You may be wondering what to expect this July when your minivan, maxi-van, micro-bus, or sedan drives onto the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind. Perhaps you have never attended an International Conference of the RPCNA and wonder what it is all about.

Since 1962, when Synod’s Board of Christian Education recommended to the church that a national convention meet concurrently with Synod at Northfield, Minn., the Reformed Presbyterian Church has assembled in a denomination-wide conference to encourage and strengthen its members in their union with Christ. Long before that, the church’s young people’s societies and women’s organizations had the practice of assembling at a broad, denominational level to pursue a program of worship, teaching, and fellowship. At these meetings, God has comforted, called, and converted many people in our branch of the church today.

At the most recent international conference in 2012, about 2,100 people attended, a number that represents nearly a third of the denominational membership in North America! This summer, a similar gathering will occur from congregations in North America and far beyond. We anticipate that the conference will continue growing. The conference grew by 8% from 2004 to 2008, and by 29% from 2008 to 2012. Given these growth rates, a conference of 2,300 attendees is a reasonable projection.

In God’s providence, we are the only group using the Indiana Wesleyan University campus that week, which should help us to accommodate the growth. Not having to share facilities means that we can use all of the housing and dining facilities we need. We have plans for expanded serving lines at the dining hall from what was available in 2012, to keep mealtimes moving along.

Most conferences are demographically uniform, with conferees sharing a common age, occupation, or stage of life. The RPIC is perhaps the broadest conference you will attend. There will be ministers, moms, retirees, children, young adults, recent converts, and missionaries. If your congregation is on the small side, you will have an opportunity to reach out to believers who may share in your particular life circumstances, struggles, or opportunities. If your congregation is larger, you can reach out across presbytery lines to confer on ways to mobilize your larger church’s capacity for the kingdom. The conference staff has decided to officially open registration to Associate Reformed Presbyterians (ARPs), which means that we might experience a wider breadth of attendees than we usually do. It also means that you should register early!

Older and disabled church members might be concerned about walking the length and breadth of the large campus, but help will be available in the form of free, chauffeured golf-cart rides across campus during peak hours. Motorized scooters will also be available to rent.

The Indiana Wesleyan University facilities, which were new to us in 2012, are a highlight. Housing options are plentiful and comfortable. They include group or pod housing options, which are great for larger or extended families, in addition to traditional dorm rooms. The Barnes Student Center, where meals are served, includes an indoor mall area where meeting and greeting are natural occurrences as conferees come and go from meals and seminars or linger in the coffee shop. Recreational facilities are available for workout enthusiasts, gym rats, racquetball warriors, soccer players, and lap swimmers. The large assembly space in the chapel will allow the 2,000+ conferees to worship as a whole on the Lord’s Day and gather for plenary sessions. A half dozen smaller venues, seating between 100 and 1,000, will be used for concerts, lectures, psalm sings, and the like. Air conditioning is available throughout.

The conference program will be built around the theme of “The Sacrificing Church.” Morning teaching will be led by Barry York, professor of pastoral theology at the RP Seminary and former pastor of Sycamore RPC in Kokomo, Ind. The lectures will impact congregational life in the areas of diaconal work, outreach, and worship. The key conference verse is 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (NASB). Conferees will also spend time with the first six verses of Psalm 68. Classes for children of all ages are available, and adults may choose between various plenary sessions and morning seminars.

Seminars for adults will be led by RP boards and committees, including Global Missions, the Home Missions Board, the Vital Churches Committee, the Woman’s Association, Geneva College, the Theological Seminary, and Crown & Covenant Publications. Some topics that will be covered in seminars include ministry in rural churches, ministry to the elderly, ministry to the disabled, education, parenting, discipleship, and many more. God willing, we will hear from authors published by Crown & Covenant, professors from RPTS, and from Danny Hyde of Westminster Seminary, writer of Planting, Watering, Growing – Planting Confessionally Reformed Churches in the 21st Century. There are so many ideas and opportunities that we will be significantly expanding the seminars offered in the period after lunch.

In addition to the plenary sessions, conferees may attend all-conference worship twice on the Lord’s Day and twice on weekday evenings. Optional events include a visit to an off-campus water park, a psalm sing, and various talent displays. Athletic competition will be held in the afternoons and evenings throughout the week.

Unscheduled times are also full of opportunity. The saints you will meet at the pool, the children you will observe memorizing the word of God, the encouragement of an older person’s stories of their life in the kingdom are worth much, in our estimation. Sharing a meal with someone you have just met and have an instant connection with, or sharing an evening walk and talk over big issues with an old friend, are aspects of conference life that many remember with fondness.

The conference staff is led by Program Director Rev. Bruce Backensto, with business and operations being led by Jerry Porter. The supporting staff is large in number, and busy. Please pray for us as we work to administer a large, growing, and somewhat unwieldy conference. Pray that the program will be valuable, that the conference will be safe, and that Christ would be honored.

The cost of the conference this year is about 12% higher than in 2012, which may require some planning and sacrifice. It is a far cry from the $39 per adult charged in 1962! Still, with a typical single adult, full-time registration fee of $290 for the week, the cost of the conference is less than $45 per day—below what many families plan to spend on their usual summer vacation. Many people in the church are saving up for the conference because they have found it to be invaluable to themselves, their families, and their churches.

Whether this is your first conference or your twenty-first, fill out a registration form, invite a friend, gas up your vehicle, and plan to spend July 23-29 in Marion, Ind., at RPIC 2016 with us. The accommodations are pleasant, the company is unparalleled, and the fruit is eternal!

Author Sam Spear is assistant program director for RPIC 2016. He is a member of North Hills (Pittsburgh Pa.) RPC.