Healings, prophetic words and people laying down their lives for Christ
BY LAUREN MARTIN
The 2024 ARISE Men’s Conference was “one of the best we have seen in a long time”, according to NSW/ACT Divisional Men’s Champion Lieutenant Keven Williams.
“The Holy Spirit came down in a mighty way,” he said. “We were witness to healings, prophetic words and men accepting Jesus for the very first time.”
Around 90 men gathered at Collaroy Conference Centre on Sydney’s Northern Beaches over the weekend of 18-20 October.
The theme of the conference was ‘Breaking Ground’.
The guest speaker was Salvation Army prison chaplain Marty Robinson, who used his life and ministry experiences to paint a picture of who Jesus was in the lives of those gathered.
“ARISE Men’s Conference this year has been one of the best conferences that we have seen in a long time,” said Keven, who is the Corps Officer at Eastern Beaches.
“Our guest speaker, our very own Marty Robinson, really started the weekend off right. He challenged [the men] about who Jesus is in our lives and how he is breaking ground in the lives of men around us.”
On the Sunday morning, Auxiliary Lieutenant Russell Brown [Fairfield City Corps Officer] invited those gathered into a space where the Holy Spirit’s presence was clearly evident.
“There was a time of prayers for healing, peace and a time of great insight to who the Holy Spirit is in the lives of the men in the room,” Keven said.
Major Darren Kingston [Macquarie Field Mission Team Leader] said many received Jesus for the first time, and miraculous healings occurred.
“There was a man who had exhibited signs of uncontrollable tics that caused his whole body to move all weekend, and he had been suffering for a whole year with the condition, which had stopped him from working. Jesus took all the shakes away, and he was fully healed!”
“We need to break ground in the lives of the men around us, being the light in their relationships, workplaces and churches.”
On Sunday afternoon, Keven challenged the men in the room to pick up the mantle that Jesus has for them, run with it, and pass it on to other men in their communities who don’t yet know Jesus.
“We need to break ground in the lives of the men around us, being the light in their relationships, workplaces and churches,” he said.
“We have an opportunity and a responsibility to now pass on our knowledge and experience to the younger generations of men and encourage them to take on the mantle of Christ and create spaces of vulnerability and strength where the men in their lives can come to know Jesus.”
Attendees were offered a variety of electives, including insights into mental health (Johnathon Browning and Kevin Williams), listening to the Holy Spirit and giving words of knowledge to each other (Russell Brown), photography (Steven Haworth), and learning how to be a more intentional father and writing letters to your kids (Darren Kingston).
“Delegates really engaged,” said Keven. “They really went deep in the new things that they were learning and were able to take away with them new knowledge and skills to their home corps.”
Organisers are looking forward to next year’s ARISE Men’s Conference and expect God to continue moving in mighty ways.
Click through the slideshow to view more photos:
