Come Along with Me  
Karin Blanchard, Sandy Ridge Baptist Church, Hickory
When Jesus calls His disciples in Matthew 4:19, He says, “Follow Me.” As the disciples spent the next three years with the Lord, they learned from Him so they could teach and train others to follow Him. This is still the mandate Jesus has for His followers today. How do we obey the biblical mandate to disciple others in a fast-paced world where time is valuable and schedules are demanding? This breakout session will provide suggestions and ideas for growing in your own walk with the Lord and how to bring others along with you as you point them to Christ.

God’s Kingdom vs. My Kingdom: The Rewards of Intimacy  
Tabatha Frost, Providence Baptist Church, Raleigh
Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus mentions the kingdom of God. He even concludes Matthew 6 by telling His disciples to seek first the kingdom of God. As we seek the Lord during our intimate times with Him, His kingdom is advanced. How do we die to self and remember daily it is about His name being glorified and not our own? This breakout will examine what the kingdom of God is, why it is important, and how growing in our walk with the Lord, and dying to self, is rewarding.

Lord, Teach Us to Pray 
Sharon Jackson, Cary First Baptist Church, Cary
Of all of the things the disciples asked Jesus to teach them, prayer was the No. 1 discipline. The Lord desires for His followers to seek Him in prayer. At times prayer can seem intimidating because we don’t know how to pray, what to pray or where to begin. In the passage from Matthew 6, Jesus gives His disciples a model of how to pray. This breakout session will examine Jesus’ words regarding prayer from Matthew 6 and provide participants practical help to begin a life of seeking the Lord through prayer.

Seeking First the Kingdom  
Sheri Ellington, Cary First Baptist Church, Cary
As part of the larger sermon Jesus gives to the disciples and crowds while on the mountain, He tells them to “…seek first [God’s] kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). How do you seek the kingdom of God in His Word? This breakout session will allow participants to learn how to study the Word of God so seeking the kingdom of God is a daily reality.

Eternity in the Balance 
Christina Devlin, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Raleigh
The Gospel of Matthew ends with Jesus telling His disciples to “Go and make disciples.” During the week before His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus gave His disciples and the crowds the signs of His return. The commission and mandate to believers is one of eternal importance as eternity is in the balance. This breakout session will look at what Jesus says about His return, His disciples sharing the gospel and provide ways to keep this mindset at the beginning of each day.

God’s Righteousness and My Lack
Jennifer Thoppil, Salem Baptist Church, Dobson
Romans 3:10 tells us, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” Righteous means innocent. As humans, we have no righteousness to stand before a Holy God. God sent His sinless Son, Jesus, to earth to die for our sins and only in Him do we become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Do we try to live in our own righteousness, though, because we don’t understand God’s righteousness? Through this breakout session, participants will learn why our righteousness is lacking and how God’s righteousness is more than enough for each of us.

Persevering in Prayer 
Persevering in Prayer, Ellen Day, Pleasant Garden Baptist Church, Greensboro
Jesus tells His disciples to ask, seek and knock because “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7:7-11). Jesus tells us to continue to seek the Father in prayer. Truthfully, this can be difficult when we do not see something happen immediately. However, we are encouraged to persevere in prayer. This breakout session will examine what Scripture teaches about persevering in prayer and how to continue seeking the Father’s heart even when your prayers seem to go unanswered.

Shouting the Secret 
Betsy Bolick, Perkinsville Baptist Church, Boone
When a secret is shared with us, it is meant to be kept and held in confidence. Many times people will say their relationship with Jesus is private, and it keeps them from sharing the gospel with others. However, Jesus and the salvation that comes in His name is meant to be shared – and shouted – with everyone! This breakout session will look at how the gospel of Jesus Christ was shared in the New Testament as well as practical ways to engage in sharing about Christ with others.

Fasting: Denying Self to Seek the Father  
Harriet Page, Green Pines Baptist Church, Knightdale
Of the three acts of righteousness Jesus mentions in Matthew 6, fasting is the one least practiced among believers, yet it is not only a way to worship the Father, but also a way to seek intimacy with the Lord. Jesus fasted from food as He sought His Father and told His followers, “…when you fast…” (Matthew 6:17). As we seek the Father through fasting, we are denying self and are utterly dependent on Him to sustain us. Yet, we often do not practice this spiritual discipline. This breakout session will give a true biblical understanding of what fasting is and is not, the rewards of fasting, and ways to begin fasting in your own life in order to live in intimacy with the Father.

He is Who He Says He Is: Prophecy Fulfilled in Matthew’s Gospel
Ashley Allen, Embrace and Women’s Evangelism and Discipleship, Cary
One of the hallmarks of the Gospel of Matthew is the repeated phrase, “prophecy was fulfilled.” In this book, many Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in the kingship of the Lord Jesus. He is who He says He is! Why does this matter today? This breakout session will examine the prophecies fulfilled through Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew and make application for why this still matters today.

Search Me and Know My Heart 
Sheri Ellington, Cary First Baptist Church, Cary
In Matthew 5, Jesus speaks to the crowds about forgiveness and praying for our enemies. Often bitterness and anger grow unseen in our hearts, and it proves to be a barrier in our relationships with God and others. As we seek to cultivate the secret place in our walk with the Lord, we must allow Him to search our hearts and reveal areas where we need to confess and repent of sin. This breakout session will examine Matthew 5 in relationship to our Heavenly Father and provide a biblical understanding of why confession and repentance of the unseen things of the heart is important in our relationship with God and others.

Strategic Focus: Reaching the Nations from Our Own Homes
Kailyn Eskridge, Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, Cary
Do you know the nations are all around you in North Carolina? God has given us the opportunity to reach every tribe, tongue and nation within walking distance of our own homes. The opportunities are all around you. This breakout session will provide understanding of differing strategic focus areas within North Carolina and how you and your church can take part in reaching the nations with the gospel.