What are your plans for Tuesday, July 20, through Monday, July 26? Too early to know? Perhaps not, if you are one of those who had registered to attend the Reformed Presbyterian International Conference 2020, and you are already planning to attend RPIC 2021 to be held on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind., God willing.

Pastor Warren Peel of Trinity RPC in Belfast, Northern Ireland, will be the featured speaker, as he was to be in 2020. He will deliver messages from the book of Daniel according to the conference theme “Glorifying God in Babylon.” The central verse is, “I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for He is the living God, enduring forever; His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and His dominion shall be to the end” (6:26). We will be singing Psalm 84A and B as the conference psalm.

Why should you prayerfully plan to attend the 2021 RPIC? Here are some anecdotes from those who have attended previous conferences to whet your appetite.

“We feel blessed to have attended with our young family when Joel Beeke spoke in 2012 about committing to family worship and detailing what that should look like. While we had some informal and spontaneous family practices prior to that, since 2012 we have had daily family worship with our four children. Daily. What a difference! My favorite times are when our parents or other visitors get to join us and when we get to worship in unusual places. Our kids now remind us if worship gets delayed and have suggestions on what to study next. It was life changing (even for us experienced RPs). What a difference one speaker and one family conference will have made on the generations of our family.”

Are you wondering if taking the time to prepare for such a conference is worth it?

“Yes, it is a lot of work to pack up your family and totally disrupt life for a week at the conference. And it is worth all the extra work it takes. Your family will grow to love being with lots of other RP kids, especially if you live in an area where other RP churches are not nearby. They will build friendships and eagerly look forward to the conference. Then, when they are older and perhaps not as inclined to want to do such things, they will recall the many wonderful times of the conference from years past, and they will ask you about going. It takes work and energy, but it is worth every second. And you may just love it too!”

Check out what three persons in the 80-plus age group shared about RPICs in the past. One person has attended every one since he was a youth.

“National conferences have a special side to them in addition to their spiritual importance. A place for young single boys to meet young single girls! And more than one wedding has occurred from their meeting each other at a national conference. I know of a couple; you probably do, too.”

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“At Grinnell College in 1947 I was called by the Lord to become a pastor. Dr. Cloyd Caskey in the Sabbath morning worship service asked us to remain after the service if we believed God was calling us to seminary or to the mission field. I went shakingly to the exit but could not go through the door. I stayed with a strong conviction this was His call. I’ve never looked back! Joe Caskey, also a Geneva student wrestling with God’s call, prayed during that same service, asking God for a sign: ‘If You call Ken, then I will take that as Your call to me,’ he prayed.”

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“My memories are many! But most seem to be about how we avoided detection by the camp father for activity that was not on the regular conference agenda. Sigh! Actually, I am much in debt for the impact upon my spiritual life. The messages by Sam Boyle, Cloyd Caskey, Ken Smith, and Ted Donnelly brought my life from self-centered to an awareness of the need for Christ to be the Lord of all my life. I learned to listen!

“1. It was at a conference that I was convicted through the preaching at the convocation service to give my life to full-time Christian service as a pastor. At that same service, my bride-to-be was also called to a dedication of her life to Christ. What a blessing to learn later in college that my life was surrendered to Christ at the same service, but we did not notice each other until Geneva College days. Now for over 60 years, we have enjoyed our joint ministry in raising a Christian family.

“2. Another event of a lighter nature came from an older lady who was attending with her husband from Northern Ireland. When I asked her how she was enjoying the conference, which was meeting in the un-air-conditioned conference center on campus, she said she loved all of the conference, but she had never been in a place where, because of the heat, ‘the pews rose with you.’

“3. I was still hitchhiking back and forth to Geneva and knew what it was to have a job to help meet expenses. But there was an event at the conference that was a lesson to me. I am referring to the conference offering. After paying the conference fees and cost of travel, the conference offering was received and was announced to be in the thousands of dollars! I learned I was in a church that cared about families and was generous with their possessions.”

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Go to the https://rpic2021.org/ to begin registering on Feb. 1. Due to the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, no deposit or payment will be required at that time. Payment in full will be required by Friday, June 18. Do pray that the Lord is pleased.

Rev. Bruce Backensto is program director for the Reformed Presbyterian International Conference.