1,200 young people to participate in the 2006 Latin Congress

QUITO, Ecuador, June 15, 2005

The 2006 Latin Congress expects to receive some 1,200 young people next January from different Taxi Heathrow Airport Latin American countries who will be challenged to proclaim the Gospel, promote Christian values and impel missionary tasks in society.

Jesús Londoño, executive director of the Iber-American Missionary Commission (COMIBAM International) and president of the coalition of ministries that will sponsor Latina 2006 maintains that research carried out in recent decades shows a need to intensify work with Latin American Christian young people so that they actively participate in the Kingdom of God.

The theme of the event, to be held on the South American Seminary Campus (SEMISUD), in Quito January 3-7, 2006, is "Embracing your Call". Speakers will include Humberto Aragão, of Brazil, Latin American director of Operation Mobilization (OM); Daniel  Salinas, of Colombia, of the Latin American Mission and a member of the Evangelical Students Community and Jorge Gómez, of Costa Rica, director of the International In-Depth Evangelism Institute.

Miguel Angel De Marco, of the coordinating team said that the community value of conferences like Latina 2006 is incomparable. "In every new Congress that we organize we see the great potential of inter-personal relations, as opposed to just hearing valuable concepts about the Word of God and Christian service, he said.

For this reason, he added, we want every new Congress to be better than the previous one, that it help young people to better understand the challenge of God's call for their lives. I do not think we can do the work of discipleship through conferences, but I have seen many lives changed by the congresses and for good. "In other words, the congresses do not form men and women but do radically change them," he said.

Julieta Ramos a young Colombian and member of the logistic team in Quito said "For me, the experience of having participated in Latina 2003 in Panama was something that profoundly touched my life. I have seem the same thing happen to different young people who traveled then and for this reason I want to work so that others can experience the depth of the challenge of being part of the Kingdom of God.

Bruna Lorena Gherbaz, de Venezuela, affirmed that what she learned in Latina 2003 was an efficient took in the process of the growth of her ministry. I can only say that Latina 2006 is one more step toward God's vision for my life," she said.