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Students network with church planters during conference

Ministry representatives meet with Liberty University students during a Church Planting Expo.

More than 35 ministries from around the country are connecting with Liberty University students of all majors as they participate in the eighth annual Church Planting Conference, hosted by the Center for Ministry Training (CMT), Feb. 24-25.

Representatives from several large organizations, including the North American Mission Board (NAMB), Acts 29 Network, Big Life Ministries, as well as numerous churches will have booths on display from 1-4 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Jerry Falwell Library, Terrace Level. They will also participate in breakout sessions and a Church Planter Panel Discussion dinner on Tuesday night from 7-9 p.m. in the third floor club level of Williams Stadium.

Clay Holcomb, a representative from NAMB, said he appreciates the opportunity to interact with Liberty students with all sorts of career goals.

“It is exciting to see students who are willing to go all over and get beyond their comfort zone,” Holcomb said. “The truth is, we need people from all walks of life. Church planters and preachers can’t reach everybody. We need Christ-centered people who will come and sow the Gospel through their lives (wherever they are).”

A Church Planting Expo is held in the Liberty University Jerry Falwell Library.

Freshman Candace Del Valle, who is studying athletic training, said interacting with the various organizations has been an eye-opening experience.

“The Church Planting Expo shows how students of all majors (can get involved),” Del Valle said. “To plant a church you need a community; a lot of people to come around and (lend) support.”

Maria Marsico, CMT operations coordinator, said that the conference began in 2007 to raise awareness on campus about church planting opportunities throughout the world.

Dr. David Wheeler, executive director of the CMT, said that Liberty’s goal is to see its students impact every vocation for Christ, and the conference can help them make connections to do that.

“What we need are people who are going to take the Gospel back to the marketplace,” Wheeler said. “We want our students to see themselves as missionaries, not necessarily ones who have to go overseas, but people who let God use them where they are at in life. It is about setting that fire in whatever you do.”

The conference events will conclude on Wednesday, however Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, will speak during Convocation on Friday to wrap up the conference.

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