The Charismatic Episcopal Church is in a season of recovering who we always were. Believing in the active presence of the gifts, and seeing them practiced as normal Christianity is foundational to our understanding of the Holy Spirit and the Christian life. The two instructional Eucharists continued to reveal the three streams nature of our worship. And the call to bring the River to the nations underscored the outward thrust of our mission and vision.
Bishop Jones, our Patriarch, set the tone for the conference as he continued his life’s work, “Preaching the Gospel to Christians.” The “In Christ” life that we are invited into reveals the River as the life of Christ. This understanding makes the Christian walk simple: let Christ live His life through you. T. S. Eliot calls it “a condition of complete simplicity (costing not less than everything)” (Little Gidding). And Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2.20).
I had the privilege of following Bp. Jones. I highlighted the various influences of our culture. The ocean we swim in is constantly pulling us downstream of God’s purposes. The primary direction is towards a worship of self. In our culture, the Westminster Catechism has been inverted, “The chief end of man is to glorify and enjoy himself forever.” The invitation from Jesus is to drink from the River that comes forth from the east side of the true temple, Jesus. Just as his heart was pierced and the river of living water flowed out for the salvation of the world, we are called to be pierced and bring the salvation of God to the world.
Among the breakout sessions, our speakers spoke on discerning vocation, the ministry of the laity, raising kids, anxiety and depression, marriage, and reaching the world beyond our walls. Lila Rose led a special session on living the Pro-Life life. I had the opportunity to share stories from the formation of the CEC and she was thrilled to know that we were birthed out of the Pro-Life movement. We learned harrowing stories about the evil of Planned Parenthood. My greatest shock was learning that the majority of people who get abortions in America claim to be Christian according to current data. Our hope remains: “everything will live where the river goes” (Ezek 47.9). We are called to bring that life to a culture bound by death.
One of the highlights of this conference was the international presence. We had several young adults from Europe and three of our international bishops. Archbishop Ariel Santos brought the opening message on Thursday and, while it was salted with humor, it was rich with prophetic encouragement. “It’s time!” He exclaimed. Time to move with God, time to embrace the Kairos moment, time to walk into the purposes of God.
Bishop Jason Epps shared a powerful vision of the junk we allow to accumulate in our heart and Jesus’ ability to wash us clean. We are “Vessels of Honor” made to contain the River of Jesus’ life and presence. When we allow him to flow through us, all the shame, lust, anger, envy, fear, and all sin is washed away and who we are is revealed. Let Him dip you in the River and fill you up from its depths.
The coffee bars, lunches, and the closing refreshments were another path that God used to bring delight and fellowship to the conference. Whether the custom latte creations or the local favorite taco truck were your favorite, the gathering was facilitated by the excellent food and drink.
I had the best seat in the house for Fire Night. As the facilitator, I was up front the entire two and a half hours. The roar of worship and the felt presence was overwhelming. I was on a prayer team and we prayed for people from the moment the invite was given until the end of the night. There was faith and expectation in the room and God broke through in our midst.
Several young men were convicted that they were called to the clergy and received prayer for the discernment of their vocations. Around seven married women who had had difficulty conceiving received prayer for God to open their wombs. One of them, an attendee at last year’s 3SI, had received a prophetic image and prayer a year earlier, and had her baby just days before this conference.
The Fire Night marks an important beginning for a different reason. The band, now known as Three Streams Collective, brought six original worship songs to play throughout the conference. These songs were written by worship leaders in the group and workshopped together with the other members. During the Fire Night, those songs were recorded so that they could be professionally mixed and mastered later. I am proud to announce that Ron E. Mudd, famous for Vox Domine and other CEC recorded music, is mixing and mastering Three Streams Collective’s first EP. I have heard the beginnings of the mix and the live worship recorded that night is incredibly vibrant and energetic. Look for more information on this project in the coming months.
Kicking off day three, Fr. Jim House, one of the founding elders of the CEC, shared his testimony of being planted in the River. For 53 years, he has remained faithful to the church community of Saint Michael’s and the fruit of his faith is abundant. Through stories of God’s outrageous provision, Fr. Jim encouraged us all to be planted where God places us and trust His faithfulness over our own.
Bp. Belmonte followed this by illustrating to us the great freedom that comes when you give it up and go all in. The gift of freedom comes as we let go of control and go where the River leads. That became the through line this year: ditching distraction and jumping into the river. Bishop Jones summed it up: You may have gone ankle deep, but you were still in control. You may go knee deep, which is better, but you can feel secure. Even at waist deep, there is a hanging on impulse. But the invitation is to jump in and swim.
The Closing Eucharist continued the joyful expectation as Bp. Crompton shared on the difference between an internally focused network of churches and the movement we are called to: “A reservoir is built to store water. A river is designed to distribute it. The Lord never called the church to become a network of reservoirs. He called us to be the river.” The outward focus brought the conference to its launch point and the invitation to “jump in!” pertains to every day moving forward. Over and over, God has been encouraging our Communion to go from a moment to a movement, and that is the final encouragement from this year’s conference. For those who came and those who watch the videos from afar, for those who read this article or heard a testimony from a church member who attended, the invitation today is for you. God is moving in the CEC. Jump in the River and let it take you where God leads.