June 16, 2010

Popular National Catholic Bible Conference set July 16-17 in Denver

By Julie Filby

The National Catholic Bible Conference will return to Denver July 16-17. The fifth annual event will feature more than 25 talks by 10 of the most popular Catholic Bible experts in the country. This year’s theme is “Scripture and God’s Plan for Your Life.”

“Everybody is looking for a plan for their life,” explained presenter Jeff Cavins, internationally renowned educator, speaker and author. “People are desperately looking for solutions to life’s difficult problems.”

This is evidenced by the popularity of talk shows like “Oprah” and “Dr. Phil,” late-night infomercial and self-help books. The conference will present topics and tools to help participants discover God’s plan in today’s culture through Scripture.

“In the fast pace of society today with e-mail, texting, obligations with kids, most adults really don’t get around to deeply investigating answers,” he said. “The good news is that God does have a plan, and it’s in the Bible.”

The conference will feature talks on a variety of topics including the family. Two talks will be delivered by couples including “The Domestic Church: A Place to Prepare for Heaven” to be presented by Cavins and his wife Emily, who have three daughters.

“There are a lot of women at the conference,” Cavins said. “And they want to hear the female perspective.”

The Cavins will discuss how the family is the place for children to learn about God’s plan, not just for this life but for eternity.

“The domestic Church (the family) is where you learn who you are and who God is,” Cavins said. “It’s where you learn to love and forgive. It’s where you learn patterns that are almost impossible to break, good and bad.”

Founder and president of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), Curtis Martin, and his wife Michaelann—parents of eight children—will present “Family Matters.” Using a light-hearted approach, they will share how they take their vocation seriously, without taking themselves too seriously.

“Family life can be overwhelming,” Curtis Martin said. “We’ll examine principles from Scripture and insights from our experience to explain how we develop, sustain and live a sense of mission in the middle of the chaos.”

Additional talks will include Thomas Smith on the role of angels, Sarah Christmyer sharing how to pray through pain, Peter Williamson will relay husbands and wives and Ephesians 5, Tim Gray will teach how to evangelize, Martha Fernandez-Sardina will talk on becoming holy, Steve Weidenkopf will explain why people went on crusades, and Scott Powell will speak on living as redeemed people in a broken world. With the exception of “A Biblical Walk Through the Mass” presented by Edward Sri, which is back by popular demand, all workshops are talks that have not been presented at the NCBC before.

Each presentation fits into one of three tracks: knowledge, how to understand God’s plan; transformation, how to be changed by God’s plan; and mission, how to carry out and share God’s plan.

The conference, sponsored by Ascension Press, the Augustine Institute and the Denver Catholic Biblical School, will begin with Mass, breakfast and a keynote address by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. Cavins will give welcome and closing addresses.

With 600 participants already registered, the conference is expected to reach its capacity of 900. Last year 750 people attended. The event will be held at St. Thomas More Parish at 8035 S. Quebec St. in Centennial. For more information or to register, visit www.CatholicBibleConference.com or call 888-842-2853. A discount is available to groups of five or more, and scholarships are available.

For more information or registration
Online: www.CatholicBibleConference.com
Call: 888-842-2853
E-mail: registration@catholicbibleconference.com