2008 Convocation to Draw International Crowd

by Abigail Knowles Wolfe (BPRW)

A new Patriarch will be enthroned this summer as members of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church (ICCEC) navigate the globe to attend the 2008 International Convocation in Orlando, Florida. The event, which will feature presenters from around the world, takes place at the Wyndham Orlando Resort beginning Wednesday, July 30 and ending Friday, August 1, 2008. This year’s theme is The Vision: Convergence Worship and Theology.

Founded in Southern California by a small group of evangelical and charismatic churches back in 1992, the ICCEC has grown from a fellowship of three congregations in the United States to an international communion of some 1500 congregations spreading from North America to Africa to Asia. The ICCEC bridges and blends liturgical worship with the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit while emphasizing evangelism and the importance of Scripture. The keynote presenter and speaker at this event is Dr. Simon Chan, a world renowned theologian. Earnest Lau Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Theological College in Singapore, he will host enrichment sessions twice each morning for the enlightenment and edification of those attending the Convocation. He holds a Ph.D. from Cambridge University, and is the author of several books including Spiritual Theology: A Systematic Study of the Christian Life; Man and Sin; and Pentecostal Theology and the Christian Spiritual Tradition.

Benei Aor (BEN-ay AH-or) or the “Children of Light,” the high-energy Brazilian youth worship, dance, drama and flag group will also travel to the United States this July. The Benei Aor troop will offer training session for young people, ranging in age from 8 to 22 years-old. These sessions will instruct youth in at least two different choreographed routines.

The convocation will commence Wednesday night at 7 p.m. with a celebration service during which Archbishop Craig Bates of New York will be enthroned as Patriarch of the ICCEC. Workshops will be offered the afternoons of July 31st and August 1st with a range of fascinating topics including Inner Healing, Liturgy & Music, Crisis Intervention and Christianity & Islam.

“This convocation will serve to awaken the hearts and souls of our communion to the vision God has entrusted to us, not only for the church, but also for the culture,” states the Most Rev. David R. Simpson, Bishop of Florida and chairman of the convocation host committee. “Our prayer is that the tide will change and that the people will reposition their way of thinking to understand the true essence of worship and theology as never before.”