Hope Church Aviemore were our hosts for a half-day Confident Christianity conference held at the YMCA Community Centre in Grantown on Spey. There’s a sign on the wall there that says that ernest Shackleton once adressed audiences there, so Andy Bannister has now walked in the footsteps of the great Antarctic explorer! It’s a small, but charming venue which was a perfect location for an event up in Speyside.
As ever, these conferences are about encouraging Christians in their evangelism. Mike Causey from the church – who had planned and organised the event welcomed everyone, before Hope Church’s pastor Kenny Rogan brought an opening devotion about our reliance on the Holy Spirit for 
evangelism and apologetics to bear fruit. Andy then shared his “How to talk about Jesus” talk on conversational evangelism. Gavin Matthews spoke next, opening Ephesians 2:1-10 looking at the heart of the gospel, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” After a coffee break and brief slot about Solas’s ministry, Andy spoke on “Is Christianity Bad for the Environment” – addressing an important topic – but also demonstrating how the gospel can be shared through a contemporary issue. We finsihed off with an interesting time of Q&A which delved into eshcatology, Islam, heaven, the failures of the church, and witnessing to the apathetic.
Our host Mike Causey wrote:
“Welcoming Solas to Grantown was a joy. The desire to bring together believers from across the Spey Valley was realised in an impactful way. Not only did we hear practical guidance on sharing our faith in Jesus, we also connected with believers from multiple churches who hadn’t previously known of each other, even though they were in the same town. As a result, new opportunities to pray together are already arising, as well as a sense of a co-labouring for the gospel in our beautiful part of Scotland. Hope Church Aviemore is already planning its next Solas visit!”
