ACMI Conference focuses on international outreach

ACMI Conference focuses on international outreach

June 22, 2004

WHEATON , Ill. – More than 20 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) leaders met May 29 at the Association of Christians Ministering among Internationals (ACMI) Conference to discuss the importance of the world sending its best students to American universities. Ideas were shared on how to reach 570,000 international students with the love of Christ as more than 20 SBC state International Student Ministry (ISM) directors, Baptist Collegiate Ministry directors and local church leaders met here.

Southern Baptists from 10 state conventions, including Missouri,  along with ISM representatives from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Campus Crusade for Christ, International Students, Inc. and other groups met. Attendees chose from 44 seminar topics such as international collegiate church planting and the involvement of local churches with international student work.

Southern Baptist ISM Pioneer Jack Burke called together a group of ISM leaders from across the United States 24 years ago. Those leaders formed the nucleus for the first ACMI gathering in 1981. Burke visited the 2004 ACMI meeting in a move that highlighted Southern Baptist involvement in ISM.

Local SBC church and state convention leaders are encouraged by the opportunity to rely upon ACMI as a platform to effectively plan and coordinate their ISM outreach strategy, accord­­ing to Ed Moncada, director of ISM, Missouri Baptist Convention, who attended the meeting. The next ACMI meeting: June 3-5, in Portland, Ore.