USA (MNN) — While the change in venue to Saint Louis, Missouri has seen an increase in attendance, the largest increase was seen from Canada.
Geri Rodman is President of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship , Canada. “We have 2,150 delegates that have registered. Last Urbana we had 1,300. We’ve had an over 50-percent increase.”
While this figure is a great milestone, Rodman says they have 220 selected leaders from most of their 60 campuses here at Urbana. “They’re actually here working together with their staff asking the question — ‘what do you want us to do differently on our campuses that we might reach out to people who don’t know God?'”
She adds, “(They’re willing to turn everything upside down to do it.” Which she says is unique for Canadian believers.
Rodman says the evangelical church is small. “We probably have, in the evangelical community, it’s less than 10-percent. So, it’s a very difficult place to engage and it’s a very post-modern country, as is the U-S, but probably and arguably has been longer in post-modernism than the U-S.”
Rodman credits what she calls viral public relations e-mail to the 50-percent increase — students forwarding Urbana e-mail to their friends and encouraging them to attend.
Pray that God will work in the hearts of these young people to reach Canada with the Gospel.
