An intern's perspective on #CTCC21

At the beginning of November I attended my first ‘Churches that Change Communities’ conference and I have to say, it didn’t disappoint!

I am an intern with Jubilee+, so I had the privilege of being invited to the annual conference - held last year at The Message Trust in Manchester.

It was such a jam-packed day, full of teaching, ministry and most importantly, worship. One of my favourite moments of the day was the time we spent in worship; there’s nothing better than the body of Christ coming together as one, to lift up the name of Jesus, to exalt and glorify Him. I loved how clear it was from the outset that the delegates had come with hearts that were open, and ready to receive all that God had in store.

I have to say that I struggled at the beginning of my internship as my heart for the poor wasn’t where I wanted it to be. I prayed and prayed and God brought breakthrough. The first instance was when I asked Him if this was the right thing for me to be doing this year. God very clearly confirmed to me that it was. The second instance involved the actual conference itself.

The day before I travelled up to Manchester I was working in the café (my other job) and I had been praying that God would move my heart over the weekend and help me to see what breaks His heart. That day, a homeless man walked into the café and asked for a cup of tea. I could tell that he was really struggling and he told me that he didn’t have anywhere to stay that night. I sat down with him and as we chatted I asked him a few questions, trying to figure out an appropriate place for him to stay. I was back and forth on the phone to people as I desperately wanted to help and my heart was breaking for him.

I believe God put that man in the café the day before I went to the conference for a reason – to break my heart for what breaks His – just as I had prayed! It’s great to hear about God’s heart for those living in poverty, but demonstrating that heart is another thing altogether. Showing the love of Jesus to this man helped seal in my heart what I had previously been learning.

I was ready for the conference, and I was ready to meet with God that weekend.

We had such a fantastic team and the whole event ran really smoothly. We had set up a number of stalls dedicated to a variety of different charities connected to Jubilee+, sharing information and insight into what they do, and during the breaks they were well visited by the conference delegates. I spent some of my spare time throughout the day helping to staff the Jubilee+ stand and sell Christian books.

Natalie’s keynote message was amazing and full of wisdom and faith for what’s in store over the coming months and years. She kicked off the day by encouraging us how change is possible when we look at Jesus and His mercy on us. “God delights in mercy”. She shared very openly with us her weaknesses, making herself vulnerable. I found this so relatable and it really seemed to soften and open up the hearts of the people listening. She expressed that there are many times in her life where she says “why God?”, “where are you?” or “I can’t see you working”. She reminded us that nothing is impossible for God and He can bring about change. Nat felt that God had told her to stand up at the conference and proclaim that change is possible: this was a great and challenging way to start the day!

Later in the day Sam Ward stood up to speak. His message was centred around Psalm 37. Like Natalie, Sam also openly shared his heart, talking about situations that arise in our lives where he, or we, may well be asking the questions “what is God up to?” or “Why does it seem God isn’t doing anything?”. Sam said something that really struck me: we mustn’t do good because we have to, or because it will make us good Christians. We must do good because we trust in a really good God. Sam then spoke on the section in the Psalm “delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”, encouraging us to take “exquisite pleasure” and deep joy in the Lord. When we delight in the Lord, our hearts align with His.

No matter your age, or background I would encourage you to get the next conference date (12th November) in your diary early and prepare for Him to surpass your expectations in every way.

Written by Katy Pursglove