For one exhilarating weekend in November 270 people gathered together to think, talk, chat, pray China. Some of these were coming with experience and knowledge, but many were coming with questions. Can I take my profession to China? Do I fit into OMF, or another agency? Does China still need expatriate Christians?

We were guided through our weekend by a descendant of our founding member: James Hudson Taylor IV. Expounding on the books of Daniel and Matthew, he showed clearly that God is not primarily looking for our ability, but rather for our availability.

The conference had a great atmosphere as people with a heart and passion could share it with others who agree and understand. But was it a success? I trust so, for the following reasons.

  1. The Mandarin stream – this was a gamble, from the organisational perspective. We pulled in a number of speakers for this event, trusting and believing that our Chinese friends would come. In total we had more than 30 Chinese believers come. This gave a great flavour to our conference.
  2. The age range – compared to previous China Conferences, and certainly the OMF national conference, this was a very young event. 71 people from the age of 18-35. In a national environment where young people ‘don’t do conferences’ this is a marvellous result.
  3. Book takings – were higher than they had ever been before. 543 books sold, totalling £2379. This won’t happen where people are not enjoying the conference. (£1798 was also raised for a water project in China.)

What did the delegates think? Some words from the feedback forms:

  • A Chinese friend said that he had been touched, moved and envisioned. Great conference!
  • The main talks were excellent, but all overran by a long way.
  • Well done team. I enjoyed this conference so much more than the National Conference. It was a great atmosphere, helped by having folk from other agencies and colleges. It was much less cliquey.
  • Jamie Taylor: Application of the Word of God – 10/10. Relevant for today. Tony Lambert: absolutely excellent, a privilege to hear him.
  • Might you consider subsidising costs for Chinese students? Excellent exhibition/bookstall/resources.
  • Very well run. Lots of information and food for thought. Thanks for all the hard work.
  • Could easily have listened for longer, but the timing was good and the information presented was very relevant
  • An excellent conference. So glad I was able to come again this year. Very helpful to have some testimonies.
  • Would love to have more free time to listen to the stories of lovely devout Christians
  • The main talks were excellent, but all overran by a long way.
  • The Mandarin track was an excellent idea – please keep this. But let’s also sing Chinese worship songs together, and do something in Chinese on the first night together.
  • Daniel’s focus group: great, thought-provoking, perhaps a bit short. Frances’s group: Enjoyed the interaction at the beginning, and greatly appreciated answers to questions.
  • Thank you for all the work and for the amazing opportunity to see China again. Please provide water for the speakers.
  • Very good because of the number of young people, especially Chinese who attended. Encouraging them with the Mandarin talks was inspired
  • Overall very good, but in timetable terms a little intense.

Our next OMF conference is from 29 February to 2 Mar. With a particular focus on Taiwan. Click here for more details.