By Milligan Rahn
3500+ students from across the U.S. and more than 50 international students spent the first week of 2026 in Chattanooga, TN. They were participating in the Campus Outreach National Conference, the third in Campus Outreach history. The conference theme, UNITED, rallied students around one purpose: to know God better together.
Throughout the conference, students studied God’s Word, worshipped, built relationships, and received the challenge to live for God’s glory alone. This experience marked the beginning of a personal relationship with Jesus for many. Others were encouraged to continue growing in faith, united to Christ and united with his people.
International students and staff had a unique experience, connecting with other believers outside their cultural context, while worshipping the same God together.
“It’s been exciting to see a glimpse of the global church – different tribes and nations coming together,” said Rori Molaudi, a graduate student in Pretoria, South Africa. “I came because I wanted to see how God is working in other places. It’s encouraging to see thousands of people running toward the same thing I’m running toward.”
South African students Rori Molaudi and Dembe Sadiki traveled thousands of miles to attend the National Conference. They met students through Cross-Cultural Projects in South Africa who inspired them to experience the wonder of worshiping Jesus across the world.
“I came to be encouraged because even though the ministry in Cape Town is very young, God is faithful, and I have hope he has more to do there,” said Dembe. “Seeing how passionate people are for the lost is so encouraging. When I am back on campus and afraid of people judging me for sharing my faith, I can remember that I belong to the kingdom of God.”
Not only did God work in Rori and Dembe’s lives, but he also worked through them.
Rori was surprised to find that even at a Christian conference in the U.S., some students in attendance were not yet believers – including his conference roommate.
“I came ready for others to impart knowledge to me; I wasn’t thinking about how God could use me. But as I was talking to my roommate, I had the opportunity to share the gospel with him. This was odd because I thought everyone would be a Christian. It was really encouraging and humbling to have the opportunity to share with someone I would never think to share with.”
God is doing incredible things all around the world, even connecting one college student from South Africa with another from Alabama to share the gospel with him. What a privilege to gather with people of many nations and backgrounds to worship him! He is advancing his mission to the nations and generations, and he is answering our prayers for laborers in the harvest.
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