{"id":5127,"date":"2018-08-23T03:45:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-23T03:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/2018\/08\/23\/first-international-youth-and-family-conference-in-west-africa1\/"},"modified":"2023-08-13T20:00:51","modified_gmt":"2023-08-13T18:00:51","slug":"first-international-youth-and-family-conference-in-west-africa1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/first-international-youth-and-family-conference-in-west-africa1\/","title":{"rendered":"First International Youth and Family Conference in West Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n<center>\n  <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"747\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/west_africa_bldg_strong_families-560x747-1.jpg?resize=560%2C747&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/west_africa_bldg_strong_families-560x747-1.jpg 560w, https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/west_africa_bldg_strong_families-560x747-1-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\">\n<\/center>\n<p><\/p>\n<p> Damon Curtis from Houston, Texas speaking at the International Youth and Family Conference <\/p>\n<p> The Lagos church held their first ever International Youth &amp; Family Conference in West Africa. Youth &amp; Family ministers, leaders, and volunteers from all over Africa attended this conference. The conference was entitled, &ldquo;Building Strong Families.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p> The Georges from Lagos, Directors of the Conference <\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<center>\n  <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"747\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/damon_curtis-560x747-1.jpg?resize=560%2C747&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/damon_curtis-560x747-1.jpg 560w, https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/damon_curtis-560x747-1-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\">\n<\/center>\n<p><\/p>\n<p> Along with classes for the parents, there were also classes for singles, campus, and teens. I had the opportunity to teach the campus students. I shared with them the importance of dreaming big dreams based on Acts 2:16-18, <\/p>\n<p> &ldquo;No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: <\/p>\n<p> &lsquo;In the last days, God says, <\/p>\n<p> I will pour out my Spirit on all people. <\/p>\n<p> Your sons and daughters will prophesy, <\/p>\n<p> your young men will see visions, <\/p>\n<p> your old men will dream dreams. <\/p>\n<p> Even on my servants, both men and women, <\/p>\n<p> I will pour out my Spirit in those days, <\/p>\n<p> and they will prophesy.&rsquo;&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p> Peter and Joel both confirm that God wants us to be dreamers. He wants his daughters and sons to prophecy\/preach. He gives us his Spirit to help us dream. <\/p>\n<p> Are you a dreamer? How big are your dreams? <\/p>\n<p> Are your dreams as big as they have ever been? <\/p>\n<p> God will take our dreams and build on them and expand them. He can &ldquo;do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.&rdquo; Paul writes a word of praise to God in Ephesians 3:20-21, &ldquo;Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p> So let&rsquo;s give God our dreams. And, let&rsquo;s ask God to magnify our dreams for his glory. Whether you are married, single, or a student in campus or high school&mdash;Dream Big Dreams. <\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<center>\n  <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"747\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/west_africa_campus_students-560x747-1.jpg?resize=560%2C747&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/west_africa_campus_students-560x747-1.jpg 560w, https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/west_africa_campus_students-560x747-1-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\">\n<\/center>\n<p><\/p>\n  <p> Click <a href=\"https:\/\/stevekinnard.wordpress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a> to read additional entries from my blog. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Lagos church held their first ever International Youth &amp; Family Conference in West Africa entitled, \u201cBuilding Strong Families.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":5128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[51],"post_folder":[151],"class_list":["post-5127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-families","tag-africa"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/west_africa_bldg_strong_families_Vd7yQoq3TMqH8p94uxLb-560x747-1.jpg?fit=560%2C747&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"dtadmin","author_link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/author\/dtadmin\/"},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phsvEw-1kH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5133,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/first-international-youth-and-family-conference-in-west-africa\/","url_meta":{"origin":5127,"position":0},"title":"West Africa School of Missions Studies Church History","author":"dtadmin","date":"August 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"While in Africa, I\u2019m teaching 28 lessons in 8 days. Twenty of these lessons are on church history. I\u2019m teaching a class to students of the West Africa School of Missions.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/kinnard_west_africa_missions_j4eij9PWQ0WZquUd26Iq-560x245-1.jpg?fit=560%2C245&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/kinnard_west_africa_missions_j4eij9PWQ0WZquUd26Iq-560x245-1.jpg?fit=560%2C245&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/kinnard_west_africa_missions_j4eij9PWQ0WZquUd26Iq-560x245-1.jpg?fit=560%2C245&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":186,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/youth-family-service-team-report-2011\/","url_meta":{"origin":5127,"position":1},"title":"Youth &#038; Family Service Team Report 2011","author":"Lai-Yan Faller","date":"December 13, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The Youth and Family Service Team has served to advance healthy teen and family based ministries in our churches since 2006. At it's inception, the committee planned the first Youth and Family Conference in Boston in 2007 under the leadership of chairman John Porter, evangelist in the South Florida Church\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Families&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Families","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/families\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27190,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/a-tribute-to-heroes-of-faith-honoring-the-ogbonnayas-emehs-and-fred-george\/","url_meta":{"origin":5127,"position":2},"title":"A Tribute to Heroes of Faith: Honoring the Ogbonnayas, Emehs, and Fred George","author":"Lai-Yan Faller","date":"May 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Lagos church recently announced the transitions of Chris & Rolayo Ogbonnaya, Emmanuel & Henrietta Emeh, and the retirement of Fred George from paid ministry employment.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Leadership&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Leadership","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/leadership\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Lagos-transitions.png?fit=1200%2C531&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Lagos-transitions.png?fit=1200%2C531&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Lagos-transitions.png?fit=1200%2C531&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Lagos-transitions.png?fit=1200%2C531&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Lagos-transitions.png?fit=1200%2C531&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":217,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/youth-family-service-team-report-2012\/","url_meta":{"origin":5127,"position":3},"title":"Youth &#038; Family Service Team Report 2012","author":"Lai-Yan Faller","date":"December 10, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"History The Youth and Family Service Team has served to advance healthy teen and family-based ministries in our churches since 2006. At its inception, the committee planned the first Youth and Family Conference in Boston in 2007. The twelve members coordinated the Boston conference in 2007, the 2009 ICYFM (International\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Leadership&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Leadership","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/leadership\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4821,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/singles-the-west-africa-singles-conference-2018-satisfied-is-god-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":5127,"position":4},"title":"The West Africa Singles Conference 2018 \u2013 Satisfied: Is God Enough?","author":"dtadmin","date":"December 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The West African Singles Conference, themed SATISFIED: Is God Enough?, was hosted in Accra, Ghana on 23 \u2013 25 November 2018. The conference aimed to break down every area of life from finances and career to our relationships with God and others and got us to ask ourselves: are we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Singles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Singles","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/singles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG-20181127-WA0021.jpg?fit=830%2C411&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG-20181127-WA0021.jpg?fit=830%2C411&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG-20181127-WA0021.jpg?fit=830%2C411&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG-20181127-WA0021.jpg?fit=830%2C411&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22872,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/lagos-thanksgiving-service-and-elder-appointed\/","url_meta":{"origin":5127,"position":5},"title":"Lagos Thanksgiving Service and Elder Appointed","author":"Vida Li Sik","date":"February 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The church in Lagos, Nigeria, celebrated the certainty of heaven in a special thanksgiving service. They also witnessed the appointment of a fifth elder and two baptisms.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elder-appointed-in-Lagos.jpg?fit=1200%2C895&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elder-appointed-in-Lagos.jpg?fit=1200%2C895&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elder-appointed-in-Lagos.jpg?fit=1200%2C895&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elder-appointed-in-Lagos.jpg?fit=1200%2C895&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elder-appointed-in-Lagos.jpg?fit=1200%2C895&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/west_africa_bldg_strong_families_Vd7yQoq3TMqH8p94uxLb-560x747-1.jpg?fit=560%2C747&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5127"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=5127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}