For the first time, Xcell Adventist company (Sydney) ran a Men’s Conquering Conference in the Blue Mountains on the last weekend of April.
Xcell has run conferences annually, however this year is the first time it has run a separate conference for men. The corresponding women’s conference will be held on May 19-21 at the same venue, the Camp Fletcher Christian Centre, Hazelbrook.
The gender separation was trialled to allow around 25 participants more freedom to talk about their struggles and the things they need to “conquer” with complete freedom and openness.
The presentations, from Xcell church leaders and Pastor Frank Ropati, challenged attendees to make the most of their lives, get real with sin, break habits, stay delivered and leave a legacy.
There were physical activities, sports and powerful testimonies as well as small group work. Each man was assigned to a team for the whole weekend and they could go deeper, discussing the things they were hearing, sometimes for the first time.
One first-time attendee travelled from Brisbane (Qld), only making the decision to attend the day before the conference began.
“I came there a broken man. I had lost my zest for life,” he said. “I didn’t know how to get out of the bottom. And now I’m at least 100 steps from bottom.”
The man had been raised in a secular Australian household and on the weekend prayed in public for the first time. “I can’t believe how strangers could show such love and support for me. It was a safe and authentic place to share my personal struggles. They had faith in me and now I’m starting to believe in faith. I didn’t have any faith in myself but those men had faith in me.”
For more details on the Women’s Conquering Conference, visit xcellchurch.com.au.
