by Cody Watson, Senior Associate, Emeritus
The year was 1996; I waffled between attending an outreach event at the Atlanta Olympics or the New Wilmington Mission Conference (NWMC) in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. I was relatively new to [Presbyterian] Frontier Fellowship, but then-Executive Director, Harold Kurtz, encouraged me to attend NWMC.
I’m so glad he did. It was—and still is—a great place to network and fellowship with mission-minded folks. In the beginning of the 20th century, there was much missionary fervor; one stream of that fervor was the Student Volunteer Movement. Their watchword was, “The Evangelization of the World in This Generation.” NWMC was a byproduct of the Student Volunteer Movement and the United Presbyterian Church of North America (a small mission-minded denomination formed in 1858). However, with two world wars, that vision began to fragment. After WWII, veterans kindled the embers of mission vision and it began to resurface. Missiologist Dr. Ralph Winter wrote about this resurgence in his book, “The 25 Unbelievable Years: 1945-1969.”
The years that followed boasted an incredible shift in missional focus, not only in the US but around the world. Events like Urbana reminded young people of their role in God’s missional work, and the Lausanne Congress and Covenant (1974) gave many churches a framework for missions to unreached peoples. In the 90s, the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) adopted the statement, “A church for every people and the Gospel for every person.” Frontier Fellowship’s own vision statement mirrors this sentiment: “For every people, an indigenous church; For every church, a mission vision.”
That mission focus has encouraged me for more than 25 years. Through its annual conferences and the friendships I’ve formed with fellow attendees over the years, NWMC helped open my eyes to various places that God is at work and the ways He is calling His people to respond to that work. Global presenters such as Dr. Ken Bailey and others inspired me, and I first learned about the work in Sudan through NWMC.
Just as there were cultural headwinds in the 1920s that led to the dampening of the missionary spirit, there are such headwinds today. The pandemic lowered attendance levels significantly. Despite this, NWMC will celebrate its 119th anniversary this year—a rich legacy of deepening mission vision, encouraging individuals to join God in His mission to the world. Dave Dawson, a retired PCUSA mission executive and former Board Chair for Frontier Fellowship, wrote this in 2015: “Once part of an array of vibrant missionary conferences, the NWMC is the only surviving example from that era.”
When Harold Kurtz encouraged me to attend NWMC in 1996, I didn’t know then how impactful this conference would be in my life and the lives of my family. It is not only a wonderful conference for mission, but also for relationships. I’ve met treasured friends there, and I hope to meet you there this year!
The 2024 New Wilmington Mission Conference will take place from July 19-24 in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. Registration is open now, and there are incentives for first-time attendees. Learn more and register to attend at nwmcmission.org
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