Higher Calling Conference, an annual missions conference hosted by Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, started on Sunday, during which over one thousand youth and college students gathered for worship.
Over a thousand youth, college students, and young adults gathered in San Diego, CA for Korea Campus Crusade's annual "Higher Calling" Conference.
The four-day conference began on Sunday evening with a concert featuring Phil Wickham, and the evening ended with the first plenary session, during which Pastor Jim-Bob Park, the senior pastor of Oriental Mission Church (OMC), preached.
With the theme of "The Light" in this year's conference, Korea Campus Crusade (KCCC) hopes to challenge the younger generation to live as a light to their communities. Pastor Jim-Bob Park started off the conference speaking on the reason that Christians may be hindered in being an effective light and influence on the world.
Park explained that one of the factors that hinders Christians from being the light is sinful nature, which creates a desire for self to be in control, rather than yielding control to Christ.
"The reason we cannot shine as a light is because of sin, and in the middle of SIN is "I'," Park said.
In order for people, who are sinful, to shine as the light, "we have to come clean," Park said, and coming clean comes with repentance. He cited the promise in 1 John 1:9, which says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
King David sinned greatly but bowed down before God and repented, and God called him a man after His own heart, Park said, and encouraged the attendees that with repentance, "God has a way of restoring what is His."
Park spoke at Higher Calling for the fourth time this year, and said that he values the opportunity that Higher Calling gives to young people to commit themselves to God.
"I would love to see these young people not only commit themselves, but also get connected with their local churches and mission organizations to actually be able to live out those commitments," Park said.
Meanwhile, the plenary session during the first night of the conference also featured a dance performance called "Clear the Stage," highlighting the idea that Jesus, as the light, must be at the center of a Christian's life. The performing team won a KCCC dance-off competition in November.
Attendees also participated in a demonstration all together, during which they were posed with questions about their faith and how actively they have been living as the light, at which they responded by either turning on or off lights that were placed underneath their seats. The effect that the lights had within the dark conference hall served as an opportunity for attendees to reflect on the power that even a little light can have in complete darkness.
The conference has much more in store for the attendees during the next few days - nine elective seminars; screenings of "Save My Seoul" by the Jubilee Project; dance, theater, and singing performances; and a dozen booths set up by various mission organizations and ministries.
Attendees also have the opportunity to reflect on and process what they've been learning throughout the conference during small group meetings each night with their hotel roommates, led by small group leaders trained by KCCC before the conference.
