For more than 60 years InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA and Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of Canada have had the privilege of presenting the Urbana Student Missions Convention at Christmas time. The triennial missions convention has always been held during the last week of the year.

The Christmas narrative in the gospel of Luke links the birth of John the Baptist to the birth of Jesus. The gospel of Mark explains that John’s role had been prophesied by Isaiah centuries earlier.

“John the Baptist was sent by God to perform a role which was to make the paths straight for the Messiah,” observed Judy Johnson, InterVarsity’s director of staff assessment and development. “InterVarsity has been called to prepare a conference for people who can hear God’s voice regarding the world mission of the church.”

Speaking to fellow employees at a chapel service at InterVarsity’s National Service Center, Judy said, “The job I perform and the tasks you carry out are part of that making the way straight, so that God can speak to those attending Urbana. What we do prepares the way for what God will do. It is God’s word that is going to speak to those at Urbana.”

Two days after Christmas, over 20,000 men and women from almost every state and province and from many of the countries of the world will arrive in St. Louis for Urbana 06. They will be eager to learn more about how God is at work in the world today. Many will offer themselves to go wherever God calls them, to fulfill his mission.

The success of Urbana will be judged not by how many attendees become staff members with InterVarsity Christian fellowship. That number will be relatively small, although Urbana does play a role in the decision-making process for many staff. Success will be determined by how each attendee hears, and answers, God’s voice regarding the world mission of the church.