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Who is my neighbor?
Mission-minded students convene to explore the idea of "my neighbor" in a modern world -- by Laura Cauthen
Modern technology, like cell phones and Skype or iChat, is bridging the separation between people on different continents. Not only can we speak to our friends in Africa but we can see them in real time. Ever improving technology and a global economy are indeed making it a "small world after all," and such a phenomenon begs deeper reflection of the question asked of Jesus centuries ago, "Who is my neighbor?"
Who is my neighbor?
The 2008 World Mission Workshop (WMW) posed this question, and over 500 people touched by the call of missions gathered October 23–25 on the Faulkner University campus to address it. Geared mostly for students and organized by students, WMW is devoted to emphasizing missions by bringing mission-minded young people together with missionaries, mission teachers, and those preparing to go to the field.
"This gathering allows students to address the challenges, the needs and the opportunities in missions and to put them in contact with those who have spent time or are currently in the field," says Dr. Richard Trull, event organizer and assistant professor of Bible."
Ten years in the making
This is first year Faulkner played host to the annual event since its inception in 1961. WWM rotates among sister universities, and Faulkner waited nearly 10 years to host the event, spending the last two years in preparation. The planning committee's dedicated efforts met with glowing results as Faulkner welcomed people from both Christian and state universities all over the U.S. as well as visitors from foreign countries including Ghana, Uganda and India.
"God was glorified. Your school was highlighted. And many young people were touched with a desire to serve in some aspect of missions to a lost and dying world," says attendee Jeanette Rodriguez of Pepperdine University.
The chosen theme, "Who is My Neighbor," offered opportunities to discuss the vast diversity of mission opportunities. Daniel Soto of Southwestern Oklahoma State University came to the workshop with an open mind. "I'm open to wherever God leads me. It could be teaching Bible studies or building bridges."
Attendees had the option of four tracks of interest: Ethnic and Urban Ministries, Cross-Cultural Missions, Evangelism and Church Planting, and Mission Development for Churches. Participants were encouraged by daily devotional and inspired by dynamic keynote speakers. Displays of mission opportunities and mission-funding vendors provided additional areas of interest. Another enlightening aspect of the workshop was the round-table forum concerning various religious worldviews. Participants learned from several experts in the areas of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, which equipped them to converse intelligently in future religious exchanges.
Students on a mission
A unique aspect of WMW is that students were in charge of this large-scale event. Under Trull's oversight, members of the Missions Club had the primary responsibility of planning and designing the workshop's theme, organizing the schedule of events and their locations on campus, and selecting the speakers. According to student organizer Heather Waller, she and other students dedicated hundreds of hours towards the success of the event over the last two years. Waller, an English and vocational ministries major, became interested in foreign missions after attending WMW on Harding University's campus. "I wanted to be a part of creating that same kind of event here at Faulkner so others could discover God's call as well," she says.
Jennifer Ezell, a senior liberal arts major, felt a similar desire. "I wanted to be a part of bringing the experience of a workshop to Faulkner. I was excited that I would be instrumental in bringing it to Faulkner and making it a success."
Besides the planning of the workshop, students stayed busy with the logistics of the event, registering people and providing transportation for participants among a few of their duties. "Tell all the students involved that they were very good hosts," admonished workshop participant Everett Huffard of Harding University's School of Religion.
Waller concurs, "Everyone had a role in something, and they all did a wonderful job!"
Going into all the world
Sparking the students' interest in missions is the goal of WMW, according to Trull. "A major benefit to the workshop is that it allows students to interact with other students who have mutual interests in missions. This interaction helps to heighten the awareness of the need for missions and to increase people's excitement in serving and partnering in mission work somewhere," he says. Judging from the positive feedback and numerous responses to the event, the workshop succeeded in its goal.
"It was an amazing weekend... I heard some wonderful messages and was truly uplifted," expounds Waller. "My desire to do God's work abroad grew even more."
Who is my neighbor?
The 2008 World Mission Workshop (WMW) posed this question, and over 500 people touched by the call of missions gathered October 23–25 on the Faulkner University campus to address it. Geared mostly for students and organized by students, WMW is devoted to emphasizing missions by bringing mission-minded young people together with missionaries, mission teachers, and those preparing to go to the field.
"This gathering allows students to address the challenges, the needs and the opportunities in missions and to put them in contact with those who have spent time or are currently in the field," says Dr. Richard Trull, event organizer and assistant professor of Bible."
Ten years in the making
This is first year Faulkner played host to the annual event since its inception in 1961. WWM rotates among sister universities, and Faulkner waited nearly 10 years to host the event, spending the last two years in preparation. The planning committee's dedicated efforts met with glowing results as Faulkner welcomed people from both Christian and state universities all over the U.S. as well as visitors from foreign countries including Ghana, Uganda and India.
"God was glorified. Your school was highlighted. And many young people were touched with a desire to serve in some aspect of missions to a lost and dying world," says attendee Jeanette Rodriguez of Pepperdine University.
The chosen theme, "Who is My Neighbor," offered opportunities to discuss the vast diversity of mission opportunities. Daniel Soto of Southwestern Oklahoma State University came to the workshop with an open mind. "I'm open to wherever God leads me. It could be teaching Bible studies or building bridges."
Attendees had the option of four tracks of interest: Ethnic and Urban Ministries, Cross-Cultural Missions, Evangelism and Church Planting, and Mission Development for Churches. Participants were encouraged by daily devotional and inspired by dynamic keynote speakers. Displays of mission opportunities and mission-funding vendors provided additional areas of interest. Another enlightening aspect of the workshop was the round-table forum concerning various religious worldviews. Participants learned from several experts in the areas of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, which equipped them to converse intelligently in future religious exchanges.
Students on a mission
A unique aspect of WMW is that students were in charge of this large-scale event. Under Trull's oversight, members of the Missions Club had the primary responsibility of planning and designing the workshop's theme, organizing the schedule of events and their locations on campus, and selecting the speakers. According to student organizer Heather Waller, she and other students dedicated hundreds of hours towards the success of the event over the last two years. Waller, an English and vocational ministries major, became interested in foreign missions after attending WMW on Harding University's campus. "I wanted to be a part of creating that same kind of event here at Faulkner so others could discover God's call as well," she says.
Jennifer Ezell, a senior liberal arts major, felt a similar desire. "I wanted to be a part of bringing the experience of a workshop to Faulkner. I was excited that I would be instrumental in bringing it to Faulkner and making it a success."
Besides the planning of the workshop, students stayed busy with the logistics of the event, registering people and providing transportation for participants among a few of their duties. "Tell all the students involved that they were very good hosts," admonished workshop participant Everett Huffard of Harding University's School of Religion.
Waller concurs, "Everyone had a role in something, and they all did a wonderful job!"
Going into all the world
Sparking the students' interest in missions is the goal of WMW, according to Trull. "A major benefit to the workshop is that it allows students to interact with other students who have mutual interests in missions. This interaction helps to heighten the awareness of the need for missions and to increase people's excitement in serving and partnering in mission work somewhere," he says. Judging from the positive feedback and numerous responses to the event, the workshop succeeded in its goal.
"It was an amazing weekend... I heard some wonderful messages and was truly uplifted," expounds Waller. "My desire to do God's work abroad grew even more."
