Urbana 03 News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:
Brian Wallace
Urbana 03 Press Liaison
(512) 422-7948
urbana03media@ivcf.org

Urbana 03 Convention Begins

URBANA, ILL., December 27, 2003 – Right now 20,000 college students, missionaries, and church and campus leaders are descending upon Urbana, Illinois for Urbana 03, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s 20th Student Mission Convention. The event is held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from December 27-31, 2003.

Jim Tebbe, Director of Urbana 03, says, “Students come to Urbana with the question ‘What should I be doing with my life?’ It is our prayer that God will significantly meet these students and show them who He is and what He is calling them to.”

The theme for this convention is “Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done”. Throughout the week the program will challenge students to follow God above all else, proclaim Jesus to their friends, and join God in His global and cross-cultural mission.

Each day, delegates will study the Bible in small groups, hear Bible teaching from the gospel of Luke and be challenged by speakers from around the globe. Delegates can also choose from over 300 seminars designed to help them grow in their understanding of cross-cultural and urban missions.

The event draws over 1,000 international students from 127 countries studying in North America, as well as over 900 pastors, church leaders and faculty, and 1,500 missionary representatives. It is the largest recruiting event for mission organizations, graduate schools and seminaries in North America.

“It is impossible to participate in Urbana without one’s world view being widened, knowledge of Scripture deepened, false assumptions challenged, and a passion for missions and true discipleship enhanced. The “festival” dynamic at Urbana - the joy of worshipping with 20,000 others - is almost incomparable,” says Rebecca Manley Pippert, author of Out of the Salt Shaker. Students will have access to more than 325 missions agencies, graduate schools and seminaries. Each afternoon of the convention students can choose from 300 different seminars on a variety of mission topics.

Students will be invited to fast and pray for the needs of the world on December 30 and an offering will be taken for relief to the poor. “If each Urbana 03 delegate contributes $52.63 to the offering, we’ll raise $1 million to serve the needs of the poor and aid nine other student mission conferences outside the U.S.” says Tebbe.

Urbana 03 will also be broadcast daily via the Internet. View plenary talks and other convention coverage at www.urbana.org.

Since 1946, Urbana conventions have challenged women and men to share God’s love with people throughout the world. The event is held once every student generation.

The convention is sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA and co-hosted by Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of Canada and Groupes Bibliques Universitaires et Collégiaux du Canada. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, an interdenominational campus ministry, has 810 chapters on more than 565 college campuses in the United States, and is a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, which has ministries in 150 nations.

More detailed information about Urbana 03 is available at www.urbana.org. You can learn more about InterVarsity at www.intervarsity.org.

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