Mission Conference

First Presbyterian Church proudly hosts the annual Santa Barbara Mission Conference.

The first Santa Barbara Mission Conference took place Saturday, January 18, 2003, when legendary missionary Rev. Harold Kurtz spoke to a group of about 80 people who gathered at First Presbyterian Church for a mission conference. That first conference included presentations by nine mission groups, all of them Validated Missions of the Presbytery of Santa Barbara. The conference’s goal, then and now, is to inform, inspire, and engage all who attend so that they will be active in God’s work in the world. The conference has grown and expanded so that it now draws more than 300 people over a Friday evening through Saturday in early February. It has become a regional event, with people coming from beyond the tri-counties of California’s south and central coasts. It has also expanded in denominational terms. While it is officially a ministry of the Santa Barbara Presbytery, the conference is in partnership with local congregations of the ECO-Presbyterian, Free Methodist, and Covenant churches, whose members are represented on the SBMC Council.

As it grew and expanded, the conference increasingly drew college students and young adults. Conference organizers take pleasure when a young attendee senses a call to serve God in an enduring way.

Learn more : Santa Barbara Mission Conference!