We are grateful to the many partners in ministry who helped make Urbana 06, InterVarsity’s 21st Student Missions Convention, a wonderful success. The convention was held this past December 27-31, 2006 in St. Louis and drew over 22,000 people from more than 140 countries to register. Each Urbana is a big event for InterVarsity staff, and this year was no exception. Over 1,200 InterVarsity staff brought thousands of students from chapters across the country to spend five days seeking their place in missions.
Joe, a student at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago said “Urbana was awesome! After leaving I thought that no price could ever be put on an event that changed my life, and these last few days will be a catalyst in my life!” This was the sentiment echoed by thousands of attendees at Urbana 06.
“It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced, and my life will never be the same,” wrote Hervict Jacobs on InterVarsity’s student website StudentSoul. “But one thing stands out the most for me — Urbana takes students seriously.”
Students heard from speakers such as Rick Warren, Brenda Salter McNeil, Oscar Muriu, and Ajith Fernando who called students to consider how they fit into global missions, and how they were each called to Live a Life Worthy of the Calling. This theme, as well as the entire program for Urbana 06, was drawn from the book of Ephesians.
Attendees worshiped in eight different languages during the plenary sessions and participated in morning inductive Bible studies of Ephesians. Hundreds of seminars were available each afternoon for attendees to delve deeper into topics such as Africans in missions, the arts, media and culture, missions to those with HIV/AIDS, business as missions, urban poverty, and much more. At times, the seminar rooms were overflowing, and people were seated on the ballroom floors and in the halls to hear about specific mission’s issues. When not in seminars, attendees were able to browse the Global Connexions exhibit hall and interact with representatives from over 270 agencies and schools, offering missions and training opportunities.
A highlight of each Urbana convention is the call to commitment, and this year was no exception. Join us in praising God for the 152 attendees who acknowledged that they made a first-time decision to follow Jesus Christ at Urbana 06. In addition, 9,000 people committed to use their vocation to serve God’s Kingdom purposes globally and/or cross-culturally. An offering was also collected this evening, and students generously gave a total of $1,247,608. This entire amount went to ministries around the world who are meeting the needs of the spiritually and physically poor.
We praise God for the smooth transition to a new venue in St. Louis, and for the way in which He continues to graciously lead this generation of students into missions through Urbana. Be sure to view the webcast of Urbana 06 at www.urbana.org.
