By Lynda MacGibbon, Vice-President Communications, Marketing and Arts

 

Use this guide to pray with us

On Dec. 27, more than 1,300 Canadians will arrive in St. Louis, Missouri, having travelled by car, bus and plane to attend the 25^th Urbana Student Missions Conference. Some 155 Canadian InterVarsity staff will be there to welcome them.

 

Will you come with us through prayer? Knowing that friends at home are interceding for us will be a great comfort. Please pray for:

 

Final registration: We would love to see more students attend. Pray that anyone feeling the nudge of God to attend Urbana will say yes and register.  May all the financial needs of the conference be met this month.

 

Safety: May God protect the thousands of people making their way to the conference in this winter season. Pray also for protection over the whole conference, especially as students navigate the streets of a complex city and as we all gather in the America Center and surrounding hotels for plenary and seminar sessions.

 

Exhibit Hall: Every afternoon students will engage with mission agencies. Pray for our Canadian booth, led by staff Dave Nguyen-Stone and Neil Steward who will help hundreds of students discern next steps through conversation and prayer.

 

Canadian Student Leadership Track: InterVarsity staff Susie Colby, Pete Ott and Calvin Bennett and others will guide 225 student leaders as they think strategically about how to live as faithful witnesses when they return to their high schools, colleges and universities after Urbana.

 

Speakers and Bible study leaders: Please ask God to provide wisdom, confidence, humility and a strong voice to René Breuel, our Bible expositor who will teach us from Revelation. Pray for everyone leading seminars and daily Bible studies, including Canadian staff and board members: Al Anderson, Ashley Chan, Steve Colby, Ruth Detablan, Donna Dong, Sherri Goethe, Charis Goh, Alaina Johnston, Ian Elliott, Janet Epp-Buckingham, Nigel Pollock, Geri Rodman, Preston Steinke and T.V. Thomas.

 

Guest Program: We are delighted that a group of alumni, friends and board members will be at Urbana. May they also have ears to hear God’s message to each of them. Pray for Kim Evans and staff as they host these guests.

 

Worship and Response: May every delegate at Urbana have open hearts to hear what God has to say to them as the gathered church. We all come from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, so pray for unity in all we do. Pray for our worship and dance team, which includes staff members Danielle Ingram and Jacob Paik. Pray for the hundreds of onsite prayer intercessors, including staff members Andrew Douglas and Ruth Brown.

 

Thankfulness: Join us in thanking God for all he has done leading up to Urbana and all he will do through this conference to equip students to be faithful witnesses in turbulent times. Praise God for generous people who have given scholarships and helped us find our programs. Praise God for parents and families who are blessing students by sending them to Urbana at Christmas. Praise God for the fruitfulness of Urbana since 1946. May God continue to use Urbana to stir young people to give their whole lives to Jesus as his faithful witnesses in a troubled world.

 

You can follow the conference through live-streaming at urbana.org beginning on Dec. 27.

 

To make a donation in support of Urbana, click here.