“All in one in Christ Jesus” is the Keswick theme and the annual interdenominational 6 -day convention that started on Sunday (15) came to an end last Friday.

Cayman Keswick has always found excellent speakers and this year was no different.

This year Rev Ian Coffey from England was the speaker and he always commenced with a piece of humour before getting down to the thought provoking spiritual meet.

It was no different on Friday where I just managed to find a vacant seat in the packed congregation at Cayman Islands Baptist Church, Savannah as I arrived late, but thankfully in time to hear Rev Coffey’s complete message.

His first words were a question.

“What is it with the chickens?” He asked and the whole church erupted with laughter.

He wanted to know if there was some sacred or spiritual connection between the Cayman people and chickens. He said the roosters never stopped but cars everywhere stopped to let the chickens cross in front of them with their babies running on behind.

The place erupted again when he actually saw motorists stop at a pedestrian crossing and a hen and her chicks walked slowly over the yellow and white lines on the road.

His comment that he had a very good curry chicken recipe did not get any takers.

The meat of the message though was about ‘being given another chance’ and he used John Mark, the writer of the second Gospel as the example.

We learnt how Mark had deserted Paul and Barnabas and returned home. Even when Mark came back Paul at first would have nothing to do with him causing a huge rift between himself and Barnabas. Barnabas left Paul and went away with Mark never to be with Paul again. However, Mark and Paul were reconciled and Paul later in his letters refers to Mark as ‘useful’.

So Mark was given another chance and had been ‘bruised’. Rev Coffey then gave another illustration saying a friend of his is a boxer and he would never train under a trainer who did not have a broken nose.

Rev Coffey then gave his own testament and how he was bruised when he had to resign from a church he was in charge of and was then ordered out before his termination date. It was the lowest point in his life, he said, but one becomes stronger for the experience. He was given a second chance.

If we don’t learn from a second chance we may never get another one.

Ian Coffey: Vice-Principal (Strategy), MA Course Leader and Director of Leadership Training

Ian is a Baptist minister who has led churches in suburban, city-centre and international contexts. He has also served as Director with the Saltmine Trust and the Evangelical Alliance. He was a member of the leadership team of Spring Harvest for nine years and continues that involvement as chair of the Board of Spring Harvest Holidays.

Ian has a strong interest in writing and has published fourteen books and acts as a consultant to Inter-Varsity Press. His Master of Theology degree was awarded for his thesis on how churches grow.

Ian is married to Ruth and they have four adult sons. The Coffeys regularly speak at conferences and church events in the UK and abroad.
Articles in Magazines, Books or Professional Journals

Ian has written for a variety of publications and for ten years was a columnist for the Western Morning News. In 2010 he was commissioned to write the teaching material for Bible Sunday. His most recent paper; ” Preaching Jesus from the Epistles” has been published by Methodist Evangelicals Together.
Published Books

Ian has a number of books currently in print the latest being:
Working it Out – God, You and the Work You Do was published in the Faith at Work series (IVP).
Shock and Awe – Tasting God’s Outrageous Grace – BRF, September 2009.

Cayman Keswick Convention 2015 ran from February 15th-20th.

Since 1974, Cayman Keswick has been an annual gathering point for many churches to benefit jointly from the teaching ministry of contemporary preachers who are well known for their gift of explaining the Bible. Along with many similar gatherings worldwide, Cayman Keswick takes its name from the original Keswick Convention which has been held for over 130 years in the English town of Keswick, and where Christians continue to gather annually in one of the most respected and dynamic evangelical gatherings in the United Kingdom.

Cayman Keswick shares the “Keswick” motto of “All One in Christ Jesus” from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians 3:28, and is a practical demonstration of the real unity of Christians across all national, cultural and denominational backgrounds. The over-riding objective of the Cayman Keswick week is to glorify God by encouraging growth in the spiritual life of individuals and church communities through the careful exposition and application of the Bible. Cayman Keswick is committed to seeing the lives of Christian people being shaped by God’s revealed Word, submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and lived in the power of the Holy Spirit.

IMAGES: www.ieyenews.com
Ian Coffey
Ruth Coffey
Ian and Ruth Coffey
Praise & Worship team