In spite of the uncertainty organisers faced, they forged ahead with plans for the sixth annual Converge Festival, held at Stuart’s Point, NSW at the beginning of February. They felt especially blessed by God, when, Friday morning, masks were no longer mandatory.
Attendance this year was the largest yet, with more attendees coming from Greater Sydney and South Queensland than previously. Victoria’s representation was down slightly, however we still had around 50 young people there.
Because of social distancing requirements, the format of the venue was changed to create more open space. The cafe and worship venue was blended and worked well. People continued to stay on after the program, enjoying the fellowship, and on a number of occasions, eating up everything available!
Eddie Hypolite and Roland Talamaivao-Amituanai were the guest presenters, and their presentations complemented each other well, with Eddie focusing on how we should live Christ-centred lives, first and foremost, and Roland encouraging attendees to rethink church in the wake of 2020. Individuals are the church. What can Christ-centred individuals do to turn church into missional communities, reaching out in nonconventional ways, such as house churches and life groups or in other ways.
The presentations were well received and there were elements of commitment each evening, such as committing to start a life group, to which attendees responded.