Willow Creek Assn. & Lutheran World Relief leaders, MissionSkype to highlight national mission conference

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Sept. 10, 2009––College students from throughout the nation with passion for service and mission work will convene at Concordia University Chicago Nov. 12-14 for the 2009 Beautiful Feet Mission Conference, hosted by Concordia-Chicago in partnership with LCMS World Mission.

Beautiful Feet is an annual national conference focused on engaging students in ministry opportunities around the world through workshops, Bible study, worship, fellowship and more.

Focused on the theme “His Passion...Your Passion,” the 2009 conference will feature keynote presentations by John Nunes, president and CEO of Lutheran World Relief, and Alvin Bibbs, executive director of multicultural and church relations for Willow Creek Association in South Barrington.

Nunes is president and CEO of Lutheran World Relief, an international relief and development agency. A prominent Lutheran leader, he is known for his prophetic voice applying theological insight to matters ranging from vocation as Christian citizens in the world, to multicultural ministry in urban settings.

Bibbs is executive director of multicultural church relations for Willow Creek Association in South Barrington, Ill. He works to help the association develop an ethnically diverse movement serving churches around the country, with emphasis on compassion, racial reconciliation, social justice and leadership development for the sake of the church.

In addition to the keynote presentations, Beautiful Feet 2009 will feature workshops examining passion for service, social justice issues, means of fundraising to support mission activities and more.

An exhibit area will feature representatives from mission societies including LCMS World Mission, Lutheran World Relief, Lutheran Bible Translators, and NAILS-Student Laborers for Christ and others to speak with students about opportunities for ministry service.

For the first time, students will also take part in “MissionSkype”—a live Internet-based video and audio Q&A with missionaries and the people they serve around the globe.

Co-chairing the 2009 conference are Concordia University Chicago juniors Kyrie Hook of Vail, Ariz. and Kristen Strom of Champaign, Ill.

Also taking part in the organization are sophomore Gerard Bolling of Queens, N.Y.; juniors Janine Bolling of Queens, N.Y., Karin Nalefski of Normal, Ill., and Matt Schorr of Belleville, Ill; and seniors Amanda Finke of League City, Texas, and Kari Widlowski of Crest Hill, Ill., along with members of Concordia’s student-led campus ministries.

At Beautiful Feet, participants also will get the chance to serve in ministries throughout the Chicago region, Strom said. “We are very excited about the opportunity to host the Beautiful Feet Conference here on campus,” she said.

"We have some awesome speakers coming in that will engage and challenge each of us to find our own passion in serving Christ and His people.”

Hook called the event a fun and exciting weekend that will “empower students to go after their passions and connect them with mission opportunities.”

“The Beautiful Feet conference is a great opportunity to explore how God gives us passion and to use that passion to serve Him,” she said.

Registration for the conference is $95 by Oct. 9 and includes three nights’ lodging and meals. For more information and to register, visit www.CUChicago.edu/beautifulfeet or email BeautifulFeet@CUChicago.edu.

The first Beautiful Feet conference was established in 1997 to interest and involve college students in mission work.  Organized and led by college students of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod at different sites each year, the conferences feature missionaries who talk about their work, as well as visits to nearby mission sites. 

The name "Beautiful Feet" is taken from Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.”

About Concordia University Chicago

Founded in 1864, Concordia University Chicago is a comprehensive liberal arts-based Christian university in the Lutheran tradition. Through its College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Education, and College of Graduate and Innovative Programs, Concordia offers more than 60 areas of study in small classes taught by professors who are passionate about teaching and student success.

Under the leadership of President John F. Johnson, Concordia equips men and women to serve and lead with integrity, creativity, competence and compassion in a diverse, interconnected and increasingly urbanized church and world. More than 4,300 full-time undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled at Concordia, located 10 miles west of downtown Chicago in River Forest. Learn more at www.cuchicago.edu.

Kim McCullough, Director, Community & Media Relations
708-209-3122 or kim.mccullough@cuchicago.edu