This week at Houghton College, New Vision Week, gave students the opportunity to learn explore a call to missions, both abroad and stateside. “The body of Christ as the church is meant to be missional,” junior Elizabeth Chedester said. This was the emphasis of New Vision Week, when Houghton students have the chance to learn about and consider their call to missions, whether it be abroad or at home. The event occurred this year from October 26-30, with a variety of speakers and events to raise awareness of the global church.
This year’s co-coordinators, Bethany Rudolph and Elizabeth Chedester, highlighted the theme “from the cross, through the church, to the world.” It was meant to “reveal the way a personal relationship with Christ can translate into actions with a global impact,” Maria Waterfield, ‘17 explained. “It’s turning something personal into something more tangible, visible.” Rudolph and Chedester echoed this in their emphasis on the call of all Christians to missions. “Missions is not intended only for special people,” Chedester said. “We’re all called to missions.”
The choices for New Vision Week speakers reflect this emphasis. Rudolph and Chedester chose speakers with a variety of backgrounds, Christian and non-Christian, American and non-American. “We want everyone to be able to relate,” Bethany explained. From this touch-point, they hope for students to consider the challenges issued by the speakers as well as the events. “New Vision Week challenges students to consider missions,” said associate professor of intercultural studies and missions, Marcus Dean, noting the variety of ways a Christian can be involved in missions, from going overseas to financial support to prayer support.
Besides the various speakers, New Vision Week featured several events, such as a documentary, prayer walk, and culture fun night. “We really tried to put something fun or interesting every day,” Waterfield explained. “The goal this year to make it more the forefront of people’s minds.” The events combine to raise awareness for the call to missions and the global church. Rudolph noted the intention of the documentary on persecution “to create more awareness for what it looks like to be a Christian in the world.” Waterfield, who looks forward most to the prayer walk, explains that it will inform participants of situations throughout the world while creating the opportunity for prayer. The week ends with worship night, “a nice way to close off the week,” said Waterfield.
Dean notes that New Vision Week has “a long tradition at Houghton College,” for at least fifty years, although it has changed in name and in structure. As it has continued to grow and change, Dean too emphasizes the universal call for Christians to missions. “We can’t think anymore that the mission field is someplace else- so how do we get involved?” New Vision Week both raises the question and offers information for students to reach their own conclusions.
Rudolph’s hopes for New Vision Week reflect this, “for Houghton to become a place of more global awareness, more intentional living.” This can occur through the week’s goal of “increased awareness of brothers and sisters around the world” in Christ as well as “those who don’t know the gospel yet.” Ultimately, as Maria Waterfield says, New Vision week hopes “to show people that there are ways to be involved no matter where you are, what you’re doing.”