Full schedule readied for sixth run of Mission ConneXion Portland church

PORTLAND — About 200 pastors and Christian leaders attending a preview luncheon last month for the sixth run of Mission ConneXion Northwest heard a few comments from the January event’s featured speaker and also about planned new features.
The annual free-admission event, which rotates among several of the Portland metro area’s largest churches, takes place Jan. 16 and 17 at Sunset Presbyterian Church in Portland. Last January’s event drew an aggregate attendance of almost 13,000 people to Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin.
Jonathan Martin, a member of the pastoral staff at Good Shepherd Community Church in Boring, told the pastors’ luncheon at the Double Tree Inn Lloyd Center that Mission ConneXion is “an amazing relationship-building activity among the churches” as they focus on the worldwide opportunities in missions.
Bill MacLeod, the event’s founder and chairman, agreed. “If the church is the gem on the wedding ring, Mission ConneXion Northwest wants to be the band that holds up the gem,” he said.
Keynote speaker for the upcoming event is author, apologist and youth evangelist Josh McDowell. Also featured are author and missionary Shelly Gook Volkhardt and Rev. Sameh Maurice, pastor of Kasr El Dobara Evangelical Church in Cairo, Egypt.
In a brief telephone call to the luncheon, McDowell said one of the challenges facing the church worldwide is the rapid “Islamization” of Europe. “Most Christians aren’t facing up to what’s happening,” he said. But he was quick to add that there also are huge opportunities for evangelization to the Muslim world, where many hearts seek the truth of the Gospel.
New to the event this time will be a Spanish-language track of workshops. Also, translation for both Spanish speakers and the deaf will be provided thoughout. For details, go to www.missionconnexion.com or phone 503-924-3824. A special Mission ConneXion program will be inserted in January’s Christian News Northwest.