Engage 2023 is our annual Missions & Evangelism Conference. This year our Keynote Speaker will be Edwin Martinez with OC International. Edwin is an International Evangelist and Church Planter who is originally from Guatemala. In addition to Edwin's sessions we will also have the following workshops available:
1. Evangelism in a Skeptical World with Sorin Crivceag of Iglesia Bautista Renacer and Hispanics for Christ
2. Join the Disciple Making Process - from prayer to persons of peace to multiplying movements with Russ Richmond of World Venture and West Coast DMM
3. How to Make Disciples of Jesus in Our Postmodern World of Campus Ambassadors
4. The Doorbell Rings: Talking Jesus with Mormans with Vince Rediger of Mercy Church Utah
5. Business as Mission with Brian Buhler of Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community
6. Gospel Living with Chris Gorman
7. How to Lead a Child to Christ with Jeannie Gerhardt & Robin Cordova of Child Evangelism Fellowship
9:00 Conference Opens (Booths open)
9:30 – 10:20 General Session 1 – Edwin Martinez
10:30 – 11:20 Breakout Session 1
11:30 – 12:20 Breakout Session 2
12:30 Lunch (Booths Open)
1:10 – 2:00 Breakout Session 3
2:10 – 3:00 Breakout Session 4
3:10 General Session 2
4:00 Conference Ends
Justin has worked in campus ministry (with Campus Ambassadors) for more than five years. He currently serves at Western Oregon University, teaching students about Jesus and equipping them to reach their peers.
Hey there! My name is Robin Cordova. I am a Ministry Coordinator for Child Evangelism Fellowship of Benton County. I first found out about CEF through attending their Camp Good News program, since then God has grown me as a leader and given me many opportunities to lead children to Christ and now to equip more teachers to do the same.
Russ Richmond and his wife Kristen raised their family here at Salt Creek for 9 years. They now have five kids and two grandkids. Russ graduated from Westminster Seminary in California, was ordained at Salt Creek as a Baptist minister and spent 22 years in youth ministry, with the last 6 years at First Baptist Corvallis. He now works with WorldVenture as a DMM Mobilizer. As a missionary and network leader, he mobilizes believers to make disciples in their neighborhoods and of the nations.
Jeannie Gerhardt grew up in Polk County, attending Good News Club while in elementary school. She also enjoyed helping her mom who was a GNC teacher, did CYIA summer missions as a teen, counseled at camps and graduated from Children's Ministries Institute in Missouri, in 1996. She married and began raising her own children. After taking an online course from Triune Biblical University, she decided to homeschool but never gave up hosting 5-day clubs and teaching GNC and party clubs because it was still a great way to reach the children in whatever community she lived in for Christ. CEF work was always a constant in her life so when the Polk County Chapter was looking for help, she applied last March and became their ministry coordinator.
Vince & Jessie Rediger are from the Pacific Northwest where they were sent out as church planters to Utah by Salt Creek Baptist Church almost a year ago. They have four children Cora (8), Thea (7), Willa (5), & Leo (3). During their time at Salt Creek Baptist Church, God began stirring and placing a burden on their hearts for the deep spiritual need and lack of evangelical churches/believers in Utah county, which is over 85% Mormon and less than 1% Evangelical Christians. They are seeking to make much of Jesus in Utah by making disciples, maturing disciples, and multiplying Jesus-centered communities and churches throughout Utah and beyond. They love sports, hiking/camping, hunting, and meaningful conversations over a cup of coffee.
I was born in Romania, during the communism, never got a chance to hear the Gospel or see the Bible, until I was 17 years old, when my dad invited me to church, and an Argentine missionaries invited me to Word Of Life Romania first winter camp in Romania, where I got in contact with the gospel and I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. Since very young age I have been involved in ministry in Romania, also some short-term missions to Eastern Europe, in the first 2 years as believers I knew God is calling me to ministry full time. I went to Word of Life Bible Institute in Argentina, where I meet my wife Laura, we got married in 2001, worked as missionaries in Santiago Chile for 3 years, worked with local churches youth ministries, camps, sports events. In 2003 God brought us to Romania where we served for 13 years, with youth ministry, camps, medical clinics, sports events, Bible Clubs. We also had the blessing to plant Grace Baptist Church in Bucharest, also helped few years at the Black Sea with planting churches in small villages around Navodari, Constanta. We worked for one year with Muslims at the black sea as well. Since 2015 we are in Salem Oregon, planting Iglesia Bautista Renacer, at West Hills Community Church, working with Hispanics for Christ, and NAB Association to help with planting Hispanic Churches around Pacific Northwest.