Baylor University Hosts "Be the Change" Conference 2012

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WACO, Texas (Sept. 17, 2012) - The department of spiritual life at Baylor University will host the "Be the Change" Conference beginning Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012. This annual student-led event offers the Baylor community a perspective on mission activities in the world through keynote speakers, breakout sessions, guest mission practitioners, missions organizations, cross-culture events and other learning opportunities.
"'Be the Change' actually began years ago simply as 'Missions Week,'" said Adam Velez, a student at Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary who is organizing the event. "It was a way for Baylor to showcase the missionaries and ministries it supports and provide an opportunity to motivate students towards pursuing active service in the field of missions - predominately internationally." Wanting to provide a holistic understanding, "Missions Week" took the name of "Be the Change" and was oriented more like a conference, Velez explained.
This year's keynote speaker will be Amy Sherman, Ph.D., director of the Center on Faith in Communities at the Sagamore Institute and a Senior Fellow with the Institute for the Studies of Religion at Baylor University. Sherman has served as an advisor to the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and is involved in ending human trafficking through her work as a Senior Fellow with the International Justice Mission.
Be the Change 2012 includes special elements that will engage students in new ways. "With the theme of 'Vocational Stewardship,' Be the Change is aiming to connect with students on a more personal level, relating missions to one's faith, field of study and even interests," Velez said. In collaboration with Baylor's Paul L. Foster Success Center, a strengths and vocation seminar will take place helping students identify their calling and involvement in missions.
"The main hope this year with 'Be the Change' is for individuals to recognize that as Christians we all have a calling within the Missio Dei (Mission of God). We do not have to be a 'missionary' to be missional, but rather can effectively utilize the gifts and vocation God has given us to be good stewards for His kingdom," Velez said.
The schedule of events for Be the Change 2012 are as follows:
Sept. 18, 2012:
' 3 p.m. - Dr Pepper Hour hosted by Baylor Missions in Barfield Drawing Room of the Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB) at 1311 S. Fifth Street.
' 8 p.m. - Be the Change benefit concert with Steve Moakler at Common Grounds at 1123 S. Eighth Street.
Sept. 19, 2012:
' 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. - Presentation by Amy Sherman and Steve Moakler at chapel services in Waco Hall at 624 Speight Ave.
' 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Missions fair outside Waco Hall at 624 Speight Ave.
' 12:15 p.m. - Free student ministry luncheon in the Great Room of the Bobo Spiritual Life Center at 500 Speight Ave.
' 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.- Free coffee talk with mission practitioners at Common Grounds at 1123 S. Eighth Street.
' 5:30 p.m. - Free pizza dinner with a "mish" at various residential halls.
' 7 p.m. - Keynote speaker address by Amy Sherman in Kayser Auditorium at the Hankamer School of Business at 1428 S. Fifth St.
Sept. 20, 2012
' 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Missions fair outside Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB) at 1311 S. Fifth Street.
' 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. - Free coffee talk with mission practitioners at Common Grounds 1123 S. Eighth Street.
' 4 p.m. - Strengths and vocation seminar in the Great Room of the Bobo Spiritual Life Center at 500 Speight Ave.
' 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. - Global Village celebration outside the Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB) at 1311 S. Fifth Street.
Sept. 21, 2012
' 8:30 a.m. - Prayer and commitment breakfast in the den of the Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB) at 1311 S. Fifth Street.

by Brent Salter, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
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