The last New Year’s Conference I attended as a student was in 1992. Back then, only one conference took place, and half of the attendees traveled together by bus from Birmingham.
This year, 3000 students descended on five different Campus Outreach New Year’s Conferences (CONYC) across America.
I represented CO SERVE at a conference this year. The prospect of three days with thousands of college students was overwhelming. I wondered how this experience would measure up to my life-changing experience 24 years ago.
I invited my kids to join me, and they jumped at the opportunity. For their entire lives, they had heard their dad and me talk about the impact of Campus Outreach. Now they could finally have their own CO experience.
New Year’s Conference 2025 did NOT disappoint! The bones were the same as I remembered: keynote speakers, breakout sessions, students meeting with staff for time in God’s Word over breakfast, loud music, and so much laughter. Watching my kids respond to messages about their purpose as they worship alongside a room of people their age gave me hope for this next generation of Christian leaders. Once again, my life was eternally impacted.
Pray with Us
At this year’s Conferences, our SERVE staff shared ways that students can serve internationally during and after college. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Whether these students join a cross-cultural project or commit to our two-year LEAD program, we know that God can use every student and every overseas trip for His glory. Thank you for joining us in praying that God would use New Year’s Conferences to draw a new generation of overseas missionaries
by Becky Kicklighter, Troy Alumni
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