From the May-August 2010 Issue
A Healthy Fellowship
Rogerio and Sonia Ramos
Koinonia Conference, PortugalPortugal has been poor in projects that seek the good of the church. However, for some time a group of churches has been involved in different activities, with the goal of creating habits for the future; habits that are built on a good doctrinal base. Our children, our young people and older folk need to be involved in activities that are healthy for their Christian life. I am in a group of pastors (José Henrique Rodrigues EMF]; Paulo Nunes [EMF]; Mark Loney [Acre Gospel Mission], and others no less important) and together we established in the past an association called CCI (Island Christian Centre – it now stands for Interdenominational Christian Centre), with a desire to encourage our churches in a routine of activities to promote spiritual growth and bring them closer to the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Camps and conferences
So, since 1996 we have organized Bible camps every summer for children and young people. At present we have no centre of our own but we rent a place every summer to have our camps. Also, since 2008, we have had an annual conference called “Koinonia” (which means fellowship). “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Christian fellowship is a key aspect of the Christian life. Believers in Christ are to come together in love, faith, and encouragement. That is the essence of the Koinonia Conference.
The first conference was in Sines and we had a group of 150 people. Last year it was in the Algarve, with a bigger group of people (200). This year it is to be on 24th April in a place called Beja, and the theme will be “Family in Christ”. The preachers who are invited to deliver the Word of God come with the same goal as our association – to create habits that have a good doctrinal foundation. At present this conference is just in its beginnings, but the aim is to make it known to all the churches in Portugal. We want it to be a national conference.
Difficult times
We are living in difficult times for the Christian community, so there is a great need for local churches to stand firm in the truth of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. All these meetings and camps are to take people out of the world for a time and then send them back again to the world, but with the certain knowledge that our goal as Christians is to be imitators of our Lord Jesus Christ. We want to make a difference to these people, and that difference must come from the Word of God living in them. Portugal is a small country with a deficient Christian church. There aren’t any perfect churches, but there is a perfect God. So we are seeking to do what is right in His sight.