College Students Found Hope and More at the Coalition for Christian Outreach 2021 Jubilee Conference
Four Main Speakers; 20 Simultaneous Virtual Workshops;
Focus on Faith and Vocation
PITTSBURGH — At a time when so much is confusing and anxiety inducing for young adults, the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO) recognizes that they need the Kingdom of God for strength and support. Many college students are concerned about their present and their future – and they need Christ’s vision for their faith and their vocation.
In response to this need, the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO) hosted the virtual Jubilee Conference 2021: Every Square Inch on Saturday, February 27. The theme of the conference, “Every Square Inch” references how every square inch of life can be redeemed for the glory of God. CCO brought that theme to life for eight hours on Saturday, through four main speakers, twenty workshops, music – and so much more.
Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO)’s Jubilee Conference 2021: Every Square Inch was a helpful resource, ministering to college students at this important time in their lives – providing a sense of belonging direction and purpose.
This annual event – which was hosted virtually this year to nearly 2000 attendees, and included churches in the Bahamas and Puerto Rico – maintains its purpose of answering the call of service to Jesus Christ. The Jubilee conference is the culmination of what CCO ministry is all about. “Our lives have changed during the age of COVID-19 — but Jesus has not,” said Dan Dupee, former Chairman of the Board for CCO.
At Jubilee, students were invited into Jesus’ story, breaking down the four-part gospel narrative to discover how every square inch of creation is the Lord’s … including them. Students completed Jubilee with a vision for their lives, equipped with the tools to transform the world in the name of Jesus Christ.
Because God cares about every square inch of creation, He cares about every college student’s major in every field. Consequently, Jubilee Conference 2021: Every Square Inch offered twenty simultaneous workshops on faith and vocation to all who attended. Attendees were asked, “What does it mean to be a Christian in your work field?” and “How does faith fit into your vocation?”
Among the twenty workshop options that college students had the opportunity to select from included:
- Business: Becoming Refounders: How to Make Broken Things Better, with Patrick Colletti
- Counseling/Social Work: Joining the Mission of God through Social Work and Therapy, with Bethany Snoke
- Education: Learning to Teach & Teaching to Learn: A Life of Continuous Learning, with Tasha Ryals
- Healthcare: Caring for, and Beyond, the Body, with Jessica Haley
- Science: Science and Faith in the Time of Covid-19, with Ben McFarland
- Sports and Marketing: Sports and the Kingdom of God, with Patricia Sun
In addition to the twenty faith and vocation workshops, Jubilee hosted four main event speakers, each presenting on a different aspect of the Gospel. Ashlee Eiland, noted speaker, leader, pastor and author, presented Creation; Jon Tyson, pastor, church planter, noted speaker and author, presented Fall; Timotheus Pope, director of SB2Dub Citikidz, a Christian sports camp, noted speaker and author, presented Redemption; and Tish Harrison Warren, former co-associate rector at Church of the Ascension in Pittsburgh, Pa., noted speaker and author of “Liturgy of the Ordinary” and “Prayer in the Night,” presented Restoration.
“Our God is not confined by social distancing,” Dupee, continued. “We are all still called to serve Jesus Christ with our entire lives. In a world full of uncertainty, Jesus invites you to look towards the hope of the kingdom.”
The college and university campus is the most strategic mission field in the world, with only 2% of students being reached with the Gospel. CCO partners with local church congregations to help students feel a sense of belonging. A community is formed between the CCO staff and students, who are invited into the lives of local congregations. Through this community of fellowship, CCO is able to minister to the students in a life-changing way.
