“Here I am” … Results!

By Bill MacLeod, Director, MissionConnexion

Our “Here I am…What’s Next?” themed conference last month was very well received both by those looking to serve and those leading others to serve.

We had a couple of firsts in our 21 years of doing this conference. It was the first time we have ever had a plenary speaker cancel due to unexpected circumstances two weeks before the event. It was also the first time that we brought back a plenary speaker (Adrian Reeves of NAAMC) for the second year in a row. (photo)

We were so grateful for the enthusiastic welcome we received from Sunset Church hosting us for the first time since 2017.

Many individuals registered to begin receiving membership benefits by becoming part of our MissionWorks family!

Your comments from our follow-up survey caught my attention too…

• I thought the bingo game was kind of silly when I first got it but I decided to try it out and ended up talking with far more mission representatives than I would have otherwise and learned a lot from it!
• I have loved missions all my Christian life, but personally, I was especially impacted by Will Graham’s challenge to embrace God’s call on my life and step out in boldness where He has called.
• Leadership Connexion with Steve Richardson “Is the Commission Still Great?” provided tools to help my church engage more in cross-cultural / global missions.
• I appreciated Mary Ho’s honesty and vulnerability in telling the story of John Chau, and the challenge she gave.
• The worship band was amazing this year!
• I enjoyed Georgina Rice’s singing / leading. The Christian Supply bookstore from Albany was extra helpful.
• I have been coming for 5 years, and the Lord ALWAYS ministers to me! My husband came for the first time this year and said, “It was 100 times better than what I expected!”

1,450 attendees came in person from a variety of backgrounds and locations…

• Churches: over 355 were represented, one church from Spokane brought 24. Three of the top 10 churches came from over 50 miles away. Overall, this was more than a100-church increase over 2022.
• Individuals: 17% of the surveys received claimed it was their first time to attend.
• An additional 1,992 attended plenary sessions online.
• 25 States: Half of the USA was represented including, AZ, CA, CO, DE, MD, MT, NC, NH, NV, OH, PA, SC, SD, GA, ID, IL, MI, NM, MO, TN, TX, UT, VA, and of course, WA and OR!
• 12 Countries were represented in person and online from: Australia, Canada, China, France, French Polynesia, Germany, India, Senegal, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the USA!
• Exhibitors: all 89 Exhibitor booths were reserved with no open spots. Did you not have an opportunity to connect with every agency you wanted to? You may do so by clicking on our website and scrolling down to the alpha list of Exhibitors and clicking on the organization you missed.
• Workshops: we were grateful to return to our pre-Covid schedule of 100 workshops. Once again, the Apologetics Track attracted the largest following, and the others that were in the top tier emphasized intentional evangelism, prayer, and discipleship. Over 700 individuals were attending workshop sessions during the Saturday morning session alone. Did you miss a session? You may listen to all workshop session recordings here.
• Plenary Speakers: did you miss one of the four main plenary session speakers? You may listen to them all right now by going to our website, and scrolling down to the list of Keynote Speakers.
• Gift Match Challenge: generous donors who love MissionConnexion gave $35,000 toward a principal amount with hopes it could be matched during the January event. At least $14,000 has been received so far, and those who would like to donate may do so online, here, or you may send a check to 1400 NE 136^thAvenue, Vancouver, Washington 98684.
• Recordings: If you missed any of the Plenary or Workshop Sessions you may access them on our website here.

Thank you for participating with us if you were able to join us this year! If not, please plan now for MissionConnexion Northwest, January 19-20, 2024 at a location yet to be determined!

In the meantime, are you still asking Here I am…What’s Next? Then join us at our various focused Connexion events starting with Short-Term Mission Connexion, Feb. 24-25; or Care Connexion, May 5-6!