USA (MNN) — The deadline for discounted registration for Urbana 12 is closing in.
Urbana 12, a missions conference hosted by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for students, will be held December 27-31 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Starting July 1, prices will go up by $100. The cost of registration for Urbana 12 is currently $339 for students and $439 for non-students.
Nikki Toyama-Szeto with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship says, “Urbana is a non-profit conference, and we do a lot to just try to keep that price down because we want as many people as possible to get exposed to God’s invitation and a picture of what He’s doing around the world. So you’ll get a subsidized rate if you can register by June 30th.”
The conference is looking to draw around 18,000 students from 120 different countries this year.
According to Toyama-Szeto, “It’s folks who have set aside five days of prime vacation time to say, ‘I’m open to what God has to say. Lord, speak to me.’ It’s a time to worship together, to study Scripture, and to hear some fantastic speakers.”
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship recently released the list of speakers for Urbana 12. The line-up includes names like David Platt, author of the book “Radical;” Calisto Odede, Senior Pastor of Nairobi Pentecostal Church; and Chai Ling, Founder of "All Girls Allowed."
Along with individual speakers, there are specific seminar series within Urbana 12 to meet the gifts and interests of every student. You can learn to apply missions in a home-based setting with the Missions in Every Sector series, or attend the Ready to Go series if you’re already convicted to go overseas with the Gospel message.
The exhibit hall featuring between 200-250 exhibitor organizations allows students to be matched up with outlets for their gifts and talents in spreading the Gospel.
“There are some people who have expertise like lawyers, doctors, teachers, where that feels real obvious about how you can apply that in a missional context,” says Toyama-Szeto. “But there are others with degrees like interior design or photography or social work where the question is 'How can I use that to build God’s kingdom?' On that exhibitor floor, you get matched up with people who are answering that question with their lives.”
The Urbana conference take place once every three years. If you’re between the ages of 17 and 29 and want to learn more about missions with the message of Christ, the time to register for Urbana 12 is now.
