlamic. However, I do not know of another conference where the papers are so robustly ruminated upon and actively applied to the ecclesiastical and spiritual milieu of the 21st century. I have learnt so much by simply listening to wise and godly men chew the theological fat of historical theology. And I am going to really miss it.
The good news is that the Westminster Conference is going online this year! No it will not be the same, yet a good ‘flavour’ of the conference will be available to all. And yes that means that many who otherwise could not attend or benefit from this conference can this time around.
So on Tuesday 1st December 2-5pm why not join myself and many others for this online conference?
The theme is ‘Captive to God’s Word’. David McKay, pastor of Shaftesbury Square RPC, Belfast, will speak on Luther and Authority. And Leonardo De Chirico, pastor of Breccia di Roma, will address Bellarmine against the Reformers. Immediately following this paper, the two speakers will participate in a moderated round table discussion.
All of this will be live-streamed to YouTube and Facebook for free. So what are you waiting for? Put it in your diary, sign up, and enjoy!
To register for the conference go here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/captive-to-gods-word-tickets-126434110829
For more information go here: http://www.westminsterconference.co.uk/
