North Of Border Conference Seen As ‘Spiritually Significant’ For Canada 

Grande Prairie ‘Ripe For This Conference’ 

      Ruth Graham & Friends ventured north of the U.S. border to present their first-ever international conference in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada on Oct. 5-6.

      It was also the first conference to be held on ice. Truly on ice, as the conference was held inside the city’s Crystal Centre, which serves as home ice for the local Grande Prairie Storm professional hockey team. The main conference sessions were all held in the ice arena, with speakers and attendees alike spread out over the boarded-over ice surface.

      Icy conditions aside, the conference was very warmly received, with nearly 1,000 people in attendance – the largest number yet for an RG&F conference. And it was Thanksgiving Weekend in Canada too!

      Youthful faces were abundant – reflecting the fact that the average age of people living in Grande Prairie is 29 years old -- among the nearly 1,000 people in attendance throughout the weekend. The number of men in attendance also appeared to be significantly higher than usual, another sign that the RG&F conferences are evolving in the right direction.

      “We are committed to making the Ruth Graham conferences appealing to both men and women,” says Ruth Graham, “and some of the changes we’ve made in the format this fall have been aimed at providing more content of interest to men.”

      Located 250 miles northwest of Edmonton, Grande Prairie has a population of 50,000 -- and is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada. It is one of the major centers for the development of the vast oil and gas riches lying under the ground of northern Alberta, and as a result Grande Prairie is experiencing an economic and population boom that is nothing short of amazing.

      This boom is not without its downside – in this case, Grande Prairie has seen a big increase in drug and alcohol problems, domestic abuse, pornography and similar issues along with the rapidly growing population. The need to help people tackle these issues was one of the main reasons why more than 30 local churches came together to organize and support the Ruth Graham & Friends conference. 

‘A Defining Moment’ For Attendees 

      “Grande Prairie is ripe for this kind of conference,” said Connie Nesbitt, one of the lead local organizers for the conference, when introduced on stage Friday night. “We pray this will be a defining moment for you, your family and friends this weekend.”

      Then Connie introduced Grande Prairie City Alderman Gladys Blackmun, who welcomed the Ruth Graham & Friends conference to the city on behalf of the City of Grande Prairie. Musical performances by Jason Catron and Huntley Brown further warmed up the audience – Jason also doing a little extra duty filling in for Damaris Carbaugh, whose flight into town was delayed. Damaris did arrive in time to perform several solos later in the evening.

      By the time Ruth got up to speak on her personal testimony, the audience had all settled in and people were obviously eager to hear her story, as told through the parable of the Prodigal Son.

      Following Ruth’s talk, there was a break – and then the youth of Grande Prairie had their opportunity to enjoy the weekend with a free concert by “At The Door”, a Grande Prairie-rooted Christian rock band that performed on the main stage from 10 p.m. to midnight. The three-piece band really rocked the audience, which was comprised primarily of hundreds of local teenagers along with a fair sampling of more mature rockers including a few of the Ruth Graham & Friends stalwarts.

      Saturday was the day for all of the workshops, as well as plenary sessions by Ruth and Ray Giunta. Ray’s late morning plenary session included his moving video tribute to the ‘911’ attacks and recovery, of which he played such an important role as chaplain on the ground at Ground Zero for three months.   

Workshops Were Relevant To Audience Needs 

      Jacqueline Skog’s workshop on domestic abuse was filled to the brim with people Obviously, the word had gotten round the community that there was real help to be had for people dealing with and interested in the subject of Domestic Abuse issues at the conference – and Jacquie did not disappoint.

      There was no lack of interest in any of the other workshops either – each session saw record numbers of people in attendance. Steve Wiese’s workshop on Anger (held, appropriately, in the cool confines of the ice arena) drew more than a handful of men – a very encouraging sign since, as Steve informed the audience, “men flood with anger more easily than women, and recover less quickly.”

      The comments by Miles and Irene, two local residents who took the conference together, were poignant: “Anger – that is really relevant to my life and our family,” said Irene. In their family of 10 children – Miles and Irene were brother and sister – anger is a major issue. “I’m fast to anger, and it really helps to understand it,” commented Miles.

      Aleta Nichols’s session on addiction hit a local nerve as well. Said Nicole, an attendee who came with her husband Phil: “I know people with drug addictions, and with Aleta you kind of understand where addictions come from. Everything starts from something.”

      Aleta noted that there was plenty of follow-up help available in Grande Prairie for people dealing with addictions and other life-controlling issues, including a number of local counselors and lay ministers trained by  Living Free ministry to provide structured ongoing assistance.

       “Don’t walk out the door with the same pain in you that you walked in with today,” said Aleta in closing. “God can deliver you from pain.”

      Tal Prince, making his first speaking appearance at a Ruth Graham conference, made an impact with his workshop on the Pornography Plague and Sexual Purity. His comments urging people to see pornography for what it was – a serious and growing problem touching all levels of society – were delivered in front of a large audience. The Internet has vastly expanded the reach of pornography in society, and “there is no such thing as a little bit of porn that’s healthy,” Tal said.

      Additional workshops, all well-attended, were Depression, Dr. Don Miles; Grief, Ray Giunta; The Illusion of Control, Steve Wiese; Life Redeemed: Healing and Hope After Abortion, Kim Jeffries; and Ruth Graham on Divorce, Loneliness & Singleness.

      As the conference wound down Saturday evening, people found time to reflect on what they’d heard. 

There Will Be Healing In The City – And Throughout The Country 

      Debra, a Grande Prairie resident and counselor with a special mission to First Nations people, stated, “This conference is anointed, God-ordained, very relevant. A lot of healing is going to come of this. We have a sense of addictions here, lots of evil, there is a lot of money here, and there is a lot of spiritual work that will be happen this weekend to make this city inhabitable.”

      Daryl, a local resident involved in a youth ministry, said, “It’s pretty easy to engage in these topics. The Prodigal Son that Ruth talked about on Friday evening was good. It was nice to get some subtleties of culture in her talk.”

      And Peggy, a local resident who had experienced addiction issues, said “I relate very well to everything. The church looking down on you (for having sinned), I had some of that. I also know now that I wasn’t enough of a disciple…”

      Maybe Jeannette, a resident from Victoria, British Columbia who had been part of a Canadian-wide team praying for the success of the conference, summed it up best: “I feel that there is something spiritual happening in Canada, a transformation. I specifically came to Grande Prairie for this conference, and at this time I really believe it has a spiritual significance in Canada.

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