2018 Global Ministries Conference Will Focus on Cultivating Hope in the Midst of Disaster

Multnomah University is delighted to host its annual Global Ministries Conference (GMC) on campus February 19 to 23. Each year, this event is hosted by a team of students who collaborate to engage the campus in a specific area of their faith. This winter, junior English major Moriah Paterson and senior global studies major Kenzie Chapman are spearheading the conference. The name they selected with their team is “Heralding the Dawn: Relating Today’s Disasters to a Hopeful Tomorrow.” Paterson and Chapman point to Psalm 59:16 as the event’s foundational Scripture: “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble” (NIV). “Our aim for this conference is to encourage students to see their active role in engaging hope for tomorrow while living in the disaster of today — be it familial, communal, national or international,” they said.

The event’s structure will differ from previous conferences, as classes will not be canceled; instead, daily plenary sessions will be offered at 10 a.m., and worship will begin at 9:45 a.m. for any students wanting to spend additional time in contemplation. The list of plenary speakers includes Stacey Womack from Abuse Recovery Ministry and Services, Michael Badraiki from Uganda, and Jenny Yang from World Relief. The conference will also feature evening sessions, including panels and a hosted dinner for commuters and anyone else who would like to join. The GMC will wrap up with multi-cultural prayer and worship session on Friday evening (worth two GMC credits).

Another unique addition to this year’s event is called “Coffee and Colloquy,” where plenary speakers and GMC guests will be available in Roger’s every day between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. to converse with students. The first five students to sit down with a speaker will even get a free drink — a London Fog or hot chocolate! Ministry representatives will also be frequenting Roger’s in the afternoons to meet with students. Students may earn two GMC credits for conversing with two guests for at least 30 minutes.

The Multnomah community is filled with people wanting to work in missions, in global development, with families, and in other realms where all types of disasters occur. This year’s student leaders wanted to take a topic every student could relate to, and then show them their God-given potential to be involved in His kingdom work both locally and internationally.

“Ultimately, in light of events and situations we may encounter, we hope students will be empowered and encouraged to be proactive as heralds of hope in our communities,” Paterson and Chapman concluded. To learn more about the Global Ministries Conference and to view this year’s schedule, make sure to visit our 2018 GMC page.

This post was written by blog contributor and Marketing Assistant Meghan Krause, a global studies major at Multnomah University. 

February 12, 2018 | Events