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