I spent the last two days in Louisville along with my trusted Alliance co-laborer, Elizabeth Wiebe, laying groundwork for Summit VII (May 11-13, 2011). We came away full up with enthusiasm and certain there could not be a better location for next year’s Summit.
Louisville is a beautiful city and will be in top shape in mid-Spring a week after the Kentucky Derby (thankfully minus the crowds.) Meanwhile, the facilities at Southeast Christian Church are nothing short of amazing. The area is also easily accessible by road from countless southern and mid-western cities, and via air as well.
Yet there’s one factor far more compelling than any of the others. Henry Blackaby urges, “Look for where God is working and join Him there.” In orphan care, the Louisville region certainly fits that description. Churches across the city and surrounding areas are at the forefront of the stirring that’s happening all across the country as Christians rise to God’s call to “defend the fatherless.” The community is alive with energy for this work, from huge congregations like Southeast Christian Church and Highview Baptist, to an expansive network of small churches across southern Indiana, to the region-wide Orphan Care Alliance, to all that Russell Moore is doing out of SBTS.
Best of all, these churches and many others are taking a personal ownership of Summit VII. It will not only be an event of national reach and global impact. It will also be a conference truly rooted in the local church. We’re excited to pair this local team with the volunteers that step forward from around the country to make Summit all it can be.
Elizabeth and I are now headed back to our respective offices on our respective coasts (DC and CA), but we leave refreshed by the time with such remarkable friends, new and old. Just as much, we’re more excited than ever by the glimpses of all that God is doing in the area already, and by all that will happen when we (and you!) get to join Him there next May!
