Students gather communally in one large ballroom to worship Jesus, hear large group talks, celebrate culture, and more. These meetings happen several times throughout the conference. Students gather in smaller groups divided in various ways by spiritual needs and background to further explore Christianity. Within these ‘smaller’ groups, which are still quite large, Christians lead round table family groups where prayerfully students find a sense of belonging and connection as they explore Jesus. Christian students also have a special time where they are challenged to consider next steps to grow closer to Jesus. 

There are a variety of roles that volunteers can take. Some of these roles are interactive with students, others are administrative or more behind the scenes. Some volunteers might prefer to help out where our biggest volume of volunteer needs are during one day, while others may be available multiple days. Bridges International places a high value on partnership and the richness added to the conference experience through ‘cross-pollination’ of students with other local Christians and churches. 

Once you fill out the linked form, one of our Bridges staff or volunteers will reach out to you to connect about which role and schedule would work best for you, as well as answer any questions or concerns you may have about the Vision Conference, ways you can help and more. On the day (or days) of your volunteering, staff will carefully train and orient you to the experience. We will pray together for students, and you will have a staff point person throughout your volunteer time in case of further concerns or questions. 

Vision conference is all about Welcoming, Winning, Building, and Sending international students. Welcoming students is an important step in showing Christ’s love to international students. Volunteers and staff welcome students to the conference at registration and the airport with the type of kind hospitality that will point them straight to Christ. Prayerfully, students will feel that they are being welcomed into our Christian family and fall more in love with Jesus. 

Winning students to Christ is primarily a work of God that He invites us to join in- and there are many opportunities for students to hear the Good News about Jesus at Vision Conference. The Prayer Team will be praying for students, volunteers, partners and staff as they share their faith, and for God to open up the hearts of non-Christians. These Christian students, partners and staff will have many opportunities in each component of the conference to engage non-Christians in the Good News of the Gospel. Non-Christian students are invited to attend the conference to further explore Christianity and consider what following Jesus would look like for them personally. 

Building students in their faith is crucial, both for new and seasoned believers in Jesus. Walking with God on the college campus is challenging, for international students that have perhaps never been exposed to Jesus’s teachings it is even more challenging. Vision Conference is a greenhouse of spiritual growth for students, some of whom may have just made a decision to follow Christ on a subsequent day of the conference. 

Sending students to the world is especially pertinent when international students already have influence and relationships across the globe. At Vision Conference, Christian students are challenged to share their faith, lead others spiritually, and other ministry skills with the aim to prayerfully see God develop them into life-long multiplying disciples. Partners and staff provide spiritual, emotional, and practical support to take new steps of faith into leadership. 

For more information about how we communicate about Bridges to non-Christian students using the ‘Four S’s’ of Service, Student Leadership, Social Connections, and Spiritual Conversations, please refer to the Bridges website.  To read Bridges International’s shared statement of faith with Cru, please refer here and feel free to peruse the website for a plethora of information and resources. 

If you have additional questions that you would like to discuss with a staff member, please fill out the volunteer form, and someone will be in touch with you.