InterVarsity president Alec Hill invited vice president and Urbana director Jim Tebbe to sit down for a few minutes and discuss Urbana 06, now just two weeks away. The pre-Urbana excitement is palpable at InterVarsity’s National Service Center in Madison, Wisconsin, where the final planning is taking place.

Registrations are nearing 21,000. Jim Tebbe said that he is most excited about who’s coming to Urbana—students who are poised on the edge of a lifetime of service to God and his purposes. “God touches students lives at Urbana,” he said. “I’m excited to see what it is that God is going to do.”

He noted that plenary speaker, pastor, and best selling author Rick Warren is bringing 16-17 family members, as well as a large contingent from the Saddleback Church college ministry. “They believe in Urbana and the way it can change people’s lives,” Jim said.

Many attendees at Urbana 06 will link up with one of the 300 Christian ministries exhibiting at Urbana, including InterVarsity itself. “Eighty-three percent of InterVarsity staff trace back to Urbana a commitment they made there that actually brought them on staff,” Jim said.

Describing the program that’s been put together by the Urbana staff as “dry firewood for the glory of God to be seen,” Jim Tebbe said that “the potential [for ignition at Urbana] in St Louis is enormous.”

One of the mechanisms to accomplish change at Urbana is the inductive Bible study of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. “I love to see students experience InterVarsity’s passion for Bible study,” Jim said. His hope is that students will take that passion back to their campus with them to revitalize their Christian groups and to help start new groups.

Jim Tebbe also added several prayer requests for those who are praying for Urbana:

• Bible expositor Ajith Fernando’s family has been experiencing a particularly virulent flu outbreak at their home in Sri Lanka. Pray for good health to be restored.

• Pray for the Urbana Operations team as they make final preparations. Pray that operations will go smoothly and efficiently.

• Pray for Urbana 06, with a sense of expectation.

Alec Hill’s conversation with Jim Tebbe is this week’s InterVarsity podcast. To listen or get more information on the podcast, go to Intervarsity’s audio page.

^{Photo: Jim Tebbe with Urbana colleague Francis Friend}