This Year’s Conference

We invite you to attend the 7^th annual mission conference of the Presbytery of Santa Barbara.  The conference takes place Saturday, January 17, 2009 at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Barbara.  Our goals are to inform and inspire, so that all of us leave the conference refreshed in the Spirit and eager to serve Christ in the greater world and in the local community.  We’re very happy to have Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary, as our keynote speaker this year.  Hunter Farrell, Director of World Mission for our denomination, will be our second speaker, and he will lead a “pastors only” session.  The workshop descriptions reveal an assembly of outstanding leaders in global mission, local mission, and evangelism. The theme of the conference is “Today’s Global Mission: From Everywhere to Everyone.”  Global mission is no longer confined by the phrase “from the West to the rest,” as in journeys from London to Kenya or from Los Angeles to Mexico.  Missionaries from outside the West are going to peoples on every continent – and they are going in great numbers!  Rev. Chan-Young Choi will make this point in his workshop -- as he does in his life.  Chan is a missionary sent from his native South Korea to the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Thailand.  Also featured at this year’s conference are the celebration of IMPACT’s 15 year anniversary and an expanded display area on the patio.  Many of the leaders will be preaching the next morning in Presbytery churches.

-- Chuck Curtis, Chair, Church in the World Committee