This year marked the third year that Campus Outreach Minneapolis has facilitated its own Christmas conference, and the first year that it has been in Milwaukee.  We were blessed to have a great facility at the Hyatt Milwaukee.  The hotel layout and staff were able to accommodate our needs incredibly well.

The theme of the conference this year was “Free.”  Students attended breakout sessions with titles such as:  “Free to Fail,” “Free to Relate,” “Free to Follow,” and “Free to Know.”  There were over 400 students who attended the conference from Minneapolis and Indianapolis.  A handful of these students received Jesus Christ as their Savior for the first time.  They were able to hear dynamic speakers who talked about the importance of discipleship and missions.

It was an amazing opportunity to see students lives be impacted with the gospel.  They were able to gain vision as they prepared to go back to their campuses to start the spring semester.

Here we are at the Milkwaukee Christmas Conference sifting through name tags, chairs, office materials, registration rooming lists, and left over Culver’s from yesterday’s lunch.  The band is getting set up, and we are anxiously awaiting for students to arrive!  As I blog, staff members surround me in joyful spirits and laughter as we spend time preparing for students to come while enjoying the company of this awesome team.  CO Minneapolis and CO Indianapolis Staff are coming together to put on this winter conference for 400 college students.  This morning our director, Ken Currie, shared with us the temptations we can easily fall into when running a Christmas Conference or any type of human production.  We have a stage set up, spotlights to shine, a band on whom the lights will shine, and various speakers who will share the message of Christ each day.  With all of this behind the scenes work and preparation, its tempting to think that WE are putting on the conference and not GOD.  Its tempting to want to receive our own glory rather than desiring that we glorify God.  Another temptation is to anxiously wonder… Will we really pull this off?  Will everything go according to the plans? As we face these temptations, we are thankful for God’s grace and that He has gone before us and that he is working all things according to his good purpose.  We are completely dependent upon Him working and providing everything we need for this week’s conference.

We can’t wait for the students to arrive!

Please pray that many would see and believe in Jesus Christ this week.