The Brunstad Christian Church Africa (BCC Africa) Conference – hosted by BCC South Africa – was held from 25 to 27 February 2022, the weekend directly after the BCC Africa Workshop. (See “The 2022 BCC Africa Workshop”.) This was a blessing for the 90 workshop participants who stayed on in South Africa to attend the conference. Including South Africans, there was a total of 451 people present and they were joined online by members of BCC Africa fellowships throughout Africa.
The spirit of joy and fellowship at the conference was almost tangible! Everyone was so thankful to be together after the disappointment in December 2021 when, at the eleventh hour, the BCC Africa Summer Conference had to be converted into an online conference, due to a global surge in the number of Covid-19 (Omicron) cases. This resulted in international travel restrictions being imposed once again.
The conference opened in prayer and thereafter the guest speaker, Harald Kronstad from Norway, said how edifying it was to see everybody from the different countries once again. In his message he reminded everyone about the importance and seriousness of humility in the life of a disciple of Christ. Quoting from the Book of John in the New Testament (John 5:30) where Jesus said, “I can of Myself do nothing,” Kronstad said that this showed how humble Jesus was, He could do nothing without hearing from God, His Father first. Therefore to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ requires great humility and dependency on God, which does not come naturally to mankind. His message was filled with hope and encouragement saying that God deals with His followers in their daily circumstances with eternity in mind, but one cannot just sit back and do nothing, it takes commitment and dedication to humble oneself in obedience to God’s Word.
At the four church services held during the conference (which included Sunday School for the children), the leaders from the various fellowships delivered messages and many people testified. The conference program included time for relaxation and fellowship, sports tournaments for the young people, activities for the children, a family fun run, a ladies high tea and a gala dinner on the Saturday evening.
Testimonies:
Peter Nyangoto (Kenya):
“I am extremely thankful for the love and care of the members of BCCSA. Personally the conference brought a revival in my faith and the messages from Harald Kronstad made a deep impression on me. May God bless the church.”
Beatrice Mbori (Tanzania):
“I am very thankful for what I heard at the conference. I need to be more humble and much more faithful in all the small things in daily life. I want to make progress so that the life that Christ led can be manifest in my life and I can be an example to those around me.”
Rachel Tcheumwa (Bafoussam, Cameroon):
“Since the conference I have taken it to heart to believe in the Word of God and not my own reasoning and live before God and not other people. I also want to stop judging others.”
Byamugisha Gaspar (Uganda):
“We were so well cared for at the conference from our arrival until our late night flight back home! At this conference the Word of God was spoken in a simplified way and that was a great help to me. The conference was very timely for me, may God help me to work out my salvation more zealously than ever before.”
Purity Nyagweth (Kenya):
“The atmosphere at the conference was so good and it was nice to see and interact with BCC members from other countries and even make new friends. It was a privilege for me to be at the conference and listen to God’s Word. A major revelation that I got from the church services was that I need to allow myself to be led by the Holy Spirit. In my daily circumstances it is quite usual for me to make decisions based on my own understanding or what I think is right or even what other people think. I want to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit in all situations, big or small.”