OCCA Q&A by New Horizon NI

This seminar turns from the head to the heart, asking not just why evil exists, but where God is in the midst of it. Through personal story, biblical reflection, and the hope of the Gospel, Alanzo Julian Paul helps us see that God is not indifferent to our hurt. If you’ve ever wondered whether God truly sees and cares about your suffering, this session is for you.

This seminar explores why speaking about Jesus can feel difficult in everyday conversations, especially with peers. It offers practical tools to overcome fear and awkwardness, helping us engage naturally. Listeners will learn how to connect the message of Jesus with the real questions and concerns of seekers and sceptics today.

Peter and Heather’s journey—like many others—was marked by longing, disappointment, hope, and the quiet support of friends and strangers alike. It’s a story of God’s faithfulness, gentle leading, and answered prayer, woven through seasons of faltering trust and deep yearning. This seminar will explore fertility and the role of families, church families and friends in this often complex path. With honest insight and practical ideas, it offers hope, guidance, and encouragement for those who long for children, those who walk with them, and churches seeking to care well.

This seminar will provide examples of how critical thinking is important for the development of your faith and character. Additionally, we’ll address what critical thinking is and explore various ways of how to do critical thinking by integrating examples of logical thinking with our desire to engage with story and creativity. We will also evaluate how these methods are inspired by listening to the spirit of God. We will apply critical thinking to engaging our faith within education, thinking of ways to share your faith as a teacher, parent or student.

‘Forgive one another as God has forgiven you’. A short sentence with a world of complexity behind it. This seminar will aim to set out the biblical foundation of God’s forgiveness, look at the practical implications for our relationships, and also face some of the ways we can easily stumble as we seek to forgive.

Applying the gospel to the everyday challenges of marriage – transforming conflict into an opportunity for growth. It should come as no surprise that when one sinner marries another conflict will arise. But it doesn’t have to be destructive. From the beginning God has purposed to use conflict for good in the lives of His people – exposing sin, deepening our dependence on Him and growing our love for one another. Together we will explore how to confront the true enemy – sin – not our spouse, and how Gospel truth can bring healing, hope and transformation to our marriages

Across Northern Ireland and around the world, children are asking: “Do you know my name?” Join us as we explore the deep connection between the gospel and our call to care for children who are vulnerable—locally and globally. This isn’t just for professionals. Jesus didn’t outsource compassion—He embodied it. This seminar is a call to awaken the Church’s role in holistic care. Leave inspired. Leave changed. Leave ready to act—with prayer, presence or practical love. It starts with knowing a name.

Many of us long to share the hope we have in Jesus with others, but fear, uncertainty, or feeling unequipped often hold us back. What if sharing Jesus could be as simple as opening the Bible and letting God’s Word do the work? In this practical seminar, we’ll explore how The Word One to One resource can help anyone read the Bible with a friend, family member, or colleague, and let God speak for Himself. Whether you’re an everyday believer, or church leader eager to equip others in your congregation, come and be encouraged as you see how simple, natural, and life-changing it can be to share Jesus, one conversation at a time.

Seasons of doubt, discouragement, and spiritual dryness are not unusual in the Christian life. From the laments of the Psalms to the struggles of Christians throughout church history, even the most faithful believers have known times when God feels distant. This seminar explores how we can walk wisely and compassionately with those experiencing spiritual crisis. Rooted in the hope of the gospel, we’ll consider common causes of doubt and discouragement, and reflect on how to respond with patient, Christ-like care to friends, family, or church members in need. Whether you’re involved in pastoral care, youth ministry, or simply want to support someone you care about through a difficult season, this seminar will help you to offer the hope of Christ to those who are struggling.

This seminar will explore how humble and sustainable leadership empowers lasting transformation. What Scripture reveals about leadership is that God develops our character through an “active passivity” as we rely on Him. It is often through our greatest successes that God develops humility, and our more challenging weaknesses that He develops strength. Join us for this conversation between two leaders at different stages of the leadership journey as we think through how God shapes leaders and how this prepares us for a sustainable ministry. Our aim is to encourage both existing leaders, and those who are starting off on their own journey of leadership.

This seminar tackles one of the most enduring objections to belief in God: the problem of evil. With kindness and credibility, Alanzo Julian Paul explores both the logical and evidential formulations of the problem, tracing responses various philosophers, theologians, and, of course, Scriptures. This seminar doesn’t offer easy answers, but it does present a compelling case for Christian hope amidst the evil present in the world, culminating in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as God’s decisive response to evil and suffering in our world.

Singleness is not a holding pattern before marriage, but a God-given opportunity to live with undivided devotion to the Lord. In this seminar, we’ll explore a biblical vision of singleness—one that recognises both its beauty and its burdens, its opportunities and its challenges. We’ll consider how to cultivate a church culture that honours the single life as a meaningful and faithful expression of following Christ, while gently correcting common misconceptions along the way. Whether you are single, married, or discipling others, this seminar will help you think more clearly, care more wisely, and rejoice more deeply in the glorious truth that our primary identity is not in our relationship status, but in belonging to Jesus and His eternal family.

In this seminar, we will explore the reasons why many people think that their faith is something that should remain personal and private. It is important to understand ‘how we have got here’, analysing the various influences and factors that have led many in Northern Ireland to believe that your faith is not something to be shared in public. By understanding this development, we will then progress to consider some of the principles around how we can make progress in sharing our faith in respectful ways and come to understand the true meaning of tolerance as we seek to follow Jesus.

No marriage is perfect—and when things get tough, how we communicate is so important. This seminar unpacks the often hidden, unhelpful patterns that can damage connection, and explores how the gospel – God’s ultimate marriage invitation – reshapes the way we speak and listen. Learn what healthy, Christ-reflecting communication looks like, and how to bring grace and truth into conversations with your spouse.

In most parts of the British Isles, legislators are considering legalising assisted dying. Campaigners say we need to because of compassion for those who suffer and the autonomy of the individual. But the sanctity of life and value of every person is at risk. We need a better story of suffering and death – one centred on Jesus and shaped by faith, hope and love. In this seminar we’ll explore what is happening in our culture, how the gospel transforms our thinking and how we can engage with the issue by speaking the truth in humility and serving others in love.

The Bible paints the ideal and the ugly reality of family life. David read Joseph’s story, smarted under scornful brothers and agonized over his dysfunctional children yet wrote ‘how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity’: Psalm 133:1. Sibling rivalry is ancient and everywhere; since Cain and Abel, it still ruins homes close to yours… When the culture vaunts individualism, how do you work with family to share care for infirm parents or cope with tensions over inheritance? Dare we expect the Bible to speak into family life? Would we heed it if it did?

Friday Evening Celebration - Alanzo Paul by New Horizon NI

Friday Morning Bible Teaching - John Lennox by New Horizon NI

Thursday Evening Celebration - Sara Stevenson by New Horizon NI