The first 40 people to register will receive a FREE copy of the book Before You Open Your Bible: Nine Heart Postures For Approaching God's Word 

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Whether you are new to the Christian faith or someone who has been following Jesus for a long time, this book will help open your eyes to all that awaits you in God's Word. 

"…if you wish to hear the Spirit of Jesus speak life-altering words to you… Matt Smethurst has written a stellar little book on this rare but important subject. If you desire to approach your Bible as God wants you to, read this and be renewed." --Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder and CEO, Joni and Friends International Disability Center

“Today there has been a movement toward a ‘spiritual reading’ of the Bible that puts the greatest emphasis on one’s own experience of the text rather than on a careful, close reading and study of it. Yet Bible study must never be a merely academic exercise either. Matt Smethurst’s little book is a needed re-orientation so that Christians can genuinely hear God’s voice through his written Word.” – Tim Keller

Although there are many great resources on how to read and study Scripture, hardly any focus exclusively on how to approach it in the first place, this book helps you do just that. Matt Smethurst is an author and pastor of River City Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia.

As a married couple for over 36 years, Mark and Janice Stevens have purposefully followed Christ's leading, often in direct opposition to the "American Dream." Over the years, their home has been filled with seven busy children (now grown), five grandchildren, homeschooling activities, worship meetings, discipleship relationships, music, and dogs. From rural homesteading to inner-city market gardening, through successes and failures, they have continually sought the kingdom of God. They are convinced that God's kingdom is advanced especially through Jesus' command in Matthew 28:19 "...Go and make disciples . . ." As exemplified by Jesus with the twelve disciples, this means walking side-by-side and day-by-day together pointing to Jesus.

Annie McCune grew up in a large, loud, and loving family in Western New York.  She graduated from Dartmouth College where she met her husband, Lee, of 43 years. Together they have 4 children, who married terrific spouses and blessed them with 12 amazing grandchildren. They feel privileged to have numerous international kids and grandkids also call them Nonnie and Grandpa Lee.

God has given her various assignments over the years including organizing Prayer Events that have been city-wide, state-wide, and worldwide. In her free time, she enjoys watching birds in her backyard, long walks and relishing redemptive stories in books and movies. Her favorite assignment, after loving God and her family, is practicing hospitality, by loving the strangers God puts in her path, and having them become friends and family.  Contact her at AnniesHospitalityBook@gmail.com.

Alycia Wood graduated from Roberts Wesleyan College with a degree in Criminal Justice, Marygrove College with a Master’s in Social Justice, and the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Alycia’s speaking background is quite diverse. From universities (such as MIT, UCONN, Harvard, University of Massachusetts, Boston University, Dartmouth College, and Brown University), to retreats, from conferences to men’s and women’s prisons, Alycia has addressed major issues surrounding faith to diverse audiences. She has traveled to Haiti, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica, volunteering at soup kitchens and orphanages as her passions for “showing Christ” extends beyond her local environment. In her spare time, Alycia enjoys music and is a lover of all things football and hockey.

Craig D. McClure holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Piedmont College and a master’s degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he is currently pursuing a doctorate in global missions. He is the Missions Advancement Strategist for SCORE International and professor of evangelism and missions at Dominican Baptist Theological Seminary, an affiliate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Craig is also an author for The Gospel Coalition: Latin American Edition. His wife Joanna, an RN, runs a medical clinic. They have been living and ministering in the Dominican Republic for over twelve years.

Fr. Bryan Wandel is a minister at St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church in Tonawanda, NY. In his free time, he likes to start podcasts, churches, and public forums for intellectual discussion. He oversees a Sudanese congregation within St. Bart's, and he homeschools his four children.

Dan Davis is a New Orleans native but moved to the Buffalo area 10 years ago to join a church planting team in North Tonawanda, where he served for close to 9 years. He now serves at The Chapel as the Crosspoint Campus Pastor. Dan and his wife, Crista, previously served in China where they were on a team that planted churches on college campuses. They have four daughters, ages 11, 8, 6, and 3. He has a heart for the nations and to mobilize believers to take the Gospel to their city, their nation, and the ends of the earth.

Dr. Micah Colbert serves as the discipleship and outreach pastor at Community of Grace, Amherst NY. Micah also teaches ESL certification courses part-time as an online professor with the International TEFL Academy.

Micah was born in Annapolis, MD, but moved to western NY in 2005. He and his wife, Debbie, have four children: Clara, Hudson, Owen, and Lawson. From 2008-2012, Micah and his wife served as church planting missionaries in Ghana, West Africa. In 2013, Micah planted Gospel Life Church in Amherst.  In 2020, Gospel Life merged with Community of Grace church in order to facilitate greater gospel parternship and community outreach. Micah has also written two books designed to help churches effectively communicate the gospel to others. 

Micah's ministry passions include preaching, teaching, and helping folks see how the truths of the gospel apply to the trenches of life . He also enjoys reading, coffee, football, time with family and friends, and an occasional pick up game. 

Dr. Phil Woodward is an assistant professor in the Philosophy Department at Niagara University. When he was nine years old it struck him that while the scary robots in the Saturday morning cartoons behaved according to the commands given them by remote control, nobody was remotely-controlling the robot-controllers. He has been thinking about the mysteries of human nature, especially the human mind, most days ever since.

Phil loves doing philosophy, whether with fellow professionals or with those who have only the faintest idea what philosophy is. He is convinced that philosophy has never been more important: during our era of extreme political polarization, philosophical training can provide society with a common rational vocabulary and set of reasoning skills. His students understand what our society is quickly forgetting: we can pursue the truth together.