President’s 2008 Year-end Recap

Dear EPS friends,

It was a joy to see many of you at our
EPS annual meeting in
Providence last month.  Each year I eagerly anticipate making
that pre-Thanksgiving pilgrimage to EPS for the stimulating papers
and conversation, the Christian fellowship, and the opportunity to
serve together with many of you at our annual
apologetics
conference.

We have many reasons for rejoicing in what God is doing within
the EPS.  Let me mention a few of them.

• At this time last year,
  Philosophia Christi subscriptions
  were down considerably due to an outdated, inefficient website.
   As many of you know, back in 2005 I had begun discussions to
  spearhead a plan to completely upgrade our website. Chad
  Meister, Scott Smith, Joe Gorra, Craig Hazen, and others worked
  long and hard on this project alongside our new webmaster Lenny
  Esposito.  Finally, in October 2007, our sharp-looking,
  efficiently-working, cutting-edge website was launched.  In one
  year, we have received over 500 new subscriptions (now over
  1,570) – with fifty more were added at our recent apologetics
  conference.  What a marvelous difference this year has
  made!
• Earnestly Contending, our sixth annual
  apologetics
  conference, took place in Smithfield, RI in conjunction with the
  EPS’s annual meeting. This conference drew nearly 800
  attendees�an excellent showing for New England. During that
  weekend, forty pastors were expected to attend a luncheon to
  receive encouragement and practical training in promoting the
  role of apologetics in local churches.  Well, over 110 showed
  up! In fact, the pastors’ response was so positive that we’re
  planning on hosting these luncheons every year.  And how
  encouraging that over 100 attended the various youth sessions. 
  Bill Craig, who takes the lead in organizing the conference each
  year called Earnestly Contending "among the top three
  conferences we’ve held so far!"  The host church pastor,
  Rev. Steve Boyce, said that all the initial reports he’s
  received "have been just rave reviews!"  Thanks to Bill and to
  Pastor Steve and his volunteers at the Worship Center for
  helping to bring all of this together.
• After the
  apologetics conference, Bill Craig, Gary Habermas,
  Jim Sinclair, and I were able to sit down for over two hours
  with a couple of atheists who had crashed the party.  It
  was an excellent time of discussion and building relationships
  with them. One of them wrote a note to me afterwards, mentioning
  that the conference was "excellent" and that, despite our
  philosophical differences, "there is just something irresistible
  and winsome about Christian friendship."
• Chad Meister has helped coordinate another international outreach
  effort scheduled for next fall at Hokkaido University in Japan. 
  For health reasons, though, Chad is stepping down as EPS vice
  president and as international outreach coordinator, but I want to
  thank him heartily for his energy, resourcefulness, wisdom, and
  graciousness. Please pray for him as well as this upcoming venture.

While we’re on the topic, I’d like to say thanks to Stewart
Kelly, Bob Stewart, Rich Davis, and Bob Larmer for their service on
the EPS executive committee, and we welcome four new members to our
EC: Jeremy Evans, Craig Mitchell, Bill Dembski, and Bruce Little.

Again, as I recently wrote, I would ask you to support the EPS
with your prayers and financial gifts.  Indeed, God is at work
in and through the EPS!  May we remain faithful co-laborers
with him in a remarkable movement that he has wrought!
Advent blessings to you all!

Paul Copan,
EPS President