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Multnomah prepares for 59th annual missions conference

Running the Race" is the theme for this year's 59th annual missions conference. Prayer concerts, film festivals, worship, discussion panels and more have been planned for the missions conference in February.

Senior David Moore, who helps Dr. Cook lead a student ministry workshop in planning the missions conference, explained the goal of the conference is two-fold. "First, we want to be able to open the students' eyes to missions and encourage them to go where God might use them," Moore said. "Second, a vital part of this is encouraging the missionaries that come. Every year the missionaries say it's such an encouragement for them to be here where the students are so interested in missions." According to Moore, 89 missionaries and 38 agencies will be represented at the conference. "It's been said that the missions conference here is the second largest in the United States," Moore said.

Multnomah students will not attend classes the week of the conference, Feb. 15-19. Some conference events, such as the film festivals and 8 a.m. prayer meetings are optional, but students are required to participate every day from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Students will also attend evening sessions Monday through Thursday. Students are allowed five hours of cuts for the week.

"I want students to be challenged," Moore said. "I came [to Multnomah] for the youth ministry major. I wouldn't say the conference itself changed that, but God used it along with other things in my life. There are a lot of people with a lot of great talents who could be used on the mission field."

During the missions conference, Multnomah will continue raising money to help the flood victims in Honduras. The goal is to raise $10,000 -- about $12 per student. Donation jars are set up at locations around Multnomah's campus. According to Moore, who's been helping with the missions conference for five years, the coordinators want the conference to appeal to all students, not just missions majors.

Dr. Cook emphasizes that the week is a vision conference for students to see what they can do for missions. Speakers will talk about how Christians can support missionaries in addition to talking about going the mission field. About 20 Multnomah students are planning the conference. Two students are assigned to aid each missionary who is a part of the conference.