Envision: Empowering Youth for Service in God’s Kingdom

After hearing the gospel presented in Chinese, 30 students in Taipei-Taiwan’s largest city-received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. The event was a highlight of the 2010 Envision Conference sponsored by the Alliance Youth office of the C&MA in early January.

Life on Mission

The focus of the conference—designed for 18 to 30 year olds who feel they are being called to cross-cultural missions—was on how to live a life on mission while learning about God’s heart for the world. The goal of Envision, says Alliance Youth Director Jason Ostrander, is “to create a culture that allows [C&MA young people] an opportunity to serve, however God has called them, and to mobilize them for the sake of the Kingdom.”

Believing that students aged 18 to 30 are the “largest untapped resource in the church,” Jason is passionate about engaging them to reach a lost world for Jesus. “We all know the availability, the energy, resources, and openness they bring with them, and that’s what we want to tap into,” Jason says.

Making a Difference

During the last night of the conference, Envision participants put together an outreach event featuring rappers, hip hop music, and a worship band right in the heart of the city. When Chris Odell—a Praxis site facilitator in Taipei—shared the gospel in full Chinese, 30 Taipei youth rushed to the front of the stage and accepted Christ.

“These were people who had literally just gotten off the subway,” says Jason. “They came over because there was hip hop and rap going on, all of which was provided by the Alliance students who attended this conference. This [type of response] should expose the power of a young adult and what a young adult can do”

Commenting on the huge exodus of 18-30 year olds from the church, U.S. Alliance President Gary Benedict affirmed the need to reach and engage this group for the sake of the gospel. “Jason and his colleagues are letting these young people know that the church is the vehicle to make a difference in the world,” says Dr. Benedict.

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