TCF's 2009 Missions Conference is earlier than usual this year - in January rather than February, due to the schedule of one of the speakers.

The schedule is as follows:

Sunday, January 18: Missions conference kickoff, with speaker from a restricted country (who has asked that his name not be used), brief report from another couple headed to a restricted country (they also preferred their names not be used), 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, January 21: Question and answer session with kickoff speaker and keynote speaker Chris Place, 7:00 p.m. (preceded by a brief time of fellowship and snacks)

Friday, January 23: panel discussion featuring the kickoff speaker and his wife, as well as Chris and Annette Place, 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 25: missions conference finale, featuring keynote speaker Chris Place, 10:00 a.m.

Keynote speaker Dr. Chris Place and his family serve in Macau, China, where Chris is director of Hope Medical Clinic and family practice residency.  There, Chris helps to train Chinese doctors in family practice, as well as serving the medical needs of many in the community there.  Chris serves with In His Image International.  Chris and his wife Annette have six children, and are headed back to Macau in early February - necessitating our earlier schedule for this year's conference to accommodate his ability to serve as our speaker.

Our kickoff speaker is also a doctor, and serves in an undisclosed country, where he, too directs a medical clinic and family practice training residency program.  He and his wife have four children, and are currently on furlough in Tulsa.

The 2009 Missions Conference will feature three different medical doctors in the various sessions, considering their work in three different countries, as well as the call of God to missions for them and all those attending the conference.

Two of the sessions (Wednesday night and Friday night) will feature extended times to pose questions to the speakers.  Friday night will allow us to hear from the wives as well, and a hoped-for goal is "demystifying missions," enabling attendees to hear the hearts of our speakers as everyday people God has called to do His works.

The conference will also feature displays from all the TCF missionaries, with information about their work, their agencies, and the countries they serve in.  Too, the flags of every nation where TCF missionaries serve (and many more where TCF missionaries have served in the past), will be on display during the conference.