"On Earth As It Is In Heaven"
The 15th annual Santa Barbara Mission Conference takes place Friday evening, Jan. 27, and all day Saturday, Jan. 28, at First Presbyterian Church, Santa Barbara.
Online registration is open through Jan. 25, and onsite registration will be available, so you can still attend this exciting event Friday evening, 7:00 PM, and all day Saturday, 8:45 – 4:30.
Keynote speakers include Richard Mouw, Professor of Faith and Public Life at Fuller Theological Seminary. From 1994-2013 he served as the seminary’s president. One of his interests is Christian civility in an uncivil world. Also included are speaker Juan F. Martinez, Vice President for Diversity and International Ministries and Professor of Hispanic Studies & Pastoral Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary, plus ten outstanding break-out sessions.
Register by going online at sbmissionconference.org.
Mission Statement: “To inform, inspire, and engage in the work of God’s mission”
Background:
The first Santa Barbara Mission Conference took place Saturday, January 18, 2003, when missionary statesman Harold Kurtz spoke to a group of about 80 people who gathered at First Presbyterian Church for a mission conference. That conference included presentations by nine mission groups, all of them validated by the Presbytery of Santa Barbara.
The conference’s goal, then and now, is to inform, inspire, and engage all who attend so that they will be active in God’s work in the world.
The conference has grown and expanded so that it now draws more than 400 people over a Friday evening through Saturday afternoon in late January. It has become a regional event, with people coming from beyond the tri-counties of California’s south and central coasts. It has expanded also in denominational terms. It has also expanded in denominational terms; while it is officially a ministry of the Santa Barbara Presbytery, the Santa Barbara Mission Conference is in partnership with local congregations of the Free Methodist, Covenant, and Lutheran churches, whose members are represented on the SBMC Council.”
As it grows and expands, Santa Barbara Mission Conference is intentional about appealing to college students and young adults. It is often during those years that a person senses a call to serve God in an enduring way.