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“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”
Psalm 96:3
August 6 - 12, 2024
Cancun, Mexico
Homeward Conference gathers those who have devoted their lives to preaching the Gospel among the nations.
Conference Services
Praise, worship, teaching, and prayer ministry each day.
What We Offer
Childcare
There will be programming for kids, including arts and crafts, sports games, and more.
Community
Outside of sessions, community events are opportunities for connecting with the broader missionary community.
Worship
Sessions will also include a time of worship and praise.
Teen Programs
There will be programming for teens as well, including various games, activities, and more.
Games
Join us for fun activities with other attendees, including movie night, field day, group exercise classes, and more.
Sessions
On select days, we will have church services with worship and teaching. Our guest ministers include:
Heidi and Rolland Baker, missionaries to Mozambique
David and Debbie Hogan, missionaries to Mexico
Esther Chang, missionary to China
Food
There are a variety of restaurants at the resort. Choose from 12 unique all-inclusive gastronomic experiences, sip a cool beverage by the pool, or indulge in sweet treats at the Ice Cream and Churros Shop.
Amenities
There are two infinity pools, so you can enjoy pool bars and a splash pad for kids. Get active at the state of the art fitness center and fitness classes, including as pilates and cycling classes.
Resort
Nestled behind a mangrove preserve and set on 100 acres of Mayan coastline, Homeward Festival will be hosted at an all-inclusive resort in a location that is to be announced.
Community Activities
Games
Channel your inner child and play Family Feud, Pictionary, Jeopardy, charades, and more. We hope you’ll join us at board game night, field day, and partake in our originally designed puzzle hunt.
Sports
Join us for coordinated group sports games including field day, beach volleyball, and soccer,. Try one of the fitness classes led by our staff, including Dance Cardio with a licensed Equinox fitness instructor or Intro to Weightlifting.
Leisure
Looking for something more relaxing? Wanting to unwind? Join us for activities such as Paint and Sip, scrapbook making, open mic poetry slam, karaoke night, and movie night.
Childcare
Childcare will be available for the children of all attendees, from ages 2 to 12.
We will have group activities as a part of our childcare program - everything from coloring and arts & crafts, to swimming and free play. Childcare will be available during worship and teaching sessions, as well as during other select times throughout the event.
For your teens, there will be coordinated group activities, including beach volleyball games, movie night, and more.
We hope to foster an environment where all the children of our festival attendees can form meaningful friendships with each other.
Eligibility
The target audience for Homeward is active, full-time ministers with substantial experience who meet each of the following 4 criteria:
1. Active Ministry
An active minister is someone currently doing ministry work “in the field”. The minister’s “field” may be a foreign country, another neighborhood in the same city, or even demographically (rather than geographically) defined. The minister’s time commitment and effort should be at least that of a business owner managing a similarly sized commercial enterprise.
2. Substantial Experience
Substantial experience is:
Preferably 10+ years but no less than 5+ years of continuous full-time ministry work; and
a commitment to remain indefinitely in the field.
Please note we do not count time spent on sabbatical, short-term work, training programs (even missions training), or travel away from the minister’s primary field for purposes of calculating experience.
3. Ministry Structure
A ministry structure which qualifies the minister as either a missionary; evangelist and church planter; or essential ministry support staff (each as defined below):
A “missionary” is a minister who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to preaching the gospel to a specific target people group which is different from his/her own. That difference may be cultural, ethnic, geographic, linguistic, or socioeconomic. Missionaries live among the people to whom they are ministering, rather than, for instance, ministering at special events or itinerating among different groups. Evangelism is central to missions, and all qualifying missionaries will have a demonstrated track record of outreach to their target people group. All services and ministries operated by a missionary should be offered to their target people free of charge, without any affiliated for-profit endeavors unless explicitly needed to maintain a legal visa. Experienced missionaries will have developed deep relationships among their target people and demonstrate fluency in the language and customs of their target people.
An “evangelist and church planter” is a minister who has devoted their lives to serving and evangelizing unbelievers (rather than, for instance, a self-sustainable church community). To qualify, the evangelist must be engaged in the work of evangelization full-time and be fully supported by donations, typically from churches and believers who are not the primary recipients of their ministry.
“Essential ministry support staff” are staff members of missions organizations whose labor is indispensable to the missionaries in their organization/network. A staff member is essential if the essential means of ministry employed by their organization would be critically impaired without their services. The staff member would typically not have an overtly spiritual role such as preaching, singing, or prophesying, but their work will be widely recognized as being no less valuable to the collective cause. In most cases, essential ministry support staff will only be eligible for an invitation if the missionaries they serve alongside have been invited to attend Homeward.
4. English Fluency
English fluency is required for all attendees, including most children. Because the entire program will be run in English, we require all invitees to demonstrate English fluency. We apologize in advance for any disappointment this may cause.
Meeting the above criteria does not guarantee an invitation to Homeward. Invitations to attend Homeward are issued at the discretion of our Guest Relations team. All invitations are personal to the invitee.
Cost
Homeward Conference is complimentary to all invited guests. Your invitation is inclusive of lodging, meals, the conference, leisure activities, and ground transportation from [Cancun International Airport].
In most cases, guests are responsible for arranging roundtrip travel to [Cancun]. Travel support for airfare is available to certain qualified invitees with demonstrated financial need and an extensive history of continuous service in ministry. Applicants may indicate their interest in travel support during the application process.
Air Travel
Visa Requirements
Guests will fly into Cancun International Airport (CUN).
We will provide a complimentary shuttle between the airport and the conference hotel.
To attend Homeward, you must be authorized to enter Mexico. Valid passport holders of some countries offer visa-free travel to Mexico. Please ensure that your passport is valid (not expired) for at least six months at the time of your entry. If you are required to apply for a Mexican visa, please begin the application process as soon as possible. While we provide general guidelines below, please check with you local Mexican Embassy for the most up-to-date requirements.
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A visa to enter Mexico is not required if you hold a valid passport (which does not expire within 6 months of entry) for one of the following countries.
* European Union
* Andorra
* Argentina
* Australia
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Costa Rica
* Ecuador
* Hong Kong
* Iceland
* Israel
* Jamaica
* Japan
* Liechtenstein
* Macau
* Marshall Islands
* Malaysia
* Micronesia
* Monaco
* New Zealand
* Norway
* Palau
* Panama
* Paraguay
* Peru
* San Marino
* Singapore
* South Korea
* Switzerland
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United Arab Emirates
* United States
* Uruguay
* Vatican City
* Venezuela
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A separate visa to enter Mexico is not required if you have a valid, multiple-entry visitor visa (that is valid for the duration of stay in Mexico) to one of the following countries.
* Canada
* European Union
* Japan
* United Kingdom
* United States
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A visa to enter Mexico is not required if you are a permanent resident of one of the following countries.
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* European Union
* Japan
* Peru
* United Kingdom
* United States
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If you are a citizen of Russia, Turkey, or Ukraine, you may apply for your visa online. It is valid for one entry into Mexico and must be used within 30 days of being issued.
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If you do not qualify under one of the categories above, you are required to apply for and obtain a valid Mexican visa through a Mexican Embassy or Consulate, which may be in a neighboring country. Please visit the respective Embassy’s website for the detailed application requirements. Generally, these include an application, documentation such as passport and proof of financial solvency, and an in-person interview at the Embassy. Due to long wait times, we highly recommend scheduling an appointment well in advance of travel to Homeward.
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Guests flying into the following airports in Mexico (CUN, MEX, PVR, SJD, LAP) are no longer required to obtain a Mexican Tourist Card (FMM). Guests entering via any other airport in Mexico will be required to obtain the FMM. This is free and can be done in advance online using your passport and flight information.
Travel Funding
Overview
We want to ensure that cost is not a prohibitive factor to attending Homeward. Airfare funding will be offered to select guests based on a combination of their ministry context and/or demonstrated financial need. An invitation to attend Homeward does not indicate that we will be able to provide travel support.
We understand and believe that God works financial miracles and have seen it happen for multiple guests attending the conference in 2022. We encourage everyone to first seek God in faith for travel funding and use our support only if needed.
How to Apply
You may apply for airfare funding as part of the larger conference application. If you express interest in applying for funding, your application will not be considered complete until you have also submitted the financial aid component.
The funding application will collect information about your income, donations, and assets to better understand your financial situation. This information should be supported by official documents, such as a tax return and/or bank statements. All information will be kept strictly confidential and used solely for the purpose of determining travel funding.
Reflections on Homeward 2022
Over [100] missionary families serving in [40] nations attended Homeward 2022. Here are some of their reflections.
"It was overwhelming as a whole in the best possible way. Body, soul and spirit was ministered to and we all feel refreshed and encouraged to do what we do. It was a time of new vision for us and rubbing shoulders with brave missionaries from all over the world was extremely encouraging. We are forever grateful and you gave us a life changing experience and memories."
H.K.
Missionary in South Africa
"Our time at Homeward was an absolute feast of His presence, fellowship of amazing Kingdom warriors, and lavish love in the physical (stunning resort and amazing food). We are still processing the profound impartations of love, joy, and peace received during Homeward. We feel so restored and refreshed... ready for another 20+ years of laid down service to our King (by His grace)!
T.N.
Missionary in [South Africa]
“I came desperately needing refreshing, a fresh infilling with the Holy Spirit. I got it! The unhurried time of worship was rich. God did something deep that I believe I'm yet to fully understand.”
C.A.
Missionary in Kenya
"In general, we were just touched by all of the kingdom connections with other missionaries. We were able to connect and relate to people who understood us. This was therapeutic in and of itself. We also appreciated how everything was structured for us as young parents with small children to both participate and receive. We rarely get to be present together for full sessions!"
M.C.
Missionary in Mexico
“For our family childcare was a huge blessing! Our kids were really needing some quality time with other kids... so it was a huge blessing for them to be able to get to know more missionary kids! To be surrounded by other kids and the childcare team made a huge difference in their life!
A.V.
Missionary in Mozambique
Applications
We are now accepting applications for Homeward Conference 2024. To learn more about the process and to get started, head to the Applications page.
FAQs
Who are the speakers for this conference?
We are not currently announcing the speakers for this conference.
I know some missionaries whom I would like to invite. Can they apply too?
Yes! Please share this website with them and ask them to apply if they would like to be considered. To avoid disappointment, please encourage your referees to review our guidelines for the target audience prior to applying.
I can only attend part of the conference. Can I still come?
No. We are only accepting applications from families who can attend the entire conference.
Do I have to fill out the financial aid application?
This part of the application is only required for those seeking travel support. You do not need to provide this information if you plan to book your own travel to Homeward.
Will financial aid impact my admissions decision for Homeward?
No, decisions to extend invitations are “need-blind” and issued independently from financial aid. Financial need does not positively or negatively affect your application.
How is financial aid determined?
We make every effort to determine appropriate financial aid by understanding your unique financial situation and ministry context, while expecting a reasonable financial commitment on your part to attend.
Will you cover other expenses in addition to airfare?
Financial aid is only offered for airfare. However, we understand there are additional costs associated with attending, such as visa applications and domestic travel. We consider these additional expenses when determining financial aid.
Who can I contact if I have more questions?
If you have any additional questions about our process, please contact your Guest Relations coordinator, whom you will be assigned to following an application.