Harbor, Pepperdine Bible Lectures

Ever wish you could sit down with the famous eighteenth-century revivalist George Whitefield and learn his secrets for pursuing God over a lifetime with reckless love and abandon? Join Pepperdine University English professor Lisa Smith as she shares the surprising backstories of Whitefield’s most unique life events as well as his own words of passion for God from his personal journals, letters, and autobiography. The international preaching sensation who helped start the First Great Awakening will come alive in this presentation designed to encourage all followers of Jesus to live lives of passion and purpose. Teacher: Lisa Smith

As churches seek to become more intentionally intergenerational in outlook and practice, the first question that typically arises is, “How can we bring the generations together in a way that is spiritually rich for everyone?” This presentation will walk class participants through guidelines for an all-age small-group gathering that begins with an inviting (non-embarrassing) ice breaker, then moves to a transition that welcomes the presence of Jesus, engages Scripture in fresh age- inclusive ways, models household prayers, and closes with a blessing over the participants. The presentation draws from the authentic experiences of a church that implemented intergenerational small groups over the 2023-2024 calendar year. Participants will leave with two weeks of curriculum written for intergenerational small groups. Teacher: Holly Allen

Speaker: Rachel Collins

"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Hebrews 11:32-34 (NIV) There are approximately 165 Scriptures in the Bible that express how much a part of God’s heart and character justice is and how important it is that his people do justice. As Jesus said of the teachers of the Law and Pharisees in Matthew 23:23, “you have neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the most important things in Moses’ Teachings.” The goal of this class is to elevate this essential tenet of our faith and discipleship through Bible teaching. Teacher: Kevin Holland

Teacher: Tim Spivey

In Acts 15:28, James announces that the Gentiles have been included by God, including the line, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to Us. . . ." This epochal moment is central to Luke's understanding of the early church, and it should be for ours as well. What would it require for your church to be a 15:28 church? Teacher: Mark Love

Chris Goldman, NWChurch Worship Band A musical and spoken word worship experience built upon Isaiah 40 - 43, music by the NW Worship Band, and a desire to breathe spiritual energy into all who participate.

Teacher: Bobby Valentine  

Teachers: Scott Lambert, Jim Martin Spiritual leaders need encouragement to keep pressing forward in challenging Kingdom work. Approaches and tactics to wrestle with burnout, stress and anxiety will be accompanied by words of blessings, courage and prayers over each person in attendance. Both nights will offer practical insights as well as the feeding of each leader's soul. End the Harbor day with a time of encouragement to stay courageous in serving God and His people.

Teachers: Jason Locke, Tod Vogt Panelists: David Berry, Charles Kiser, Ryan Smith, Chale Wesson In this Reimagining Church workshop, the panelists will look at how to move beyond the tired and futile hamster wheel of worship improvements, revolving preachers, rebrandings, facility improvements, and the like. Instead of just rethinking how to improve the weekly hour of worship, what if we as churches rethought how to do life together? What if Christian communities both new and old could imagine and live into a new future of being the church in the world? This session will look at concrete ideas for how to break out of existing frameworks.