The Evangelism Conference and Outreach (ECO) is a SUM evangelistic effort Outreach held in a major US city for US students and livestreamed for international students. The Evangelism Conference and Outreach serves as SUM's annual gathering.
SUM students, faculty, and administration from the Main Campus, across the U.S., and from our foreign sites converge on a major US city annualy to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with people from all walks of life who are searching for truth, acceptance, love, and significance.
Students meet together each morning for powerful worship experiences, and the evenings are full of street evangelism outreaches. Students are stirred by the Holy Spirit through worship, prayer, and preaching of God’s Word by dynamic Visionary Leaders, and hit the streets as the army of God, sharing their faith with the lost. This event unites the student body and gives practical hands-on training for witnessing in the name of Jesus Christ.
Internationally, this evangelistic outreach is conducted at locations determined by the International Cohort leadership team. SUM students, faculty, and administration share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with people from all walks of life who are searching for truth, acceptance, love, and significance.
All undergraduate students are required to participate in two (2) Evangelism Conference and Outreaches (ECO) (2 credits each) in their first and second years to graduate.
All BAWM students will participate in the Praise and Worship Team for ECO all three years of their program.
All first- and second-year students, and all BAWM students, will be automatically registered for ECO at the start of each Winter or Spring term.
If a student who has not completed this ministry requirement cannot attend the Outreach, the student must submit an ECO Leave of Absence Form
That is subject for review by the Student Ministry Office. This does not exempt the student from the event, rather, it postpones the requirement to the following year. Any student submitting the form after the Add / Drop deadline will not receive a refund of any kind, including credit toward another year for ECO.
Course Goals
- To challenge the student to a deeper walk and witness for Jesus Christ.
- To show the student a clear delineation between the world and the church.
- To help the student “cross the line” in the Christian walk and witness.
- To promote SUM to attract prospective students.
Course Requirements
- Pre-Conference Prayer
- Pre-Conference Reading
- Pre-Conference VideoTraining
- Conference Attendance & Participation
- Local Evangelism
- Reflection Paper
Participation in the Evangelism Conference and Outreach is mandatory for ALL SUM undergraduate students.
All students that have not completed two ECO experiences will be automatically registered for ECO. All BAWM students will be automatically registered for all three years. BAWM students must arrive one day early for rehearsal.
No student will be allowed to drop ECO without a valid reason that is submitted to the Assistant VP of Cohort Development & ECO Director via the ECO Leave of Absence Form.
Students must complete this form and provide all requested documentation prior to the Add / Drop Deadline for the trimester if they wish to receive a refund. NO refunds will be given after that date for any reason, and the money will not be transferable.
U.S Students
SUM reserves hotels, buses, and other accommodations immediately following the Add / Drop Deadline. A student can fill out the same form after the Add / Drop date and can potentially be allowed to postpone their ECO participation to the following year. However, as previously stated, no refunds will be given.
International Student and International Events
In some cases international students may request to attend the US Evangelism conference and outreach. A letter will be provided to those students for the purposes of processing a visa with the understanding that students will be responsible for the full cost of the trip including transportation to and within the US, hotel, food and conference costs. SUM cannot be responsible for costs associated with international students and guests attending the US event.
Alternate International outreaches will also be developed by the international Hub Directors in coordination with the annual ECO event. All SUM students around the world participate in the live streamed or live on site conference services.
ECO is a creative, hands-on evangelism training opportunity for SUM students and is also a great event to invite guests to learn more about SUM and to share their faith. Through ECO SUM is training an army to reach the world with the good news of the gospel.