“One of the greatest things is when we see the impact a story can have in the lives of our clients. As we tell great stories and see other people resonate with that story, that’s a win for us.”
—Andy Thoms, See.Spark.Go

“I love what I do and to work for the church I grew up in is an amazing opportunity.”
—Sara Hotchkiss, The United Methodist Church

“The people and the challenge of the job. I love that each day is new and different, and there’s a new challenge and new people to work with. And it’s great that I’m helping by offering a service to them.”
—Angela Hammond, CASE, Experience Columbus

“Even if I’m only setting off a chain of events that leads to someone coming to know Christ, it’s making a difference.”
—Zach Norman, Midwest Christian Retreats

“My faith in Christ gives me inspiration, as well as knowing that I’m a role model for my family. And I understand that I represent not only the Little Rock CVB, but also a number of employees and organizations and attractions—and essentially the city—to many people.”
—Joshua Townsend, Little Rock Conventions and Visitors Bureau

“Having the opportunity to encourage people.”
—Annette Frisby, Lifeway’s Ridgecrest Conference Center

— Ryan Claborn, Christ in Youth

“Don’t make a rule for the exception. As an event coordinator, you can often allow a few disgruntled voices steer you to make a sweeping change for everyone.”

—Amy Cato, LifeWay Christian Resources

“Always do what you say you are going to do.“

—Chris Devine, Campus Outreach Ministries

“My mentor, Rev. George E. McKain II, CMP, would often tell me, ‘Make sure you learn all you can and make sure it never seems you do not know your own program.’
Also he would remind me, ‘Everything before signing a contract is negotiable, anything after is nearly begging!’”

—Deacon Jermaine A. Collins, Life Center Fellowship

“My dad told me ‘Be the first one in and the last one to leave and you’ll get opportunities.’ It was great advice to a young guy trying to make it.”

— Jeff Shinabarger, Plywood People

“The best advice was practice what you preach and be a good example. People tend to watch what you do more than they listen to what you say.

—Collette Johnson, Visit Orlando

“Have integrity in everything you do, and listen to your clients. I remember a director telling me when you receive a message, you need to return it within two hours or it is unacceptable. That really hit home, and I have always been very detail-oriented and very responsive to the client’s needs.”

—Angela Hammond, Experience Columbus

“Boyd Bailey from Ministry Ventures told me to listen first, then share the story. A lot of times, people will try to craft a story, rather than actually share the real story that’s taking place. With our clients, if we can understand what their story truly is, it makes it so much easier to share. The reality is, people want to hear what is happening inside an organization. They want to know the heartbeat of it, and that’s really what we try to provide.

—Andy Thoms, See.Spark.Go

—Anthony Lee, Worship VJ, Hong Kong

What we see in the world around us deepens our knowledge and understanding of a Holy God and causes us to respond to Him in a fresh new way. Visual Worship involves awareness of the world you live in and seeing Christ at work in visual ways. Not only can we see the evidence of God and His revelations, but we have an incredible opportunity to respond and reflect His glory through visual expressions.

We live in an age where the arts and worship are starting to re-converge. There are many ways in which this is happening, but it seems as though most art is creeping its way into our gatherings through the medium of technology, specifically through the tool of digital projection. What started with PowerPoint has evolved into intricate presentations layered with motion backgrounds. Today, with the Internet and the click of a mouse, we can project virtually any image we can imagine onto a screen. Technological paintbrushes are at our fingertips, and it seems the visual canvas is endless.

Visual Worship is only one small piece of the puzzle, for sight is just one of many senses that God has created us with. However, it seems to be a gift that has been severely misunderstood in the Western Church. The question for you and your ministry is: Are you willing to shift your approach, if needed, in order to more clearly reflect the creativity of God? And if so, what does that look like in your setting?

How do you use technology to enhance the worship experience?

This is an excerpt from “A Guidebook for Visual Worship” by Stephen Proctor, recently released on worshipvj.com/store. It is a vision-casting and training resource for visual worship leaders and teams. The above image is an example of immersive environmental projection created by Proctor and Mark Pierson in the basement of the Baptist Tabernacle in Auckland, New Zealand. For more information about Proctor and Pierson, visit worshipvj.com and claryfirecurator.com.

“In 2008 the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion set out to make [our appreciation dinner] a great experience. The chef customized a Tex-Mex meal that was within our budget. The food was delicious and creatively presented. The catering manager located complimentary decorations and made the room feel festive and the guests really enjoyed themselves. They provided chips and salsa as the guests entered the room. For dinner, guests built their own tacos, nachos and/or fajitas with all the great toppings.

Vegetables at Nashville Station. Photo by Kenny Holloway

In 2010 we hosted our appreciation dinner at the Nashville Sheraton—the dinner was held in the revolving room at the top of the hotel. The catering manager and chef worked with us to create a wonderful meal of heavy appetizers. Attendees were offered a drink as they entered the room and the food was outstanding!  Some of the highlights were the lobster mac and cheese, grit cakes (and I don’t like grits), ham carving station, and grilled vegetables. For dessert, they served warm chocolate bread pudding and apple crisp with ice cream.  The food was delicious and the view was wonderful watching the sunset and the city light up—the evening was magical.”

— Sherry Eschenberg, Presbyterian Church in America

“Rosen Single Creek blew us away when it came to preparing vegetarian and vegan meals; the staff went over and above in the area of professionalism and courtesy to the guests. Many greeted the VIPs by name and accommodated us every step of the way. The food was delicious, fresh, hot and just amazing. The banquet staff [was] wonderful. They received a standing ovation from our group during the last meal. We had many compliments on the desserts, especially the bread pudding. Many also liked the yucca dish and the fresh variety of salads and vegetables.”
— Sharon Linna, Adventist-Laymen’s Services and Industries

“My best food and beverage experience [was with] the team at the Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, D.C. Jessica Sewall and her team amazed me with creative menus to fit our budget. They excelled in their professional approach to even the smallest of details like presentation, flexibility with inevitable changes and attentive service. All that wrapped up with great personalities—they were a joy to work with.”
— Leesha Hazel, Aglow International

“@Hilton_Orlando hosted a reception for us in July. Guests and clients said best ever.”
—@repkbrooks (Kevin Brooks) on Twitter, Church of God International

“Levy Restaurants at the America’s Center/Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. We have a great relationship with them and they go above and beyond to make sure that our meals are a success. Their wait staff is especially accommodating and they truly want everything to be the best it can be for our group.”
— Tiffany Harris, Joyce Meyer Ministries

“After our event at an arena, the women staying the night at Richmond Marriott came back to a very high-energy hotel lobby that was created just for them—a customized menu tailored for late-night chatting and snacking! And all staff, even up to the GM, were helping host the women.”
— Amy Cato, LifeWay Christian Resources

Tell us your favorite F&B experience below.

A recent conversation with a young woman who was an event planner for the conference I was attending reminded me why I do what I do. During the course of our conversation, I shared my story with her — my story of how the events that I plan are born out of a passion and purpose that transformed my professional identity.

You see, for the longest time I thought of event planning as simply a job, something that I did for seven years while finishing college. Eventually, I completed my BA in psychology and began a career as a licensed professional counselor. But as graduation rapidly approached, I increasingly felt like I was a square peg desperately trying to squeeze into a round hole. During the last semester of college, I finally realize that my genuine passion and true calling had been right under my nose the entire time — planning events.

Even when I was up to my elbows in event details each and every day, I could not see how God had placed me exactly where I was supposed to be. Little did I know that attending a Hillsong United concert at my home church in Dallas, Texas, would turn my perceptions upside-down and inside-out.

My purpose for going to the concert was because in only a few short months, I would be planning the first U.S.-based Hillsong conference, and I was there to scope out the breadth of the task. But sitting in the midst of the crowd, listening to the worship music, I knew that God had other plans for leading me to the concert that night. I felt as if God looked right into my heart and whispered, “This is why you do what you do. This is why I gave you the gifts and abilities that you have. You lay the foundation with each detail that you plan, so that the speakers and artists can get up on that stage and share the message I want to speak through them to move the audience — and ultimately, to change the world.”

At that moment, I realized that event planning was, in fact, God’s divine plan for my life. Recounting my story to that young fellow event planner, I encouraged her to take a couple of minutes when running an event to step into a session and see the affect that it is having on the attendees, and in those quiet moments, to let God speak to her.

Jennifer Winn, president of Winn Events and creator of myeventaudit.com, plans meetings, conferences, concerts and trade shows across the globe. You can contact her at jennifer@winnevents.com or visit winnevents.com for more information.

No life is without its fair share of problems. Meeting planners probably have more than usual, and Christian meeting planners don’t get a free pass from problems, professional or personal, either.

On July 28, I suffered a near fatal heart attack. I was in a coma for seven days and in the hospital for 23 days. Once home, I began physical therapy. That has been easy compared to the hospital. But it hasn’t been without problems: I push myself too hard; my wife Sheila needs respite; I have a nagging fear of another heart attack. I’m learning firsthand the truth that problems do not determine state of mind; our attitude towards them does. But “attitude adjustment” is easier said than done. Here are lessons I’ve learned that you might find helpful.

Maintaining your sense of humor when confronted with a problem automatically reduces the size of the problem. Giving into despondency is easy so I work hard to prevent negative thoughts. That means laughing at myself sometimes. It means remembering times that made me laugh. Energy and vibrancy come easier in laughter.

Determination can be cultivated and increased. When I feel like giving up, I know that it is time to pray until I acknowledge that my future is in God’s hands. Then I ask God for the determination not to let the magnitude of the task ahead worry me.

Resolve is maintained through inspiration. Scripture reading, inspirational stories, motivational movies and listening to other people tell their stories all let us know that our problems are not peculiar. I try to surround myself with as much inspiration as possible.

“I got myself into this mess so what makes me think I can change?” is a common thought, but negative self-talk like this is counter-productive. When it invades my thoughts, I know I need to believe in myself. However, belief in myself is a dead-end unless it is rooted in the fact that God created, redeemed and loves me.

I have never been this weak. But it is my very weakness that brings 2 Corinthians 12:9 to life for me: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

I am alive because of the grace of God. While my circumstance is pretty remarkable the same truth applies to us all: We all live because of God’s grace.

The 2010 Rejuvenate Marketplace is the first post-heart attack trip for Tim Hudson, national representative and meeting planner for the Association of College Ministries. Read more about his journey and his insights on his blog, timothyhudson.com.

By Sally Dubroc

For most people, the BP oil spill is something happening “over there,” but for others, this event has been life changing. My job as conference coordinator for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana places me at the heart of the oil spill. Our largest event, Steubenville on the Bayou, brought 3,200 participants to Houma, La., June 18-20, 2010. Housing has never been an issue because of the large amount of hotel rooms in the city as well as dorm rooms at a university in neighboring Thibodaux.

About four weeks before this year’s conference, the Office of Homeland security, along with officials from BP, informed local hotels that, regardless of any prior bookings, the rooms in Houma were now reserved for the BP cleanup crew and others affiliated with the oil spill. The Houma-Terrebonne CVB, along with several hoteliers, called to inform us of the development immediately.

While the news was somewhat surprising, we focused on the fact that God had ordained this event and wanted it to happen. The area would benefit in many ways, especially spiritually. He had a plan and our role was to listen and adhere to it.

Our amazing staff was ready to serve: our bishop, a man with a heart for evangelism and an unfailing faith; the priests and conference staff, a hardworking, faithful group who readily accepted any challenge; and the chairpersons committee of 42 individuals granted my requests with ease. In addition, the 250 volunteers registered to help with the conference were willing to serve regardless of the task. The local tourism bureau worked with bureaus in the surrounding area to help us. Most importantly, a large group of intercessors committed to daily prayer for our staff, volunteers and our events.

Within two days, the potential crisis was averted. An e-mail was sent to local pastors, and churches quickly offered to house youth groups. Some of the local youth groups who originally planned to stay in hotels canceled their reservations so that groups coming from farther away could have the rooms. Calls were made to tourism bureaus up to 50 miles away. In no time, we received names of available hotels eager to help. Some of the local hoteliers worked diligently to free as many rooms as possible. Although an extra strain was put on some attendees, we did not have one cancellation.

God also reminded me of a few other things:

This was not happening to us. Perhaps things seemed stressful for a day or two, but this crisis happened to the families who lost loved ones, those who are now jobless, to the businesses that have fewer customers, and to people who have lived and worked along the gulf for generations. Losing our hotel rooms meant that the people helping in the oil spill had a place to stay, not that the people coming to our conference were “kicked out.”

The lesson of perseverance as a key to coordinating any event was also reinforced. There will always be things that block us from doing what we feel called to do but if we push through, we get to that light at the end of the tunnel. (Hebrews 12:1)

Finally, I was reminded that I don’t have all of the answers and I am not supposed to. As conference coordinator, my job is to bring all the parts together so that the participants experience a dynamic, spirit-filled event. Thankfully, God has placed people in key positions who know much more than I do about the various elements and I am happy to defer to them when necessary. The answers lie in Him and not in us. We are all instruments.

Most meeting planners thrive when they have ample time to do what they do best: plan. We find pleasure in knowing every detail is covered. Whether it’s a citywide event, national conference or weekly church service it takes quite a lot of preparation to make it all happen. But what happens when that time and careful planning is stripped away? What happens when you have no time to plan, no time to prepare and your event just happens? It was a busy day in November full of meetings as our team was preparing for our national onething09 event, which draws 20,000 young adults to downtown Kansas City in December. I began to receive texts and phone calls that one of the morning classes at our Forerunner School of Ministry was still going. I was intrigued but honestly didn’t think much about it until I received a text from my director later that evening: “There are over 1,000 people at FSM. Come as soon as you can.”

As soon as I arrived I was in shock. It wasn’t just a simple group of students hovered in the corner, having a good time and refusing to leave. Our auditorium was filled to capacity! The atmosphere was thick with excitement and a spirit of worship. Young adults were praying for each other and families were looking for seats. Our media and sound team had sprung into action, stage lights were on, lyrics were on the projectors, and the next worship team was ready to take the stage to relieve a team that had been leading for two hours.

What usually takes months to plan was happening before my eyes. It doesn’t take a seasoned event planner to realize this situation was completely backwards. The event started, everyone scrambled and then we got a game plan. That night, in the swirl of activity watching our team shift into overdrive, I began to realize the raw hunger of this generation. There was no marketing plan, no registration, no flurry of e-mails, no preparation whatsoever. Word spread that something real was happening and people showed up. Of course, we cannot expect to sit back and watch events run themselves. There is always a time to plan, prepare and put careful thought into how to carry out an event. However that night, as a Christian event planner, I was forced to reevaluate what I do and why I do it.

When planning an event, for young adults especially, it is not about how flashy you can make the posters, what band you can pay to show up or how many drawings you have for a free iPad. Sure, it gets their attention, but what do they get out of it? They want something more than fleeting pleasures that never satisfy, which is something man can never offer no matter how much time or money we spend. Sometimes we just need to get out of the way and let God be the ultimate coordinator.

Joanna Eitel is the event coordinator for International House of Prayer – KC. The spontaneous event about which Eitel describes continues to this day as the “IHOPU Student Awakening” every Wednesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to midnight CST. View the live webstream at ihop.org.

By Joan Drammeh

Three things crossed my mind last August as I approached the office of Newton B. Collinson IV, publisher at Collinson Media and Events, with the guidelines for an Army Officer Candidate School letter of recommendation.

First, the fact that my boss, Major Collinson, USMCR, is a man who takes great pride in his service as a Marine Corps officer. Second, the pull-up bar standing tall in Newt’s office, which represented his level of commitment to physical fitness and the limits of my own female form. Third, the “Our Heroes” whiteboard that hangs in the office break room and lists names of enlisted soldiers who hold a special place in the hearts and prayers of Collinson employees.

From the moment I entered his office to my final day of work in March 2010, Newt and the Collinson family and staff offered me nothing but support and well wishes.

They also kept me on my toes. Although Newt III, president of Collinson Media and Events, never yelled, “drop and give me 20,” he did keep me alert with weekly reminders of my impending ship out date. “How many days left Joan?” he would greet me in the mornings.
One day I arrived at work to discover a jug of creatine supplements on my desk compliments of Chris Collinson, publisher of Rejuvenate, a man on a health kick who would put Russell Simmons to shame.

With an energy supplement infused into a workout regime consisting of 3-mile morning runs and nightly dates with Tony Horton and Shaun T. — famed fitness gurus of P90X and Insanity workout programs — my confidence grew and the possibility of surviving boot camp seemed feasible.
My final day of work included a camouflage-themed surprise party filled with smiling faces, kind words, many hugs and detailed demonstrations on the proper way to do a military push-up. Looking around the room I saw examples of female empowerment in Chief Financial Officer Leslie Collinson and Editorial Director Christine Born. As I prepared to leave one family to join another, it was comforting to know my name would soon be a fixture on the esteemed Collinson whiteboard.

Joan Drammeh is currently at boot camp in Fort Sill, Okla. She will attend Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Ga. Her Military Occupational Specialty is Intelligence.

Luke Palmerlee and Ronnie Harris take off on a bus tour of Civil Rights sites with the Evangelical Covenant Church’s Sankofa journey.

In August 2009, I embarked on a Sankofa journey with an Evangelical Covenant Church group of 30. The Sankofa journey is an international, cross-racial prayer journey that confronts the social ills related to racism. Named after a West African word meaning “looking backward to move forward,” the Sankofa experience explores historic civil rights landmarks and seeks to move participants toward healing the wounds and racial divide caused by hundreds of years of racial injustice in the United States.

On this 72-hour bus journey, we visited critical sites of past and present racial injustice in Birmingham, Ala., Memphis, Tenn., and Albany and Atlanta, Ga. Each day participants were paired with someone of a different ethnic background. The schedule was grueling, including spending two nights sleeping on the bus, but the benefits and life lessons I learned far outweighed any discomfort experienced.

Admittedly, I was outside my comfort zone on many levels on this journey. For me, growing up in a suburban community with little interaction with African Americans I had not been forced to deal with issues of race or racism; my school, community and church were predominately white. In college and beyond I had opportunities to live and interact in a diverse community living on the north side of Chicago. I knew racism still existed in our society but as a white, middle-class privileged male, I could choose not to deal with it.

Through this journey I learned the stories, history and lives of my African-American brothers and sisters in Christ who are forced to deal with racism on a daily basis. I was challenged to make the choice to be part of the progress toward healing and reconciliation. We cannot change the past but we can learn from it and make the future a better place. One person may not be able to change our society’s views but that should not stop us from trying; we can make a difference within our circle of influence and that is a worthwhile goal.