Carrying its tradition of mobilizing individuals and churches for mission into a second century, the 109th New Wilmington Mission Conference (NWMC) will be held at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, from July 19-25th.
All meetings and events are free and open to the public. Pastors and youth ministers, young and old, all are invited to come anytime. Evenings offer a particularly good time for a youth group to visit. Contact the conference office at 724-946-9770 to make arrangements.
NWMC is for those who want to grow as disciples of Jesus and participate in what he is doing in the world. More than 30 states and 20 countries are represented among the 800+ registered attendees. Hundreds more from the tri-state area attend some portion of the week.
The purpose of the conference is to strengthen Christians in their mission commitment. Speakers will urge attendees to follow Jesus Christ more closely and lift up the call to take the good news of Jesus to those who have not heard or received it. Missionaries and leaders from the global church will share some of the great things God is doing in the world and challenge participants to join in this mission calling.
The New Wilmington Mission Conference is unique in that it is a multi-generational and family conference; yet it is distinctively youth-focused and oriented. NWMC began as a Presbyterian mission conference for young people in 1906. It has retained its Presbyterian roots and connections, and expanded to promote the broader Christian witness in the world.
The theme verse from Micah 6:8 lifts up the call for Christ-followers to “ACT justly, LOVE mercy, and WALK humbly” with God. Youth will have hands-on experiences with Stop Hunger Now and the New Castle City Rescue Mission. Child care and programs for elementary students are offered.
NWMC celebrates 54 years of sending out a Summer Service team of young adults some place in the world for six weeks. This summer eight college students and their leaders are serving in the Middle East. They will tell about their experiences on Monday, July 22 at 9:15 PM and Friday, July 26 at 7:45 PM.
The Morning Meeting speaker is Rev. Mary Hulst, chaplain at Calvin College. Adult speakers include Rev. Dr. Laura Smit (Calvin College), Professor Andrew Walls (global missiologist), Rev. Russell Smith (Cincinnati), and Scott Gore (Gilbert, AZ). Speaking to young adults is Rev. David Loleng (Louisville), to high school students is Mike Haddox (Butler, PA), and to middle school students is Tasha Ryals (Chambersburg, PA).
Sunday morning preachers are Dr. Ingrid Reneau (Ghana and South Sudan) and Rev. Bryce Wiebe (Louisville). Exhibits by 40 missionaries and mission organizations on Sunday from 1:30-4:30 PM in the McKelvey Student Center will allow visitors to learn about and get involved in their work.
Evening speakers for the week include Kevin Brown (New Orleans), Rev. John McCall (Taiwan), Rev. Leon Dorleans (Haiti), Tree Anthem band (Pittsburgh), Frank Dimmock (Louisville), Rev. Carolyn Poteet (Waynesburg, PA), and the NWMC Summer Service team sharing their experiences.
More than 25 missionaries will share their stories in multiple settings. PCUSA World Mission will conduct part of their orientation for new mission workers at the conference. Wednesday evening will include the honoring of former and current missionaries and the commissioning of new missionaries.
Go to https://NWMCmission.org for speakers, schedule, registration, and more. Check out the video “What is NWMC?” on the home page. Morning and evening meetings can be view on live streaming video from the website. Podcasts of other speakers will follow. You are welcome to attend.
