The Okanagan Christian School gymnasium in Kelowna was a packed house on May 10 and 11 as the crowd eagerly awaited to hear conference evangelist Anil Kanda, speaker for Kelowna’s 43rd annual mini campmeeting.
This year’s
focus was on youth and young adults, with topics entitled “The Birds, the Bees,
and the Bible” and the “Epic of Eden.”
Kanda’s
life was transformed by the Word of God while he was in college. He grew up surrounded
by the Hindu and Sikh religions, as his parents originated from Punjab, India. However,
once in college he had a life-changing experience and encounter with God, as he
came to know the powerful truths in God’s Word. Pastor Kanda also currently
serves as the young-adult discipleship director for Central California.
Friday
night started out with a meet-and-greet supper with the Okanagan Christian
School students, and speaker Anil Kanda.
Ern Brake
gave the lesson study Sabbath morning while the kids attended their Sabbath
school programs. The children also had their own church service led by Pastor
Neil Peralta, and it was a real hit with the 30+ children in attendance.
Kanda took
on the difficult topic of the Birds, the Bees, and the Bible, stating that it
was better to hear about this subject from the church rather than from other
sources such as the internet and other media. One way or another, the youth
would learn about it, and they need a positive source to guide their decision
making about relationships.
Kanda
referred to the Song of Solomon for his inspiration, along with new scientific
discoveries about biochemical attraction associated with the release of the hormone
oxytocin, the “love chemical.” Kanda had a powerful and thought-provoking
message that may have been directed at the young but left some of us older
folks wishing we had heard such messages when we were young, as it may have
saved us a lot of heartache.
Wesley
Torres, BC Conference president; Ern Brake, vice-president; and Tom Glatts,
ministerial director, gave inspirational messages about relationships as well.
Fountainview
Academy blessed the crowd with their outstanding musical abilities in the
afternoon.
The meeting
culminated in an appeal with all the pastors, elders, and conference leaders up
at the front. The attendees were then invited to come and pray and invite the
Holy Spirit into their lives to lead and direct them in a stronger relationship
with Christ. The mini-campmeeting of 2019 was a real blessing, with some
powerful messages to take home and incorporate into our lives.
By Doreen Zyderveld-Hagel
Source: https://adventistmessenger.ca/features/kelownas-43rd-annual-campmeeting
