March 17 Today in OPC History

Friday, March 17, 1967, marked the opening day of a week long Calvinist Conference in Orthodox Presbyterian congregations in Southern California. Among the OPC ministers speaking and preaching at the various congregations on the Lord's Day and throughout the week were Robert Churchill, Ed Kellogg and Edmund Clowney. They were joined by Reformed Baptist pastor Al Martin. Many United Presbyterians who were concerned about the Presbyterian Church's adoption of the Confession of 1967 attended the meetings. Visitors were taken with the high quality of the preaching every night. "We heard the first two messages and we were sure that the high quality of the sermons could not possibly be sustained each evening. But we think this was actually the case: never have we attended such a series." Others testified, "We can't get over it. We heard ministers of some scholarship who believed the Scriptures with all their heart; we heard them love that Word and preach it in such dead earnestness and power."

Picture: Top left to right clockwise, E. Clowney, E. Kellogg, A. Martin and R. Churchill.