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Author and Missionary Gayla Congdon to Speak at the International Conference on Missions, Releases Book
CINCINNATI – November 13, 2012 – Gayla Cooper Congdon and her husband, Scott Congdon, committed their lives over 30 years ago to serving the impoverished after confronting the deep spiritual and physical needs found in Mexican orphanages. Since then, the ministry they founded, Amor Ministries, has sent nearly 9,000 volunteers each year to serve the poorest of the poor through house-building projects. Gayla will bring this lifelong passion for global ministry and the life-altering impact of a single act of service to attendees of The Common Ground women’s gathering, November 17 at 3:00 pm, during the 2012 International Conference on Missions (ICOM). Most who have experienced short-term missions can relate to both the spiritual high that occurs during the trip and how quickly it fades after returning home. Gayla will share principles from her upcoming book, Disrupted: Cultivating a Mission-Focused Life, releasing January 2013 (Standard Publishing), that help mission trip participants not only prepare for and fully experience the trip, but also learn how to live with a changed mission mindset every day that follows. “Just as a mission experience disrupts the day-to-day flow of your normal life for a week or two, the best way to keep the spiritual transformation alive is to intentionally disrupt your days long after the trip is over,” explains Gayla. “Many people are surprised to find just how much mission opportunity is right in front of them all the time.” In addition to sharing the benefits of a life disrupted by service with ICOM attendees, Gayla will be leading a workshop entitled “Building Missional Families: Helping Parents Develop a Missions Heart in the Lives of Their Children” at upcoming CPC conferences in Orlando and San Diego. She will also be introducing her book and life-changing tips on missional living at Hope International University in Fullerton, CA on January 24, 2013, and in San Diego on February 10, 2013.
“Gayla Congdon, one of the leading practitioners in the short-term missions movement, understands the essential role of discipling short-term missionaries for long-term impact. Her spiritual discernment combined with her missional expertise makes her the ideal person to write a devotional to help participants make the most of their short-term experience for a lifetime,” says David Livermore, author of Serving With Eyes Wide Open. Congdon’s new book, Disrupted: Cultivating a Mission-Focused Life will be available for purchase in January 2013 at www.standardpub.com, www.Amazon.com, or anywhere Christian books are sold. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be going to Project Hope (www.amor.org/give/projecthope). To schedule speaking engagements or pre-order the book, please contact Amor Ministries at 619-662-1200 or visit the Amor Ministries booth at ICOM. About the Author: Gayla Cooper Congdon is the co-founder and Chief Spiritual Officer of Amor Ministries, a missions agency based in San Diego, CA. Gayla has been a finalist for the San Diego Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business” Award in 2000 and 2001. She was recently featured on the nationally syndicated Hugh Hewitt radio show, has served as a commencement speaker for Hope International University, led workshops at the National Missionary Convention and the Christian Leadership Alliance Conference, and speaks to churches, women’s groups, and at youth conferences on a number of topics all over the world throughout the year. For more information, visit www.amor.org. About Standard Publishing: Standard Publishing serves churches worldwide and is recognized as a leader in true-to-the-Bible resources that educate, encourage, and enrich adults, youth, and children. The company is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, visit www.standardpublishing.com or call 1-800-543-1353.