Urbana Conference 2022 wrapped up the end of this past year, where thousands of attendees, the vast majority of which are college students, gathered in Indianapolis to worship God, learn from experts in the field of missions, and explore their own calling. It’s a truly massive conference hosted by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, evidence of which is the flashy and modern website they’ve put together which feels like it would have taken a full fleet of graphic designers and video editors.
Urbana.org
In the promotional video a woman stands dramatically against a black background, lit with green and pink mood lighting. “Urbana’s a place of worship. All nations, all tribes. Heart pounding praise. It’s a place to be drawn together to go across campuses, communities, countries, across the globe.” The video has a jazzy style, interspersing shots with music, quotes, and dialogue, and always with a certain flare. But it’s not all flash, and the CGGC has first-hand accounts of the meaningful experience that Urbana was able to provide to so many students. Global Reach director Ben Tobias shares some of his reflections on the impact of Urbana on him personally and where he hopes to see it’s impact in the future.
35 years ago I had the privilege of attending the 1987 Urbana Missions Conference in Champaign-Urbana, IL. It was the first time I was with thousands of other college-aged students who were passionate about global missions, and it changed my life. I think it was probably the most significant event that affected the course of my life and future ministry. Fast-forward to 2022. As I heard about Urbana '22, God spoke to me and challenged me to take a team from the CGGC, so I put out a call last year to find young people who are interested in following God's call wherever He leads, whether local or global or both. I was thrilled to take four young adults to Indianapolis: Ariana Cuba-Rivera, Calina Acosta, Luke Britcher, and Ellie Piper. For 4 days -- Dec. 27-31 -- we shared in morning and evening sessions as well as many, many options for afternoon break-outs. I rejoice at how they shared in passionate worship and processing the teaching and witness of many speakers -- some of whom come from "closed" countries where they face persecution. The theme of Urbana '22 was "You Will Be My Witnesses," and each speaker challenged us to tackle the challenges we face with faith in God and confidence that He is at work. I look forward to working with these fellow servants and see where God will take them, and for the effect they will have in God's Kingdom.
Urbana has numerous seminars, all of which are available to listen to freely online here. For instance, author and ordained minister Cindy M. Wu gives an hour long seminar about “practical ways to embrace the refugees in our midst with compassion” in response to the global refugee crisis. There are seminars on becoming a “Redemptive Entrepreneur” for the business minded mission folks or how ethically and responsibly raise funds in “A Biblical Approach to Raising Support”. Even for non-attendees, there is a plethora of content to engage with and be inspired by.
Luke Britcher was kind enough to share his reflection of Urbana 2022
Attending Urbana ’22 was truly an amazing experience. The focus of the conference was global missions, and the theme was based out of the book of Acts. There were plenaries that all attendees went to, small group Bible studies that everyone was assigned to, and a long list breakout sessions to choose from. During each plenary there was a time of musical worship, which was very powerful. The worship was multi-ethnic, so there were lyrics is several different languages. It was such a unique experience to be worshipping in/with other languages with the 6,000 other attendees. This was a beautiful example of what Heaven may be like, with all people groups worshipping God together. This was one of the biggest highlights of the conference for me.
Another highlight for me was the breakout sessions. I had the opportunity to attend seven different sessions, with each session having a very different topic. I took a ton of notes and my understanding of different global issues was expanded greatly. In these sessions I was also challenged to apply what I had been learning during the conference to my daily life. Throughout the entire conference, especially during these sessions, I could really see God at work. I heard so many testimonies about God’s faithfulness and love all throughout the world, and the Spirit was certainly at work in my heart as well. Overall the conference was an amazing experience, and I would recommend it for anyone.
Many Christians are currently feeling pessimistic about the next generation. Young Christians are showing up in increasingly fewer numbers to our churches, and there might be a question of “where are they?” Well, 6,000+ were at Urbana in December, learning about how to do missions both here and abroad. They were worshipping in community with believers from numerous different countries and with many different languages. “From every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Rev 7:9), indeed.
CGGC eNews—Vol. 17, No. 2
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