USA (MNN) — InterVarsity’s Vice President for Missions and the Director of Urbana, Jim Tebbe says registration for Urbana 2006 is officially open. So far, the numbers indicate this year’s conference, slated for December 27-31, 2006, will be bigger than ever.
Under the theme, “You have a calling,” there’s an admonition of “It matters what you do with your life.” He attributes the growing interest in the missions convention to not only a change of venue, but also to the changing heart of young people today. “One of the reasons for moving was so that we would have a chance to look at our program and our content in the light of the realities of missions in the world today– ‘What is this generation like?’, ‘What it is that God has for them in the world?’, and then, ‘How it is that we can respond?'”
At Urbana 06, it’s estimated that over 25,000 people will gather to worship God and hear how he is using people to accomplish his purposes throughout the world.
When asked, ‘Why downtown St. Louis, Missouri?’, Tebbe says: “We’re looking at issues of slum communities in the world. We’re looking at experiential learning in the urban setting, and then how do we, as Christians, appropriately respond here? Some of it is in going, but then there are other things that we can do in terms of advocacy…prayer…some of the context we can make right where we are in order to learn.”
Special seminar tracks that focus on cutting-edge issues in missions will include Mission Through the Lens of AIDS and Slum Communities in the Developing World. Another seminar track, Open for Business, will gather together students, faculty and business professionals to challenge and equip them to practice business in ways that extend God’s Kingdom.
If you want more information on registering early, go to: http://www.urbana.org.
