Photo Journal ::: URBANA 12

It is impossible to sum up the importance and impact of Urbana to someone not in attendance.  I will try to tell the story with pictures.  Be patient as the pictures may take a little bit to load.  As you look remember that your partnership helps make this possible and know I am sincerely grateful.  

• 3,796 commitments and re-commitments to follow Christ
• 4,000+ commitments to long-term missions (2+ yrs).  Thousands more to short-term.
  
• 6,400 to do evangelistic bible studies
  
• 5,000+ got prayer ministry
  
• 30,000+ world vision medical kits assembled for aids victims in Swaziland / 800,000 compassionate touches.
  
• 43,000 hits on Urbana live online

 

Here is a picture one of our photographers took as people began to respond to the invitation to follow Jesus.  Watch the invitation here: http://vimeo.com/56562419. Each glow-stick represents a commitment to follow Christ. 

 

 

The students who responded were immediately asked to go to a room we had prepared where follow-up, discipleship, prayer, gifts, and a celebration awaited.  Here is a picture of that room, in addition to a 2nd impromptu room we had to scramble to prepare due to the overwhelming number of responses.  

 

Prepared room:

 

 

Overflow room:

 

 

4,000+ committed to long-term missions, defined as 2+ years to life.  That sounds like a judge’s sentence, and that is somewhat fitting after David Platt’s sermon shook all 16,000+ of us to our core as he challenged us realize that Jesus has asked us to lay down our very lives for him – even lose them if necessary.  

 

I would highly, highly recommend watching this sermon: http://vimeo.com/56508165#at=0 

 

 

In addition to David Platt’s teaching, we received incredible teaching and testimony from missionaries and pastors from a wide variety of ages and ethnicities.  

 

We heard from Chai Ling, one of the leaders of the student movement at Tiananmen square. Her testimony of atheism, abortion, assault, and eventual abandonment to God’s mercy had tears streaming and students flocking to receive prayer ministry in droves.  We heard a story from a life-long missionary to an unreached people group whose loved one had died a martyrs death, yet stood before us saying, “My spouse did not waste their life.  We know what a wasted life looks like.”  Then exhorted us to that giving our lives to God’s purposes is the only life not wasted.  

 

Urbana director Tom Lin shared his profound testimony of how God led him from top-of-the-class at Harvard with a bright career ahead of him to planting a missions movement in Mongolia.  

 

Each morning we heard powerful teaching from our bible expositor Rev. Calisto Odede, a Kenyan pastor who taught us from Luke.  

 

 

Participants could choose to attend 2 seminars (of hundreds offered) each afternoon to tailor their learning to their interests.  Seminar after seminar was packed to the brim, some so full the fire marshalls had to prevent us from entering the building.  Topics ranged from things like “A Christian Response to Homosexuality” and “Theology of Suffering” to “Engaging your Hindu Neighbor” and “The Daily Life of Disciple-Making.”  Below is a photo of the first of two “The Daily Life of Disciple-Making” seminars led by David Platt.   

 

 

 

One of the highlights of the week was the “Join-In,” where we assembled over 30,000 world vision medical care kits for aids victims in Swaziland in the largest ever World Vision care-kit assembly line.

 

I beg you to watch this beautiful, short video:  http://vimeo.com/56112963#

 

For every 10,000 aids victims in Swaziland, there is 1 doctor.  Caregivers use these medical kits to provide care for these thousands without help.  Often, they must use banana leaves or plastic bags they find in the trash to apply medicines or touch those they care for in any way.  The kits we built at Urbana include rubber gloves that will provide for 800,000 compassionate touches. It was an incredibly joyful night watching college students build these kits and come alive with a sense of purposeful action in the name of Christ.

 

 

 

We worshiped.  A lot.  When was the last time you sang “Holy holy holy is the Lord God almighty who was and is and is to come…” with 16,000 others in 4 different languages at the same time?  If you have never been to Urbana, then the answer is probably never.  We did, and it was truly a glimpse into our future as believers.  

 

Urbana was just over 50% non-white participants.  Many ethnicities and cultures are represented at this gathering, and the worship reflects that.  We sang in Hindi, Chinese, Spanish, French, English, and Swahili.  When was the last time you went to a conference where the favorite song was sung in Hindi?  

 

 

The cultural diversity can also be summed up by these pictures.

 

Above: Dancing and rapping with famous Christian rapper Andy Mineo.  Below: Accordion worship.  Pictures taken 1 minute apart.  Only at Urbana!

 

 

Participants connected with 250+ organizations in the exhibit hall…

 

(Here an exhibit hall guide waits to guide students to an organization that fits their interest.)

 

         (The Wycliffe team is ready to recruit you.)

 

…and bought thousands of steeply discounted books from our bookstore….

 

 (David Platt signing Radical.)

…they creatively interacted with the concept of missions and calling….

 

 

…and they rang in the new year by taking communion and worshiping Jesus. (For a video taste of New Years Eve Urbana style, click here.)

 

 

But most importantly…

 

Their hearts and lives were challenged to conform to the heart and life of Christ.  They were given the opportunity to make tangible commitments that reflect this challenge.  They said yes by the thousands.  And because of this the kindgom of God has more, better equipped missionaries in every sphere of society. 

 

 

Each green light is a commitment to Christ.

 

• 3,796 commitments to follow Christ
  
• 4,000+ commitments to long term missions (2+ yrs).  Thousands more to short-term.
  
• 6,400 to do evangelistic bible studies
  
• 5,000+ got prayer ministry
  
• 30,000+ world vision medical kits assembled for aids victims in Swaziland.
  
• 43,000 hits on Urbana live online. 

 

Short video testimonies from students:

1. Click here

2. Click here

3. Click here

 

Thank you for helping me get students to Urbana.  It was a rewarding week as I got to see the fruit of a lot of recruitment pay off.  There is still much to do as we follow up in the coming weeks and months.  Please continue to pray for the students who made commitments and decisions for Christ.  Pray that God would grow these small seeds of faith into a rooted and fruitful tree.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jordan

/// For the full professional Urbana 12 summary video, click here!  ///

All Urbana videos available here:  https://urbana.org/urbana-12/videos

Some seminar audio: https://urbana.org/urbana-12/seminars

Professional photos: https://urbana.org/urbana-12/photos