November 8 , 2005

The recent Missions Conference has many people thinking about how they can get involved in missions, which is why it takes place during the fall semester, says Dr. Bob Wright, professor of intercultural studies.

Students can visit mission agencies’ representatives at their tables, listen to them in chapel and in class, talk with them at meals, and gather information that in the months to come might grow into a nudge from God that says, “This is for you.”
That’s what happened to Junior Julie Sena two years ago. She was looking for ministry that was “a bit different, whatever that means,” Sena said, and at the table for SEE Teams International, she found it: street ministry in Italy punctuated by mimes that draw crowds.

SEE Teams leaders (and Corban alum) Daryl and Cheryl (Sostrom) Hanson take several teams to Italy each spring break and summer, but came to their alma mater in 2004 with no agenda but to be available if God opened doors, Daryl Hanson said.
Several students expressed interest in an Italy trip, and six participated in 2004; eight in 2005. He’s praying for 16 for 2006, Hanson said.

Their “pray and see” attitude was prevalent at the Missions Conference. Candy of various types enticed students to linger at display areas, but the representatives weren’t there to overwhelm.

“We don’t try to recruit so much as pray that God would pull people to this specific area,” said Shawn Strannigan, InterAct mobilization specialist. InterAct promotes cross-cultural ministry in western Canada, Alaska and eastern Siberia.

“God brings people to us,” Strannigan said.

She was on campus to help build name recognition for the organization, and to let students know of a six-week summer missions trip that will include much more than just 70 hours of language study and a week-long, team-building hike through the Sayan Mountains in eastern Siberia, Strannigan said.

Strannigan, whose ministry includes writing for the agency’s publications, spoke in journalism and college writing classes.
“Thinking about God as my editor gives me a different view on writing,” Freshman Zack Jackson said in response to one of Strannigan’s points. “From now on I will try to glorify Him in my writing.”

The Missions Conference included organizations with well-known names, such as Wycliffe, known for Bible translation, and WEC – Worldwide Evangelization for Christ – which has been working among the world’s least-evangelized people since 1913.
There was also SEND International, which began as Far Eastern Gospel Crusade after World War 2. SEND is involved in starting churches, evangelizing, discipling and developing leaders, primarily in Asia and Eastern Europe.

Closer to home, the target group for Village Missions – headquartered in Dallas, Ore. – is people who live in rural communities in the U.S. and Canada. It sends out missionary pastors and supplies financial/prayer/relational support for those called to work in rural areas.

“We came to the Missions Conference to be of service to the college,” said the Rev. Gilbert Doebler. “This is our third year. We go to classes and talk with people to give them a rural perspective.”

Other mission sending agencies at the missions conference included New Tribes Mission, Evangelical Baptist Missions, American Missionary Fellowship, MissionsFest Northwest, Christian Missionary Alliance, Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, International Students Inc., Overseas Missionary Fellowship, Sports Outreach Institute, Action International, Mission Force, and Greater Europe Mission.

Dr. Wright, who coordinated the conference, said the missionary representatives were pleased with the response from students.

“The missionaries said they had a lot more students coming to their tables and staying to talk with them,” Dr. Wright said. “We had a lot of students either fill out cards or request information, particularly for short trips. One missionary said he got 28 cards; another one said he got 17, and I’ve had students in all week, talking about commitments they made during missions week.”

The purpose of the Missions Conference was to expose students to missions and challenge them with the opportunities, Dr. Wright said.

“Corban has always had a missions conference,” he said. “We want to challenge the students to consider missions as an option for their lives.”

--By Karen Willoughby and Dustin McNab