How Gen-X students spend their Christmas vacation: URBANA '96

We've heard of thousands of students going to Fort Lauderdale or Daytona Beach for their spring break, but why would thousands of students go to Illinois to spend their Christmas vacation? It's not to visit family. And no, it's not even to experience a white Christmas. These students simply love God and want to be more effective witnesses--that's why more than 19,000 of them went to Urbana.

If you've never heard of Urbana, here's what it is: It's a tri-annual student mission convention sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of the USA and Canada. Student delegates are challenged through:

  • general sessions, with all 19,000 delegates worshipping together, praying together and being challenged by keynote speakers;
  • small group Bible studies;
  • more than 240 mission agencies and over 50 seminaries and Christian colleges displaying exhibits;
  • over 200 elective seminars providing specific information and guidance regarding many vocational, ministerial and lifestyle choices.

    There were more than 19,300 delegates at the Urbana '96 Student Mission Convention (the official name) held at the University of Illinois December 27-31, 1996. With 116 nations represented, this conference presented students from all over the world with the challenge to actively participate in world evangelization.

    This was the 50th anniversary of Urbana, which has had a cumulative attendance of 175,000 people since it began in 1946. Urbana has gained the support of missions organizations and Christian leaders from around the world. Evangelist Billy Graham has been a featured speaker at most of the conventions previous to 1993 and states, "I don't know of any other organization of students in the world today that so motivates people for Christian work. And there are thousands of missionaries out today as a result of the motivation they got at an Urbana conference. . . . It's a tremendous thing."

    The theme for Urbana '96 was "You Are My Witnesses", taken from Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." This theme was carried throughout the week, providing a central focus for delegates looking to find how they could better respond to the Great Commission.

    Each of the general sessions focussed on a different aspect of being a witness: "What is a witness?", "Witnesses experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit", "Witnesses pray", "Witnesses share their faith", "We are witnesses to Jesus Christ--the only way to find God", "Witnesses experience suffering and joy", "God's will is that we are witnesses" and "Witnesses are reconciled to God and to each other". "God's faithfulness" was the theme for the final session, as all 19,000 of us celebrated the new year with communion. What a way to break in the new year!

    One of my personal highlights was seeing the student delegates donate $285,000 in an offering to support world hunger relief. When that was added to the $90,000 saved the day prior through a Skip-a-Meal project, the total came to $375,000 that will be distributed to at least nine different hunger relief organizations. It was a powerful demonstration of God's heart of compassion being made real to the delegates. Who says that "Xers" are a self-absorbed generation? The attitudes characterizing these students were service, sacrifice and reconciliation.

    Some of the things that impacted me at Urbana were these:

    * 1. Our world needs to hear about Jesus. I've come back with a renewed passion to pray for the lost and to pray for our world, which still has over 1700 unreached people groups.

    * 2. God is giving me a sensitivity to His heart of compassion for the poor and the oppressed. These are God's beloved, and we need to reach out to them both locally and across the globe.

    * 3. I need to strive to be a "missions mobilizer" for as long as I'm not physically going myself. After all, missions and world evangelization are not optional. Jesus Christ commanded us to go into all the world. This has been incentive enough for me to be creative in how I can motivate, train, send out and pray for missionaries.

    So how were Mennonite Brethren involved in all of this? Steve Klassen, representing Mennonite Brethren Missions/Services, called Urbana '96 "an incredibly inspiring experience". MBM/S shared an exhibitors' booth with MB Biblical Seminary. Steve primarily promoted Youth Mission International opportunities.

    There were Mennonite Brethren delegates representing several MB schools and churches, and other MBs could be found as volunteers, InterVarsity staff and representatives of missions agencies. Several delegates even found their pictures on the front cover of the Urbana Today newsletter!

    For me, Urbana was a time of hearing from God while developing a deeper intimacy with Him, lifting up the name of Jesus and learning how to be a more effective witness for Him. It's no longer hard for me to imagine why thousands of college students would be willing to spend their Christmas vacation in Illinois.

    Paul Bergen is a member of Northview Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C.

    Want to know more? Check out the Urbana '96 web site at www.urbana.org

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